Customer Reviews

Norway to Hide (Wheeler Cozy Mystery)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Norway to Hide is not my favorite installment in the Passport to Peril series, but I still found it entertaining.

Fun, quirky thirty-something tour escort Emily Andrew and her group of lovable yet slightly annoying Iowa senior citizens are back on another tour, this time to Norway. Unfortunately, there is a group of senior citizens from Florida who is also on the tour and the two groups of seniors have taken a disliking to each other. What's more, there is something quite odd about the Florida group: they live in a freakishly-perfect, gated retirement community and each of them seem to have something to hide. As usual, poor Emily stumbles upon dead bodies, the victims of course being members of the tour group. With the aid of her irrepressible Nana, and some long distance detective help from her fiance and long distance computer hacking help from her mother, she begins to piece together the motive.

Compounding Emily's worries is the fact that a tornado hit Iowa and destroyed the bridal shop, the church, and the location where her reception was supposed to be held. While Emily tries to find the killer on their tour in Norway, her well-intentioned mother has taken over the wedding preparations back home, and let's just say her taste is quite different from Emily's, and from that of other normal human beings, for that matter.

My only two criticisms of the book is that there was too much focus on Jackie's histrionics (a little bit of her goes a long way) and that the tour of Norway was sort of shoved into the background. Usually, in these books, the author describes various areas in whichever country the book is set in, but not so much this time.

I would still recommend this book to fans of Maddy Hunter's Passport to Peril series, and to any fan of fun, cozy, laugh-out-loud mysteries. I highly recommend you read this series in 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)
6. Norway to Hide (tour of Norway)

The latest entry in Maddy Hunter's series does not disappoint those who expect a quick and fun read. This series is not meant to be heavy and serious, so the negative reviews are a bit puzzling. Emily Andrews, the protagonist, is quite likable as she strives to handle the bizarre occurrences and deaths that plague her trips, this time to Norway. Her tour group is quirky, but enjoyable, especially Nana and Jackie. While to some, the solution to the murders in this book may seem a bit unrealistic, anyone choosing books in this genre must suspend belief somewhat, but that's part of the charm of reading this type of book. This series continues to be fun. Give it a chance.

Emily Andrews certainly has her hands full as she leads her group of senior citizens from Iowa on their tour through Norway. First, she is worried about the health of her beloved grandmother whose handwriting seems shaky all of a sudden. She is also trying to console her transgender ex-husband, Jackie, who is worried about the bad reviews and slow selling status of her first novel. Plus, she is getting married soon and her mother is busy fixing things after a disaster back home threatens her original plans. Throw in a couple of murders with Jackie as a suspect, and Emily once again is stuck trying to solve the murders and keep her sanity.

"Norway to Hide" is an extremely funny but light cozy mystery. The emphasis is on humor and not character development as most of the characters are over the top and not very believable in their actions. Readers who have read the other books in the series may be disappointed that Etienne is barely in the book and usually appears only in phone conversations with Emily. The characters are very funny, especially Jackie (who reminds me of Lula in Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum books) and her obsession with her Amazon reviews and sales. Many parts of the book are laugh out loud funny (a bit about a marshmallow almost being sold for a large amount of money was especially hilarious) but a lot of it is filler and doesn't move the story along. At times author Maddy Hunter tries too hard and a joke about the Boston Red Sox being cursed and never being able to win the World Series fell entirely flat. Hunter is at her best when her humor is over the top, like Emily's mother's plans for the wedding.

The plot device of Emily helping a group of seniors' tour different countries feels more and more weak in each book of the series and I never got a feel of what Norway is like. In fact, at one point I thought they were on a cruise ship when they were actually in a hotel. The mystery elements were weak and the motive truly unbelievable.

"Norway to Hide" is perfect for those who like very funny but light and fluffy cozy mysteries.

The humor in all of these books is what keeps me coming back. If you like humorous romantic mysteries, this series is for you.

Cozy mysteries at their best! If you're a fan of Evanovich's Plum series, you'll love the Passport to Peril series. A bumbling but lovable main character, humorous co-stars and a decent mystery make this a fun and enjoyable read. It won't rock your world of make you think deep thoughts, but it will entertain. And sometimes you just need a shot of that.

The writing is good, the dialogue is witty and believable, and the story moves along at a good pace. I'm not sure that it's exactly a solve-it-yourself mystery, though there are clues that point you in the right direction. Mostly the characters and their interaction with one another are what make this story really worthwhile. I really can't say much more about it other than it's just a fun book to read. If you read to be entertained, or to escape to a story, this is a book for you. I do, of course, recommend reading the series in order, starting with Alpine for You.

