The Lei Crime Series: Charade at Sea (Kindle Worlds Novella);

A luxury cruise is ideal for a budding romance … or is it?

Lainey Lee and ex-Navy SEAL, Max Scott, shared an incredible experience when they met in Kauai. A romantic cruise around the Hawaiian Islands seems perfect for discovering if they can become more than just friends.

But mystery abounds.

Lainey meets a fifty-something newlywed on her honeymoon. The chatty woman speaks highly of her husband and his secret missions abroad. Lainey is intrigued but her intuition tells her something is not right.

Even while her feelings for Max grow, Lainey can’t help wondering about the charade being played at sea.

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Q & A with Eden Baylee

Q: Tell us how your story is connected to Toby Neal’s Lei Crime novels.

Charade at Sea is my third novella for the Lei Crime Kindle World. I wrote it to unite two characters I introduced in my first two books for the series.

In A Snake in Paradise, I introduced Lainey Lee, a recently divorced woman trying to make it on her own after years in a bad marriage. She travels to the Big Island as a gift to herself but falls into the middle of a crime ring.

In the second book, SEAL of a Monk, Lainey returns to Hawaii and meets ex-Navy SEAL, Max Scott in Kauai. They work together to find a missing girl and romance is hinted at the very end of the book.

In Charade at Sea, the storyline focuses on the developing romance between Lainey and Max. The setting is a cruise ship around the Hawaiian Islands. It also pulls in two minor characters from Toby’s third book, Black Jasmine to draw attention to the important issue of “Stolen Valor.”


Q: The Lei Crime novels are police procedural mysteries with a twist of romance. What genres do you explore in your story?

EB: In Charade at Sea, I explore romance, mystery, and crime. The crime in this story involves stolen valor, the growing problem of someone lying in public about his military service for some type of gain. It includes false claims of military awards or services never performed. Given that Lainey Lee is a financial fraud consultant, and Max Scott is an ex-Navy SEAL, I was able to weave a story that would seem credible around this important issue.


Q: Did you know a lot about the sea and military when you wrote Charade at Sea?

EB: No, I broke the old adage of “Write what you know.” I’ve never been on a cruise, which is the setting for this book. I knew little about the military and the issue of “Stolen Valor.” Despite this, the subjects fascinated me and I wanted to write about them, so I hope readers feel the same and find the story authentic. Research is a great teacher!