Several years back, I stumbled across a fun, quirky blog called The Cynical Sailor & His Salty Sidekick. Little did I know at the time, but this would be the start of a wonderful friendship with the author, Ellen Jacobson. For quite some time, it was merely a virtual/on-line friendship. That all changed a little over a year ago somewhere along the ICW in Florida. You see, we had just spent our second winter season in the Bahamas and were anchored in the northern end of Lake Worth after crossing the Gulf Stream back to Florida. And there she was, Ellen’s boat, Tickety Boo! Unfortunately, we realized that we were sharing an anchorage with her at a very inopportune time. We were in our dinghy on our way back from dinner and drinks and, let’s see, how can I put this nicely? Well, let’s just say that nature was calling, and in a pretty urgent way…
Fast forward to the next morning and it was now time to start making tracks for Indiantown Marina where we’d be storing Radio Waves for the summer, so no time to meet the crew of Tickety Boo. Bummer! We raised anchor (as well as LOTS of mud!) and were on our way. And that’s when it started…Ellen and her hubby must’ve seen us getting ready to leave, so they raised anchor as well and started stalking us! That’s right…they followed us right on out of Lake Worth and just kept on following along behind us on the ICW for hours! We kept trying to outrun them, but every time we thought we were pulling away we’d reach another stinkin’ bridge and they’d catch right back up!
And then, things got crazy… There we were, minding our own business, when all of a sudden Tickety Boo sped up like a bat out of hell and started passing us! What?!? I maintained my stance behind the wheel, Ellen went up on the deck of their boat and Jim followed suit on ours. They yelled at each other across the water and this is when we found out that we were all headed to the same place, so we made plans to meet for real once we’d both arrived in Indiantown. Ellen seemed friendly enough in person and we were pretty certain that meeting her and her husband at the marina would be safe and there would be no foul play…no Murder at the Marina, which happens to be the name of Ellen’s first book which was just released a few days ago on the summer solstice!
If you’re looking for a fun summer read, I’d highly recommend this cozy mystery, the first in a series of books which will be taking place on and around boats. I received an ARC (advanced reader copy) of the book from Ellen in exchange for my honest review on Amazon and Goodreads, which I was more than happy to do!
MURDER AT THE MARINA BY ELLEN JACOBSON | RELEASE INFO
Blurb
A dilapidated sailboat for your anniversary—not very romantic. A dead body on board—even worse.
Mollie McGhie is hoping for diamonds for her tenth wedding anniversary. Instead, her husband presents her with a dilapidated sailboat. Just one problem—she doesn’t know anything about boats, nor does she want to.
When Mollie discovers someone murdered on board, she hopes it will convince her husband that owning a boat is a bad idea. Unfortunately, he’s more determined than ever to fix the boat up and set out to sea.
Mollie finds herself drawn into the tight-knit community living at Palm Tree Marina in Coconut Cove, a small town on the Florida coast. She uncovers a crime ring dealing in stolen marine equipment, investigates an alien abduction, eats way too many chocolate bars, adopts a cat, and learns far more about sailing than she ever wanted to.
Can Mollie discover who the murderer is before her nosiness gets her killed?
A Mollie McGhie Cozy Sailing Mystery #1
Buy Links
Murder at the Marina—A Mollie McGhie Sailing Mystery #1
Release Date: June 21, 2018
Print ISBN 978-1-7321602-1-7
eBook ISBN 978-1-7321602-0-0
Mystery
Available at:
Google Play – https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Ellen_Jacobson_Murder_at_the_Marina
Author Bio & Social Media Links
Ellen Jacobson writes mystery and sci-fi/fantasy stories. She is the author of the “Mollie McGhie Sailing Mystery” series. She lives on a sailboat with her husband, exploring the world from the water. When she isn’t working on boat projects or seeking out deserted islands, she blogs about their adventures at The Cynical Sailor.
You can connect with Ellen on:
Ellen Jacobson
June 24, 2018 at 9:18 amI love this story about how we met! And I’m so glad we met you guys 🙂
Thanks so much for being an ARC reviewer and participating in the Murder at the Marina Blog Tour & Fiesta!
Chris
June 24, 2018 at 12:45 pmSo glad we met you as well! And, you’re very welcome!
Kathy Sandlin
June 26, 2018 at 3:17 pmLove this blog post. Maybe you should write a book too! I am looking forward to reading this one. Just sent you a request on Goodreads 🙂
Chris
June 26, 2018 at 3:29 pmLOL! Thank you! Who knows…maybe someday I will! I’ve had several people tell me I should, but just getting blog posts written is challenging enough for me right now! Glad to read that you made it safely to Grenada!
Ellen Jacobson
June 27, 2018 at 6:06 pmGo for it, Chris! You should write one too!
Chris
June 27, 2018 at 6:34 pmLike I said…..maybe someday!
Kathy Walden
June 27, 2018 at 5:44 pmCan’t wait to read the book.
Chris
June 27, 2018 at 6:34 pmIt’s not a genre that you typically read, but I’m sure you’ll enjoy it!
Carlo van Niekerk
July 3, 2018 at 9:20 amI have found your blog link from the Cynical sailors’ web. Thanks for the good read! Fair winds!
Chris
July 3, 2018 at 9:54 amThank you!