The Happy Hoofers -- Murder on the Volga

Witty novel about five beautiful women in their 50's who form a tap dancing troupe and are hired to dance on a cruise ship sailing up the Volga from Moscow to St. Petersburg and become involved in a murder. Mixed in with the happy hoofers are a rich mix of characters including stage-struck teenagers, the Moscow bureau chief of The New York Times, a Wall Street lawyer, a blond Russian university professor and a nasty British chef who can't cook and antagonizes everyone. The action accelerates as the chef disappears and is presumed murdered, the lead dancer is captured at gunpoint and is rescued by her boyfriend. Mistaken identity, suspense, sex and hilarity enrich this highly readable novel.