Murder on the Shuffleboard Court

Thank you to Library Thing and author Kelley Ireland for the opportunity to read Murder on the Shuffleboard Court, a cozy mystery which I believe will be the first in a series featuring retired librarian Lizzie Donahue as an amateur sleuth.
This book takes place on a cruise ship, so as an avid cruiser, I was drawn to the setting.
When the story begins, Lizzie is about to set sail on the Eternal Azure, a small, high-end ship cruising the Aegean Sea. The atmosphere is more like a luxury liner from years ago than the mass-market, mega-ship experience most cruisers get today.
We meet a lot of characters in the first few chapters: the victim, the perp, and all the suspects. I got the feeling that most of the passengers already knew each other, show more either from previous cruises with the line or the travel business where many of them worked. In the ship's close quarters, passengers quickly get to know each other, and Lizzie is very observant, detecting undercurrents of jealousy and distrust among many of them.
Toni Barton, an arrogant lifestyle influencer, rubs a lot of people the wrong way, and the next day, she collapses on deck after conversing with several rivals and drinking from a reusable water bottle. The ship's doctor declares it a case of heatstroke, but Lizzie, who was nearby during the whole incident, believes Toni was deliberately poisoned, and she sets out to investigate.
I was a little confused about why Lizzie got so involved in investigating this attempted murder, other than curiosity, and why the suspects consented to let her interview and bully them. Even dashing Luca Moretti, the ship's security officer, seems to consult with and often defer to Lizzie. Eventually, she gathers all the principals into a room and lays out the evidence, points the finger at each suspect, and finally accuses the culprit, whom Luca promptly arrests.
I was able to figure out whodunnit fairly early, although Lizzie does dig up credible motives for several other suspects.
The writing is very good, with rich descriptions encompassing all five senses. A great escape; I felt like I was on a luxury cruise ship with Lizzie. show less

This shipboard mystery kept me turning pages. Thoroughly readable and entertaining, if a bit thin and repetitious in places, Murder on the Shuffleboard Court can be read in a day and offers a refreshing escape from headlines and unpaid bills.