NetGalley review for Death on Deck by Verity Bright

I just registered with NetGalley. I know I'm late to the game, but what a great site. There are so many wonderful books to choose from that it's a little overwhelming. I put in a request to read three books, but so far only one request has been approved: Death on Deck (A Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery Book 13). This is an advanced reader copy, and the actual publication date is March 13, 2023. So keep an eye out for it when it is released. Of course, you can always start with book one in the series if you are not familiar with this. It is written by a husband and wife writing team who use the pseudonym, Verity Bright. I have never read any of their books, but this was a stand-alone title. Here is the review I left at NetGalley.

Thank you "Verity Bright" for bringing me a much-needed escape from today's scary and heartbreaking headlines. And on this luxury cruise, with a fun and witty companion, it was an escape in style. So thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this advanced reader copy. I'm new to this writer and series, but I've already searched out book one in this series, and I intend to read it when I finish the books on my current reading list.

This was fun from the beginning, and it kept me very engaged until about halfway through. At that point, I wondered if I could finish. I am easily bored, and the elaborate descriptions of food and ship went a little "overboard" for me. After halfway, it just became a matter of wanting to know the ending even though my attention was drifting a little.

There were some questions along the way. The biggest one was when Eleanor threw open a porthole window to gulp some salty sea air. I thought portholes didn't open on ships because of the danger of flooding. Can't have the ships sinking. That took me out of the story and sent me to Google. I'm still unclear as to whether portholes open or not. Some say yes. Some say no. I just don't think that anything that kicks the reader out of a story is a good thing. That scene wasn't really necessary anyway, and a temporary loss of a reader isn't good. It was a few hours before I resumed reading. (The question became more important later on.)
 
I also questioned how someone can "nod vociferously" or just bow from the shoulders.

Even though it became cumbersome, there were some great descriptions of the Celestiana. I loved the gold room with its staircase and model of the solar system and the description of the passing Auriana as a "floating skyscraper." However, it seemed the food was described more often than the ship was. It got to be a little much. Some of it just seemed like filler to make the required word count.

But I did enjoy the story, Eleanor's relationship with Clifford and her staff, and the very likable protagonist. The "Verity Bright" writing team have a great "voice," and I loved the banter between Eleanor and Clifford. I loved the banter. Period. I thought the dialogue was mostly great. I also liked the humor, and this is one of the lines that made me chuckle out loud: "I thought I was expected to languish about elegantly, exerting myself about as much as a dying duck."

Thank you again for an enjoyable cozy. This was a very good mystery. I give it 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.