Has it been a tough week for you? The boss didn't like your presentation, your important project took too long to complete and didn't come out the way you wanted, the cat hurked up a hairball on the carpet... whatever. You're ready for something silly and funny: mental cotton candy. But not something dumb -- just easy to disappear into for a few hours.

Norway to Hide is a great option. This book, well along in the series in which our heroine is tour guide to retirees from Iowa, has the implausible attraction of a black-and-white Katherine Hepburn/Spencer Tracy movie. Aside from the unlikelihood of an overly fashion-conscious tour guide stumbling across multiple dead bodies on holiday trips... well, it doesn't really matter. This is fun, and never mind the plot holes, weak mystery elements, and rather strange characterizations. The recurring characters and an evenhanded storytelling style hold it all together.

I can't give you a good "analysis" of the book because it'll just sound dumb, rather than lighthearted and amusing. But if you're ready for beach reading (even with only an imaginary beach), you'll probably enjoy this book.

If you're thinking of this as a light way to explore Norway (planning a vacation, are you?), don't choose the book on that account. There's plenty of action as the characters travel through the region, but I got less of a sense of "Here's what I'd see if I visited Norway" than I did from, say, Pasta Imperfect. (Er, in that case it showed me what it'd be like to visit Italy. Not Norway. Don't be so picky.)

Nominally I'd tell you to start at the beginning of the series to get the most out of the book; the characters have developed over several novels. But realistically you _could_ start here without feeling as though you're missing much. Nothing in the story depends on knowledge of what's gone before; this is more standalone than others in the series.

In Norway to Hide, Ms. Hunter continues to delight me with her characters, plot and descriptions. Add in the general foibles of group travel touring; the action, re-action and interaction of two groups on a tour; the idiosyncrasies of the Scandinavian culture with murder and mayhem and you have an entertaining read that captures the attention.

Emily Andrew's and her band of stalwart Iowa senior citizens are off on another adventure hopefully without any dead bodies. Their Scandinavian tour includes a group of seniors from a closed Florida gated community - very select, very proper. And that's where the fun begins. Of course bodies are found - with each group pointing to the other.

This book follows in the tradition of the Passport to Peril mystery series. I would highly recommend the series start to finish.

It is time once again for travel escort Emily Andrews and her group of senior citizens to embark on another tour of a foreign country. They are traveling to Scandinavia concentrating on Finland and Norway. Emily's fondest hope is this trip proves to be no "Passport to Peril"; meaning no dead bodies to deal with especially since her ex-husband Jack (now Jackie after a transgender operation) published her book, which is ranked and rated on Amazon.

The Iowans are on the Midnight Sun Adventure tour with a group of Floridians senior citizens, who live in the affluent gated community Hamlet. The two groups don't get along but even Emily is surprised to find the leader of the other Hamlet group Portia Van Cleef murdered, strangled by a fish and plum necklace. At first Jackie is the prime suspect because she threatened her with violence but the police can't hold her because there is no evidence and others had a motive to kill her. When another Hamlet is killed, a Pulitzer prize winning reporter, Emily believes she needs to clear her group so she decides to investigate. Everyone wants the killer caught because the travel group doesn't want to keep looking over their shoulders for a murderer.

Maddy Hunter writes a riveting who-done-it that will appeal to armchair travelers and readers who like a meaty cozy plot with no blood and guts flowing. The heroine has not had a good time on this trip as she deals with cranky travelers, a despondent writer who was totally obsessed with the numbers concerning her book, long distance wedding plans that have to be changed because a twister destroyed the place she was going to get married. Oh yes, she needs to find the killer to salvage what is left of the trip. The humor spread out throughout the storyline is used as a tension reliever.

Harriet Klausner

I love this series, easy to read and as cozy as a pair of flannel pyjamas and a bowl of chicken noodle soup. The characters are hilarious and very real. If you have senior parents who love to and can afford to travel, you can only hope that they have a tour guide like Emily. She's not perfect but oh, she tries so hard and she really cares about her seniors, especially her beloved Nana. Start with book 1 - Alpine For You and keep going. You won't be sorry.

I love this series of books. Maddy Hunter is hillarious, and she really knows how to spin a tale. I reccomend all the books in this series for a light, quick read!