Audiobook Review: Without a Clue by Melissa Ferguson
Without a Clue
Author: Melissa Ferguson
Narrator: Karissa Vacker
Published: February 17, 2026
Audiobook: 8 hours 43 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: February 24-28, 2026
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
When a mystery writer mysteriously dies on a cruise filled with rabid fans, his protégé (and personal assistant) teams up with a rugged cowboy and fellow writer to crack the case. One part Only Murders in the Building, one part Book Lovers, and a whole lot of laughs, Without a Clue will keep readers guessing and swooning until the very end.
If there’s one thing Penelope Mae Dupont prizes most, it’s her composure–her ability to stay calm in the face of stress. It’s a vital trait in her job as a personal assistant to renowned mystery author Hugh Griffin. But when Pip organizes a book cruise featuring The Fabulous Seven–seven celebrated authors from different genres who have supported each other through thick and thin–her famed composure is in danger of sailing away. One boat, hundreds of devoted readers, and seven Big Personalities. What could possibly go wrong?
Disaster strikes when, on the second day of the cruise, Hugh is found murdered. And, in the face of gross incompetence by the on-board security force, Pip realizes she’ll need to be the one to discover who did it. With the ship stranded in the middle of the Atlantic and no help on the horizon, it’s up to her to unravel the mystery. Along with her friend Nash–a dreamy Western author who’s just as rugged as the cowboys he writes about. As Pip’s composure starts to sink faster than a leaky dinghy, Nash becomes her anchor in a storm of clues and red herrings.
With Nash at her side, Penelope dives into the murky depths of the mystery, navigating treacherous waters filled with unexpected twists and turns. No one, not even a desperately hopeful mystery sleuth named Pip, could anticipate the wild ride ahead. Whether she likes it or not, she is on the adventure of a lifetime . . . and maybe, just maybe, she’ll find love along the way.
In this laugh-out-loud funny Clue-meets-Emily-Henry rom-com, Penelope Mae Dupont is about to find out that in the world of mystery and romance, you have to risk going overboard to find the truth.
Jessica’s Review:
This was such a fun novel to listen to! And Karissa Vacker narrated it: She is a narrator I look out for, so when I saw this one, I had to listen to it!
We have Penelope (Pip) who has organized a book cruise (that would be so much fun to go on!) featuring The Fabulous Seven and the cruise is seemingly going well until… we have a murder of one of the seven! And it was committed by another one of the seven! On board security is useless so Pip finds herself having to ‘catch’ the killer… without harm coming to anyone else. And along the journey comes a possible love connection… or is it?
Again, Without a Clue was so much fun! The listener gets a little bit of everything: mystery intrigue, murder, and maybe a love connection! Come on this cruise and follow Pip figure out just what is going on! You’ll be in for an adventure all the way unto the end! I was not expecting the novel to go the way it did!
If you need a fun read with some murder and intrigue, give Without a Clue a read or listen! Many thanks to the publisher for granting me an audio copy to listen and review. I enjoyed this one!
Audiobook Review: The Good Samaritan by John Marrs
The Good Samaritan
Author: John Marrs
Narrators:
Elizabeth Knowelden
Charlotte Cole
Matthew Lloyd Davies
Tim Campbell
Published: December 1, 2017
Audiobook: 11 hours 36 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: February 6-13, 2026
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
She’s a friendly voice on the phone. But can you trust her?
The people who call End of the Line need hope. They need reassurance that life is worth living. But some are unlucky enough to get through to Laura. Laura doesn’t want them to hope. She wants them to die.
Laura hasn’t had it she’s survived sickness and a difficult marriage only to find herself heading for forty, unsettled and angry. She doesn’t love talking to people worse off than she is. She craves it.
But now someone’s on to her—Ryan, whose world falls apart when his pregnant wife ends her life, hand in hand with a stranger. Who was this man, and why did they choose to die together?
The sinister truth is within Ryan’s grasp, but he has no idea of the desperate lengths Laura will go to…
Because the best thing about being a Good Samaritan is that you can get away with murder.
Jessica’s Review:
The Good Samaritan. The title leaves you to believe we are in for a story about a ‘good’ main character, but Laura is just the opposite: She is the villain that you love to hate! I actually listened to this one after finishing Dead in the Water but wish I had listened to Samaritan first.
The Good Samaritan is a dark and twisted novel that plays a cat and mouse game with the two main characters: Laura and Ryan. Laura is a volunteer for End of the Line, which is a suicide hotline. She is a master manipulator who abuses her position to get what she wants: People dying. We also have Ryan who lost his pregnant wife to suicide. He is trying to find answers and Laura is seemingly responsible.
Like always with Marrs’ novels, we have quick chapters that keep a reader/listener coming back for more. I really had no idea what was going to happen at the end. And when you are finished reading The Good Samaritan go ahead and read Dead in the Water for more in this world.
The narrators did a great job with the narrations and one narrator is back for Dead in the Water.
Needless to say, there is a trigger warning for suicide and suicide attempts.
What will John Marrs bring us next?
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
My February 2026 Reads
It’s March 2nd, so it’s time to share what I read in February: I listened to four audiobooks and read one book on Kindle.
Here are the books I completed in February. They are listed in the order that I finished them:
Dead in the Water by John Marrs- 5 stars
The Good Samaritan by John Marrs- 4 stars
The Engagement Ring Killer by Franklin Christopher- 3 stars
The Voice We Find by Nicole Deese- 4 stars
Without a Clue by Melissa Ferguson- 4 stars
My ‘top rated read’ was Dead in the Water by John Marrs. This one was recently released and it 1000% messed up and I loved every minute of it! I just wonder what that says about me as a reader, but more importantly what does that say about Mr. Marrs? Where does he come up with these ideas!?!?!?! My review for it is here.
My ‘lowest rated read’ was The Engagement Ring Killer by Franklin Christopher. Meant to be read as an advent calendar for the entire month of February, I had several issues with it, which can be found in my review here.
What did YOU read in February?