I’ve been in a bit of a reading rut and this book pulled me right out of it. Mrs. Blossom is a delight. While not yet in the age bracket of 60+ year old women, I’m really enjoying recently published books in which they are represented and multi-dimensional people rather than batty old ladies. I also enjoyed the nod to Lippman’s Tess Monaghan.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

Thank you for allowing me to read this book as an ARC.
What a cute and fun cozy mystery. I loved Mrs. Blossom's adventure. The story was fun and a quick read. It was quick and easy and the thinking and actions of the protagonist were very descriptive and easy to follow.
I will look forward to further adventures of Mrs. Blossom in more books!

A trip of a lifetime takes a few deadly turns in this captivating mystery! Mrs. Blossom has been widowed for several years after losing her husband, the love of her life. One day, she finds a lottery ticket and turns it in. When no one claims it, the huge winnings are awarded to her. She decides a cruise on the Seine with a few extra days in Paris are just what she wants, and invites her best friend along, all expenses paid, just because she can! She is ready for adventure! She soon discovers that everyone she encounters cannot be trusted, however, as her adventure takes a murderous turn, involving stolen artifacts and international thieves. Laura Lippman has written and exciting and twisting mystery that also focuses on both the invisibility and doubts of slightly older women in society, and the valuable contributions to society they can still make. I just loved Mrs. Blossom! She is a wonderful, realistic character with both doubts about her past and her path forward, who has the courage and determination to make the most of her “golden” years. I thoroughly enjoyed the book! Thank you to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for my advance copy. The opinions of this review are my own.

If there’s one type of person whom others should reconsider messing with, it’s a mid-life woman who has finally, at long last, come into her own...

Take Mrs. Muriel Blossom. At 68, she’s already lived two-thirds of her life.

She’s been a wife, a mother, and a working woman... and now, after nearly 40 years of marriage, she’s a retired widow.

She’s also the recent—and very, very lucky—holder of a winning lottery ticket, which has vastly improved the prospect of her golden years. Finally, she’ll be able to see the world... something the homebody Mr. Blossom sadly never had any inkling to do.

But, while Mrs. Blossom has never been one to attract a lot of attention—particularly not from the opposite sex!—she suddenly finds herself in a full-blown, real-life, torn-from-a-movie-script plotline.

On a fancy cruise ship, traversing the Seine, with eligible men seemingly coming out of the woodwork [cue a deliriously-raucous rendition of “It’s raining men... hallelujah!”]... and murder.

Because sometimes—at least, in the hands of NYT bestselling author, Laura Lippman—Murder Takes a Vacation.


Mrs. Blossom, when pondering her first big splurge—an elegant river cruise through France—pictured things a certain way. On deck, drinking wine and cocktails with her lifelong BFF, Elinor. Taking day trips to interesting old towns along the way. Eating in charming cafes.

What she most definitely didn’t picture was Allan, her debonair seatmate on the plane from Baltimore to Europe... who, wonder of wonders, seemed utterly fascinated with her. (Muriel had never been what anyone apparently considered “a looker”. Well, aside from the late Mr. Blossom, of course.)

And even more shocking? That Muriel should find herself equally attracted to him... the first man she’d thought about in romantic terms, in the decade since she’d been widowed.

Yet a mere whirlwind day later—after a whole kerfuffle involving a (contraband) sleep gummy that caused her to miss her connecting flight, and instead, to spend a delightful day with him in London—the oh-so-appealing Allan is... gone.

Gone-gone, as in dead.

And Mrs. Blossom doesn’t know what to think... or where to turn for answers.

Certainly not the annoying—always right there, whenever she turns around—younger man, Danny... who claims to be an FBI agent, and keeps trying to grill Mrs. Blossom about what Allan was doing. (As if she would know, hmph!)

And not the wealthy man onboard whom Elinor is enamored of... or his elderly sister, whose cabin is robbed while she’s in it.

Something is definitely “going on”... but what no one understands is that it’s precisely Mrs. Blossom’s ability to fade into the background—to attract zero attention to herself—which made her, on many occasions, a useful assistant (to Baltimore P.I., Tess Monaghan)... and which may now, with some luck, give her an edge in sussing out what’s really happening.

Because no one messes with Mrs. Blossom—or her friends, or even her potential friends—and gets away with it.


Have you ever read a book and instantly connected with one of the characters? Wished it were a real person, someone you could actually hang out with?

Mrs. Blossom is like that, for me.

Sure, she’s a fair bit older than me—although closer to much-older-sister, than mother—and no, we’re not terribly similar. Our lives, our experiences, have been quite different.

