Alpine for You

This book is loads of fun. Emily Andrews, a young woman escorting a group of senior citizens from Iowa (including her grandmother) on a tour of Switzerland, isn't quite prepared for the murderous turn the tour takes. She hasn't planned to be in charge of anything...and wouldn't be if the original escort hadn't died the first night the tour arrived in Switzerland, leaving her effectively holding the bag (that would be the bag with all the seniors' medications in it). Much hilarity ensues before the mystery is solved. [return][return]I had a great time reading this. It's easy and quick. Fluffy, even. So don't expect a serious mystery novel or you'll be sadly disappointed. A couple of Amazon reviewers have said that they were turned off by show more the portrayal of Switzerland in this book. If the characterizations here were to turn up in a serious novel, I'd agree with them. But slapstick--and make no mistake, that's what this is--has a different ethos. Exaggeration is the name of the game and Switzerland, Iowa, actors and senior citizens are all larger-than-life and twice as stereotyped. show less

Starts out almost too cutesy but gets outright hilarious after awhile. I couldn't stop laughing after the hallway attack scene with the mask - don't want to give too much away, but good grief. Fun times. I'd be giving several businesses a bad Yelp rating though....

This book is loads of fun. Emily Andrews, a young woman escorting a group of senior citizens from Iowa (including her grandmother) on a tour of Switzerland, isn't quite prepared for the murderous turn the tour takes. She hasn't planned to be in charge of anything...and wouldn't be if the original escort hadn't died the first night the tour arrived in Switzerland, leaving her effectively holding the bag (that would be the bag with all the seniors' medications in it). Much hilarity ensues before the mystery is solved.

I had a great time reading this. It's easy and quick. Fluffy, even. So don't expect a serious mystery novel or you'll be sadly disappointed. A couple of Amazon reviewers have said that they were turned off by the portrayal show more of Switzerland in this book. If the characterizations here were to turn up in a serious novel, I'd agree with them. But slapstick--and make no mistake, that's what this is--has a different ethos. Exaggeration is the name of the game and Switzerland, Iowa, actors and senior citizens are all larger-than-life and twice as stereotyped. show less

I really give this book 4.5 stars. I love this series. This is the first one in the Passport to Peril series. I have read others and you do not need to read them in order. Emily Andrews reminds me so much of Stephanie Plum in the Evanovich books that I laugh out loud. Everything that could go wrong, goes wrong, but in the end, she comes out smiling. There is also the handsome guy who sees her in the worst possible scenarios, but still wants her anyway. In this book, Emily is accompanying her Nana to Switzerland on a 10 day trip of a lifetime. When the first Escort, Andrew Simon dies, Emily volunteers to take his place once she finds out that she will be reimbursed the price of the trip. Between the people dying, Emily getting involved show more in several water experiences and the traits of the Seniors from Iowa, it had me smiling and laughing out loud. I will definitely read the rest of the series. show less

Synopsis:

A TRIP TO DIE FOR...
Accompanying her grandmother on a seniors tour of Switzerland, Emily Andrew had envisioned a vacation straight out of a travel brochure: spectacular scenery, great food, and a classy European hotel, all worlds away from her rural Iowa hometown. But her dream trip quickly snowballs into mayhem when smooth-talking tour escort Andy Simon is found dead. To be sure, Andy was as randy as a mountain goat on Viagra, hitting on every miss -- Swiss or otherwise -- within striking distance. His constant advances were driving Emily cuckoo -- but had someone orchestrated his untimely death?
For savvy, resourceful Emily, leading the tour in Andy's place is only natural. But she can't remain neutral when a fellow traveler show more takes a fatal plunge -- she's convinced a murderer lurks among them. With precision timing, sexy Etienne Miceli steps in to investigate, and Emily warms to the suave detective. Still, with the group roster suddenly sprouting more holes than the local cheese, Emily wonders: is there a safe haven anywhere in the shadow of the Alps?

My review:

A very well written whodunnit. I loved every page. I have never seen a heroine so accident prone as this one. Kept me guessing until nearly the end. I will be reading more books in this series. show less

Emily Andrew is accompanying her Grandmother on a senior’s tour of Switzerland. When their hometown escort dies, Emily steps up to fill in. Swiss police investigator, Etienne Miceli, intrigued by Emily, handles the case. This is a tour gone bad and rivals the farces of the 30s for dark humor and slapstick (think Perils of Pauline). Two more bodies appear and Emily has several bad encounters with bodies of water before the murderer is revealed. There are several LOL scenes but in the long run Emily comes across as a ‘character’ rather than a heroine. This is chick-lit meets cozy mystery. I don’t see myself pursuing this series.

In this humorous first book in the "Passport to Peril" series by Maddy Hunter, Emily Andrews accompanies her grandmother on a tour of Switzerland with a group of senior citizens. The trip doesn't go as Emily expects; it's too foggy to see the scenery, the food stinks, and her hotel room (rooms) are awful. When a member of their tour dies, Emily thinks its just one more thing gone wrong. But the police suspect murder and when a second tour member turns up dead, they realize there's a killer on the loose. Soon Emily finds herself working with a sexy Swiss detective to solve the murders before she becomes a victim herself.

Janet Evanovich fans will like this series. In fact, Hunter uses a lot of the same elements Evanovich does: a young show more heroine in need of a job takes one that she's not quite suited for; a running theme of her destroying something; a hot to trot grandmother; a sexy policeman as a love interest; lots of quirky characters; and lots and lots of humor. In fact, it's the laugh out loud humor, more than the mystery itself, that kept me reading the book and makes me want to read more books in the series.

This is a good start to what looks to be a fun-filled series. show less