After a valuable movie prop is used to murder a Hollywood film director, art sleuth Carmen De Luca has to spotlight the killer before she becomes the next victim.
Carmen De Luca is having the time of her life recovering stolen artwork from nefarious European collectors for her employer, the Rosewood Agency...until her partner, Baroness Sophie Rutherford, is injured during a mission gone wrong.
Their boss wants to ground them, but Carmen's not ready to give up on her newly revitalized career without a fight. So she begs her best friend, Rhonda Rhodes, an antiques expert and the host of a popular television show, to fly over and take the Baroness's place. Carmen isn't rich or interesting enough to get on the guest list of the exclusive parties she uses to access her targets' homes-but Rhonda is.
Carmen's boss agrees to her unorthodox plan, but with one caveat-she can't disclose to Rhonda that she's actually an art sleuth currently on assignment.
With no alternative other than to pack up and fly home, Carmen agrees to deceive her friend. She picks Rhonda up at the airport, thinking they can see some of Europe's most famous sights before her next assignment, only to discover that her friend's already made other plans. On the flight over, Rhonda's seatmate invited her to attend an exclusive party being held on a pirate ship and hosted by a Hollywood director. How can they resist?
What begins as a fun night partying with an eclectic group of film directors, actors, and producers turns into a deadly game of whodunnit when their host is murdered with his own copy of the Maltese Falcon statue.
Now Carmen must use her wits and expertise to sift through the many motives and uncover the killer's true identity, if she and Rhonda are to get off the ship alive.
Movie moguls, priceless props, and long-buried secrets make for a deadly combination in this delightful locked-room mystery that is sure to appeal to fans of cozy crime and amateur sleuth mysteries. Pick it up now and see if you can sleuth out the killer before Carmen does!
Carmen De Luca Art Sleuth Mysteries:
Collecting Can Be Murder
A Statue To Die For
Forgeries and Fatalities
A Killer Inheritance
These mysteries contain no graphic violence, sex, or strong language.