Dead in the Water: A Mark Daniels Key West Mystery

“I love taking luxury cruises, especially if there’s some interesting theme – movies, wine tastings, a murder mystery, etc. So I was particularly interested in this new thriller by Justin Maxwell which features a series of deaths aboard a cruise ship during a gathering of the International Society of Mystery Enthusiasts. Mystery writer Mark Daniels, there to speak, is faced with solving these crimes. My kind of story!”
- Martha Griswold, Online Critics Corner

A fun filled vacation aboard the luxury cruise ship Aqua Princess turns into a nautical nightmare. Off the Florida Keys a tropical storm overtakes the ship, assaulting it with gale force wind, torrential rain and monstrous waves. During the storm the ship is disabled, rendering it... dead in the water. The Aqua Princess is forced to ride out the storm at anchor. The trip is a theme cruise hosted by the International Society of Mystery Enthusiasts. Mark Daniels, an author of mystery books, is aboard to teach a workshop on the art of writing a mystery novel. But when a passenger goes overboard and others turn up dead Mark becomes entangled in a real life mystery aboard the doomed ship, Aqua Princess.

Justin Maxwell is the pen name of Wayne “Skip” Kadar. He taught at the high school level for several years then moved into school administration as a high school principal. After 16 years in school administration he retired. In retirement he worked as a harbor Master at a marina on Lake Huron and researched and wrote ten historically factual books about the Great Lakes region; books about true crime and about ships that lie on the bottom of the freshwater sea.