Jago joins the ship 'Tankerville' to make the long sea crossing but when his colleague dies in dubious circumstances and another death follows he has an abundance of suspects and questions for himself. Frederick Jenkinson, a War Office official and the only person onboard who knows Jago’s true purpose, ends up dead. Tim Sullivan’s The Teacher is the newest in his entertaining series of police procedurals whose titles come from the murder victim’s profession and we’ve previously reviewed The Monk.

With President Eisenhower due to pay his first state visit, Rose, who had a hand in the assassination of “the Leader” a couple of years earlier and is surprised to be still at liberty, is tasked with meeting Queen Wallis for a background briefing.Jago is assisting a civil servant to safely carry an important Treaty to Congress that will prevent the Americans from joining with the French to wage war against Britain.

Intrigue, tension, memorable characters and shipboard life depicted in all its reeking authenticity add up to a truly gripping read. His interactions with the other characters was interesting, although I didn't feel his interactions with Lizzie McKendrick brought anything more to the story.

The civil servant meets an unfortunate ending…and Jago has an opportunity to redeem himself to prevent a war against Britain. Blue Water is a locked room murder mystery with an eccentric cast of characters, and a clever setting - on board the Tankerville, a ship crossing the Atlantic from England in the 1790s. It’s more Hammer horror than Roald Dahl, and Crook’s overwrought prose occasionally trips over its own feet, but there’s plenty of sinister fun to be had, as well as some genuinely creepy moments.

Neuware -\*\* SHORTLISTED FOR THE CWA HISTORICAL DAGGER AWARD \*\*\*\* AN INSTANT TIMES BESTSELLER \*\* \*\* A FINANCIAL TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR \*\*'A TRULY GRIPPING READ' - GUARDIAN'FABULOUS, A DELIGHT' - S. Peter Williams’ presence is strangely reassuring, as he quietly goes about his tasks, and we come to learn more about him. This sense of imminent threat is a recurring motif throughout Blue Water and mirrors that which Laurence Jago faces on board, although admittedly he’s far less alert to the risk posed to him than the Captain and crew of the Tankerville and his attempts to outrun it are certainly less skilful than theirs.Philpot remains the best character and I delight in the colours his face turns and I do still quite like Jago even though his taste in women is appalling. Overall, this is a hugely enjoyable read, with real historical events expertly woven into a fast-paced and exciting story. Blue Water is a mystery with sea salt running through its veins and the whiff of ozone and intrigue emanating from every page. There were a few red herrings, which Nattrass focused on a bit too much, meaning the ultimate reveal felt a bit underwhelming. Nattrass has a real talent for transporting her readers to the 1790’s with pitch perfect prose infused with historical detail (never overdone), humour and intrigue.

This is the secret report of disgraced former Foreign Office clerk Laurence Jago, written on the mail ship Tankerville en route to Philadelphia.However, when the civil servant meets an unfortunate - and supposedly accidental - end and the treaty disappears, Laurence realises only he can now prevent war with the US.