The Mountains Bow Down- Sibella Giorello

The Mountains Bow Down is the second book in the Raleigh Harmon series that I've had the opportunity to review, and I have to say I enjoyed this one more than the first. I appreciated all of the minutiae of being on a high-class cruise ship- all of the things that go on in the background or under the radar of the guests. There was a bit of humor in the malaprops of her old boss, and of course the background stress of Raleigh's changing feelings for her fiance and for Jack, her partner in solving crime.

Here's the Amazon product description

Everything's going to work out. Time away always makes things better . . .
That's what FBI Special Agent Raleigh Harmon believes as she boards a cruise to Alaska. A land of mountains and gems and minerals, the Last Frontier is a dream destination for this forensic geologist who's hoping to leave behind a hectic work schedule and an engagement drained of romance.
But when a passenger goes missing and winds up dead, Raleigh's vacation suddenly gets lost at sea. The ship's security chief tries to rule the death a suicide, but Raleigh's forensics background points to a much darker conclusion: Somewhere onboard, a ruthless murderer walks free.
Engulfed by one of her toughest cases yet, Raleigh requests assistance from the FBI and receives her nemesis-handsome Special Agent Jack Stephanson. As the cruise ship sails through the Inside Passage, Raleigh has five days to solve a high-profile murder, provide consultation for a movie filming onboard, and figure out her increasingly complicated feelings for Jack-who might not be as arrogant as she originally thought.
And that's only her work life. Family offers even more challenges. Joined on the cruise by her mother and aunt, Raleigh watches helplessly as disturbing rifts splinter her family.
Like the scenery that surrounds the cruise ship, Raleigh discovers a mystery so daunting that even the mountains might bow down before it.

My one objection to this book was the ending. It felt like everything wrapped up a bit too quickly and too neatly. The plot device about having to get off of the cruise ship meant that the case had to be solved in under 5 days, but the ending did feel a bit contrived. Of course there are enough loose ends to make sure that the author has to continue the series, but it doesn't feel like she stretched things out there more than necessary.

I received a free copy of this book from Litfuse in exchange for my honest review. The links to the rest of the blog tour are here along with a chance to win a $500 gift certificate towards a cruise.