#spaceopera Archives - PJ SKINNER | Mystery, Crime and Adventure Author

Hi there from Ireland,

I’m settling in to my new life in the small Irish town of Cahir, pronounced Care. No jokes about Cahir Homes please. 🤣 I have lived alone for twenty-six years so I thought I would find it hard living with my parents again. Absolutely not! We are having a blast.

I am a little frustrated with the slowness of everything here. I still don’t have a bank card so I can’t buy stuff for my upstairs office. That sort of thing. However, the glacial pace is still progress. We’ll get there.

Book News

A second book. Same month. I know.

Murder on the Galaxy Belle — the first in my Albatross Adventure space opera series — is out now, and I couldn’t be more excited to share it with you. I had intended on writing a cosy mystery series based on a starship, but I am not in control of my characters and the plot has thickened. Now we are travelling the galaxy searching for a lost sister and some serious secrets with a slow-burn romance simmering in the background. It’s so exciting!

Here’s the premise: Stella Maris inherits a battered cargo ship she doesn’t want, crewed by people she didn’t hire, who are absolutely not leaving until they get paid. One delivery run to the luxury spa-liner Galaxy Belle should fix everything. Pay the crew. Walk away.

Then a passenger turns up dead in her cabin — and Stella’s charming, infuriating pilot becomes the prime suspect.

Yes, it’s set in space. But here’s what early readers are saying:

“Although set in space, this didn’t feel too ‘alien’ and I quickly settled into this new world.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“I just couldn’t put down as I was hooked on the story — superbly written, brilliantly plotted and extremely well thought out.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“I was completely flummoxed right to the end — every time I thought I was putting the clues together, something else would happen to throw me off.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“I just know that it’s going to be another one that has me hooked from start to finish and taking each of these characters into my heart over time.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

If you love a found-family ensemble, snappy banter, and a puzzle that keeps you guessing — this one’s for you. Think cruise ship mystery, but with better stars.