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Here we are at number 6, and once again it's the same sort of crimes that have plagued Dillman and Masefield in the past. Nothing's changed but the name of the ship and the fact that they are not on the Cunard line any more. Arrgh! History of the CWA". The Crime Writers' Association. Archived from the original on 29 May 2010 . Retrieved 14 December 2010. 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. The dialogue is stilted, which may reflect the 1910 setting, but shows little of the fun and riotous times in that era. A real life character, the banker JP Morgan, is on board, and figures heavily in the plot. He doesn't come across as a nice man. Fun fact: Morgan died only a couple of years later. Dillman finally has a personality and allows his passions to shine through. He's intelligent and thoughtful as well as caring. I liked how he handled Polly's crush with a delicate touch, not wanting to hurt her. I also liked knowing about what interests him. The ending absolutely surprised and delighted me.
George continues to be charming and intelligent, handling difficult situations adeptly and with grace without letting himself get trampled on. His constant professionalism and inward aloofness made him feel distant in past books, but he forms an actual friendship with the Egyptologist Mr. Goss and his family this time around that made him feel more human. We find out more about Genevieve this time as well, and finally know the story of her past. 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. sigh. Once again I hoped for something decidedly different from the other books in this series and was once again disappointed. The formulaic nature of the series gets to me sometimes. So, you may ask why I continue to read these books, and the answer is because I own the entire series and have a thing about reading the books I own. Plus, as much as I can't stand the same thing over and over, I've never yet guessed the whodunit so I keep reading them. I didn't seem to get any real sense of the luxury of the ship, and I think the author missed the boat there. Dillman and Masefield, the seagoing detective team, are now about the Marmora, a ship owned and operated by the P&O line. They are traveling to Australia via the Mediterranean and Egypt. The purser, a charming Irishman, does not like either of them and does not really want them there meddling into what he considers to be his ship's business. On board is the Princess Royal Louise, her husband, the Duke of Fife, their two daughters and other various passengers, but there is a bit of a surprise for Genevieve. Her ex-fiance, Nigel Wilmshurst, is on board with his new bride for their honeymoon. As usual, the voyage begins and things start disappearing from cabins right away. While the two are puzzling over these crimes, there is a murder on board.stars for this (I assume) final book in the series. Conrad Allen is a pen name for the prolific historical mystery writer Edward Marston, who often writes in series of six books; this is book 6 in the series about the golden age of ocean cruising, in which we’ve followed the adventures of ship detectives Genevieve Masefield and George Dillman. The Action Scene series included five books, from Skydive to Frontier; [6] as Miles, he also wrote Not for Glory, Not for Gold, a novel about athletics. [7] Married shipboard sleuthing pair, George Dillman and Genevieve Masefield, are once again on the high seas, this time aboard the Salsette, sailing from India. Working undercover, George and Genevieve have separate accommodations in first class, settling in for an uneventful cruise which is soon livened up by a series of thefts and a murder. Genevieve doesn’t hit it off with the mysterious first theft victim, Madame Roussel, but does make friends with young Tabitha Simcoe and her wheelchair-bound mother, Constance, who both seem addicted to playing bridge. Meanwhile, George befriends a rollerskating teenager and an old Indian man with mystical powers while seeming to get under the skin of a haughty, aristocratic couple traveling with a shy, young Indian servant girl. Beginning in the mid-1980s, Miles turned to writing mystery fiction. His first series, written under his own name, featured Alan Saxon, a professional golfer-turned-amateur detective. After four books, Miles's publisher did not wish to continue the series, [1] which only resumed after a hiatus of more than a decade. [5] He has written two mysteries set in the United States which feature a Welsh architect, Merlin Richards.
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 ] As an experienced reader of whodunnits, I had an inkling of the culprit early on, but did not really get the full picture until late in the book. 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! The Home Front Detective Series, featuring Inspector Harvey Marmion and Sergeant Joe Keedy, set in WWI.This was entertaining, with two interesting main characters, George Porter Dillman and Genevieve Masefield. He’s an American detective formerly of Pinkerton, employed by Cunard Lines on the 1907 maiden voyage of the massive and prestigious Lusitania, and she’s a young, attractive woman with a secret in her past, looking for a new opportunity in America. The Restoration series, featuring architect Christopher Redmayne and Constable Jonathan Bale, set in 1660s/70s London: So, new line, smaller ship, new longer cruise route. Also, our two detectives, until now universally adored - throughout the series, the author tells us at length how gorgeous, witty, charming Genevieve is, and George is just as handsome, smart, tough, etc. Finally, a bit of conflict enters their Teflon existence - first, the Marmora bursar has no use for them on his ship, and resents their presence, especially George. Kilheaney (I think that was the name, an Irishman) doesn’t like Americans (George), and thinks of Cunard as the enemy, so resents both detectives. Plus, their reputation as effective professionals precedes them, and he resents that as well. We learn there is more to his story, of course. Also, Genevieve spots a very unpleasant man from her past among the passengers, so she’s on pins and needles much of the time.
