Norway to Hide

This is the first Maddy Hunter’s Passport to Peril book I have read and I really enjoyed it. The one thing I noticed though was that the story actually takes place in Finland, not Norway.

Emily Andrews is the guide for a group of Seniors from Iowa on a trip to Scandanavia. As in the other books, there is a murder. Jackie Thum, Emily's roommate is her previous husband who is transgendered and recently authored a book which is autobiographical from Emmily's point of view. While this sounds rather trite, it works quite well. While on this trip, they meet up with a group of seniors from "The Hamlets" in Florida. The two groups clash several times and fortunately for Emily's group the murders are members of the Florida group. Lots of fun show more and a quick read. I will look for more of the books in this series. show less

Emily, Nana and the regular crew are sharing a Scandinavian tour with a bunch of annoying Floridians but nobody is so annoying someone would want to kill them. Are they? Emily tries to solve multiple homicides and plan a wedding long distance in this funny, funny installment. These books are so much fun. They will make you glad you are home reading about traveling rather than actually doing it.

This entry in Maddy Hunter’s Passport to Peril series is just as amusing as the other stories in her repertoire. You’ll smile as you read about the antics of tour guide Emily Andrews and her senior citizens on their trip to Scandinavia. The Iowan group is dismayed to be thrown in with a bunch of Floridians, even more so when a guest turns up dead. What secrets is this troupe hiding that they’d kill to keep quiet? Norway to Hide tale will keep you guessing until the final clue.

Emily Andrews certainly has her hands full as she leads her group of senior citizens from Iowa on their tour through Norway. First, she is worried about the health of her beloved grandmother whose handwriting seems shaky all of a sudden. She is also trying to console her transgender ex-husband, Jackie, who is worried about the bad reviews and slow selling status of her first novel. Plus, she is getting married soon and her mother is busy fixing things after a disaster back home threatens her original plans. Throw in a couple of murders with Jackie as a suspect, and Emily once again is stuck trying to solve the murders and keep her sanity.

"Norway to Hide" is an extremely funny but light cozy mystery. The emphasis is on humor and not show more character development as most of the characters are over the top and not very believable in their actions. Readers who have read the other books in the series may be disappointed that Etienne is barely in the book and usually appears only in phone conversations with Emily. The characters are very funny, especially Jackie (who reminds me of Lula in Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum books) and her obsession with her Amazon reviews and sales. Many parts of the book are laugh out loud funny (a bit about a marshmallow almost being sold for a large amount of money was especially hilarious) but a lot of it is filler and doesn't move the story along. At times author Maddy Hunter tries too hard and a joke about the Boston Red Sox being cursed and never being able to win the World Series fell entirely flat. Hunter is at her best when her humor is over the top, like Emily's mother's plans for the wedding.

The plot device of Emily helping a group of seniors' tour different countries feels more and more weak in each book of the series and I never got a feel of what Norway is like. In fact, at one point I thought they were on a cruise ship when they were actually in a hotel. The mystery elements were weak and the motive truly unbelievable.

"Norway to Hide" is perfect for those who like very funny but light and fluffy cozy mysteries. show less

This series is hilairous and I always have a hard time putting this one down. I laugh all the way through. Emily is a great character and this is the 6th book in the series.

Another enjoyable, amusing story - the last - in this series. I'm sorry to see the series end, but happy that the author at least knew it was coming and was able to tie up loose ends. I'll miss the engaging characters and her ability to describe the locations of the story is excellent.