This was my first book by Laura Lippman, and I'm sure it won't be my last. It was a fun, cozy mystery with a great setting in Paris and on a river boat. I appreciated that the heroine of the story, Mrs. Blossom, is an older, plus sized woman, and the author does a great job showing the prejudice and insensitivity often shown to people like Mrs. B. She is a very likeable character who is about to have many changes in her life. It was very hard to tell who were the "good guys" and who were the "bad guys", so that added to the mystery and to the reader's ability to relate to Mrs. Blossom and her relationships with the other characters. I hope that this will be the beginning of a new series featuring Mrs. Blossom's exciting future travels and maybe romances.

This is the first book I’ve had the pleasure of reading by Laura Lippman, and I am genuinely thrilled that I seized the opportunity to delve into this captivating story.

This cozy mystery not only presents an exciting plot but also explores deep emotional themes. It poignantly addresses Mrs. Blossom's struggles as she copes with her daughter's decision to move to Japan, the grief of losing her husband, and her search for belonging in this new phase of her life. I appreciate the book's steady pace and the skillful way Lippman weaves together suspense and character development.

Moreover, I particularly admire the representation of the main character as a mature woman who is also plus-size, which brings a unique perspective to the narrative. It adds authenticity to her journey and challenges societal norms regarding age and body image, making the story even more relatable and engaging. Overall, I found this book to be a wonderful blend of adventure, mystery, and profound insights into life’s complexities.

Thank you to NetGalley and WIlliam Morrow for this ARC.
#MurderTakesaVacation #NetGalley

This was an unusual tale for Laura Lippmann but one I enjoyed (she covers the backstory in the afterword). A theft and a murder on a Parisian vacation and cruise, with an unlikely heroine, Mrs. Blossom. Hope she will be back!

Fairly predictable but an enjoyable read.. Well written, great characters and well told. hanks for the opportunity to read this and much luck on publication.

Muriel Blossom deserves a vacation. After a decade as a widow and even more as a mother and grandmother, she's tired and she's earned time off. So when she finds an unclaimed winning lottery ticket in the gas station parking lot, going on a dream vacation to France, by way of London, seems like the right move. The only problem? Murder has also booked passage on the luxury cruise liner and it's not a pleasant boatmate.

On her international flight from Baltimore to Heathrow, Muriel meets a charming lawyer, Allan, who is unnaturally committed to her trip being a complete success. He flirts, he carries he bags, he even intentionally delays Muriel's travel plans to spend more time with him in London. By the time she arrives in Paris via the Chunnel, Muriel is greeted by friendly police at her luxe hotel who inform her of one snag: Allan, who she had plans with to rendezvous in Baltimore after her vacation, is dead.

The rest of her vacation, a picturesque cruise down the Seine with stops at all of Muriel's favorite artists' haunts, goes mostly to plan. But, much like the guests on Agatha Christie's Orient Express, the other passengers aboard her shape, save Muriel's best friend Elinor, are as charming as they are suspicious.

Murder Takes a Vacation felt a lot like watching my parents solve a crime on vacation and I loved it. Muriel Blossom is fun, flirty, and interesting and, while Lippman maybe spends a little too much time focusing on her weight, age, and desirability (which she says in the author's note was the point but felt to me a bit heavy-handed), where she is in life is what makes this novel work. It's well-researched and will appeal to anyone who has taken a river cruise (hi, Mom) and maybe wished there was intrigue other than seasickness. Five stars!

A truly charming and thrilling story of Mrs. Blossom!
In Death Takes a Vacation by Laura Lippman invites readers to follow Muriel, a quiet and unassuming woman who is stepping out of her comfort zone for the first time in decades.

Fans of Lippman’s Tess Monaghan series may remember Muriel as Tess’s reliable assistant. Now in her mid 60s, Muriel has lived a life defined by routine and self-doubt, especially in the ten years since her husband’s death. But with her daughter moving abroad, and coming into a windfall, Muriel decides it’s time to shake things up. First, a week alone in Paris, and then a cruise with her best friend—both a chance to rediscover herself and explore the world.