Yet in ways that really matter, we’re alike... because I, like Mrs. Blossom, have come storming into my own, as a mid-life woman.

Both are determined to find our own paths, make our own choices, and live exciting lives that please us.

We’re very intelligent... yet fully aware we’ll still make plenty of mistakes (which is perfectly okay).

Consistently an excellent storyteller, Lippman takes a fascinating little segue from her popular Tess Monaghan private-eye series, in Murder Takes a Vacation.

Mrs. Blossom was only ever a minor character, an assistant Monaghan used occasionally. Innocuous, in the way that middle-aged women so often find themselves being treated.

Here, though, Muriel Blossom is brought to vivid, colorful life... a large (plus-size) woman, who suddenly realizes she now has the means and opportunity to live the larger life she always wanted.

Lippman shows great sensitivity with regard to Mrs. Blossom—we feel her fears and uncertainty, and experience some of the pain, embarrassment, and awkwardness she’s endured. [Lippman actually addresses some of this in the afterword, which was lovely to read.]

Is Mrs. Blossom the hot, sexy, mid-life woman bent on buying herself a whole new life (as though it were a designer wardrobe or a sports car), popular in so many books? Hardly. But she is an extremely-relatable woman that most of us—particularly in that mid-portion of life—can probably identify with.

And she’s pretty gosh-darn likable, to boot. (In a spunky grandmotherly sort of way... which is exactly what she is.)

Murder Takes a Vacation is a great little mystery, set in a picturesque locale, with an unusual heroine. If you’re looking for a surprising and fun read, this would make a fine choice. (Vacation of your own not required.)

~GlamKitty

This one was a bit all over the place for me. Mrs. Blossom is a lottery-winning widow who decides to treat herself to a European vacation. That setup had a lot of potential, and I did enjoy the twist at the end with who the thief turned out to be. Didn’t see it coming. Loved all of the fashion talk & makeover with Danny.

That said, the story felt scattered and hard to stay fully into. Mrs. Blossom kept referring to herself as someone who usually goes unnoticed, which got repetitive after a while. Even her own family didn't take her into account when they decide to move abroad. And for someone who’s helped solve mysteries before, she also made some pretty questionable choices. Especially when it came to quickly trusting random men she met on the trip. She just seemed naive for a character that was supposed to be older.

And the constant focus on her weight? Way too much. It was not necessary, became distracting, and made me feel even worse for her.

Not a complete bad read, just not one that totally clicked for me.

________________________
Review shared on Goodreads on 6/29/25

Many thanks to William Morrow for my #gifted galley, as well as eARC access via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. This copy came my way after correctly guessing the title being described in a blurb from the Scene of the Crime newsletter from Harper Collins - if you aren't subscribed, you should check it out!
I really enjoyed escaping to London and France in this book! Mrs. Blossom (usually referred to as such, even by herself, but occasionally “Muriel”) found a winning lottery ticket - right around the time she found out her daughter and son-in-law were moving their family to Tokyo - without her. Feeling adrift in her life, Mrs. Blossom books a river cruise with her childhood bestie. Having not done much traveling, she is consistently surprised by some crazy experiences - including meeting someone and spending a good chunk of time with them before they wind up not-so-alive. While I had an idea of where this cozy mystery was going, I really enjoyed the characters. If you've read a lot of Laura Lippmann, you'll recognize the appearance of PI Tess Monaghan, but this is a standalone that is only slightly adjacent to that series.

Murder Takes a Vacation
by Laura Lippman
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5)

This is the first book I’ve read by Laura Lippman—and it definitely won’t be my last. I absolutely loved seeing a protagonist who isn’t in her 20s and doesn’t fit the typical mold. Mrs. Blossom is a smart, capable woman of average size and age, and she steals the show.

She’s a murder-solving powerhouse with personality, and I truly hope we see her in many more books to come. This mystery had charm, wit, and just the right amount of suspense. Highly recommend!

Thank you #netgalley and #harpercollinspublishers for the ARC

Why Did I Listen To Murder Takes A Vacation by Laura Lippman?

One trope that I absolutely love is old women solving crimes. It started with Vera Wong's Unsolicted Advice For Murderers and certainly continues into Murder Takes A Vacation by Laura Lippman. The ARC showed up unsolicited and I thought, cool, this sounds good. THEN! The audiobook pops up on Libro.FM and I just knew I had to give Lippman's latest a listen. I'm so glad I did, because it just continued to solidify my love of the trope. 

