DRESSED TO KEEL

Sea-cruising is everything it’s cracked up to be and more when the activities include robbery and murder.

ER nurse Darcy Cavanaugh is rethinking her commitment to nursing while getting over the shock of discovering that her ex-boyfriend is married with children. Her pal Marie, serving as nurse on an autumn-leaf cruise to Quebec, invites Darcy along in hopes of cheering her up. Because most of the passengers are well into their retirement, the recently burnt Darcy wonders why drop-dead gorgeous Luke Skyler is working as a dance host. When Marie is suspected of a series of shipboard jewel thefts, Darcy starts sleuthing. Almost all the ladies who were robbed had been afflicted by mini-strokes after enjoying a free visit to the spa, where they tell her they were treated to mimosas and special vitamin shots, amenities the spa staff denies providing. Although Darcy doesn’t trust Luke, she can’t help being attracted to him and commencing a hot-and-cold shipboard romance. Meanwhile, a steward is found hanged, and Darcy is nearly crushed by a lifeboat, but despite some dire warnings, she continues to ask who among her diverse shipmates could be a thief and a killer. Passionate embraces alternate with terror as Darcy and Luke bring the high-seas adventure to a whale of a conclusion.

Calvert’s debut folds mystery and romance into a valentine to the cruising experience.