Five friends in their fifties keep in shape by tap dancing together. Each is different from the other in personality but they work together well. A video posted on YouTube leads to job offers.

One of their offers is to entertain the guests on a Russian River cruise. Tina Powers is the leader of the Happy Hoofers by consent. Just widowed a year ago, Tina depends on her friends as she works through her grief.

The cruise turns out to be very different than what they expect. The first night out they are introduced to the crew and the head chef is a scary looking man whose food is nearly inedible. When the five ladies send their food back, he comes to the table and threatens them.

The next morning, the chef and another guest are missing. When the sous chef takes over, the food improves but everyone is unsettled by the disappearances. The police are called in. A body is discovered when they drag the river. Since the face is beaten beyond recognition, the passport is used to identify it as the missing chef.

With no one certain of where the missing guest and possible killer is, the mood of the guests remains unsettled.

When another body is discovered, everyone is on edge and the cruise is interrupted. While they are allowed some sightseeing, the interviews by the police keep everyone from truly enjoying themselves.

While I really enjoyed the characters in the story, I was surprised to find myself halfway through the book without any of them doing any kind of investigation on their own. CHORUS LINES, CAVIAR, AND CORPSES is the first in the Happy Hoofers Mystery