Novel of a cruise around the MEDITERRANEAN

11th June 2025

The Cruise Club by Caroline James, novel of a cruise around the Mediterranean.

As the novel opens, Carmen Cunningham is dithering about booking a Mysteries of the Mediterranean cruise aboard the Diamond Star, a 900 berth ship. She fully intends to travel without her obnoxious and demanding Mother, embittered Betty, who at age 80 expects to be waited on hand and foot.

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Sadly for Carmen, Betty elbows her way onto the cruise and thus the two women board their boat in Kefalonia. Carmen is particularly agog because Ruskin Reeve, a ‘ruggedly handsome’ silver fox is on board to share his wit and wisdom as an author. He pens the DI Blake mysteries and is on the look-out for inspiration. Carmen, a mature woman herself, is fairly recently published herself and she, too, is struggling with ideas. She cannot wait to meet him, her idol, in the hope of connection and inspiration. She does get to find out that “..an author’s greatest asset is persistence” which will hold her in good stead…

Goodness this boat attracts people with alliterative names, Melody Moon and Dicky Delaney and their banter, joshing and niggling provides some entertainment, both for the assembled passengers and for the reader. There is romance and drama aplenty, and a full gamut of emotions along the way, with all kinds of encounters and shenanigans. The fact that small items are going missing and the suggestion of a pineapple upside down club (don’t ask) add an element of intrigue to the story

Some snort-out-loud moments are balanced by cringeworthy behaviour. all par for the course given this cross-section of holidaymakers, crammed together on this relatively small boat.

The journey takes the motley band of cruisers from Kefalonia, through the Corinth Canal, to Rhodes, Crete, Malta, towards Sicily (Stromboli), Ibiza (with a visit to wonderful Dalt Vila!) and finally to Cartagena.

This is an upbeat and quick read that will whisk you around the Mediterranean.

Tina for the TripFiction Team

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