I bought THE MALTESE PARROT by Steve Higgs because of the setting. I love Malta. I also like mysteries and cruising. I thought this book would be right down my reading alley. However, Patricia Fisher, a wealthy (with a butler), divorced, 60-something sleuth is not at all what I expected. 

 

Patricia falls into cases by accident and solves them quite the same way. Now, you would think that is exactly what amateur sleuth cozies are all about.  But not this one. Her “cases” seem more annoying than challenging, a task she has to do (without really knowing how) while on the way to something more fun. 

 

And, in this book, no time is spent on the cruise ship!! She and the captain have a boy/girlfriend-with-benefits relationship that, from her own lips, is going nowhere. However, there is an almost inappropriate (for cozies) hotel scene. Also, she seems to enjoy getting into men’s clothing and using gestures like a man. The crotch shifting move made me cringe.

 

But the wild, mad-hatter-like race around the island with Patricia constantly attempting (and failing) to hand off a flash drive with sensitive info on it, is fun.  Along with that, she is trying to find a “kidnapped” grandma for a VERY annoying family.  And bodies (six of them) keep falling dead everywhere; shot at point-blank range without a second look.  It makes you want to stop and catch your breath – mostly from gasping and sighing.

The book is a hoot with several flaws, good for a rainy afternoon when you need a pickup. It is as light as a helium balloon.