Catch Me If Yukon (A Passport to Peril Mystery #12)

Author:  Maddy Hunter
Genre:  Mystery

Trade Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9780738753973
Midnight Ink Publishing
312 Pages
$15.99; $11.99 Amazon
December 8, 2018

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As tour escort Emily Miceli leads her globetrotting band of Iowa seniors into the wilds of Alaska, she discovers that, in the land of the midnight sun, whales aren't the only killers on the prowl.  When a tour member turns up dead on a mountainous hiking trail, Emily blames herself for the mishap - until she learns that something far hairier might be to blame.

One of the seniors snaps a photo of what looks to be Bigfoot, raising many questions about what happened to the victim.  But the illusive sasquatch is just a legend, isn't it?  Between whale-watching in the glacial waters near Seward and ziplining in the primal forests of Denali, Emily finds herself locked in a game of cat and mouse with a killer who's too clever to be mere myth.

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Emily Andrew-Miceli and her husband Etienne own a tour company that caters to a lively group of Iowa seniors, along with others who may sign up - and usually do.  This time out they're traveling through Alaska, along with members of a local book club who are 'first timers' on the tour.

While Emily doesn't want any problems along the way, she always expects them, because that's pretty much been the luck of this luckless group.  This time out the seniors are being a usual rambunctious bunch, as they always are, and along with the group are Emily's parents, Margaret and Bob.  Margaret is there because she thinks she needs to keep an eye on Emily's Nana, her mother, who doesn't need help from anyone.

Yet while on a whale watching boat, Margaret is the one Emily needs to keep an eye on.  When she senses danger ("Run for your lives!") where there is none, Emily fears that from this moment on the tour is going to be a disaster...and she's not far off.

Then there is an argument on a tram between a particularly nasty guest - Thor Iverson (who thinks he's smarter than anyone else) and a retired newspaper owner, Delpha Spillum, that doesn't end peacefully.  Later that evening Delpha doesn't arrive for dinner and Emily is worried.  But after texting her, Delpha texts back that she's decided to walk back to their lodgings instead.

So Emily relaxes for a little while...which is the wrong thing to do (of course) when Delpha's body is discovered on the trail.  Yet no one seemed to have a reason to kill the woman, and while the investigation is ongoing, they continue on with their tour.

Along with this Emily's life is about to get even more complicated by her ex-husband Jack who's now female friend Jackie and an employee of their company.  Emily has given her a fairly easy assignment:  travel with a different group of seniors to a new Iowa amusement park that's centered around farming (yes, around farming).  She thinks that will be easy enough...until the calls start coming in.  It seems one of the seniors has had a slight skin reaction to one of Jackie's makeovers and is in the hospital.  But that's minor compared to the rest of them...

Then there's the fact that a traveler whose wife had an emergency at the last minute and couldn't come isn't able to be reached; one of the travelers is making goo-goo eyes at Emily's hired tour escort Alison and won't let her out of his sight; her father seems to have inadvertently taken a picture of Big Foot and the press are following the group everywhere trying to get him to talk (which won't be easy considering the man doesn't make coherent sentences very often); and as if this wasn't enough, one more member of their group makes a trip with Destinations Travel a final destination...

While it seems like I've given a lot of background on this book, it's not enough.  As you can tell, there's plenty going on, and I'm surprised poor Emily isn't in a wheelchair by now with everything her seniors put her through.

I've read every single one in this series so far, and I have to say that I've never been disappointed in any of them.  The conversations between the seniors have me laughing out loud at times ("Hush, you Muskies!") and while they're quite a handful, I'd have the time of my life traveling with them anywhere they go.

I've actually become quite fond of Nana, the two Dicks, Tilly, and the others (even Bernice) and love being a part of their world.  If this is your first foray into the domain of the Windsor City, Iowa seniors you're in for a real treat.  If not, you probably feel much the same as I do.

While Emily is worried - because the police aren't sharing any information at this time - that Delpha's death wasn't merely an accident, she's not letting on to anyone except her ex-policeman husband Etienne.  And if he knows anything more than her, he's not telling. 

As always, Ms. Hunter does not disappoint in either humor nor action, and there are plenty of both.  She writes with a definite flair and gives enough background on wherever they are at the moment that you almost feel as if you are traveling along with the group.  The writing flows easily off the page and the tale is spun nicely.

In the end, when everything is starting to come together, there are more than a few surprises.  Yes, there are a couple of things you can start to figure out on your own, but I will say that still I was surprised at the ending, and that's a good thing.  The only problem I have is having to wait so long for the next installment of the series.  Highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Catch-Yukon-Passport-Peril-Mystery/dp/0738753971/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2475962993

More on Maddy Hunter's Books:

Say No Moor (A Passport to Peril Mystery)

Author:  Maddy Hunter
Genre:  Mystery

Trade Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9780738749617
Midnight Ink Publishing
336 Pages
$15.99; $11.99 Amazon
January 8, 2018

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Hoping to reach an expanded clientele of senior travellers, Emily Miceli, travel agency owner and tour escort, offers discounted fares to a handful of bloggers in exchange for highlighting her group's tour of Cornwall, England.  But when the quarrelsome host of their historic inn dies under suspicious circumstances, Emily worries that the bloggers' coverage of the situation will torpedo her travel agency.

To make matters worse, Emily is roped into running the inn, and not even a team effort from her friends can prevent impending disaster.  As one guest goes missing and another turns up dead, Emily discovers that well-kept secrets and family treasure can provide more than enough motive for murder.

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Emily Andrews Miceli's senior tour group is at it again, this time in 'Merry Olde England', on the Cornwall coast.  Trying to get more business for her tours, Emily has invited along five (very strange) travel bloggers - at a deeply discounted rate that only rancors her regulars - to give daily updates on the pleasures of touring with their agency.

