Murder Takes a Vacation is the perfect vacation read. I read it while I was on vacation in the Great Smoky Mountains. It is a delightful read with enough intrigue to keep me turning the pages, but not angsty, so there was no second-hand stress.

I have read (well, listened to) another book by Laura Lippman. I listened to the first book in the Tess Monaghan series, Baltimore Blues, back in 2017. If it wasn't for Goodreads, I wouldn't have remembered that I had read it. Muriel Blossom was introduced in one of the books in that series.

Mrs. Blossom is a fun character. She is a bit of a Miss Marple but I wouldn't necessarily classify this as a cozy mystery. She isn't actively investigating the strange events that keep occurring around her. More it is that she gets pulled into the mystery and it is natural curiosity to think about the strange things happening around you.

Mostly, she is a woman who is trying to figure out how to live life after being widowed and enjoying a vacation on a Parisian river cruise. The reader gets to shop, visit, and eat right alongside Muriel.

There is something universal in the character of Mrs. Blossom. I don't think you need to be in your 60s, widowed, or overweight to relate to the insecurities and self-consciousness she experiences. I know I'm not any of those things, but I still understood her hesitation to travel or eat alone.

It is a great novel. While I would like to see more of Mrs. Blossom (perhaps she and Danny could pair up on investigations), I also liked that this is a stand-alone mystery novel.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Monday - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2025/06/murder-takes-vacation-by-laura-lippman.html

Sunny, sharp mystery – Murder Takes a Vacation by Laura Lippman blends beachside charm with sly intrigue. Lippman’s witty dialogue, layered characters, and clever puzzles deliver a perfectly paced escape.

This is an engaging cozy mystery from one of my favorite authors!
Mrs. Blossom previously appeared in a Tess Monaghan book by Lippman, but I think I should be excused for not remembering her since, well, Mrs. Blossom has gone through life unnoticed (an asset when she was following people for Tess). Now in her late 60's and a widow, Mrs. Blossom's life changed when, first, her daughter and family (who she had moved to Arizona to be near) announced they were moving to Japan and Mrs. B was not invited to join them, then she found a lottery ticket in a parking lot and it ended up being a big winner! Mrs. B decides to take her best friend on a river cruise in France, first planning to visit Paris on her own for a few days. A series of mishaps on her way to Paris end with a new friend of Mrs. B's dying under what turn out to be suspicious circumstances, and when she realizes she is being followed, she wonders what the new friend may have gotten her into! This is very much a character-driven story, full of richly portrayed characters (and a special appearance from Tess Monaghan), but the mystery is also top-notch (even if I did figure out the key parts before the reveal) and there are many enjoyable moments along the way.

I just finished Murder Takes a Vacation and really enjoyed it! It’s a cozy mystery with a sweet, quirky main character named Mrs. Blossom, who ends up solving a murder while on a relaxing river cruise. The setting was charming, the mystery was fun (though a bit predictable), and I liked the touch of romance. Mrs. Blossom felt real and relatable, though at times her insecurities came up a lot and distracted a bit from the plot. Still, it was a quick, feel-good read that I’d recommend to anyone who loves cozy mysteries with heart.

I absolutely loved this, and don’t understand the ambivalent reviews. Even though I am only a few years behind her, I want to be Muriel Blossom when I grow up!. This was a fun, light mystery. I enjoyed the characters and relationships, and the river cruise setting was perfect. I hope this the start of a new series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I think this book was good. There were elements I didn't are for; the constant focus on the age and weight of the MC. It was just not my favorite.

pack your bags for a trip of a lifetime with Mrs Blossom as she gets caught up in a mystery while on her dream vacation the perfect read for summer making you want to book your own trip to Europe

Reviews by Stephen King and Gillian Flynn caught my attention as they praised Laura Lippman so I wanted to try one of her books. So this is my first experience with this author.

Description:
Mrs. Blossom has a knack for blending into the background, which was an asset during her days assisting private investigator Tess Monaghan. But when she finds a winning lottery ticket in a parking lot, everything changes. She is determined to see the world that she sometimes feels is passing her by.