I wasn’t very keen on Murder On The Lusitania. It’s a competently crafted cosy mystery with an interesting period shipboard setting, but it didn’t really work for me. If the plot sounds the same as the other books in the series, it's because it is. However, I will say that while the basics are a bit repetitious, this one is just a wee bit better than its predecessors. Not only do we have a believable list of suspects, but he's toned down the minutiae (the fashions of the day down to the buttons) and given Genevieve time off from the usual coterie of men going gaga over her. Placing her ex-fiance on board was a good move...I enjoyed the little extra addition to the usual storyline. Speaking of changes, we have a break in pattern elsewhere on the Marmora - no more Mr. Nice Purser. Brian Kilhendry is frankly an arrogant, self-absorbed and racist little man, and it was as unpleasant to read about him as it must’ve been for George to have to work with him. While his bullheaded insistence on obstructing George and Genevieve made my blood boil, it did make him a far more memorable character than the other nice Cunard pursers, who all seem to blend into one in my mind. And it certainly did make the mystery that much more challenging to solve, which was fun.I enjoyed this mystery. The pacing is good, and the text flowed well. I liked George and Genevieve, and found the historical details about the Lusitania interesting. There are also several subplots concerning some of the characters in First Class, giving us a nice choice amongst the passengers to point to as a possible murderer. Keith Miles (born 1940) is a Welsh writer of historical fiction and mystery novels. He has also written children's books, radio and television dramas and stage plays. He is best known under the pseudonym Edward Marston, and has also written as Martin Inigo and Conrad Allen.
Freeman, Pam (June 2002). "An interview with Keith Miles". Shropshire Council. Archived from the original on 5 March 2012 . Retrieved 14 December 2010. Pleasant mystery set on the Lusitania’s maiden voyage in 1907. George Porter Dillman is the ship’s detective working incognito as a first class passenger. As he observes the characters, several of them come to his notice, including the glamorous Genevieve Masefield and a persistent reporter called Henry Barcroft. Then some important plans go missing from the Chief Engineer’s room, and Barcroft is found murdered. Dillman must solve the murder before the ship reaches New York, without alarming the passengers. When one of the guests on board is murdered, George and the staff on board have their hands full dealing with the situation. To avoid panic and damaging rumours for Cunard, George counsels they keep the murder quiet while investigating. George questions and searches, and gradually Genevieve becomes involved, too, though mostly peripherally till the violent confrontation at the end. A good, old-fashioned mystery set on the maiden voyage of the famous Lusitania from England to New York in 1907, Murder on the Lusitania certainly doesn't disappoint.
RAILWAY DETECTIVE SERIES
The Domesday series, featuring Ralph Delchard and Gervase Bret, commissioners appointed by William the Conqueror, to look into the serious irregularities that come to light during the compilation of the Domesday Book, the great survey of England: September 1907. George Dillman sets sail from Liverpool to New York on the Lusitania's maiden voyage. Posing as a passenger, Dillman is in fact an undercover detective hired by the Cunard Line to keep an eye out for petty crimes. But after some uneventful days aboard, the ship’s blueprints are stolen and then a body is found. The Captain Rawson series, featuring Captain Daniel Rawson, soldier and spy, set around the period of the War of the Spanish Succession: Miles was born and educated in South Wales. [1] He gained a degree in Modern History from Oxford University and spent three years as a lecturer, before becoming a full-time writer. [2] Miles's early work was as a scriptwriter for television and radio, including series such as Crossroads, Z-Cars and The Archers. [3] Miles was chairman of the Crime Writers' Association for 1997–98. [4] He was previously married to Rosalind Miles and is now married to another mystery writer, Judith Cutler. [5] Mystery fiction written as Keith Miles [ edit ] In recent years, he began the "Home Front Detective Series", set in London during the First World War; seven had been published as of 2019. His "Bow Street Rivals" series, set in London during the Napoleonic Wars, includes five books as of 2020. [11]