But no sooner do they arrive at their destination than disaster befalls (did we expect anything else?).  The abrasive chef dies shortly after serving tea, and when it's discovered it wasn't an accident, the group is informed they must stay where they are.  But it gets worse when the co-owner of the inn (and life partner of the chef) is arrested and there's no one to cook or clean.  But then they discover there's a thief among them:  not only is money being stolen, but things like...wigs...and shoes.  Who would want to do such a thing?  It only escalates when one of Emily's seniors disappears, and no one seems to know where.

With a missing tourist and personal items, the body count mounting, suspicious bloggers, and Emily unwillingly running an inn that's apparently crumbling around them, nothing more can happen to them now...or can it?

As always, Ms. Hunter has given us another chapter in the topsy-turvy life of Emily Andrews Miceli and her (practically) insane seniors, who are more concerned with getting the best seat at the breakfast table than finding another dead body among them.

She brings you into their world so beautifully that you begin to wonder if you could survive a trip with them without needing medication yourself.  The story is fast-moving and event filled, helped along by plenty of humor and more than one mystery to be solved.  Emily's frustration is almost palpable, along with her fondness for each and every one of these irascible golden-agers who are having the time of their lives while finding reasons to argue with and attempt to one-up each other.

When the many mysteries are solved, they are woven together tautly and delightfully, giving us a conclusion not only believable but rewarding in itself; the pieces come together nicely and everything is just as it should be.  I eagerly await the next tour and spending time with Emily's seniors (as I have come to know them).  While this is part of a series, each book is written in a way that it can be read as a stand-alone; however, I will tell you that after reading the first in the series, Alpine for You, I was so enamored that I wanted to read each and every one, and I have no doubt that you will too.  Highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Say-Moor-Passport-Peril-Mystery/dp/0738749613/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2161881311

More on Maddy Hunter's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/maddy-hunter/

From Bad to Wurst (A Passport to Peril Mystery)

Author:  Maddy Hunter
Genre:  Mystery

Five Stars

Paperback

ISBN #:  9780738740348

Midnight Ink Publishing

312 Pages

$11.29 Amazon

December 8, 2015

It's Oktoberfest and the globetrotting seniors are sharing their Sounds of Music adventure with several oompah bands whose dream of performing in a famous German beer hall is about to be realized.  But when a deadly relic from wartime Munich rains disaster on the group, their dreams are shattered - until an unlikely guest offers them new hope.

The tour hits a sour note when tragedy strikes a guest who knew the musicians' most guarded secrets.  Was the death an unfortunate accident or something more sinister?  As the group travels from the beer tents of Munich to the fairytale castle of Mad King Ludwig, Emily strives to restore harmony.  But with the situation escalating out of control, could the gang be looking at a terrible end to their German interlude?

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Emily Andrew Miceli is back again in this tenth offering of Maddy Hunter's delightful Passport to Peril series.  In this outing, Emily and her group of savvy seniors are off on a trip to Germany, accompanied as usual by Emily's Nana, but also her flighty mother Margaret and her father Bob.  Also along for the trip is a psychic named Zola Czarnecki, who lucked out when there was one available seat left on the bus.  She has been amusing passengers with her predictions of the future - amusing most, anyway; although there are always bound to be skeptics in the group - the most vocal being the ever-cranky Bernice Zwerg, who is also the ever-present thorn in Emily's side.

They are traveling with a group of four Oompah bands that are excited by their chance to perform in the beer halls of Germany - since their claim to fame thus far being only able to perform in their native Iowa.  But when one of their members, Astrid Peterson, is accidentally dispatched early on by an incendiary device, and Emily is also injured in the blast, it stumps both her and her husband Etienne why anyone would be so interested in finding something Astrid left behind.

With the void left because of Astrid's demise, one of the bands finds themselves without an accordion player, which they determine is necessary for their success on the foreign stage.  An unlikely replacement comes from an unlikely source, which leaves not only Emily but also other members of her family scratching their heads in confusion and disbelief.  And when her mother develops a 'slight problem', it is up to Emily to enlist the assistance of her reluctant Nana for help.

When another group member is killed, and this time it is an obvious murder, it's up to Emily and Etienne to try and ferret out a killer before someone else becomes a casualty, and they haven't a clue why, who, or how it occurred.

As always, Ms. Hunter has given us a tangled murder mystery that is delightful to read.  Emily's attempt to figure out who the murderer is has her trying to decide who had a reason to kill, and she finds out that more than one person might have had a secret to keep, but which ones?

Her seniors are always humorous, and there were some laugh-out-loud moments, especially the scene with the "toddler tether" between Margaret and Nana.  And while they are exploring what should be the trip of a lifetime in Germany, the seniors are whipping out their ever-present camera phones and taking pictures - but what pictures they're taking are interesting, to say the least.

We are also given much pleasure in the wonderful description of Germany and its sights: Ms. Hunter can't be beat in being able to bring us along with her on the journey to other locations, and it's part of what I look forward to every time I pick up one of her books.  She manages to weave the story in between the scenery, and that's a treat by itself.  By the time we reach the end of the book, we are satisfied in the resolution, and I will say that I couldn't see any clues to the killer throughout, and it came as a surprise, but satisfying nonetheless.

At the end it's hard to say goodbye to the friends we've made while reading the others in this series, and this book is no different, and look forward to their next vacation.  So for now, I only say Auf Wiedersehen und bis bald (goodbye and see you soon).  Highly recommended.

http://www.amazon.com/Bad-Wurst-Passport-Peril-Mystery/dp/0738740349/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1435613222