The Good Ship Murder has sailed into its third series – and not a week goes by without someone asking me, “Be honest… did they read the CSCI Cruise Ship Crime Investigators books first?”

Now, I’m not saying anything… but I’m not not saying anything either. 😏

There are a few curious little overlaps. Some of the people behind the show are friends, one of the line producers worked on Emmerdale back in the day with Stuart St Paul, and Matt—his son-in-law—has even popped up as a guest star. Small world, the TV industry…

But let’s talk timing. Virgin Voyage (later Solo Cruiser) launched in April 2017, followed by Cruise Ship Heist in February 2019. The Good Ship Murder didn’t arrive until October 2023. Draw your own conclusions.

Then there’s the story itself…

In Cruise Ship Heist, you’ve got an ex-British military commander joining the entertainment team as a guest lecturer—only to end up knee-deep in crime. In The Good Ship Murder, Jack Grayling is an ex-detective chasing his dream of becoming a cabaret singer… who, inevitably, ends up solving murders at sea.

Because of course he does.

Both worlds come with their own trusty sidekicks: Georgie (the entertainment manager) and Hunter (head of security) in the books, while the TV show pairs Jack with First Officer Kate Woods. And whichever version you prefer, you can guarantee at least one murder—or a cheeky high-stakes theft—per voyage.

As for filming, the show started out using the MSC Virtuosa, but these days it’s mostly sunshine and subterfuge in Malta, with hotels and clubs doubling for glamorous ports around the world.

Malta, incidentally, is basically Hollywood-on-sea. The Robin Williams film Popeye was shot there (yes, that village really exists), and productions have been flocking there ever since. Even Breeders—with Martin Freeman and Laura Aikman—filmed an episode on the island.

And here’s a gloriously random fact to drop into conversation: Laura Aikman once met Robin Williams on a beach during Hugh Hefner’s 80th birthday bash at Cannes. Which sounds less like trivia and more like the plot of something Jack Grayling would end up investigating.

Honestly, you couldn’t make it up…

Or could you? 🚢

MALTA

Is the port where you must get up early and enjoy the sail in.

Cruise Ship Murder

The CSCI books read more like movies, and are designed to make the reader feel like they are there on the ship. Heist starts in Port Limon and after a couple of stops and the Panama Canal partial transit, Kieron escapes towards Madeira and the story unfolds. You can listen free as an audiobook, and dip in and out whenever you want. Recently Carnival took author Stuart St Paul back to South America to talk about his novels.

Ebera Village – chapters circa 29/32 – (Listen Free On Our YouTube Chanel – see below)

Panama Canal – chapters circa 33 – (Listen Free On Our YouTube Chanel – see below)

Bequia Island – chapters circa 64/70 – (Listen Free On Our YouTube Chanel – see below)

St Vincent – chapters circa 72/73 – (Listen Free On Our YouTube Chanel – see below)

OFFICIAL REVIEW 5-stars OnLineBookClub In Cruise Ship Heist by Stuart St Paul, Commander Kieron Philips, a retired military man, was headed to a cruise ship en route to the Panama Canals as a commentator. It was an excellent opportunity for him to see his daughter, Auli’I, a dancer on the ship. At the Airport, Kieron observed many strange things that he couldn’t explain. Getting to the ship, he found himself millions of dollars richer, and there was no end to the strange occurrences that only seemed to get more suspicious. Not one to leave anything up to chance, his eyes and ears were opened, following anything that seemed like a clue as he was determined to get to the root of everything. One thing was then clear to him, neither his presence at the airport at that particular time nor on the cruise ship was a coincidence. Someone had orchestrated everything; he had been chosen for a reason, and he intended to find out why. The plot of the story was complex and had much depth to it; it presented this giant riddle with many unpredictable facets. The story carried intrigue right from when Commander Kieron Philips was introduced at the airport. His character gave off waves of mystery and intrigue with the peculiar situation in which he found himself. Sadly for readers, the mystery and suspense drag almost to the end of the book, with many misleading hints and twists in the middle; it might make readers impatient because of the anticipation. The best bet would be to go with the flow. Cruise Ship Heist didn’t have such a wide array of characters, but readers would easily find one or two to love. Kieron was the tangy combination of the good cop and the bad cop. He was the guy you wanted in your corner when things got ugly because he wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. His character stood out because of his keen eye for foul play, bravery, and kindness. More so, the author gave a lot of insight into Kieron’s thoughts and the complicated mental process of solving the mystery that lived on the cruise ship. Another impressive character was Hunter Witowski, the cruise ship’s head of security. He had a dry humor that belied his tough exterior. He was one character I didn’t expect to like, but he became one of my favorites. The characters’ dialogues were exciting. They helped in progressing the plot and kept the story from getting dull. It was fun to see the wordplay between the characters, especially with Kieron and his sometimes funny attempts to keep his ‘secrets’ secret. Cruise Ship Heist was action-packed, suffused with danger, murder, and unpredictability. This was one of those stories that would stay with you for a while, as it delivered mystery and intrigue. The book was fun to read; there was no dull moment, and the entire experience was a rollercoaster ride.I enjoyed every part of Cruise Ship Heist. It was professionally edited, and I disliked nothing in it. Therefore, I’d rate it five out of five stars. Cruise Ship Heist would be appreciated by lovers of mystery and thrillers.

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Where Can I Get the Cruise Crime Books?

See the CSCI Cruise Ship Crime Investigators page here on Amazon and Apple Books.

Cruise Crime series Amazon page