Maeve and the crew are back to chasing down clues and trying to figure out who killed the diamond merchant. The Captain doesn’t like these shenanigans on his boat, so he relies on Maeve and her other crew members to find the culprit. Since Maeve is the head nurse, it isn’t necessarily her job to investigate, but she is naturally curious and can’t help but find the answers. I love Maeve. She is a fantastic character with the perfect combination of curiosity and spunk. As a child of educators, Maeve has had the opportunity to study many things. Maeve’s roommate meets an amazing young man in New York. The young man ends up being a passenger on board the Queen Victoria. Even though tragedy strikes the young Joel, he still wants to marry Nurse Alice. The entire crew gives them a Cinderella-type proposal party. Alice and Joel are adorable. Young love is wonderfully innocent. Queen of Diamonds by Scott Finley is a wonderfully written mystery. I want to see more of that romantic spark between Maeve and Dr. Harper, as in the first book. I also enjoy Mr. Finley’s writing style, which includes bits of history throughout the story.

Maeve Chandler, ship’s nurse, once more welcomes us aboard the luxury Atlantic crossings of a liner, Queen Victoria. Just a few months after the stock market crash, some merchants are putting their stock in what glitters, in QUEEN OF DIAMONDS. Portable wealth leads to death. Maeve and her friend and co-worker Alice Johnson are doing some last-minute window shopping in New York when they meet Joel Singer at his uncle’s jewelry store. As luck would have it, Joel and his uncle Nathaniel Isaac are about to head to the docks to board the Queen Victoria too. They want to sell some diamonds in Europe, where the stones might have held their value better, and the trip from New York to Cherbourg gives Alice and Joel time to get acquainted. Crew and passengers are not supposed to mingle, especially in First Class, but the two nurses can say they are called on for medical queries. The two men are not the only diamond dealers aboard. Before too long, someone has been found dead in a First Class cabin, and some jewels have gone missing. This is a big ship, with over 1200 souls, and only a few days remain to identify the culprit or culprits. Once more Maeve has to call on the Principal Medical Officer, Dr. Harper, and handy Chief Steward Mr. Harvey. There is also a Harry Winston among the diamond merchants, and I found the similar names confusing. Aside from that, I was interested in the details of a burial at sea, and in the turn of the century historical dramas in Africa and Central America recalled for us. With a plentiful sprinkling of American details into conversation, and sumptuous dining, the atmosphere is well recreated. Author Scott Finley provides a note on how he drew the fictional liner based on real ships of the day, and further references. The dragging economy is shown, as not all cabins are filled, with tensions high over the fate of the missing jewels and warnings over debts. Those who enjoy historical crime stories will want to get started with the first in the Voyages of the Queen series, Shadow of the Queen, but QUEEN OF DIAMONDS can be read as a standalone. This is a lively and character-filled adventure.