October 1929 Murder books passage on the British luxury liner Queen Victoria , turning ship's nurse Maeve Chandler into an amateur sleuth apprenticing under the tutelage of mystery writer Agatha Christie. A passenger dies in full view of the first-class dining salon, followed by a millionaire apparently leaping overboard a day before the New York stock market crashes. Add in an abusive husband pushed down an open lift shaft and a crewman left to cook against a boiler in the ship's engine room, and a killer will walk free when the ship reaches New York unless Maeve and Agatha can unwind the clues -- but with 2,935 suspects on board, every revolution of the Queen Victoria's propellers means time is running out. 378 pages including bonus chapter for next book in series, a reader's guide for book clubs and a lexicon of definitions and people from the era who are mentioned in the book. First in a series. "A delightful cozy mystery." Marie Bostwick, New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of Esme Cahill Fails Spectacularly . "This wonderful debut will keep readers guessing until the end." J. Kenner, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Release Me . 5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, exciting read! Extremely well written. Verified Purchase Enjoyed this book so much! It was excellently researched to capture the essence of the time period. The characters are believable and I particularly like the way factual events, and even the “character” of Agatha Christie, are interwoven with well written fiction. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series. This book had me on board a ship in 1928, watching murder and mystery unfold before my eyes. That’s the type book that makes reading enjoyable 5.0 out of 5 stars Read this while on a cruiseVerified Purchase I loved the level of detail brought into this historical fiction book. It became a topic of dinner conversation on my cruise. Looking forward to reading the next in this series. I bought both the paperback and digital version for convenience. 5.0 out of 5 stars Easy, fun read! Verified Purchase Easy to follow the characters, intriguing plot line and lots of detail about a large ocean liner! Highly recommend this book 5.0 out of 5 stars A real thrillerVerified Purchase This is a true page turner! The period detail put you in the middle of the action. It keeps you guessing about the murderer. A delight 5.0 out of 5 stars A fun, fast-paced nautical mystery set in the age of majestic ocean liners Wonderful cast of characters in a marvelous setting with a devious killer at large! Mr. Finley does an excellent job of explaining the period and the people (both fictitious and historical) while he keeps the pages turning. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can't wait to read the next! NOVELS ALIVE BOOK BLOG Shadow of the Queen is the first book in the Voyages of the Queen series by Scott Finley , and I'm looking forward to reading more. A historical mystery set during a week in 1929, on the Queen Victoria crossing from England to New York City, my interest was held from the beginning. The book is fast-paced with multiple storylines, a slew of characters, and many murders. Agatha Christie is posing as a passenger under another name, and she, along with the nurse and the head doctor on the cruise, piece together clues, sift through the red herrings, and solve the crimes and uncover the murderers before they become the next victims. The story is told from Maeve's point of view. She's the nurse on the ship, and she and Dr. Harper work well together and also have an attraction. The descriptions throughout are vivid, and the story flows well, with plenty of twists and turns and quite a few surprises. The finding out whodunnit was satisfying, and I can't wait to delve into the next book, an excerpt of which was included in the back of the book, along with a Reader's Group Guide and a glossary of terms and historical figures, products, and events that added interesting facts to what I just read. Shadow of the Queen is a mystery waiting to be solved as we cross the Atlantic with a cast of characters, many of whom were beloved by the end. 5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, exciting read! Extremely well written. Verified Purchase Enjoyed this book so much! It was excellently researched to capture the essence of the time period. The characters are believable and I particularly like the way factual events, and even the "character" of Agatha Christie, are interwoven with well written fiction. I can't wait to read the rest of the series. This book had me on board a ship in 1928, watching murder and mystery unfold before my eyes. That's the type book that makes reading enjoyable 5.0 out of 5 stars Read this while on a cruiseVerified Purchase I loved the level of detail brought into this historical fiction book. It became a topic of dinner conversation on my cruise. Looking forward to reading the next in this series. I bought both the paperback an