What's The Story Here?

Murder Takes A Vacation follows an older Jewish woman called Mrs. Blossom. With her adult child moving to Japan with their family and her husband no longer alive, Mrs. Blossom steps outside her comfort zone to take a vacation in Europe. In particular, she is going to go on a European river cruise. She's very excited about this because it is so outside the norm for her. Additionally, her best friend is joining her. However, things go a little sideways. You see, on the plane, Mrs. Blossom meets a man named Allan. Allan is charming and makes her feel seen and really good about herself. Of course, she believes he doesn't bat for her team, but still he helps her self esteem. However, the friendship is short lived when Alan is found dead. 

After Allan is found deceased, a new man pops up. Danny -- who is claiming that Allan was involved with transporting stolen art. He thinks that Mrs. Blossom is also involved somehow. She isn't -- however -- she has some skills that make her really helpful in unraveling the murder mystery. You see, Mrs. Blossom tends to fade into the background which sounds terrible but it means that she can observe things undetected. She also used to assist a private investigator and has picked up some skills along the way. 

How Did I Like Murder Takes A Vacation by Laura Lippman?

I felt like Laura Lippman's Murder Takes A Vacation was a fun transition to nicer weather read. There's something about the summer time and a good mystery. I was truly transported with that mystery being set on the river cruise through Paris. Mrs. Blossom starts the book pretty unassuming with not a ton of confidence, but as the story unravels and we learn more about her, we see that confidence grow. We also see that she's genuinely great. I loved her and wouldn't mind picking up another book featuring her solving mysteries. However, keep in mind that one of my quirks is loving books about the elderly either being grumpy or solving mysteries.

How's The Narration?

The audiobook of Murder Takes A Vacation is narrated by Kimberly Farr. I thought Farr embodied Mrs. Blossom's voice quite well and you could feel the transition to being more self confident that Mrs. Blossom goes through. I also liked how she voiced the other characters like Eleanore and Danny. The audiobook is 9 hours and 56 minutes, I did listen to it sped up and found it to still be easy to understand and retain. Overall, I would recommend this as a listen when you are prepping to be poolside.

I have not read the Tess Monaghan novels so was not familiar with Mrs Blossom. Wow is she niave. I kept yelling at her. Other than that I could identify with her. I myself have had friends make remarks about my weight indirectly without meaning offense but none the less hurting my feelings. The mystery was interesting and had a lot of twists and turns.

Mrs. Blossom takes a well deserved vacation and it turns into a murder mystery! Very fun book. Muriel Blossom was originally a minor character in the Tess Monaghan series.

Mrs. Blossom likes to stay in her own lane. She has lived a happy and quiet life, when her husband died in his mid-50's. She still has lots of life to live. After finding a winning lottery ticket, Mrs. Blossom takes a European Cruise with her best friend. On the flight to London, Mrs. Blossom encounters a man who wants to help her on her travels. When she gets to Paris, she learns that he has unexpectedly died, and she might be targeted next. Mrs. Blossom wonders what she has gotten herself into? While on the cruise, Mrs. Blossom plays Mrs. Marple and must uncover what the strange events are leading too before her life is put in danger.


This different book for mystery writer Laura Lippman was a fun, cozy mystery. It felt like an updated Agatha Christie book. I liked the European travels, the cast of characters, and the mystery. Even though I guessed the outcome early, I enjoyed this book. It's not my favorite Lippman (I like a grittier book from her), but I enjoyed this and can think of many friends who would also.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

This light-hearted murder mystery from Laura Lippman follows the exploits of Muriel Blossom, a recent (and accidental) lottery winner. Mrs. Blossom—widow, grandmother, and former assistant to Tess Monaghan in Lippman’s popular series—steps into the spotlight in this cozy standalone adventure. In Murder Takes a Vacation, Mrs. Blossom begins her European cruise with a lucky seat upgrade on her flight, where she meets Allen, a charming man who offers his help during the flight and at customs in Paris. But within 24 hours, Allen is dead, a missing artifact surfaces, and Mrs. Blossom finds herself pulled into a mystery far from home. Along the way, she meets Danny, a young man with ambitions of becoming her personal stylist—who somehow keeps showing up, even on the cruise. As events unfold, it becomes a question of who to trust and what’s really going on beneath the surface.

This is my first foray into cozy mysteries, and I found it to be a pleasant, easygoing read—perfect for a lazy afternoon. The story moves quickly, the characters are enjoyable, and the tone stays light even as the mystery deepens. I look forward to reading more from Laura Lippman and finally diving into the Tess Monaghan series. Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the advance copy in exchange for my honest opinion. Murder Takes a Vacation is a fun, fast read—ideal for beach bags and weekend escapes.

