Due to a passing in the family a few years ago and my subsequent health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for years after the bereavement. Thank you for the opportunity.

Jenny Starling is not your average female sleuth. No airy-fairy young woman this but an Amazonian cook who doesn’t baulk at any situation. She fast becoming a favourite sleuth as Faith Martin gives her character a unique and engaging slant with both humour and intrigue. Like Miss Marple, Jenny has a deep insight into the character of those she suspects, but she doesn’t jump in too soon with her suspicions, choosing her time to reveal the culprit and does so with a sang froid which surprises onlookers. After all, all they can see is a cook, which is the way jenny likes it.

I won’t give away the storyline for fear of revealing too much, but like Mis Martin’s other mysteries, this story has plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. I shall definitely look forward to Ms Starlings next adventure.

Jenny Starling, amateur detective come travelling cook is back to succeed where the Police are failing.
Another interesting read.

Over recent months I've become a great fan of cozy mysteries so, when I saw this third book in the series featuring Jenny Starling being launched, I knew I had to read "Riverboat Mystery." Also, it has a culinary theme which I love and a little light humour. The first book ‘The Birthday Mystery’ and the second, 'The Winter Mystery' were both so good, I knew it was likely that Faith Martin had written a winner with this book, too, and I was right!

Best-seller author Faith Martin has also written the ‘Detective Hillary Greene’ mysteries.

Faith Martin’s writing skills set the scene beautifully for this novel and in this case, the drama takes place on board a luxury paddle steamer. Her character development was wonderful, particularly that of Jenny who was an impressive woman and in her late twenties. Curvaceous and sexy, she’s a modern single woman, living and loving life as a travelling cook. She is happy travelling the country catering for different events and cooking great food. She doesn’t like having to divert her attention from baking delicious cakes or creating a new sauce recipe by having to solve murders. She is great at reading people and unmasking killers, always with a good dose of humour.

There are many suspects in this mystery, with clues and lots of red herrings to keep the reader guessing. It was a thoroughly satisfying read and I often found myself asking the same questions as Jenny and I was kept in suspense to the end. The pacing in "The Riverboat Mystery" was very good and I never lost interest, as it wasn't long before something intriguing would happen. Things came together for a fulfilling finish and wrapped everything up very neatly.

I'm definitely looking forward to the next novel featuring Jenny Starling and other books by the author, Faith Martin. "The Riverboat Mystery" whets your appetite for more to come.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from Joffe Books via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC, which I have enjoyed reading.
The Riverboat Mystery by Faith Martin is an enjoyable read, the storyline meanders along the river Oxford and is a who dun it? Who killed the nasty victim.? It is up to Jenny Starling once again to explain to the policemen , who was guilty.
A really good read.

A cosy mystery with lovely characterisation, well written with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing.
I am rapidly becoming a fan of Jenny Starling the travelling cook and amateur sleuth, perfect read for snuggling up with.

The third in the Jenny Starling mystery series from Faith Martin (previously published as 'Dying for a Cruise' under pen name Joyce Cato). Jenny, a self employed cook and sometime amateur sleuth, accepts an assignment on a paddle steamer - employed by a wealthy businessman, her task to cook for a group of friends at a get together on board. Needless to say, not everything goes exactly to plan. An enjoyable, light mystery with some good characterisation, humour and an entertaining plot. Can be read as a standalone although there is a timeline in characterisation.

Another fun Jenny Starling mystery. She is a great character with firm opinions and a wry sense of humour. The mystery itself is a good one in an unusual setting which I enjoyed. It is an easy read, not brain taxing and good for a holiday or a rainy Sunday afternoon read.

Jenny Starling is a woman who knows what she is about, in my opinion, she is full of starch and is quite proud of her abilities, who could give her wrong when you are good at what you do and believe in yourself as much as she does then your self-confidence knows no bounds. In relation to her cooking and crime-solving abilities, she has a no-nonsense attitude that wins her the respect of those around her. In the murder mystery on the Stillwater, there are twists and turns that would surprise you, they did surprise me, I have to say. This story captivates and engages your attention, with its puzzling entanglements.

I know that reading a Faith Martin mystery will be an entertaining ride through the lives of her very colorful characters. This one is no exception. She always writes as if the characters are her friends and she really likes them. Her ability to share with the readers is one of the things that makes her books so good.
Jenny jumps at the chance to spend a weekend aboard a luxury steamer. Do a little cooking and get paid are just a bonus. When one of the characters manages to get himself killed, Jenny helps the police investigate. Each character has their reasons for killing and it's fun to watch Jenny figure out the who and why. Reading as Jenny gets to the bottom of the mystery is a good way to spend a weekend.

