Perfect for anyone who harbours a love of the sea or simply of mystery stories, this is an intriguing new selection of tales in which crimes and their solutions occur in shipboard or shoreline environments. Luminaries past and present are represented, with selections spanning a wide range of moods: from the humorous work of Catherine Aird to a psychologically chilling piece by Susan Moody. Stories feature well-loved characters in a variety of waterside settings: John Mortimer's Rumpole and She Who Must be Obeyed, Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot, and Edward D. Hoch's Nick Velvet all find their vacation cruises interrupted by crimes requiring their services.

The book also features translations of works by such famed international authors as Gabriel García Márquez, Saho Sasazawa, and, for the first time ever in English, Chris Rippen of the Netherlands. Each story is introduced by a brief essay noting the hallmarks of the author's work, and providing the reader with an enticing comment about each highly original use of the waterside setting.