When Mrs. Blossom booked her cruise through France on the MS Solitaire, she did not expect to meet Allan on her transatlantic flight. He is the first man who’s sparked something inside her since her beloved husband passed.

She also didn’t expect Allan to be found, dead, twenty-four hours later in Paris, a city he wasn’t supposed to be in.

Now Mrs. Blossom doesn’t know who to trust on board the ship, especially when a mystifying man, Danny, keeps popping up around every corner, always present when things go awry. He is convinced that Allan was transporting a stolen piece of art, and Mrs. Blossom knows more than she lets on, regarding both the artifact and Allan’s death.

Mrs. Blossom’s questions only increase as the cruise sails down the Seine. Why does it feel like she is being followed? Who was Allan, and why was he killed? Most alarmingly, why do these mysterious men keep flirting with her?

My Thoughts:
This mystery read like a cozy, so I enjoyed the read. I loved that Mrs. Blossom won the lottery and used some of her winnings to go on vacation to Paris. Just a chance meeting of a man who she ended up flying with and getting to know threw her into a web of intrigue which she certainly wasn't expecting and had no idea what was happening. The situations were somewhat humorous and the plot was interesting. I enjoyed following the happenings and clues. This was a fun book.

Thanks to William Morrow through Netgalley for an advance copy.

I'll read just about anything Laura Lippman writes, and this one was a lively, diversionary confection of a book. Lighter than some of her other books, it's a fun story, full of memorable characters, in a wonderful setting--London, Paris, and a French river cruise. I found it to be a quick, enjoyable read. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy!

I just finished this one and had a blast. Muriel Blossom—a widowed grandmother in her late 60s—finally takes that European trip she's always dreamed of after hitting the lottery. Paris, a Seine river cruise, a charming stranger… and then drama ensues. Dead body, art heist vibes, a ransacked cabin—it’s like The Maltese Falcon meets summer getaway vibes What I really loved? Muriel isn’t your typical detective. She’s socially invisible by design—she blends in, and that’s her superpower. Plus, Lippman dives into midlife themes in a fun, honest way: body image, grief, self-discovery…it’s cozy mystery with heart .
The pacing felt leisurely, more like savoring a French meal than speeding through twists And yes, there’s the occasional nod to noir—but it’s never too heavy. By the end, you feel connected to Muriel, her resilience, and even her quiet joy in the world.

Bottom line: if you like mysteries with character depth, light humor, European charm, and mature protagonists, this is a really satisfying read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for gifting me a digital ARC of this charming story by Laura Lippman. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

Mrs. Blossom finds a winning lottery ticket that changes her life. She books a cruise through France with a friend, but soon finds herself meeting handsome strangers and finding herself embroiled in a theft and murder plot.

This was just lots of fun, owing mostly to Mrs. Blossom. It's so lovely to read about a character who is older, but still is energetic and open to life and all it has to offer. I honestly got a bit confused with the mystery part of this book, but that's minor because it was just a fun read. Mrs. Blossom was a character in Lippman's popular Tess Monaghan series and she is certainly worthy of her own book and even - dare I wish? - her own series. Be sure to read the author's note at the end.

Murder Takes a Vacation is a charming and clever mystery that follows 68-year-old widow Muriel Blossom, a recent lottery winner and former private investigator. After years of living frugally with her homebody husband, Muriel decides it’s time to finally live—and books her first European river cruise. On the flight over, she meets the suave and mysterious Allan, and for the first time in years, Muriel feels a spark. But just as quickly as romance blooms, Allan dies under suspicious circumstances, and Muriel is drawn into a web of secrets involving a stranger named Danny, a makeover, and some questionable dealings Allan left behind.

What follows is a quirky, globe-trotting mystery filled with an eccentric cruise crew, a bit of international intrigue, and even some insight into the art world, including artist Joan Mitchell. It’s part cozy mystery, part jet-setting caper, and entirely entertaining.