Yet another cosy murder mystery from this author. I have read several over the last few months and they always make me want to curl up in front of a log fire. There is a definite feel of the 1950s in the type of characters, yet it is within a modern setting. A great light read for those who like Christie and other Golden Age authors.

This is the third story in the excellent new series from this author featuring travelling cook Jenny Starling, and I am now a huge fan. In this book Jenny has been booked to cater for a weekend cruise on the River Thames for wealthy Oxford businessman Lucas Finch and his four guests, together with his manservant, the captain and the engineer, on his luxury paddle boat steamer The Stillwater Swan. Even considering Jenny's talent for getting caught up in murder enquiries, what could possibly go wrong? She is positively looking forward to a working holiday despite the apparent tensions between some of the guests and their host. In short there is the pretty young pregnant wife of a local solicitor who is repelling the advances of an old soldier whose own younger and glamorous wife seems to be busy making advances to other men. Lucas Finch is rumoured to have a dubious past where making his money is concerned and is ripe for blackmail. All this however is small fry when Jenny discovers the body of one of the guests in a kitchen cupboard. Local CID Inspector Rycroft and Sergeant Graves come on board to investigate the suspicious death and it doesn't take them long to realise who Jenny is. Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, they soon start to make use of her talents in the investigation, one where the conclusion turns out to be quite a surprise! The author also has a talent for including rather wonderful animal characters in these stories - I wanted Pooch from the last book and now I want that parrot!!

This is a very clever English mystery. Jenny Starling, a cook at Oxford, goes on her vacation to spend the weekend cooking for a wealthy man, Lucas Finch, on his fancy river boat, the Stillwater Swan. There are four guests, David Leigh (a young lawyer) and his newly pregnant beautiful blond wife, Dorothy, Gabriel Olney (a 61 year old retired Colonel) and his lucious wife Jasmine, as well as Captain Lester and the engineer Brian O'Keefe and Francis his manservent. Gabriel had a very large cheque made out to Lucas Finch (he was planning on purchasing the Stillwater Swan). Jasmine liked having lots of money to spend and spending time with lucious men and didn't like being stuck on a boat. David was practicing forgery, and wanted to "get even" with Gabriel (who he thought was responsible for his father's death in the war). Gabriel flirts with Dorothy on the boat, while his wife Jasmine is flirting with Brian.

It is soon apparent that Gabriel is blackmailing Lucas into selling him the Stillwater Swan, and most of those on the boat didn't like the others. The Captain and engineer like their jobs on the Swan, and has told them they would no longer have a job. Jenny has a history of solving crimes and looks carefully at everything happening. On the last day of the cruise, Gabriel is found in the kitchen closet having drowned (how did he get there and when did he die). The police, Inspector Rycroft and Sergeant Graves arrive, and Jenny begins to show her sleuthing abilities which are as good as her cooking. The police gradually realize that she seems to know more than they do, in spite of the complexity of the story. Any one of the guests, owner, or crew had reasons to want Gabriel dead. At the end, the real murderer was a surprise.

Jenny Starling is offered a job as a cook aboard a wealthy man’s riverboat. There are a number of guests on board as well as the crew who have secrets to hide.
And when Jenny finds a dead man in the cupboard where she cooks, she finds herself in the middle of yet another murder investigation. A crime with too many suspects, too many red herrings and a victim resented by most.
Who wanted him dead? Who had the opportunity to commit the crime? Who would have lost a lot, if the victim’s life wasn’t cut short?

The Riverboat Mystery is an engaging and fast-paced read, with many twists and turns and clues you may miss if you’re not careful!

Thanks to Faith Martin, Joffe Books and the NetGalley for providing me with a copy.

Traveling chef Jenny Starling is hired to work the weekend on a luxury paddle steamer for businessman Lucas Finch and his guests. The guests seem to enjoy the meals and time aboard on the first day. But on the second afternoon, Jenny finds the body of retired soldier Gabriel Olney hidden in the galley cupboard. Who wanted to kill Olney?

