Book review of May Contain Murder by Orlando Murrin

A culinary cozy set on a Caribbean cruise, Orlando Murrin’s May Contain Murder has a dash of everything, including a jewelry heist, secret identities and murder.

For chef-turned-writer Paul Delamare, accompanying his dear friend Xéra aboard a luxury superyacht, the Maldemer, should be the trip of a lifetime. While they work together on Xéra’s memoir, Paul intends to unwind and get to know Xéra’s new husband, Sir Billy Hardcastle, and his family.

The trip gets off to a disastrous start: Paul’s luggage falls into the water, and then his clothes are shrunk in the wash. He’s given a small room in the crew quarters as opposed to the lavish cabins of the rest of the guests. He’s even put to work in the kitchens, owing to his background as a chef. And when Xéra’s priceless new necklace, a wedding present from Sir Billy, goes missing, Paul is treated as a suspect. He still hopes to salvage the trip somehow—until someone is murdered onboard. Paul sets to work untangling the complicated relationships between the ultrawealthy passengers, the crew and the murder victim, hoping to crack the case before the killer can strike again.

Author Murrin is a MasterChef semifinalist, and his culinary expertise is on full display in May Contain Murder. Not only does Paul’s background as a chef come in handy aboard the Maldemer as he whips up meals and snacks for the hungry crew and passengers, but food plays a central role in the mystery. After pages of mouthwatering descriptions, readers will be pleased to find several original recipes from Murrin in the back of the book, too.

As a sleuth, Paul is witty, observant and composed, even in the face of grave danger. Most of the guests aboard the Maldemer are accustomed to behaving badly, making it difficult for Paul to sniff out who is involved with the necklace theft, murder and other crimes he discovers aboard the ship. Genre fans may find clues easy to spot, but that doesn’t take away from the mystery’s fun.

May Contain Murder is a light and fast-paced read with an extraordinary setting. Fans of the culinary cozy genre will delight in this satisfying novel.