This is a cute cozy mystery involving a young woman guiding a group of elderly tourist on a Hawaiian cruise. ( )

This is book number four in the Passport to Peril series, starring tour escort Emily Andrew and the group of Iowans she takes on various vacations. This time they are aboard the Aloha Princess exploring the Hawaiian Islands. The major attraction is renowned scholar, Professor Dorian Smoker, who is an expert on Captain Cook and his explorations of the South Pacific islands.

Oh, my …. The characters are cardboard, the plot is thin, and the dialogue is tortured. I had no interest in the supposed love triangle – probably because Emily doesn’t seem very interested in either guy. There’s a major “buried treasure” element to the plot, which is central to the whole mystery, but never really captured my attention. It was just ridiculous. Hunter did manage to add a few tidbits of Hawaiian history, but not really enough to give a real sense of the islands.

Oh well … it was a fast read, and it satisfied a challenge I’ve had for over a year to read a book set in Hawaii. ( )

Not the best in the series, but definitely not the worst. This book marked the beginning of the series improvement, imho. While the characters have always been amusing, the plot in the early stories was often weak, and the protagonists ability to leap to wild conclusions annoying. This book was slightly more credible and the protagonist seemed to think things through a bit more. Overall, very enjoyable read. ( )

Fun series - Emily and Nana are both endearing, but I have a feeling I will burn out on them before I read the last book. ( )

On a cruise in Hawaii, Murder stalks the ship. "Who Dun It?" ( )