Olney had somehow coerced Finch into handing over the ownership of his beloved steamer the night before. The captain and engineer would lose their jobs and homes when Olney took ownership. Olney had also been planning on divorcing his wandering wife Jasmine and was making amorous advances to pregnant Dorothy Leigh. Dorothy's solicitor husband David hated Olney but enough to kill him? Jenny follows the various clues to identify the motive and identity of the desperate killer and aid the local police in the investigation.

The murder occurred pretty late in the story and the killer's motive seemed pretty weak.

This book was originally published as “DYING FOR A CRUISE” under the name JOYCE CATTO.

I received an eARC via Netgalley and Joffe Books with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

Jenny Starling the traveling cook has a job for the weekend cooking on a luxury steamboat. Lucas Finch has two couples joining him for the cruise. There does not seem to be any love lost between those on board but on the surface all seems well until one of them turns up dead. The local police come and Jenny helps them solve the crime. Is it easy to discover who did it? Not really as each of those on board have a reason to kill him.

Jenny Starling is the cook for the weekend on the riverboat the Stillwater Swan. There will be guests who all have secrets and Jenny our amateur sleuth will have plenty of clues to decipher to help the local police when murder stalks the cruise. Jenny’s only priority is to make sure no one goes hungry!
This is the 3rd book in Jenny Starling’s cozy easy reading mystery series and would be well worth reading more.
I was given an ARC of this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Very good mystery. Thank you Faith Martin for this wonderful book. I enjoyed the characters and all of the twists and turns in this book. Your descriptions of the characters and the settings brought this book to life and I loved it.

I was so excited when Jill mailed me and asked to part of this tour.  despite being full I am a huge fan of Jenny Starling and I think I'm a little in love with her.  The girl can cook and has a no-nonsense approach to life.  The Riverboat mystery can be read as a stand alone or out-of-order.  

Read my reviews of the first books in the series.   

The Birthday Mystery
The Winter Mystery. 
Reading The Riverboat Mystery was like coming home to a loved and familiar place.  I love Ms Martin's storytelling and the way she seems to luxuriously unwind the plot like she's unwrapping a most delicious chocolate.

Jenny has been hired to cook for wealthy man, Lucas and his companions onboard his luxury riverboat, joining the captain, the engineer and the butler as staff.  Other guests include the Leighs and the Olneys.  Whilst moving around the boat, minding her own business, the astute Jenny starts to notice that people and situations may not be all they seem, especially when a someone on the board is found murdered. 

For the first half of the book, Ms Martin introduces the main players and spends time giving the reader a glimpse into their lives by showing snippets of conversations or certain actions.  She is excellent at smattering seemingly irrelevant (at the time) little clues etc. into the writing that almost go un-noticed until later in the books (or they do in my case).

With a literal boat load of viable suspects, all with strong motives and a victim as unlikable as this one, Jenny is once again drawn into a game of 'WhoDunIt?' as she uses her sharp wit, clever techniques for extracting information and astute observations to figure out who our murderer is.

Highly recommended for fans of cosy crime novels, light-hearted crime and whodunits?

I love Jenny Starling mysteries. She reminds me of Miss Marple, minus the Junoesque figure and the cooking. Her deductive skills are fabulous. I like it when, in the story, she assumes that the police have finally solved the mystery. But, they haven't and she then explains to them how the murder was committed. And this also means that she identifies the perp before the cops do.

Sergeant Graves and Inspector Rycroft made a nice detective pair. Although Rycroft is experienced and senior, it is Sergeant Graves who uses a bit of his grey cells. Each and every character in the book is portrayed in a unique way. And in the end, how their alibis help in solving the mystery is superb. And it goes without saying that, I have two favorite characters in this book. Jenny, of course, no doubt about that, and the macaw. The bird can literally chit-chat!

I loved the concept of murder on a boat. It is not any boat, mind you. It is a riverboat. What is the difference? As Captain Lester explains to Jenny, unlike the boats that venture into the sea, riverboats have a flat hull and cannot withstand waves or water currents. The majestic Stillwater Swan steals the show, or in this case, the story!

The identity of the perp was unexpected and shocking. After a boatload of red herrings, Jenny finally arrives at the real reason for the murder and the identity of the perp. If I may add, there is a teeny-weeny bit of romance. I won't say anything more and making this review a spoiler!

I love Faith Martin's writing. I love the way she explains each and every scene with oodles of details. Everything, including the breeze, the sky, and the mood is explained in detail. You can imagine the scenes in your mind as you read through.