Mrs. Muriel Blossom is a fat 68-year-old widow traveling outside the US for the first time on her dream trip to France. When she’s offered a free upgrade on her flight, it sets her on a path of peculiar circumstances and encounters with people who may not be what they seem. Through it all, I was rooting for Mrs. Blossom and thoroughly enjoying being on the trip with her. I’ve been a Laura Lippman fan for 20+ years and she’s a must buy, but this is a lighter, comforting balm of a read that she surprised me with and that I thoroughly needed. Thoughtfully plotted and with the kind of twists Mary Higgins Clark might have used, I loved it.

Murder Takes a Vacation by Laura Lippman was an excellent mystery.

I wasn't sure where the story was going, but it was so much fun getting there.

The characters were well written, complex and fleshed out.

The mystery was so clever and kept me guessing!

MURDER TAKES A VACATION by Laura Lippman, a best-selling author, was a disappointing surprise to me. I had high expectations for a fun read after noting that this new title had received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Library Journal ("a warm and cozy romp") and appeared in the LibraryReads Hall of Fame for June. While I agree that business class travel can be disorienting if one is not used to it, why would an older woman traveling alone trust a seatmate enough to go with him to a hotel, upending her own travel plans on the advice of someone she has just met? That is exactly what the widowed Mrs. Blossom does in the opening chapters of this mystery story. Eventually, she reunites with her tour group and heads to Paris and the cruise on the Seine, but her decision-making is still poor when she does not correct another, much younger, man she just met as he tells the police he is her son. I can understand why the subtle humor and slightly awkward character might appeal to fans of Richard Osman or Nita Prose, but I missed something here -- there are so many other excellent mysteries to enjoy instead.

I really love cozy mysteries, and this one was so cute! The story is really far fetched starting with Muriel Blossom, our FMC, winning the lottery with a ticket she found in a parking lot-so be prepared to suspend disbelief for this one! This is a shorter book, so you can really fly through it. It was easy to do so, since the plot moved quickly. I was really investing in wanting to figure everything out. I thought the ending was satisfying,
I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator did a really great job!


Thank you to William Morrow for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This book started out strong for me and then fizzled a bit toward the end.

I LOVE the idea of a woman of a certain age (and a certain size) going on a European vacation and becoming embroiled in a mystery. The European travelogue in this was very fun!

But for me, too much of the story seemed to be the main character thinking about how her mother (in the past) and others (in the present) fat shamed her. Which is terrible and inexcusable but let's get to the MYSTERY at some point, please. It also bothered me that for someone who was the assistant to a PI (Lippman's Tess Monaghan) Mrs. Blossom is SHOCKINGLY trusting of strangers. But maybe that was due to her age, and I have to concede that her trusting nature was what made the plot work.

Overall, this had very some good aspects (the travelogue and the main character). If you love Jennifer Weiner's mysteries, like Big Summer, this one is for you!

I've enjoyed lots of Laura Lippman's books, including her Tess series. This one was not my favorite. It was silly and too cozy for my taste. I did read it to the end and kept hoping it would be better. There were parts that were good, but mostly I was bored. Sorry. Don't hold this book against her many good books!

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for a review.

This was delightful but I felt the whole time that the main character makes bad decisions over and over again and she felt too old for that. It really took my out of the story and made it hard to get sucked into the story.

Routines are not meant to be fun, but they shouldn't be boring either. Muriel Blossom feels like she's been stuck in a rut ever since her husband passed. When her luck changes and she finds a winning lottery ticket, it's a sign to do something she's always wanted to do.....take a cruise. On the flight to the ship, Muriel meets a man, Alan, who flirts with her!!!! It's been so long, she doesn't quite know how to act. She trades contact information with Alan and agrees to meet him when she returns to the US. Imagine her surprise when the French police contact her and tell her Alan has been murdered. And the story is off with a bang!!!
Muriel Blossom is the perfect character for a cozy mystery. Her reactions are genuine for a woman of her age and background. The events that pull her into a murder investigation are as much a surprise to her as they are to everyone else. The story moves at a quick pace as Muriel refuses to believe she could be party to a crime.
I will say that I agree with so many others who reviewed this book. There are far too many references to Muriel's weight and size. It's not a topic that would come up in everyday conversation as often as it does in this book. It should not be a common point of reference in any book.