Bert and Mamie Take a Cruise

What begins as a cozy cruise turns issue-oriented in this mystery from Keyse-Walker (“Teddy Creque” series) that foreshadows the Nazi takeover of Europe while revealing the isolationist stance of many Americans. Ohio farmers Bert and Mamie Mason set out on a 63-day African cruise aboard the SS Columbus in February 1939, little realizing how wild the trip would be. Thanks to raising tomatoes in their greenhouses during the Depression, they have the money to indulge Bert’s dream of experiencing Africa. But there are Nazis on the German ship, and those who have reasons to hate them as well. The Masons, who are convinced the United States will stay out of Europe’s squabbles, are uninvolved until Mamie sees Sturmbannfuhrer Heissemeyer thrown over the side of the ship. The captain asks Bert to investigate because he was a sheriff’s deputy for a year. When Mamie is assaulted at the beach on one of the ship’s stops, another passenger kills the assailant. Bert and Mamie must solve the crime if Mamie is ever to feel safe on their trip.