Aww, this was such a cute little mystery! I really liked the main character Mrs. Blossom. She was so fun to read from. The plot was a little bit frustratingly obvious (and if I could figure it out, that's saying something) and I rolled my eyes a few time, but overall, I liked it!!!

I have been a Laura Lippman fan for years and have enjoyed many of her books but her latest, “Murder Takes a Vacation”, is my favorite by far.

In “Murder Takes a Vacation”, widowed millionaire, lottery winner, and former private investigator Muriel Blossom is on her way to her first European vacation, a river cruise with her best friend Elinor, when she meets a kind stranger, Allan, who sweeps her off of her feet. But suddenly Allan dies under mysterious circumstances and another stranger, Danny, appears and gives Muriel a makeover and tells her he is investigating some funny business that Allan was involved in. Next thing you know, Muriel, Elinor, and Danny are off on the river cruise where they seem surrounded by unusual characters and strange events at every turn.

This book was just so fun. Cozy mysteries aren’t usually my jam but Muriel was such a lovely and relatable character that I couldn’t stop reading and was really rooting for her. I found the last 10% of the book confusing but in a way that didn’t really bother me. There is a lot of talk about Muriel’s weight, but I thought it was handled well and it wasn’t triggering to me or overly distracting from the storyline.

I highly recommend this short, fun, and low stress little mystery and I very much hope it isn’t the last we’ll be seeing of Muriel. I think this story lends itself very well to adaptation and would make for a great series, too.

This book felt like a modern Agatha Christie. Mrs. Blossom, has been a widow for 10 years. After recently coming into some money, (found lottery ticket) she has booked a cruise along the Seine with her friend since childhood, Elinor.
The mystery begins in Baltimore at the airport, there she meets Allan, who offers to help her with international travel. After they land in London and spend the day together, they split and she heads to Paris and he ends up dead.
She has people tailing her in Paris and on the boat. I could not help but think she was a little ditzy as I could see the conclusion miles away.
It was fine, a little too predictable.
Thank you to @netgalley for the ARC

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. If you have read Laura Lippman's Tess Monaghan series, you might be familiar with Mrs. Blossom's character. Muriel Blossom helped do surveillance for Tess' PI business. She made the perfect surveillance person because nobody pays attention to an older lady in her 60's.

Mrs B had been staying with her daughter and son in law in Arizona when her son in law gets transferred to Tokyo. She finds a lottery ticket on the ground, and it turns out it's a winner of close to 7 million. She wrestles with guilt, but nobody else comes forward.

She decides to take a trip to Paris, which includes a week on a river cruise. Her friend Elinor meets her in Paris for the cruise. But before that, a series of events involving an upgraded 1st class airfare, a handsome gentleman, and stolen art lands Mrs. B in some trouble. Someone is following her, and she doesn't know who to trust. Plus, a dead body and other things happen.

While the story is a little convoluted, I enjoyed the story very much. I just hope someone replaces the valuable item that saved her life.

4/5☆ available June 17. I liked seeing Tess and Crow pop up!

Mrs. Blossom is a charming character. I enjoyed the idea of a fat older woman as the main character. I felt a bit sad for Mrs. Blossom in the beginning of the book. She seemed naive and gullible perhaps due to loneliness. I'm glad that she becomes a stronger character at the end that realizes her life can be full and adventurous at her age and size.

This cozy senior sleuth story is a vacation in a book. Mrs. Blossom, a 68-year old widow, is in transition, moving back to Maryland from Arizona. In a serendipitous moment she picks up a lottery ticket from the ground in a convenience store parking lot and becomes $8M richer. She decides to take her friend Elinor with her on a trip to Paris and a Seine River cruise. At the airport, Mrs. Blossom, an inexperienced internationally traveler, accepts the kindness of a handsome older man who offers to assist her to Paris and she is soon caught up in an international art theft ring. Mrs. Blossom is a likable character who appeared in the author's previous novels.

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for an advance readers copy of this book.

This light, entertaining mystery introduces us to Muriel Blossom, 68 year-old widow from Baltimore, who is using her lottery winnings to take a river cruise on the Seine with her childhood friend, Elinor.

