Princess Charming (Hardcover)

by Jane Heller (Author)
Key Phrases: Captain Solberg, New York, Promenade Deck (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
When Elaine, Jackie, and Pat plan their yearly getaway, they are unprepared for life on the luxury liner Princess Charming. Elaine agonizes over how her travel agent lied to her: the quality of the single men on the ship is debatable, and she can't see out the porthole in her minuscule cabin because a lifeboat hangs there! When Elaine overhears a plot to murder a divorced woman onboard the ship, she suspects every man she meets of being the hit man. When Jackie becomes ill, or is poisoned, and Pat falls down the stairs, or is pushed, Elaine finds a threatening note and must race against time to find the man who has orders to kill before the cruise returns to Miami. Heller uses stereotypical passengers and situations to highlight the humor of Elaine's plight. She is surrounded by amorous octogenarians, feuding newlyweds, and polyester heaven, and her reactions to the cruise make for an unforgettable read. Heller keeps getting better! A must purchase for all collections. Melanie Duncan

From Kirkus Reviews
Heller strikes again with this razzle-dazzle cruise ship murder mystery, sure to be a big hit with her faithful following (Infernal Affairs, 1996, etc.). The Princess Charming is the crown jewel of the Sea Swan line. Middle-aged clich‚s Elaine Zimmerman (world-weary, hardened divorcee), Pat Kovecky (mom with a heart of gold abandoned by husband in mid-life crisis), and Jackie Gault (hot-to-trot suddenly single fortysomething) have done Canyon Ranch, hit Telluride, been to Anguilla--why not a Caribbean cruise? At least that's what Pat and Jackie tell a reluctant Elaine, who, of course, loses her luggage as soon as she steps on board and is forced to buy sequined gowns from the on-ship boutique to wear day and night, for everything from day trips to shipboard strolling. But that's the least of Elaine's problems. The first day out she overhears an ominous phone call and learns that someone on board is trying to murder one of her friends. Meanwhile, after years of dating Mr. Wrong and all his brothers in Manhattan, she's finally met a man she likes, at her assigned dinner table no less--Sam Peck is wealthy, handsome, successful, and suave. All of the tablemates, however, become suspects in Elaine's quest to save her friend (she's still not sure which of the two is in trouble). The oversexed elderly couple and the rich Greenwich stockbroker and his shopaholic wife could be less harmless than they first appear--and even Sam himself could be a heartless killer. The popular travel magazine, Away From It All, comes into play, with a surprise ending that hinges on a secret identity, but rest assured that they all- -including the endearing worrywart Elaine--get what they truly deserve. As easy and mindless as seven days at sea on a deluxe cruise- -slick, sassy, and expertly executed. (Author tour) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 295 pages
• Publisher: Kensington; 1st edition edition (April 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1575661489
• ISBN-13: 978-1575661483
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,229,552 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very cute!, September 12, 2002

By	curvynovelsdotinfo "[e-mail]" (Maine, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Princess Charming (Paperback)

Heroines: One average, one plump, and one extremely tall and thin (main character)

Pat, Jackie, and Elaine, a trio of divorcées known as the "three blonde mice", escape the bitter New York winter and set off on a tropical cruise upon the "Princess Charming", a ship caught in a 1980s interior decorating vortex whose passenger and activities lists are filled with every cruise stereotype imaginable.

A series of mishaps, an overheard phone conversation, and an anonymous note slipped under a door makes it plain that one of the women is the target of a planned hit by her embittered ex-husband. But which gal is at risk? And which passenger was hired to send this unfortunate lady to sleep with the fish? The polyester-clad-disco-king-has-been? The used car salesman with the short-lived short-term memory? The fastidious, well-to-do, bird-watching bachelor?

What worked for me:

  Ms. Heller's writing gets to the essence of the subject quickly, distilling the key pieces of information and throwing them out at the reader in startling combinations. It's amazing what she can convey in her effectively succinct yet descriptive phrases!

I loved the tongue-in-cheek humor in this story. Elaine was the epitome of the catty, witty friend you love to hear talking about others but secretly pray that she never talks in that way about you.

There were a slew of wacky, true-to-life characters in this book with plenty of choices for possible bad guys to keep you guessing.

And I enjoyed the burgeoning romance between the man-wary Elaine and her new friend Sam, but I enjoyed their octogenarian tablemates far more. We should all be so lucky in our love lives!

Size-wise the ladies were varied. The main character had some reservations about her six foot height and slender build, but mainly because she had lost her luggage and was forced to wear clothes that didn't fit her correctly.

What didn't work for me:    

    Some folks might not care for the first person point-of-view, but I personally thought it worked very well in this book.

Overall:

This outrageously funny mystery seasoned with a dash of romance makes for excellent light reading. I recommend it to fans of the mystery and romance genres alike.

Warning: there's a bit of coarse language and a couple of sexy scenes.

If you liked "Princess Charming" you might also enjoy "Infernal Affairs", "Plum Girl", The Stephanie Plum mystery series, and "Fast Women".

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Heller's Weakest Mystery-Romance at Sea, April 1, 2001

By	carol irvin "carol knowlton irvin" (chesterland, OH United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Princess Charming (Paperback)

Heller has always been a 4 star comedic read for me. I can always count on her for a good evening's entertainment. This is the one time she failed me. Even then I can't say that this is badly written or that I couldn't finish it. I made it through without any big problem but I was disappointed when done. There hadn't been much LOL either. Essentially this is a tale about 3 women friends, all divorcees or about-to-be, who take a cruise together only to discover that one of them is the target for a hit-man by an ex-spouse who wants to get rid of her and his obligations to her. The lead woman meets a man onboard, who she starts having a shipboard romance with, only to ultimately wonder if he is the hit-man. Yes, it is a pretty lame idea, especially for Heller. Well, everyone has a miss and this was hers.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A lighthearted "vacation" tale for any time of the year, September 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Princess Charming (Paperback)

This was my first taste of Jane Heller's delightful and witty writing, and it has caused me to consistantly search the "new arrivals" rack for more of her work. Any woman who has had the joy of a long term, loyal friendship with other women will surely smile as Elaine and her friends look out for each other thru the ups and downs of their respective problems.