The Boat Trip by Heather J. Fitt
In a brand-new murder mystery by the author of The Flight, a yacht crosses the North Atlantic while a perfect storm of suspicion and vengeance develops onboard . . .
Duchess is about to set sail from Scotland to St. Lucia. But before she even leaves port, a crew member storms off in anger. It’s only the first in a series of events that will beset Helen, the skipper, her best friend, and the remaining crew.
During a port of call in the Canary Islands, an experienced sailor is found badly beaten onshore. As a replacement, Helen calls in her son—despite objections from her crew who know of his unsavory reputation. Then, a near-fatal allergic reaction raises the tension level—and finally, during a fierce storm, someone goes overboard.
Is this a run of bad luck or is one person at the heart of the turmoil and violence? And if so, can the culprit be identified before they reach the Caribbean?
About the author
Heather was born in Scotland and after moving around Europe with her parents and sister, settled in Hampshire where she met her husband, Stuart.
After leaving the rat-race in 2018, Heather re-trained as an editor and proof-reader and entered the world of publishing. These days she works as a part-time freelancer and a part-time Commissioning Advisor for Bloodhound.
Heather was inspired to start writing her novel by the authors who have become her closest friends. Now the ideas are flowing she has plans to write several more over the coming years.
When she isn’t reading, Heather enjoys spending her time watching sport – especially her beloved rugby – and exploring the British countryside with Stuart.
For regular bookish updates, you can follow Heather on Twitter: @LifeBookish
Review
‘The Boat Trip’ is a brilliant and entertaining whodunit on the high seas! I have loved Heather’a last two books and I was looking forward to picking this one up. This is definitely her best book by far and I devoured it in one day. It is action-packed, full of tension and has great characters. What is also clear is that Heather is either au fait with the boating world or put a hell of a lot of research into it, as it was full of interesting points of reference. It meant the book was rich and authentic and a very interesting read.
The Duchess is about to sail from Scotland to St Lucia. Sounds like a dream voyage. But before they have even left Scotland one crew member has stormed off in anger and that's the beginning of worrying events. Helen, who job it is to skipper the boat has a tough journey with her best friend and the rest of the crew. During the port call in the Canaries one of the crew is found badly injured on shore and as a replacement Helen calls her son. Something that is not a popular decision with the rest of the crew due to his bad reputation. After the leave to head to St Lucia one of the members suffers a near-fatal allergic reaction and then a member goes overboard. Helen needs to admit to herself that they have a killer on board and work out who is pulling all the strings before it is too late…
This is such a readable thriller of the ‘locked room’ variety albeit on a very expensive yacht! I thoroughly enjoyed ‘The Boat Trip’ and loved all the tension and mystery that built up to a huge crescendo of reveals! Heather managed to create a great cast of interlocking stories and acquaintances that makes this an entertaining read. There is no one good guy and no one bad guy, everyone has their own secrets and motivations and I was kept guessing right to the very end.
Let me know if you pick this one up!
