elizabeth sails

For fans of The Bookish Life of Nina Hill and The Jetsetters, Elizabeth Sails is a shipboard cozy mystery that features an unintended quest for self-discovery, forgiveness, and an awesome buffet.

Beth Schiff ghostwrites autobiographies for politicians, despite her own life not warranting a footnote. Excitement for her is re-watching classic movies with a Whitman’s Sampler. But when her adventurous Aunt Ethel dies, Beth must scramble out of her comfy sweatpants and into some Spanx to find the missing will aboard a luxury cruise ship. Figuring out which fork to use at dinner becomes the least of Beth’s worries. The will isn’t lost ... it’s hidden. Aunt Ethel has devised an elaborate scavenger hunt, and each port stop forces Beth to confront her list of insecurities to get the next clue. If she fails, Ethel’s millions will revert to a much-hated relative, Max, who is responsible for her dismantled family. When someone starts trying to sabotage her search, the game becomes personal and her energetic septuagenarian tablemates rally to help. But Beth must make the puzzle pieces fit before the cruise ends or Max will get his greedy hands on the money destined for charities.

Kristin Owens, Ph.D. is a full-time writer based in the United States. She has over a hundred bylines with celebrated magazines such as Writer’s Digest, Wine Enthusiast, and 5280. Her personal essays have won Honorable Mention for the 2018 New Millennium Writing Awards, awarded finalist for the 2019 New Letters’ award in nonfiction, and are included in RISE! Colorado’s 2020 Book of the Year. She holds certifications with the Court of Master Sommeliers and Cicerone, and travels the world writing about wonderful wines, beautiful beers, and surprising spirits. You can find her working and playing on cruise ships. Elizabeth Sails is her debut novel.