by Liz Hedgecock (Author)

A Book Review by Jackie Houchin

  ALL AT SEA is a fun, light, historical mystery set in 1893 aboard a ship sailing from England to Bombay, India. The heroine, Miss Maisie Frobisher, is a young woman of wealth, traveling with her maid to see what she can see of the world. (Oh! A girl after my own heart!!)  She has no definate plans except to enter the society of British India and see what happens. She’s a bit spoiled, and a bit sea-sick for the first few days on the ship. She’s almost ready to abandon ship, but…

Soon the persnickities and prospects of the people around the Captain’s table (where she is seated) begin to interest her. “Oh, my. Who is that attractive Mr. Randall?  Why are the Smythes so uptight? Why is Mrs. Jennings have such a tight hold on her silent daughter? Who is that pale and silent man seated next to the Captain?  As the voyage continues to exotic posts, their stories and a few criminal endeavors emerge. And of course a death.

Can our spoiled heroine discover the dastardly goings-on about the ship and nail the perpatrator?

This is a delightful peak into first class travel and the manners and etiquette of the Victorian era. Fortunately, the mystery is not fully discovered by the characters (or the reader) until the very last day of travel. And, oh my! Could that be a flicker of romance brewing?  Looking forward to more of Miss Maisie Frobisher in India.

I have only one very tiny “bone to pick” with the author. Unless mentioned in the same paragraph, I was constantly confusing the names, Miss Frobisher and Miss Fortesque.  Couldn’t the names have been less alike?

4 1/2 – Stars.