Poisoned Waters by Ermisenda Alvarez

Title: Poisoned Waters

Author: Ermisenda Alvarez

Genre: Historical Mystery

Blurb: Bloody mistakes, ugly scars, and beautiful lies. A tale of corruption. Helen Gardener is murdered on a trans-Atlantic cruise. The Diamond Royale sails from Southampton to New York with her murderer aboard. Set in the 1950s, Poisoned Waters follows the stories of seven unfortunate characters and how they are affected by her death. Was it merely an accident? Mr Phillips, the owner of the ship, and sponsor of the cruise, rules with an iron fist, in search of something or someone. Lies spiral out of control as the suspects try to survive the final days on board. Conflicted by their sense of morals, greed, and lust, they realise what kind of people they really are. Who will rise? Who will fall? Who was Helen’s murderer?

My Thoughts: POISONED WATERS is a thrilling mystery set on an Atlantic cruise travelling from the UK to the USA where a mid-cruise murder means that the murderer still on board. A lot of characters are introduced early in the book which I found to be very confusing – I jotted down the names and the relationships and was easily able to keep track from then on. The story is set in the 1950s and author, Ermisenda Alvarez, has recreated the period very well. With all the characters demonstrating, and living, the prevailing social views of the time. One of the male characters even musing that as a group women seemed to coming out publically and demanding rights and this was not healthy! Helen Gardner is not the first murder victim by a long shot, the body count mounts up, blood is shed, and beatings occur as the story twists and turns. Some characters take advantage of the situation, others are bullied, a few are injured, more than a few killed, there are muggings, sets up and by the end of the book you are just gasping for breath both pleased and sorry that the ride is over. The killer of Helen is finally revealed – but wait there is more and it will surprise you, there are quite a few back stories and they all have endings that will surprise! Sometimes you have no idea who to trust – who is a victim and who is a manipulator. The pace is fast after the slow introduction; the tension had me sitting on the edge of my seat. One thing you can be sure of you will be surprised at some of the outcomes and I recommend this to any whodunit reader.

Rating: B – Great. I really enjoyed reading it.

For more about the author – Click Here

With thanks to the author for my copy to read and review.

 

Poisoned Waters by Ermisenda Alvarez is book # 27 for AWW2013

 

This post has been part of the Poisoned Waters Blog Tour.

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