Muriel has been a minor character in earlier mysteries by Lippman; here she is the star. In addition to an engaging mystery around a valuable missing artifact, Lippman takes this opportunity to address, through Muriel, issues around women’s aging and being more than the ideal weight in our culture.

The people she meets are intriguing and vividly drawn; even those showing greed, selfishness and deception have relatable moments. Muriel’s thoughts on relationships and self-understanding and acceptance are gentle but powerful.

Light, engaging, entertaining - this is a good first book of the summer!

I really enjoyed thriller author Laura Lippman's cozy mystery debut and that she deliberately chose to write about Mrs Blossom, a fat older widow who was comfortable with her size and age and unapologetic about it to boot!

When Mrs Blossom decides to go on a European boat cruise vacation with her friend, she never expected to get caught up in romantic affairs, a stolen art heist and a murder mystery too!! The setting of this book was really fun, the characters were memorable and likable and the crime had me guessing til the end.

Great on audio and highly recommended for fans of cozy mysteries featuring older female amateur sleuths like Detective Aunty or A murder for Miss Hortense. I hope we get more featuring Mrs Blossom soon! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

When Muriel Blossom finds a winning lottery ticket in a parking lot she decides to see the world and books a Parisian river cruise. She never expects a murder to happen along the way. She meets a man, Allan, on the flight to France.

Mrs. Blossom doesn’t know what to think when Allan is found dead in Paris. She is determined to find who took Allan’s life. She is unsure who to trust on the ship. Danny keeps popping around claiming Mrs.Blossom knows more about Allan being an art thief than she is sharing. It is quiet a mystery with a few more twists and turns until the end.

I would recommend this book. Thanks Net Galley for the opportunity to read an early copy.

I have read all of Laura Lippman’s books and short stories. I was disappointed to find her latest novel would center around a character I did not enjoy, Mrs. Blossom. As much as I love the author’s writing, I struggled to finish the book. Muriel Blossom is not my cup of tea. What I enjoyed most about the book was the glimpses of Tess’ life and Danny.

I loved that the main character was a middle aged woman. I really did not like her though.. and I hated that there were so many comments about her size. It really made it difficult for me to focus on the vother parts of the book. The mystery piece was cute, nothing incredibly but kept me engaged and I enjoyed following along. Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

I loved that this book took place while traveling. I could really relate to Mrs. Blossom in so many ways. I thought this cozy mystery was well written and very entertaining. The characters were well developed and the writing was easy to follow. I really hope this author decides to continue with more books following Mrs. Blossom.

Fun, cozy mystery in the vein of Agatha Christie or Murder, She Wrote. Muriel Blossom, 68 and a widow, takes the trip of a lifetime to France after winning the lottery. But her carefully planned trip takes a turn when she accidentally becomes involved in some international intrigue involving a missing statue. Muriel is an interesting character and the various settings in France are realistic. My only issue was with the way Muriel was written - she came across as more 80 years+ than 68, which isn't that old in 2025, and as someone who worked for a private investigator, I would think she would be a little more savvy around strangers, especially male strangers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher William Morrow for the eARC in exchange for honest review.

4/5 stars: This is Lippman's Senior Sleuth Cozy-ish Mystery stand-alone that features an American former private investigator and sixty-ish year old widow who finds herself turning sleuth after her vacation on a Parisian river cruise turns into a deadly international mystery. After the handsome man she flirted with on her transatlantic flight turns up dead and a mystifying man keeps popping up around every corner, she learns the dead man was transporting a stolen statue of antiquity, which has since gone missing, and now she's in everyone's sights. She'll have to work fast to solve this mystery before the cruise is over or the killer might take he out next. With plenty of twists and turns, Lippman has crafted a mystery that deftly balances the suspects, clues and red herrings and will leave you pondering the whodunit until the final reveal. Smart, witty and humorous, Lippman's writing and character work are excellent; the characters are well-rounded and complex while remaining likable. Mrs Blossom's a great character and it's lovely to see her spreading her wings, living for herself and having an adventure. I enjoyed this a lot and hold that there are plans for further sleuthing tales featuring Mrs Blossom. Lippman touches on some sensitive topics; so take care and check the CWs.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

Laura Lippman’s Murder Takes a Vacation is a refreshing blend of cozy mystery and international intrigue, anchored by the wonderfully relatable Muriel Blossom. As a former PI and recent widow, Mrs. Blossom is a protagonist who brings both wisdom and vulnerability to the story, making her sleuthing feel grounded and emotionally resonant.