Muriel is an instantly lovable character—sharp, relatable, and unexpectedly brave. I imagined her with the poise of Laura Dern, and Allan with the charm of Richard Gere, which made it even easier to dive into their dynamic. I appreciated Muriel’s boldness and vulnerability in equal measure. She sometimes acts impulsively—moments that had me thinking, “Oh, Muriel, wait a second”—but that’s what made her feel real. We’ve all had those leap-before-you-look moments.

If I had one wish, it’d be to see Muriel indulge more. Despite her newfound wealth, she’s still incredibly modest. It would’ve been satisfying to watch her treat herself without guilt—especially on vacation.

This isn’t your typical cozy mystery—it has more depth, grit, and a dash of sophistication. Laura Lippman fans will recognize Muriel from previous books, but this novel stands alone beautifully. I truly hope this isn’t the last we see of Muriel Blossom; she’s a fresh, funny, and fearless heroine who deserves more adventures.

This was such a good book I would love a follow up. I guess it’s because of my own age, that I am drawn to leading characters who are middle age. They have life experiences and maturity that give an interesting insight into challenges.Thanks to #NetGalley and #MurderTakesAVacation.

This one kept me engaged throughout the story.
A quick, fun and enjoyable mystery that was wonderfully written.
I very much enjoyed this book. The writing was great and the characters were well developed.
I’ve enjoyed Lippman’s previous titles so I was definitely looking forward to jumping into this mystery.

I’ve always been fascinated by what inspires an author to write a book. Think about it—authors have to come up with an idea compelling enough to sustain months, sometimes years, of writing. That idea then needs to be strong enough to get published, and ideally, resonate with readers. When you really stop to consider all that, it feels like a minor miracle that any book gets written at all. I’ve read and enjoyed several of Laura Lippman’s novels over the years, so when her publisher offered me a copy of her latest, Murder Takes a Vacation, I jumped at the chance. I was even more intrigued to learn that the protagonist is a side character from an earlier Lippman novel, one that the author now feels was shortchanged by the cultural blind spots of the time. That kind of creative reexamination is fascinating. But it left me wondering, can that kind of reflective impulse truly serve as the driving force for an entire novel?

Muriel Blossom never played the lottery, so it came as a shock when she stumbled upon a discarded ticket in a parking lot—one that turned out to be a winner. She tried to do the honest thing and return it. After all, she hadn’t purchased the ticket, so how could she claim the prize? But when no rightful owner came forward, the lottery board awarded the winnings to her. Suddenly, the widowed retiree found herself with more money than she’d ever dreamed, and she was determined to make the most of it.

That’s how Mrs. Blossom finds herself at the airport, about to embark on a European adventure and French river cruise. It feels like a turning point—a chance to shed the skin of the overweight, sixty-something grandmother and embrace something new. So when she meets the charming Allan in the airport security line, she allows herself to feel desirable again, something she hasn’t experienced since losing her husband a decade earlier. But when Allan turns up dead in Paris, a city he wasn’t even supposed to be visiting, Muriel’s suspicions grow. They only intensify aboard the river cruise, especially when Danny, a mysterious man with a knack for appearing at the wrong moments, begins shadowing her. He claims Allan was involved in smuggling a stolen, priceless work of art, and insists Muriel knows more than she’s letting on about both the artifact and Allan’s murder.

What began as a trip to reinvent herself is quickly turning into much more than she ever bargained for.

In the author’s note of Murder Takes a Vacation, Laura Lippman reflects on Muriel Blossom’s first appearance as a hired surveiller for her heroine Tess Monaghan back in the mid-2000s. At the time, Muriel was presented mainly as a caricature—an elderly grandmother figure defined by her flowery attire and weight. Now, Lippman writes of wanting to correct that, giving Muriel far more agency over her life, her appearance, and her desires. In this novel, that effort is largely successful. Muriel may retain many of the same surface characteristics, but she is now portrayed as a woman grappling with grief, aging, and a renewed determination to live life on her own terms. She remains a larger woman, but she embraces that fully. The stigma surrounding weight has rightfully shifted, and Lippman writes Muriel as vibrant, desirable, and a hero in her own right.

