Ellie Tappet Cruise Ship Mysteries Series

Ellie Tappet's retirement plans were put on hold when her beloved husband Ronnie passed away. Two years later, with her children grown and the rest of her life ahead of her, she's ready to have the adventure she'd planned before her life was turned upside-down. It's time to take her very first cruise! When she comes aboard the SV Adventurous Spirit, Ellie's surprised to be assigned a cabin inside the cruise line's singles club at sea, but she can tell her fellow travelers could use some advice. Unfortunately, her matchmaking efforts are interrupted when a passenger finds a finger with a big diamond ring on it in her Sangria Surprise! Guests are scandalized and tongues are wagging all around the ship. The ship's security chief seems eager to brush the crime under the rug while others point fingers at Ellie's favorite bartender. After thirty years married to a small town police chief, Ellie's picked up some sleuthing skills of her own, and she knows justice demands honest answers to the questions rocking the ship. Who does the finger belong to? How did it end up in the boozy drink special of the day? And what other shocking secrets lurk beneath the Caribbean sun? It's all hands on deck for a cozy mystery adventure with this matchmaking sleuth! Ellie Tappet doesn't know when to quit, even when her persistence gets her into a boatload of trouble.

Wealthy entrepreneur and cruise line owner Morgan Picklewick is dead and his family and friends are coming aboard the Adventurous Spirit for his memorial service at sea. As the cruise ship sails to sunny South America Morgan's heirs will scatter his ashes in the deep blue waters of the Panama Canal. But not all is as it seems. Morgan's business partner and friend, Roberta Crowley, suspects he was murdered by one of his children. As Ellie Tappet mingles with the mourners it seems everyone is hiding a motive or two. Perhaps one of his wealthy business partners saw an opportunity to take a bigger piece of the pie? Is the ex-wife's diva-like behavior covering a guilty conscience? As Morgan's heirs prepare to seize their father's stake in the cruise line, with devastating consequences for the crew, Roberta gives Ellie her most difficult assignment yet: Identify Morgan's killer before the crew is torn apart and scattered to the four winds, forever. It's all hands on deck for a cozy mystery adventure with Ellie Tappet! Join her as she takes on her most difficult case yet. Win or lose, her life is about to change in ways she never could have imagined.

Ellie Tappet is back aboard the S.V. Adventurous Spirit and eager to make a splash as the cruise line's first ever singles coordinator. As the newest crew member she knew she'd have a lot to learn. What she hadn't expected was a frosty reception! The rumor mill is working overtime and it seems she's made enemies without even trying. To keep her dream job, she must prove herself, and quickly. Ellie sees the potential for a romance or two but these singles refuse to mingle! She comes up with a creative solution: a masked karaoke contest. With faces hidden from view, guests can have a moment in the spotlight and make new friends in the process. There's nothing like a friendly competition to get people talking. A tragedy on opening night has everyone reeling. But is Ellie imagining a crime where none exists? It's all hands on deck for a cozy mystery adventure with the unstoppable Ellie Tappet.

How many Tappets does it take to solve a murder?   When Ellie's kids surprise her by coming aboard the S.V. Adventurous Spirit she couldn't be more thrilled. She's missed them so much, especially her sweet granddaughter Clara. And finally, it's time to introduce the family to the new man in her life. That is, if she can stop chickening out long enough to spill the beans.   Meanwhile, Ellie's friend Violet is having a reunion of her own. Violet's long-lost love has come aboard the ship on the arm of a new beau, and the resulting drama is raising eyebrows all over the ship. But emotional baggage takes second place to murder when a dead body is found on Violet's ex's doorstep! Does her old flame harbor the heart of a killer?   Ellie's on the hunt, but her prey proves elusive. Between the dead woman's unusual past, an unorthodox murder weapon gone missing, and the involvement of a visiting magician and his parrot, this mystery is starting to feel like a three-ring circus! Make yourself some popcorn and settle in for the show, because Ellie Tappet, along with her family and friends, are about to perform some crime-solving magic of their own.

Lights! Camera! Murder?   When the world-famous Sweetie Pie Baking competition comes aboard the Adventurous Spirit, Ellie can't wait to get a behind-the-scenes look at the hit television show. But when one of the contestants goes overboard, the perplexing nature of the crime scene has Ellie and security officer Paul Gumbs scratching their heads. Was the death a suicide or did a bitter rivalry turn deadly?   When a celebrity guest makes a shocking claim, rumors float through the ship like vapor. Did a murderous ghost push the victim into the churning waters below? Ellie isn't having it! She knows ghosts aren't real and that the killer was made of flesh and bone. But if that's true, how did they get into and out of locked stateroom without leaving a trace?

Captain Kevin West is coming aboard the S.V. Adventurous Spirit for his retirement ceremony and Ellie can't wait to meet him. The outgoing captain is one of Ben's oldest and dearest friends, and West has brought along his senior officers from the Spirit's sister ship, the S.V. Adventurous Soul. In just a few days' time, West will transfer control of the Soul to his protege, First Officer Emily Newhouse. When tragedy strikes in the dark of night it seems the untimely death was linked to a troubling criminal conspiracy.  As the trail of deception leads to a shocking revelation, and after long-held secrets come to light, Ellie begins to wonder... Was this murder committed by someone she loves?

The year is 1964, and Roberta Fliss has her hands full managing her husband's swanky Las Vegas nightclub, the Three Queens. Times are tough, but when they're invited to a high-stakes poker tournament aboard a luxury yacht, the couple hopes to take home the grandest of prizes. Their host, Vincent "Vinnie" Malone, is a powerful member of the newly founded Vegas Gambling Commission, and after years of scraping by, it seems Roberta and George's fortunes are on the rise. But Lady Luck takes more often than she gives, and this game is about to turn deadly...   In this Ellie Tappet Prequel novella, you'll meet the formidable Roberta Crowley decades before she and Ellie ever met. How did Roberta come to own a cruise line? And what really happened to her first husband? Take a trip back in time to the neon city for an origin story you'll never forget.