The audiobook, narrated by Kimberly Farr, is a pleasure to listen to—her voice perfectly captures the elegance and introspection of Mrs. Blossom, while also bringing a touch of suspense to the unfolding mystery. The setting—a river cruise through France—adds a unique and atmospheric backdrop that enhances the story’s charm.

The plot is engaging, with just enough twists to keep you guessing without becoming convoluted. The pacing is steady, though it occasionally lingers on introspective moments that might slow down the momentum for some listeners. Still, the character development and subtle humor more than make up for it.

This is a great pick for fans of character-driven mysteries with a touch of travel and romance. Lippman’s writing is as sharp as ever, and Mrs. Blossom is a sleuth I’d happily follow on another adventure.

Thank you to NetGalley, Laura Lippman, and HarperCollins for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Mrs. Blossom (you find out her first name is Muriel well into the story) is a widow who has moved to Phoenix to help with grandchildren when her son-in-law announces they are moving to Japan. She had worked as a private investigator, which she did well at as she was the type of person that no-one noticed. When she finds a winning lottery ticket in a parking lot, she tries to turn it in, but she is told there is no process for that. So she now has all the money she will ever need and no family to take care of. She decides to go on a French river cruise with her best friend and what ensues is a series of coincidental events that involve her in a the mystery of a small piece of statuary. From meeting a man named Allan on her transatlantic flight to Danny in Paris to a group of people on the river cruise ship, she must figure out who is intruding into her space and why as more and more people are found dead along the way.

Another author who is not going to win a literary prize but usually gives you a story with characters and a story line that is fun to read. That being said, the last two books I read from this author weren’t worth reading (actually one was a DNF!) but she has redeemed herself with this fast moving story with a likeable protagonist in Mrs. Blossom, enough plot twists to keep you guessing, and a satisfying ending. My thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel.

I wouldn’t quite call this a cozy mystery, but compared to Lippman’s typical grittiness, it’s downright fluffy.

Usually, cozy mystery or anything adjacent isn’t my reading preference, but I happened to be thoroughly charmed and entertained by this one.

Our main character, Mrs. Blossom, embarks on a European adventure complete with a cruise, an unexpected love interest, and an art heist. What more could you want from a second act of life?

The author notes she specifically focused on creating a character of a certain age and weight as part of feedback from readers, and while this helped to imagine what Mrs. Blossom looked like, it didn’t add (nor did it detract from the story).

I prefer the darker side of Lippman’s writing, but this was a refreshing change of pace.

3.5 stars.

A fun mystery centered around Mrs. Blossom, a 60+ recent lottery winner who takes the trip of a lifetime. Good beach read as it’s all pretty light. The pacing could have been a lot quicker, but I enjoyed this one overall.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy!

Laura Lippman's Murder Takes a Vacation introduces the delightful Muriel Blossom, a lottery-winning widow on her first solo trip—a Parisian cruise. When a fellow passenger turns up dead, Mrs. Blossom, initially overwhelmed, uses her unassuming nature to uncover the truth. Lippman crafts a witty and engaging mystery while exploring themes of self-discovery and aging. This charming, cozy read is a refreshing blend of Lippman's sharp wit and a captivating new protagonist.

This book takes a little getting into: I think the author is assuming we know this woman (I didn’t). I spent the first few chapters trying to figure out how old she was, and who she was, as a person. But once past that, the plot got going and the action moved on steadily from there. I liked the main character, and she proved she had more ‘gumption’ than it seemed, at first. The other characters were a little difficult to pin down, but I think that was on purpose, and certainly added to the suspense. All in all, an enjoyable read.