Without a Clue

Author: Melissa Ferguson Title: Without a Clue Publisher: Thomas Nelson Date Published: 02/17/2026

Read Dates: 01/19/2026- 01/20/2026
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 📖 I received a gifted e-book ARC. The following is my honest review✍🏻

Without a Clue is a single POV cozy mystery/romance. Penelope is calm and controlled, traits that serve her well in the chaos of wrangling her boss, mystery writer Hugh, and his six author friends (collectively the Magnificent Seven). After planning a book cruise for the Seven and a few hundred of their fans, Penelope is looking forward to a much-needed vacation, but disaster strikes when Hugh is found murdered, and the onboard security seems intent on bumbling the investigation. Penelope teams up with her author friend, Nash, to put her amateur sleuthing skills to the test and try to solve a murder before they reach land! This was fun to read! Without a Clue is a closed-door romance that focuses more on the mystery aspect. It had so many quirky characters, and I enjoyed watching how Penelope interacted with each of them. The romance was a sweet, slow burn in the background, and the mystery was fun to figure out!

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.