G'Day to Die: A Passport to Peril Mystery [Mass Market Paperback]

Maddy Hunter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 31, 2006

When Emily Andrew lands in the Land of Oz -- Australia, that is -- she and her hearty group of world-touring seniors know they're not in Iowa anymore. Winter is summer, drains drain counterclockwise, and all the comforts of home are, well, back home. Even Emily's love life is upside down: her darling detective Etienne Miceli has yet to propose, while gorgeous tour director Duncan Lazarus is vying to be more than just mates. Emily is preoccupied calming the group's jitters about the outback's killers, from sunstroke to snake bites. But when a fellow traveler turns up dead, Emily fears something far more toxic has struck: human greed. Someone has stumbled upon a natural wonder that could turn science on its head -- was this priceless discovery the catalyst for murder? Before the dust settles, a second untimely death occurs. If Emily can't stop a killer in their tracks, this Aussie adventure just may be her last.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Tour guide Emily Andrew, two eager suitors and an eccentric group of travel-happy Iowa senior citizens go Down Under in this fifth installment of the Passport to Peril mystery series, following pun-filled adventures to Italy (Pasta Imperfect), Hawaii (Hula Done It?) and other destinations. When biologist Claire Bellows is found dead and an exceedingly rare plant—one that's supposed to have been extinct for over a hundred million years—disappears, Emily and her merrily quarrelsome band leap on the scent of murder. But was Claire killed out of professional rivalry or is a hidden motive at work? The tourists careen around Australia, racking up clues while a couple of would-be husbands battle for Emily's heart and the seniors jockey for position at every rest stop and souvenir store in the country. Nonstop wisecracks enliven the action (covered in blue zinc oxide, one tourist's "nose matched her sandals today, a striking example of how fashion savvy she'd become since her bunion surgery"), and the easygoing pace leads to a satisfying heroine-in-peril twist ending that should please those in search of a good cozy. (Nov.)
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About the Author

Maddy Hunter has endured disastrous vacations on three continents in the past five years. Despite this, she aspires to visit all seven continents in the future. G'Day to Die is the fifth novel in her critically acclaimed, bestselling Passport to Peril mystery series featuring Emily Andrew -- Alpine for You (an Agatha Award nominee for Best First Mystery), Top O' the Mournin', Pasta Imperfect, and Hula Done It? are available from Pocket Books. Maddy lives with her husband in Madison, Wisconsin.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Books (October 31, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416523790
• ISBN-13: 978-1416523796
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #521,137 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Maddy Hunter has done it again, November 4, 2006

By 

Bookworm "Bookworm" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: G'Day to Die: A Passport to Peril Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)

I am addicted to this series. The books are among my favorite cozies ever. I've re-read them countless times and they make me laugh every time I read them. Believe me when I say (type?) that I have been counting down the days until G'Day to Die was released.

Maddy Hunter does not disappoint in this latest adventure featuring spunky 30 year old Iowan tour escort Emily Andrew and her hometown senior citizens travel club. The group is on a tour of Australia and wouldn't you know it - Emily stumbles upon a dead body. With the help of her irrepressible Nana (who, as usual, is a member of the tour) and Nana's tour roommate Tilly, Emily launches into full blown investigation mode. Did the murder victim stumble upon a rare scientific find? Was he/she killed to keep that find a secret? Why have some of Nana's photographs of the Australian landscape gone missing? And what is going on with that mysterious man on the tour with the bad temper and his obsession with deadly bugs? Emily pursues these questions with her usual energy, self-effacing humor, and snark. And to really complicate things, Etienne and Duncan are on the tour as well and both are vigourously competing with each other (in a gentlemanly fashion) for Emily's heart. She does finally choose between them. Sorry, I'm not going to tell you whom she chooses. You'll have to get the book to find out!

This book has several major red herrings that will throw you completely off the path. You'll feel just like Emily: stumped. As in the other books, the scenes in which Emily suddenly pieces together the puzzle will get your heart pounding as well as the "unmasking" of the murderer. And, as in the other books, there are scenes that are laugh-out-loud funny. (and coming from me, that's really saying something, because I am not a demonstrative person, especially not while reading alone) The Iowa contingent is back in full force and they are the same resilient, punctual, bickering bunch we've come to love. Between their lovable cluelessness, Nana's savvy-yet-simple-down-home nature, and Emily's hilarious inner dialogue, this book will keep you thoroughly entertained. I devoured the book in two hours. It is a wonderful, fun cozy and I highly recommend it as well as the rest of the series.

Now I'll have to start counting down the days until book six is released. There's a preview of it at the back of G'Day to Die. Apparently, the group's next tour adventure takes place in Scandinavia!

I do recommend that you read this series in order; it especially helps when it comes to understanding Emily's history with Etienne and Duncan. Here is the order:

1. Alpine for You (tour of Switzerland)
2. Top O' the Mournin' (tour of Ireland)
3. Pasta Imperfect (tour of Italy)
4. Hula Done It? (Hawaiian cruise)
5. G'Day to Die (tour of Australia)

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Down Under" Turned Upside Down by a Group of Iowa Seniors, November 29, 2006

By 

L. Kelly (Lakewood, CO) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: G'Day to Die: A Passport to Peril Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)

"G-Day to Die" is the fifth installment in the delightful series which features Iowa travel guide Emily Andrews, whose job is to escort a group of globe-trotting senior citizens from Windsor City, Iowa. This fun story follows the group on a tour of Australia, complete with visits to Austalian wineries, sighseeing along the Gold Coast Road, and visiting a sea lion refuge at a place called Kangaroo Island. The book opens with the sudden death of another traveller on the tour, botanist Claire Bellows, who collapses suddenly while visiting Port Campbell National Park. Initially, Claire's death appears to be caused by heat stroke, but Emily can't help but suspect that Claire's death is a murder. Emily can't seem to resist poking into Claire's death on her own, especially since it appears that the dead woman had stolen some of her grandmother Marion's Polaroid pictures of a rare plant minutes before she collapsed. Then when a second member of the tour group suddenly collapses while at a winery tour, Emily's suspicions are put on high alert. The mystery in this story is very well-crafted and certainly had me guessing about the outcome.

Emily and her group of wacky seniors enjoy visiting the sights of Australia, and author Hunter does a great job of describing the local sights. This story has a lot more romance in it than previous stories in this series, as both of Emily's beaus (Etienne Miceli and Duncan Lazarus) are along on the tour, and both are trying to get her to say "yes" to their marriage proposals.

"G'Day to Die" is a funny, entertaining read. Readers who haven't read the earlier stories in this series would be well-advised to read the previous stories first, though, especially to get the background on Emily's romantic interests, which will add to your enjoyment of this story.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS, February 6, 2007

By 

Anthony L. Piccione "TONY P" (LONE ROCK, WI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: G'Day to Die: A Passport to Peril Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)

`G'Day to Die' takes us to Australia were the young and sexy tour guide, Emily Andrews is leading her regular group of elderly Iowans on a tour of the land down under.
Right away a dead woman from another touring group is found. In the area of her body is a picture of the landscape that shows a flower that some believe has been extinct for millions of years. This flower could possibly unlock the mysteries of aging, diseases, and even baldness. At the same time, another story unfolds with an old lady and her son that are looking for a long lost twin sister of the old lady. The sudden death of the old lady plus previous death sends Emily down the road to suspicion of almost everyone. To complicate matters the two men who want to marry Emily, Etienne and Duncan, are on the tour and make total fools of themselves trying to get her to marry them.
The story has humor, murder, deadly critters that can kill in a heartbeat, and some real nutcase characters.