When Meg Langslow’s grandfather agrees to share some of his legendary bird knowledge through a series of lectures on a cruise to Bermuda, of course the whole family has to go along. Grandfather, obviously, as well as his wife, Meg’s mother, aunt, father, cousins, brother, her brother’s fiancee, and her husband and their twin sons all together go to sea for a fun-filled vacation.
While they’re not booked on one of those gigantic ships, there is still more than enough to keep everyone occupied at sea. There is miniature golf, high tea in the afternoon, lots of sun decks, and yoga and meditation with Rose Noire to help offset the dark energy of the Bermuda Triangle, as well as Grandfather’s lectures. And if that’s not enough (and is that ever enough for Meg and her family?), there is a quartet of romance and mystery writers who meet up once a year for a writing vacation.
But when Meg wakes up the first morning at sea and realizes that the ship isn’t moving, she starts to worry about what is happening. The crew says that there is a problem with the engine, and they’re already working on it. Meanwhile, a woman’s scarf and shoes were left by the rail of the top deck overnight, and she hasn’t been seen since. Did she jump overboard? Was she pushed? Is there any way to know what happened to her? Meg had seen her the night before, and while she wasn’t making a lot of friends on board with her demanding ways, she was a very well-known novelist with a devoted following.
And oddly, Grandfather’s assistant hasn’t been seen on the ship at all. Trevor’s baggage made it on board, but he was sent on a last minute errand, so Meg wonders if he even made it back before the ship left. Usually, it would be easy enough to check on that, but with the ship stuck in place, there is no electricity. That means that there is no computer access, no air conditioning, no wifi, no lights, and no running water.
As the day goes on with no power, no answers, and very few crew members around to offer information or encouragement, Meg and her family (as well as everyone else on board the ship) get more and more nervous about what is really happening on their cruise. Even the rare tern that has shown up, much to Grandfather’s delight, isn’t enough to keep everyone’s nerves in check. So Meg feels like it’s up to her, with the help of her equally snoopy father, to track down what’s happening and get the ship’s crew the help they need. But when her snooping puts her in danger, it takes all of her wits, and much of her family, to put things right again.
Terns of Endearment is Donna Andrew’s 25th(!) book in her popular bird-themed mystery series, and somehow these just get better and better as the books pile on. Andrews writes with a grace that keeps the story rolling along, and for me, I hardly even notice time moving as I read deeper and deeper in the book. I adore her main character Meg and wish I was a part of her family. But at least I do get to hang out them once a year or so, and enjoy their adventures as they hang out with birds and solve mysteries.
If you haven’t read any Donna Andrews yet, you should do so immediately. Start anywhere—each book in the series works as a standalone—but be prepared to want to devour the other 24 books in this series too!
Galleys for Terns of Endearment were provided by Minotaur Books through Edelweiss, with many thanks.