Suspense on the High Seas: 6 Nail-Biting Novels Set on Cruise Ships

July 3 2019
Share Suspense on the High Seas: 6 Nail-Biting Novels Set on Cruise Ships

What is it about a cruise ship that inspires mystery writers? Maybe it’s the prospect of a boat loaded with adventure-seeking people steaming toward the horizon. Or maybe it’s the promise of an escape. It might be the irresistible premise of secretive strangers trapped together with no way out but overboard. Whatever the reason, ocean liners have been inspiring suspense fiction since before Agatha Christie first picked up a pen. If you plan to spend your next vacation on the high seas (or at the beach), here are some pulse-pounding suspense books to download to your e-reader or toss into your beach tote.

Dangerous Crossing
by Rachel Rhys

Set against the backdrop of a world teetering on the edge of war, this intriguing mystery lures you in on page one. It’s 1939 and tensions are running high in England as Lily Shepherd steps aboard an ocean liner to Australia. She soon meets an array of interesting people, but no one is quite who they seem, and everyone, including Lily herself, is harboring a secret. As one of Lily’s newfound friends observes, “On a boat like this, everyone is running away from something.” Rhys’s vivid characters and rich description pull you along with the story until its surprise ending.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo
Dangerous Crossing
Rachel Rhys

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo

MENTIONED IN:

10 Popular Book Lists That Double as Holiday Shopping Inspiration

By Off the Shelf Staff | November 8, 2022

7 Locked-Room Mysteries That’ll Keep You in Suspense

By Sara Roncero-Menendez | July 6, 2022

Readers’ Choice: The Top 10 Most Shelved Books in July

By Off the Shelf Staff | July 26, 2019

Suspense on the High Seas: 6 Nail-Biting Novels Set on Cruise Ships

By Laura Griffin | July 3, 2019

Close
The Woman in Cabin 10
by Ruth Ware

This twisty psychological thriller follows Lo Blalock, a travel writer aboard a luxury cruise ship in the North Sea. Lo believes she hears a woman murdered in the cabin next door, but all of Lo’s shipmates think she’s crazy. Ware’s atmospheric descriptions and deft plotting keep the reader off balance throughout the story. If you haven’t read a thriller by Ware, THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10—chosen as a LibraryReads #1 Favorite for 2016—is a great place to dive in.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo
The Woman in Cabin 10
Ruth Ware

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo

MENTIONED IN:

Rediscovered Reviews: 6 Thrillers That Changed the Game

By Off the Shelf Staff | August 29, 2022

5 Ruth Ware Novels That Still Send Chills Down Our Spines

By Holly Claytor | September 3, 2020

7 Gripping Travel Thrillers That Will Make You Happy to Staycation

By Holly Claytor | June 10, 2020

Influential Fiction: 9 Popular Books Our Readers Can’t Get Enough Of

By Off the Shelf Staff | May 14, 2020

Readers’ Choice: Our Top 25 Most Popular Books of the Year!

By Off the Shelf Staff | December 30, 2019

The Best of 2019: The Top 10 Reviews of the Year

By Off the Shelf Staff | December 24, 2019

Close
Death on the Nile
by Agatha Christie

I borrowed this book from my cousin, a devoted Agatha Christie fan, who says it is her favorite of Christie’s many novels. The story follows legendary detective Hercule Poirot, who is cruising the Nile when he meets newlyweds Linnet and Simon Doyle. The couple’s blissful honeymoon is shattered when Linnet is found murdered, and Poirot turns his attention to an array of suspects, all conveniently trapped aboard the boat together (much like the train passengers in Christie’s MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS). With more than 80 novels and story collections to her credit, Dame Agatha Christie is one of the most widely read authors of all time.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo
Birds of Prey
by J. A Jance

Retired Seattle homicide cop J. P. Beaumont is on the Starfire Breeze bound for Alaska when his vacation is interrupted by a murder case. Surveillance video reveals one of the ship’s passengers falling to her death in the icy water, and a witness believes the passenger’s mouth was taped when she went overboard. Beaumont promptly gets pulled into the investigation. The most obvious suspect is the victim’s ex-husband, who just happens to be on board, but Beaumont comes to realize the case is more complicated than it first appeared.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo
Birds of Prey
J. A Jance

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo

MENTIONED IN:

Suspense on the High Seas: 6 Nail-Biting Novels Set on Cruise Ships

By Laura Griffin | July 3, 2019

Close
Night Train to Memphis
by Elizabeth Peters

Another mystery set on the Nile, NIGHT TRAIN TO MEMPHIS is one of the bestselling books by Elizabeth Peters. The story features museum curator Vicky Bliss, who is offered a free luxury cruise if she’ll help stop a potential theft of Egyptian antiquities. The slightly campy story line combines ingredients Peters is known for—fast pacing, plot twists, and a dash of Egyptology.

Amazon logo Audible logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo
Night Train to Memphis
Elizabeth Peters

Amazon logo Audible logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo

MENTIONED IN:

Suspense on the High Seas: 6 Nail-Biting Novels Set on Cruise Ships

By Laura Griffin | July 3, 2019

Close
Skinny Dip
by Carl Hiaasen

This novel by Florida-based author Carl Hiaasen opens with Joey Perrone falling  off the deck of a luxury cruise ship while cursing her husband. Joey survives her elaborately planned murder and goes on a quest for revenge that takes her to the Florida Everglades. Hiaasen’s trademark dry humor and ecological story turns make this the perfect book to read on a beach towel facing the ocean with an umbrella drink in your hand.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo
Skinny Dip
Carl Hiaasen

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo

MENTIONED IN:

Suspense on the High Seas: 6 Nail-Biting Novels Set on Cruise Ships

By Laura Griffin | July 3, 2019

Close

You must be logged in to add books to your shelf.

Please log in or sign up now.