Paris is magical, but not without complications. Muriel, a fat woman who’s long felt invisible, meets Allan—a charming man who seems too good to be true. While she’s flattered by his attention, her natural naivety and inexperience leave her questioning his intentions. And then there’s Danny, a mysterious man she can’t quite figure out—friend, foe, or something else entirely?

What sets this story apart is its protagonist. Muriel’s meekness and vulnerability make her an unconventional but deeply compelling heroine. She is hesitant, unsure of herself, and quietly navigating a world that often overlooks women like her. Yet it’s this very journey of discovery, self-reflection, and unexpected danger that makes Death Takes a Vacation such an engrossing read.

Laura Lippman once again proves her mastery of storytelling with this charming and thrilling novel. It’s a cozy mystery that will keep you turning the pages until the shocking final twist.

#LauraLippman #MurderTakesAVacation #CozyMystery #williammorrow

This was a delightful read, almost the closest thing one could call a "cozy" coming from Lippman. It follows Muriel Blossom (called "Mrs. Blossom" by nearly everyone, herself included), a widow who's come into money and is traveling to France for a once-in-a-lifetime vacation. She meets a nice man, and thanks to a minor travel glitch, ends up spending the day in London with him before traveling to Paris. A day later, she learns that he's dead, and that he died in Paris, not London.

Things begin to get more complicated as she meets another mysterious man who may be a personal stylist or may be something more and learns of an art theft that her late friend might be involved in. When she boards her river cruise, the cast (and thus number of suspicious characters) continues to grow.

This has a Hitchcockian feel -- the travel, the intrigue, even the fact that all of the deaths happen away from the main plot of the novel, instead focusing on the theft. But it's also a great novel about a character coming into her own. Mrs. Blossom was a minor character in the Tess Monaghan, but here, she's center stage, and so much more interesting. She's literally just trying to enjoy a vacation in her widowhood, but is drawn into the intrigue even when she probably could have stepped back. And Lippman takes great pains to write an overweight character interestingly, both avoiding lazy cliches and noting when others treat Mrs. Blossom as if she were a stereotype.

Really fun work, and a very quick read.

This book was....interesting. I did love Mrs. Blossom, and her friend Elinor, The plot was unique and there was a good amount of humor, but I also felt like there was too much going on and sometimes parts felt totally random and unrelated. I still think it was fun and quirky though and it was a nice quick read.

Definitely a different vibe than the author's earlier books.
I enjoyed the story and characters well enough.
However, it was interesting to read the Author's Note at the book's conclusion where she references deliberately including element of anti-ageist/anti-fat in the story. While reading, the focus on body size became such an almost dominant theme it actually made me uncomfortable and excessive--tho I appreciate that a sensitivity reader was also utilized.
The plot was entertaining but also bordered at times on convoluted and lost my interest.

With thanks to NetGalley and WIlliam Morrow for this e-ARC.

Whenever I see that Lippman has written a book, I know I want to read it. She's a fantastic writer and I'm always entertained when reading her stories. This latest title was no exception. The action is there; the characters were well developed, and the mystery was enjoyable! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Murder Takes a Vacation by Laura Lippman
Publishing date - 06/17/25
Rating (5/5) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Laura Lippman is my favorite author!! I was so excited to get the opportunity to read her upcoming novel. I have been a fan of hers since the late 2000s and have read every one of her books.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read Murder Takes a Vacation by Laura Lippman. A fun, cozy mystery! I really enjoyed this book and it kept me guessing until the end. Highly recommend it when it releases.

Murder Takes a Vacation by Laura Lippman
Publishing date - 06/17/25
Rating (4/5) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read Murder Takes a Vacation by Laura Lippman. A fun, cozy mystery! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it kept me guessing until the end.

Murder Takes a Vacation is the story of Muriel Blossom, a 68 year old, widowed would be private investigator. Penned handily by Laura Lippman, this story follows Mrs. Blossom’s wild trip on a cruise after she stumbled into a winning lottery ticket. On her way to the ship, she encounters Allan, an intriguing older gentleman and feels a definite spark, the first since her husband’s untimely death. After he is found dead, a series of sinister events occur and the pattern follows her aboard. It’s up to Mrs. Blossom to solve the mystery of Allan’s death and find a valuable artifact that was in his possession.

