If you've been following the series, then you have basically read this book as well. Dillman and Masefield are once again on duty; this time on White Star's ocean liner the Oceanic. As the voyage gets underway, there is a theft, and that branches out into multiple petty thefts on board. As the detective duo works to solve the recurrent rash of robberies, someone goes and murders the bodyguard of JP Morgan. Morgan is a passenger on the cruise, alone in his room except for the bodyguard and a stash of objets d'art and some very valuable paintings, which also get stolen. Finding the murderer and finding the thief push the detectives almost to their limits. He used the pseudonym Christopher Mountjoy for three books in the 1980s, Coming of Age, Queen and Country and The Honourable Member. [6] [14] Bibliography [ edit ] As Keith Miles [ edit ] The Captain Rawson series, featuring Captain Daniel Rawson, soldier and spy, set around the period of the War of the Spanish Succession: The plot is pretty run-of-the-mill – although the identity of the killer is well concealed – and the characters are rather laboriously depicted. The shipboard atmosphere is pretty well done, although there is an awful lot of fact-sharing between characters to show how much research the author has done, and the language by no means always reflects the period. The prose is workmanlike but no more, with a sprinkling of rather lazy, stale usages like “gloomy prognostications” and “with consummate ease,” and there is an awful lot of what seemed to me like padding where pretty obvious things are explained at length and a wholly irrelevant and rather annoying side-plot. I skimmed quite a few passages and didn’t feel I’d missed anything. The denouement is quite well constructed, but the dialogue as it plays out is simply absurd and the subsequent struggle is wholly unconvincing.

It is good to see these books now on kindle and I looked forward to re-reading this mystery, which I had not read for many years. It is September, 1907 and the Lusitania is sailing her maiden voyage to New York. This novel introduces American George Porter Dillman, a detective who is usually called upon to keep an eye on professional card sharps, or some thieving. However, this voyage offers more than the usual excitement - and romance. From the time Dillman boards the train from Euston to Liverpool, Lime Street, he feels that things are not right. He is intrigued by Mr and Mrs Rymer, whose daughter Violet seems sad and listless for such an exciting event as a trip on such a wonderful liner and is further concerned about the oily journalist Henry Barcroft, who bothers the passengers and crew alike. When there is murder onboard, his detective skills are put to the test. I had already read the first book in this series, and the concept seemed to be not too bad. However, this, being the seventh book in the series, is showing the strain. The concept of the married couple working together as detectives, and having to pretend to not know each other, is hard to swallow.

Publication Order of Elizabethan Theater Books

If you're following the series, then you'll like this book; if you're at all interested in ocean liners from the past you'll also like it. I would definitely not use this book as your entry to the or you might be lost. In 1988, Miles began a series set in the theatrical world of Elizabethan London. For this series, and for most of his subsequent writing, he adopted the pseudonym Edward Marston, the name reflecting that of a real Elizabethan playwright, John Marston. [10] The series features a fictional theatrical company, Westfield's Men, and, in particular, Nicholas Bracewell, its book-holder, a position similar to that of the modern stage manager. His next series as Marston was set during the reign of William the Conqueror; its two main characters, surveyors for Domesday Book, are Ralph Delchard, a Norman soldier, and Gervase Bret, a former novice turned lawyer, who is half Saxon and half Breton. As Dillman works to get to the bottom of the crimes, he makes an unusual friend, first-class passenger Genevieve Masefield, and the two uncover secrets aboard the ship that prove explosive. This is the best of the series so far, in my opinion! With this, I’m firmly on board with George and Genevieve’s future cruise ship adventures. The mystery is well-plotted, and like other classic mysteries, you discover most of the clues at the same time as George does, so you can "sleuth" along with him. I really enjoyed this element, particularly after having read a number of cozy mysteries recently featuring amateur detectives who stumble their way onto the truth more than using any real brain work. In contrast, George is refreshingly competent, intelligent and clearly experienced in his line of work.

The Lusitania was a British ocean liner that was sunk in 1915 by a German U-boat off the coast of Ireland, killing 1,198 passengers and crew. Lusitania held the Blue Riband prize for the fastest Atlantic crossing and was briefly the world's largest passenger ship until the completion of the Mauretania. I had never heard of this series when it came out originally, and I’m glad I got a chance to read this. I liked the book well enough to want to read more about Dillman's adventures but not enough to want them right now this very minute. I didn't seem to get any real sense of the luxury of the ship, and I think the author missed the boat there. Marston began his Restoration series in 1999 featuring architect/detective Christopher Redmayne and the puritan Constable Jonathan Bale. Six books were written in this series, with the last one, The Painted Lady, released in 2007. In the "Captain Rawson" series, Marston has written about a soldier and spy operating during the military campaigns of the Duke of Marlborough.There were two major things I hated about this book: 1)Our detectives get arrogant again and make mistakes. By now they should be so experienced they would act cautiously. 2)Once again Genevieve puts herself in a dangerous situation and needs to be rescued. I absolutely think Dillman needs to teach her some self defense and that she should be smart enough NOT to put herself in that situation. It was horrible for her and horrible to read. At least this time she has a good reason not to press charges but even in 1910 I think she should have stood up for herself more. The minor thing I disliked about the story is that other than J.P. Morgan, the story could have taken place at any time during the steamship era. Herbert, Rosemary, ed. (1999). The Oxford Companion to Crime and Mystery Writing. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-507239-1. The Merlin Richards series, Set in the late 1920s. Merlin is a bored young Welsh architect who seeks his fortune in the US, hopefully working for the famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Merlin's strong sense of morality means that when crimes happen around him he won't just leave it to the police to solve! Search the Edgar Award Winners And Nominees". Mystery Writers of America. Archived from the original on 27 September 2018 . Retrieved 14 December 2010.