Sunday Books & Culture - Fiction
"Murder Takes a Vacation" weaves mystery and heart into this charming book, featuring, a down-to-earth and logical heroine.
MURDER TAKES A VACATION
by Laura Lippman
Published by William Morrow (June 17, 2025)
Hardcover $24.00
Audiobook $14.95
Reviewed by Penny A Parrish
I think the first book by Laura Lippman that I read was What the Dead Know, published in 2009. It was based on a real incident where two little girls disappeared from a mall in Maryland. The book was terrifying, and I remember not being able to sleep for days. So when I came across this book, I didn’t think it would be an uplifting summer read – boy, was I wrong!
Readers will meet Mrs. Blossom. She does have a first name, but everyone calls her this. She is a widow “of a certain age” (FYI - I hate that phrase), originally from Baltimore but recently living in Arizona helping take care of her daughter’s family. But that group is moving to Japan – without inviting Mrs. Blossom. One day, in a grocery store parking lot, she stops to pick up a piece of paper (Mrs. Blossom hates litter) only to find out that it was a winning lottery ticket worth several million dollars. What to do? Buy a condo back in Baltimore and invite her best friend to join her on a cruise down the Seine.
Mrs. Blossom is a large woman. She stopped going into stores with 18 as their largest size. She is comfortable in her own body, but uncomfortable in the way others react to it. On the flight from BWI to London, she meets Allan, who charms her. He helps her navigate the Chunnel to Paris, and promises to take her to dinner in Baltimore when they’re both back in the States. For the first time since her beloved Harold died, Mrs. Blossom has feelings for a man. So it’s quite unfortunate when Allan turns up dead two days after she meets him.
Now she is attracting attention from a younger man in Paris, who says his name is Danny. He takes her shopping, dining, sightseeing – but something smells rotten to Mrs. Blossom. With good reason as it turns out. Danny was on the train in the Chunnel and is now on the cruise with Mrs. Blossom and her best friend Elinor. Why is he following her?
Lippman weaves both mystery and heart into this charming book (no nightmares). Mrs. Blossom, the most down-to-earth and logical heroine, finds that there is still life awaiting a large, elderly woman. Like many of us, she worries about her memory. When an old song comes to mind, she “needed a second to remember the song’s name. It felt like a very long second. As one ages, every moment of forgetfulness fills one with dread.” I can relate, Mrs. Blossom. But this wonderful book is one I will NOT forget!
Penny A Parrish is a local writer and photographer. See her pictures at her website. PennyAParrishPhotography.com
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