"Spunky New PI Sniffs out Jewel Smuggler"

By: Elaine Viets

Genres: Mystery

Posted: August 31, 2012

Helen Hawthorne is a woman with deep secrets and a dark past. In her effort to put that all behind her, she has married Phil Sagemont who is teaching her his trade -- private investigation. They have their hands full with a variety of cases, but Helen enjoys taking these jobs to take her mind off of the past that has a way of catching up with her.

When FINAL SAIL opens, Helen and Phil agree to take a case trying to determine whether a trophy wife killed her older husband. Helen and Phil both agree to go undercover to try to suss out what they can. Helen poses as Arthur's minister (after being ordained online) as a way to get closer to the grieving widow. Meanwhile, Phil is able to secure a job as an estate manager at the Arthur's estate, which gives him access to the place, leaving him free to look for evidence and keep an eye on Blossom.

In the meantime, since Helen's job is extremely short-term, she takes a separate job on a luxury yacht. The captain is positive that one of his crew is smuggling jewels, and he wants the culprit caught. Captain Josiah is aware that if illegal jewels are found on his ship, he will be culpable, and he doesn't want anything like that happening on his watch. Helen is on her own as she sails the high seas, trying to find a jewel smuggler, and working as a yacht steward answering every beck and call of the super rich.

Fortunately, Helen isn't completely alone as she is able to steal away occasionally to consult Phil via mobile phone. During these calls, she is able to hear about how his investigation into Blossom is going. She is also able to confide in Captain Josiah and run some theories by him. Between Phil's advice and Josiah's knowledge of his crew, Helen is able to piece together what happened. The question is whether she can do anything about it before the smuggler does something about her.

FINAL SAIL was full of fun and suspense, which is a great combination. FINAL SAIL is part of a series, and although I hadn't read the other books in the series, there was enough history included that I didn't feel lost. Helen's character makes a great PI-in-training; she is spunky and curious but not too intense. She also has a strong moral compass, and I enjoyed seeing that come out in the beginning of the book. Overall, FINAL SAIL is a great book, and I will gladly seek out the previous books in the series, as well as keep an eye for the other books in this fun series.

Book Summary

To catch a jewel smuggler on a luxury yacht, Helen needs to pose as the ship's new stewardess--but between serving drinks to the snobs, scrubbing floors, and cleaning up after seasick passengers, she's starting to miss dry land almost as much as she misses Phil.

While Helen's cruising to the Bahamas, Phil's got his own job--trying to catch a sexy gold digger who may have killed her elderly new husband for his fortune. Good thing he's a self-proclaimed master of disguise, playing it cool as everything from an air-conditioning repairman to a Rastafarian.

Helen's a help to Phil in his case, but when she's on her own on the high seas, Helen needs to watch her step as she searches out the smuggler--or she may end up going from undercover to overboard...

Final Sail by Elaine Viets

Final Sail

by: Elaine Viets

A Dead-End Job Mystery #11

Signet
May 1, 2012
On Sale: May 1, 2012
Featuring: Helen; Phil
272 pages
ISBN: 0451236742
EAN: 9780451236746
Kindle: B0072NZZPI
Hardcover / e-Book

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