This is definitely a cozy mystery. And while it was pleasant, I enjoy a my thrillers to be a little more dark and twisty. I also have a quibble with the amount of times the author mentioned that Mrs, Blossom was plus sized. I’m all for clearly crafting and exploiting a character, but the comments on her zaftig body seemed excessive. A little too zany for my tastes, I rate it 3.5 stars.

I received this advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and feedback.

I don't read a lot of cosy's. And to be honest, I was surprised to discover this author had written one. I loved her other books. Sunburn was gripping and clever and Prom Mom blew my socks off. But this one, while the prose was sparkling, I felt lacked the sizzle of her other books. I saw the reveal of the woman with a secret past coming a mile away, and found the wrap up laborious. I'm not a fan of characters spending the final chapters of a novel explaining to each other why they did what they did, it feels a little Scooby Doo to me. Also the flip-flopping of the true identity of Danny felt convoluted. I'm all for a character pretending to be something he's not, but the decision to make him sort of what he said he was but acting in a different capacity was disorienting and left me confused how I was supposed to feel about him.
I am not sure if I will recommend this book. I think fans of the author will be disappointed by this one, and this is not the book I would recommend to readers who have not yet discovered her.
Giving 4 stars because she earned my loyalty with her other books, and because the quality of the writing is 5 star, as with all her books. But I would probably give 3 if this was written by anyone else.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read Murder Takes a Vacation by Laura Lippman.

I am a huge Laura Lippman fan, first discovering her through her Tess Monagan novels, and have followed her somewhat religiously since. She has yet to disappoint.

I also adore France. The cruise Mrs. Blossom is on somewhat follows the itinerary of the cruise my husband and I took took last December and I felt like this was my book to love. I was not let down.

Spending time with Muriel Blossom, sharing her adventures (and misadventures) has me hoping maybe we'll travel with her again in the future. It wasn’t love from page one, but it grew, as Mrs. Blossom herself grew, to become another Lippman novel to love and recommend. Muriel attracts some interesting folks, learns to open herself to new experiences and to trust her own instincts.

During our time traveling together, we watch Mrs. Blossom grow from being an insecure woman of a certain age who depends on others to help her make it through situations outside her comfort zone to becoming one strong fierce woman. Sure of herself and the choices she's making. And learning to accept those choices already made with grace.

And it was huge fun to see what Tess and Crow have been up to!

A fun, cozy mystery! Muriel Blossom is taking the vacation of a lifetime to Paris. Along the way, she encounters Allan, who is charming and oh so helpful to Mrs. Blossom as a first-time international traveler. However, Allan may not be who he says he is. When murders and robberies begin to follow Mrs. Blossom around on her vacation, is it coincidence, or is she at the heart of a sinister plot? This was a quick, fun read.

Enjoyable read with appealing lead character. Some of the scenes were a little hackneyed, but the French setting compensated.

The main character, an elderly widower, finds a lottery ticket worth $8 million dollars. As someone who has lived frugally her whole life, she decides to take a European cruise and invites her best friend.

On the plane to Paris to start the cruise, she meets a man who befriends her. The man ends up getting murdered which sets off a whole series of events.

The beginning was a little slow but once the action started the book was very enjoyable.

Laura Lippman does it again with Mrs. Blossom. The creative whodunit story centers around a woman who thinks life has passed her by and wants to remedy that situation before it's too late. Not to give anything away, but the way in which the main character is even able to afford this luxurious vacation is so creative.
What's especially endearing is the sensitive portrayal of Mrs. Blossom. Those who are of a similar age will be able to identify with her dreams and disappointments of her life. It was especially satisfying to see a capable and effective woman at the helm. Well done!

This story takes place in the Tess Monaghan universe, but the main character is Murial Blossom, who worked for Tess. Mrs. Blossom, long widowed, has recently won the lottery and is on a European vacation for the first time in her life. She inadvertently gets involved in an international art theft situation and has to figure out who among her fellow travelers is legitimate and who is up to no good. Mrs. Blossom is a great character, both smart and very observant, as well as too trusting. It's always disappointing when I figure out the mystery too early in a book, and I'm glad to say that didn't happen this time around. I highly recommend this as a nice, quick read. Perfect for vacation.