Dearly Departed

Hy Conrad

Feb 2016 · An Amy's Travel Mystery Book 2 · Kensington Cozies

About this ebook

Fanny and Amy Abel, the dynamic mother-and-daughter owners of a NYC travel agency, have just booked their biggest trip yet. But with danger in the air, the itinerary may include murder...

Paisley MacGregor, a maid to the rich, made a dying request to send all of her wealthy employers on a first-class wake to spread her ashes around the world. Amy has her suspicions about these “mourners,” especially when one has a life-threatening “accident” at the first stop in Paris. And when a mysterious American stranger tagging along with the group has his ticket punched in the shadow of the Taj Mahal, Amy knows she may have a killer on her tour.

Who was this stranger, and what’s the connection to someone in her group? Digging for clues while continuing on with the trip is a lot for Amy to manage, especially when another mourner has a possibly fatal encounter with a Hawaiian volcano. Back in the States, Fanny and Amy start to piece together a secret worth killing for, but someone is hot on their trail, and ready to send them on a one-way trip—to the morgue!

Ratings and reviews

Dearly Departed by Hy Conrad is the second book in Amy’s Travel Mystery series. Amy Abel runs Amy’s Travel (they do custom travel excursions) with her mother Franny. If business does not pick up soon, though, they will have to close (the lawsuits do not help). Peter Borg (also has a travel agency) asks Amy to help him plan a trip for the mourners of Paisley MacGregor. Paisley was a maid who considered her employers her families. She collected their travel pictures and kept them on a piano in her apartment (she always wanted to travel). Unbeknownst to many of them Paisley was rich (thanks to an inheritance from employers). Her dying wish was for all of her families to go on a trip around the world (first class all the way) depositing her ashes as each destination. Amy will get to go along on the trip as well. To Amy’s shock all the families agree to the trip and they set off for their first destination. At their first stop in Paris, Laila Steinberg suffers a severe allergy attack (allergic to nuts). When they try her epi pen, it is empty. Laila is rushed to the hospital. Amy is highly suspicious. Did someone sabotage Laila? Amy goes into high alert when she notices a stranger following them. Then the stranger ends up dead. What is going on? Amy sets out to find some answers with the help of her mother, Franny and boyfriend, Marcus (both in the states). Do they have a murderer on the tour? After an incident with a volcano in Hawaii, they all head home. They need to find out the connection between the murdered man (stranger that was following them), Paisley, and the group. Will they find the answers they seek in Paisley’s apartment? Amy will not give up until all her questions are answered. I found Dearly Departed to be too silly. Would a travel agent take ashes on an international trip without the proper paperwork (winging it seems very unprofessional and you know something is going to happen to those ashes). I wanted more substance and mystery (which was so simple to solve). It is not necessary to read the first book in the series (the author explains most of what happened). I found it to be a superficial book and a little boring (I started dreaming up my own alternate endings to the book). I give Dearly Departed 3 out of 5 stars (which means it was okay/decent). I will not, though, be reading any more books in this series. This series is just not my style. I received a complimentary copy of Dearly Departed in exchange for an honest review.

About the author

HY CONRAD has made a career out of mystery, earning a Scribe Award and garnering three Edgar nominations, while developing a horde of popular games and interactive films, hundreds of stories, and a dozen books of short mysteries. In the world of TV, he is best known for his eight seasons as a writer and co-executive producer for the groundbreaking series Monk. The Amy’s Travel Mystery series has given Hy the chance to combine a mystery career with his love of travel, which started with a European tour in high school and now includes seventy countries, not counting airport layovers. He also loves listening to other people’s travel stories, as long as they realize it might all end up in a book. When not killing people or checking luggage, Hy splits his time between Key West and Vermont. No matter where he is, he can be found on his website, hyconrad.com.