Beverly Gray on a World Cruise review

This is the 7th book in the series and had a wonderful lead into this in Beverly Gray at the world's fair.
The story begins by describing the Susabella with her white sides and green decks. With wicker chairs and a divan on deck who wouldn't want to be a part of the cruise.
Beverly doesn't seem as wrapped up in being a reporter as one would imagine for a rookie. She tells Jim that when she finds a market for her novels she will resign.

Beverly asks Charlie Blaine for a holiday so she can go on a cruise with her friends. Mind you Beverly has only just gotten back not too long ago from a months absence in Chicago. Yes she went to the Worlds Fair for work but stayed longer with her friends then would of been needed.
Charlie makes no promises but says that of she sends in stories he will pay for them if the choose to publish them.
Those to go on the cruise were Jim Stanton, Paul Benson, Roger Garrett, Lenora Whitehill, Beverly Gray and Shirley Parker. Rogers aunt Miss Ernwood is also on the cruise as chaperon. Crew on the yacht consisted of a captain, chef, steward and two sailors.

Connie and Kathleen stay at home in the apartment. The gangs first plan is to cruise to England to pick up Roger's friend Sir Terry Cartwright.
On board the yacht there are the usual mishaps you can expect from a Beverly Grsy story. Roger, Lenora and Beverly decide to go swimming in the ocean. Beverly decides to continue swimming after the others have stopped and whilst a distance from the yacht a shark appears. Jim Stanton cones to the rescue. That night Jim and Beverly snuggle up on the divan and kiss but Beverly tells him she might feel differently tonorrow. A few days later Jim falls overboard during a storm and isn't found. The Susabella after failing to find Him continues on to England. Beverly is distraught and Shirley tells Lenora "I believe she has been in love with Jim all the time - and didn't know it." ( p70)
everyone is trying to decide if they should go home or not after Jim's accident. As they get to shore in England Jim is waiting for them dressed in old sailor clothes.
Terry Cartwright takes "an immediate liking to Lenora" ( p74)
This story has Beverly do a complete turn around from the previous few books where Lenora egged Beverly on into adventure. From the moment Beverly's novel returned again rejected and she played hookey from work before resigning to travel the world. When following the boys to an unsafe part of town where Jim has to go to meet up with Slim who has the other half of a treasure map Beverly is passionate for adventure. Slim is murdered and Jim is warned of Black Barney who is looking for the map. The turn around Beverly said was a new desire to live life for today after the disappointment of working hard and researching for no reward.
Her behavior change did not go unnoticed. Jim seemed concerned but it came across like he probably liked her leaving her job as to him he thought she might settle down with him.
Shirley was concerned.
"A month ago Beverly would never have thought of that," Shirley said to Jim, watching her friend dive below the surface. " Now it seems the more dangerous a thing is the more she loves it." ( p48)
Beverly Beverly's treatment of her friends and of Jim are quiet poor at times whilst Beverly is struggling to come to terms with her newly acquired attitude to life. Poor Jim, Beverly had originally used the excuse she had no idea how Jim felt about her, qustionable considering everyone else seemed to know including her parents but it can happen. In this story though Beverly spends one evening on the boat kissing Him in the moonlight on board the yacht and then a few days later she says no to going to High Tea with him and the rest of the gang at The Ambassador whilst in England but then turns up there with a stranger (the Count) having tea and dancing with him infront of Jim.
Beverly's naivety continues in this story, I suppose it works as a devise to add more scenes to the drama but for a girl that is suppose to be a reporter it makes her look quiet silly.
Can you say the name Stalker? It seems that Beverly cannot. She bumps into Count Alexis de Frachiny in a bookstore in England and feels she has seen him before but can't remember where. She runs into him in Paris when she and Lenora are lost and can't remember the name of their hotel. He not only runs into them on the street but also happens to know the name of their hotel because he saw them there when checking in because he was staying there too. Okay so perhaps this could be the world's biggest coincidence but when Beverly goes to visit the gypsy
Anselo her rescuer from "Beverly Gray, Junior" and Anselo plays for violin for Beverly in his apartment. When Beverly and Anselo sit down for a cup of tea Anselo and then Beverly notice The Count longing in a doorway across the road watching Anaelo's apartment. When she questioned herself as to if he was following her, what were her thought? Creepy stalker? No!
She rebuked herself.
"The Count had not followed her! Why should he? Certainly there was no reason for him to spy on her!" (p139)
From Paris the group traveled to Berne where they saw famous fountains, the Bear, the " man who eats children" , and the sharpshooter; the old bear gardens; the five hundred year old cathedral before catching a train to Grindelwald to go to the three mile bob sleigh run.
Beverly goes skating on her own and runs literally into guess who? Does she say "Hey quit stalking me," does she run from the creepy man? No Beverly spends the morning with him not giving a thought to the fact that he has now turned up in a small village in Switzerland after running into her in Paris and England. No wonder this girl has a knack of being
kidnapped, locked up, and captured, poor Beverly is clueless!!!
Beverly starts to run low of funds and decides she has to return home. As her friends leave she receives a telegram addressed to Lois that says Beverly has sold her book. After a dangerous encounter with the count finally Beverly wakes up to what we knew all along that the count is a bad guy. Yeah!!!
Beverly now has to travel to Cairo, Egypt to try to catch up with her friends and I'm a tarting yo think I need to do that European trip like Beverly did.
In Egypt Beverly stays at The Shepeards hotel.
I don't remember Egypt at all from my first reading of this book a few years ago. In fact a don't remember a lot od this book so I am looking forward to whatelae I discover in future rereadings of the series.
Lenora did state early in the book rhat Jim had it all wrong and should just go grab Beverly.
Towards the end of the book when Lenora complains that Beverly gets all the adventure Terry grabs her to take her out looking for adventure. Lenora responds to the girls as
"Terry is becoming a caveman and I love it." (p 237)
Lenora soon gets her excitement when she gets Terry to buy her a scarab. To which after a near accident they read the curse on the back of it. "Destruction to those who take from Egypt the thunks which are Egypt's. (p 241)
Beverly is also on another writing frenzy
" I have to let my ideas out or my head would burst."(p 244)
Shirley senses that Beverly is unsatisfied with her life and tries to quiz her over Jim or Roger but Beverly says she is content but Shirley believes that Beverly is not satisfied with her life despite the book selling and her world travels.
Christmas eve is spent in Jerusalem visiting the small church where once the manager had stood.
The book ends on Christmas eve singing Christmas carols in Bethlehem and we are reminded of the next book in the orient and wonders if the Count will return or the scarab will bring destruction and that Jim still holds the treasure map.