Murder Takes a Vacation

A Novel

De: Laura Lippman

Narrado por: Kimberly Farr

“Murder Takes a Vacation has all Laura Lippman's trademark razor-sharp insight and effortlessly absorbing writing, plus huge amounts of warmth and fun. Mrs. Blossom is a pure joy, and I'm already hoping for more.” –Tana French

Highly acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Laura Lippman returns with an irresistible mystery featuring Muriel Blossom, a former private investigator and middle-aged widow whose vacation on a Parisian river cruise turns into a deadly international mystery…that only she can solve.

Mrs. Blossom has a knack for blending into the background, which was an asset during her days assisting private investigator Tess Monaghan. But when she finds a winning lottery ticket in a parking lot, everything changes. She is determined to see the world that she sometimes feels is passing her by.

When Mrs. Blossom booked her cruise through France on the MS Solitaire, she did not expect to meet Allan on her transatlantic flight. He is the first man who’s sparked something inside her since her beloved husband passed.

She also didn’t expect Allan to be found, dead, twenty-four hours later in Paris, a city he wasn’t supposed to be in.

Now Mrs. Blossom doesn’t know who to trust on board the ship, especially when a mystifying man, Danny, keeps popping up around every corner, always present when things go awry. He is convinced that Allan was transporting a stolen piece of art, and Mrs. Blossom knows more than she lets on, regarding both the artifact and Allan’s death.

Mrs. Blossom’s questions only increase as the cruise sails down the Seine. Why does it feel like she is being followed? Who was Allan, and why was he killed? Most alarmingly, why do these mysterious men keep flirting with her?

©2025 Laura Lippman (P)2025 HarperCollins Publishers

Reseñas de la Crítica

A New York Times “Best Beach Reads of Summer”

One of Washington Post’s “Best Mysteries to Read This Summer”

One of Boston Globe's ""Books to Add to Your Summer Reading List""

One of Minneapolis Star Tribune's ""24 terrific books for the beach, cabin or lawn chair you’ll want to read this summer""

One of Chicago Tribune's Summer Books 2025

Interesting read

I liked the character of Mrs Blossom. I have enjoyed other Laura Lipman books more.

Unfortunately the reader was so bad, it’s the first thing I think of.

I felt like I was sitting cross-legged in the floor listening to Curious George being read by that person who reads very slowly and does the smiling voice with a pause at the end of every sentence. This made me feel like I was listening to a children’s book. However I enjoyed the story and the characters.

I Could Feel Mrs Blossom in the Narrator

I loved the narrator for the reading of this book. It made listening to this story real entertaining. I cried learning that the author lost her mother and I laughed about her eye-rolling daughter.

Amazing story! Well done Laura! As always another winner!

The story was well written. The characters are well developed and interesting. The story ties in character favorites from other books! Lippman books are a must read!

Great storyline and complex characters

Loved the interior monologues of Mrs. Blossom. Lots of insight into how we see ourselves and perceive how others see us usually we are wrong! Great storyline.

Long Live Mrs. Blossom!

I love Laura Lippman and her Baltimore.
Now she brings us a large as life ( no pun intended) character with smart, sensitive internal workings, a love of art, her family and closest friend, into the heart of an interesting mystery.
Won’t divulge any twists ( many)— but let’s hope Mrs. Blossom continues on as a detective in future novels.

As the author stated at the end, it was refreshing to recognize a character who is overweight and proud to be so.

There were several reasons to enjoy this book, yet I felt that there was frequently too much explaining for words or actions. Had the writing been more mature/better edited and/or written, the extra spoon feeding about a character or scene, would have been unnecessary. As I read a book, I often consider if it would be appropriate for my young daughter, and for these reasons, I will recommend this book for her.

The main character

Loved Mrs Blossom and could relate to her circumstances since I’m that age.great book!I don’t have anything else to say.

So much adventure on her cruise down the Seine!

Murial Blossom, a former PI, takes a vacation, a cruise down the Seine, and all sorts of chaos unfolds! She doesn't know who to trust onboard the ship. And why do mysterious men want to flirt with her?

My husband had a heart attack while I was listening to this book, This is just the fun read I needed and could concentrate on after my hospital visits. Interesting story. Mrs. Blossom cracks me up. Although she is a bit repetitive about her body size in the story. Who cares? We got the point. I will read more books with her in them.

So nice to have the heroine, not young and thin!

Maybe you need to be older to a really appreciate this book but I enjoyed every word! I thought it was original, realistic, and filled with characters that I would actually like to know - most of them! I truly hope there will be another Mrs. Blossom mystery novel!