But does that transformation make for a compelling read? The answer is more complicated. Murder Takes a Vacation works well enough as a diverting summer mystery, but it often feels like a mash-up of genres. It leans toward the cozy mystery tradition, but there’s a darker undercurrent here that pushes beyond the usual conventions. While Lippman clearly set out to right some of the perceived wrongs of the character’s original portrayal, that effort sometimes feels more self-conscious than seamless. In the author’s note, she mentions learning more about obesity and aging, and working with sensitivity readers, but at times this seems to dilute the sharp, distinctive voice she’s known for. The result is a light, quick read whose aims I admire, even if the execution feels a bit more forced than organic.

When Muriel Blossom found a piece of paper in the parking lot of the Circle K, she had no idea it would change her life. But it turned out to be an $8 million willing lottery ticket. She tried to find the owner, but no one came forward to claim it. (Well, no one legitimate.) So the money is hers.

Mrs. Blossom has a good head on her shoulders, so she sets aside money in a trust for her grandchildren and invests carefully. But she decides to take a trip to Europe with her good friend Elinor. For this one week, Mrs. Blossom is not going to worry about how much things cost. She has booked them onto a river voyage along the Seine, but first she is spending a few days in Paris by herself.

She gets to the airport early to check in and is offered an upgrade to business class. She’s not sure what to say at first, but the kind gentleman behind her in line explains that the airline has oversold the seats in the plane, and so they offer to bump early customers to a better seat to correct their own mistake. He offers to help Mrs. Blossom find the airport lounge that her upgrade entitles her to and to help her out through the flight. He introduces himself as Allan and explains that he has to fly a lot.

Mrs. Blossom accepts the upgrade and Allan’s offer to help guide her to the lounge and then the plane. She is delighted to find that she is flirting with him, something she hadn’t expected to do. She had been happily married for many years, and alone after her husband’s death for ten years. She hadn’t expected to meet someone who could make her want to flirt again. She’s starting to think that her vacation may turn to be something altogether different.

But then Allan is murdered, and someone is watching Mrs. Blossom. Her hotel room gets searched, and she can’t figure out why. She stays on schedule, wanting to take that cruise on the Seine, but there is clearly something else going on. Mrs. Blossom had worked for a private investigator in Baltimore by the name Tess Monaghan, before she retired and moved to Arizona to be near her daughter, so she has some skills to draw on. But when she is befriended by Danny, who claims to work for the FBI and tells a story of arson, insurance fraud, and stolen art, Mrs. Blossom isn’t sure if she can trust him or not. As she cruises down the Seine, she has to stay alert and pay attention in order to figure out what’s going on around her and to keep herself and her friend safe from danger.

Murder Takes a Vacation is a new mystery novel from bestselling Laura Lippman. She has taken one of the lesser known characters from her Tess Monaghan series and expanded her world. Mrs. Blossom is an older woman who has always carried a few extra pounds. She has learned to live with it and loves herself, but she is aware of the reactions and judgment of others. But mostly, she is smart and resilient and gives off all the main character energy.

I absolutely loved Murder Takes a Vacation. Mrs. Blossom is a hero, and I admired her for her strength and generosity of spirit. She always thought the best of those around her, until they proved her wrong. She is smart, not afraid of research, and determined. Mrs. Blossom is the hero I’ve been wanting to read about, and I’m so happy I got to go to France with her for a short vacation.

Egalleys for Murder Takes a Vacation were provided by William Morrow through NetGalley, with many thanks, but the opinions are mine.

Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow, and Ms Lippman for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

I was inspired to read this book by seeing Ms Lippman speak at the Library Journal Day of Dialog. She was a very convivial speaker and made her MC, Muriel Blossom, sound so engaging. Sort of like a Watson who is actually very good at sleuthing, but is overlooked due to her age and size.

