Publisher's Weekly
Chicago journalist-sleuth Catherine ''Cat'' Marsala , who scored well her first time around (in Hardball ), proves her mettle in her second appearance. On assignment to ''see how the other half lives,'' Cat, who's afraid of water and can't swim, is invited to cruise Lake Michigan on a 62-foot yacht owned and captained by gentlemanly furniture magnate Will Honeywell; others on board are his wife, son and their guests. What starts as smooth sailing, with gourmet food and stimulating companions , turns stormy, as gale winds blow up and two men fight over a society woman who has been toying with both of them. A tranquilizer pacifies one of the combatants, but Mother Nature is not so easily calmed. When morning reveals a murder victim, Cat knows the company must include the killer. Cat needs shrewdness and courage to solve the crime, and she has these in good measure. But her sense of humor and naturalness are what will win readers' hearts.

Library Journal
Compared to the above two novels, this second effort fares less well. Cat Marsala, the Chicago freelance journalist sleuth who debuted in Hardball ( LJ 1/90), intends to write an article about yachting with the wealthy on Lake Michigan. The 60-foot sailboat she boards carries 12 people, including the genteel owner and his wife, two doctors, the boat's designer, a boorish furniture manufacturer, a handsome Broadway star, and others. The classic mystery conundrum arises in the midst of a terrible storm when someone murders the boor--in a locked room under constant surveillance. Fraught with sailing terms, nautical weather and traffic problems, and fear of water, Cat's second outing is a secondary purchase.

Genre: Mystery