Well, you (the reader) will hear a lot about Muriel's age and size in this book. As an examination on ageism and fat shaming in modern day society it is very interesting, particularly with the travel/international culture elements. What is considered a "normal" size and "viable" age also fluctuates in different cultures and frankly I enjoyed that part, although Muriel's constant inner monologue about it did get very repetitive. WE GET IT. The time I felt sorriest for Muriel was when she was musing on her family's move to Japan, without her, and without even seeming to consider the role she'd played in their lives up til then. Yet that portion of Muriel's inner thoughts went unresolved. I guess the aspect of ageism most people are concerned with is the ability to attract a partner, which, whatever, I guess so, but I really wanted a conclusion to the Japan issue.

Anyways. Muriel's struggles with ageism and fat shaming were very relatable and I think that, combined with her international travels and self-discovery, might have made a better book all by themselves. I struggled with the mystery - what was stolen? and why? some sort of bird statue? It never felt clear, and everyone was kind of shady, and the resolution to it seemed both obvious and simultaneously muddy. For a purportedly skilled private eye, Muriel should have picked up on a lot of things faster. (I mean, if *I* can catch on, the world's most oblivious reader, then Muriel should have...)

Overall while not a bad book, I think the mystery element was weak and should have either been significantly pumped up or cut down (or out). Poor Muriel, she should stick to less ambitious vacations, I guess, because what are the odds?!

⭐⭐1/2

Read my full review and interview with Laura Lippman at:
https://booktrib.com/2025/06/17/murder-takes-a-vacation-laura-lippman/

I read the ARC for Murder Takes a Vacation by Laura Lippman. I've read the Tess Monoghan books by Lippman and I enjoy her writing. In this story, Mrs. Blossom finds a winning lottery ticket in a parking lot and decides to take a vacation to Europe. She meets and interesting man, Allan, on the plane, and 24 hours later she learns he has been murdered. Now there is another man following her around and Muriel needs to solve the mystery. There is a strange obsession with Muriel's weight - she is always described as old and fat and I do not understand the obsession with weight and I'm not sure what it says about Ms. Lippman. Not every character needs to be young, slim and tiny. I appreciate reading characters that are are in their 40s, 50s, 60s, etc. If you asked people that age, they would seldom describe themselves as old. Age is a state of mind. And, as for the fat, most women do not talk about their weight with anyone - so again, what is that all about? The mystery was fine. I really just expected more from this book because I have really enjoyed the author's other mysteries.

Thank you to Net Galley and William Morrow for my arc.

This took forever. What kills me is that it's a short book (only 269 pages) and it dragged. Terribly. 

I have read all of the Tess Monaghan books, FYI there are 11 books and some novellas too. I was a huge fan of this series and I think only gave two of the books 2 stars, but I thought most were 3 stars or above reads. For the last book and novella in the series though, I gave "The Girl in the Green Coat" 5 stars and "The Bookshop Thing" 4 stars respectively. I bring this up since if you don't read that whole series, I think some readers may be lost a bit when they read "Murder Takes a Vacation". The main character of this book, Muriel Blossom or Mrs. Blossom was introduced to readers in the main series. Now with the end of the Tess Monaghan series, Lippman has given Mrs. Blossom another whirl. 

I would ultimately say I am mostly disappointed because I thought this be more akin to Agatha Christie's Miss Marple books and it was not. I mean you even have a cruise down the Seine! I was like please give me some "Caribbean Mystery" flavor. All in all this was a dud, the flow didn't help, but I got really sick of Mrs. Blossom. At one point I went, how in the world are you taking so long to figure out if someone is really who they say they are after everything that has gone on? I think the book is trying to say a lot about older women, their wants and dreams and how the need for love doesn't go away just because you are older. But it's so repetitive to the point I was wondering if Lippman was getting paid by the word. Also, Mrs. Blossom used to work for a PI (Tess) and did surveillance, and her naivety at this point was exhausting and annoying. It didn't make any sense after a while. 

Lippman can still write though, and her love of Baltimore (though we change settings to London and France) still shine through. I just felt bored. I got a glimmer of her other works when Tess shows up in this book. Then the book grabbed me again. But when it focuses solely on Muriel and just everything that she has dealt with during and after her marriage to Mr. Blossom, her friends, her daughter, her son-in law Trout, how old and fat she was, etc. it just felt stuffed. Which is weird since again, this book was only 269 pages.