Death On The Lusitania

 By: R. L. Graham

Location: FIC GRA

Genre: Mystery, Historical Fiction


New York, 1915. RMS Lusitania, one of the world’s most luxurious trans-Atlantic liners, departs for Liverpool and war-torn Europe. Among those on board is Patrick Gallagher, a civil servant in Her Majesty’s government tasked with discreetly escorting a British diplomat back to England in relation to charges of suspected treason.

When a fellow passenger, Jimmy Dowrich, is found shot to death in his cabin, the captain asks Gallagher to investigate. Knowing something of the man’s past, Gallagher realizes that the problem will not be simple; and also, the body was discovered in a locked cabin with the key inside and no gun to be found.

Gallagher believes that one of his fellow passengers is a deadly killer. But many of those on board are harbouring secrets of their own, and his questioning reveals that several had a motive for ending Dowrich’s life. He fears that the killer could strike again to protect their true reasons for being on board and all the while, the ship sails on towards Europe, where deadly submarines patrol the war zone . . .

Easiest five stars this year. A fast paced tale of subterfuge, murder, sabotage and revenge. The central characters are vividly portrayed, with interwoven back stories which keep you absorbed and turning the pages. Foreknowledge of the fate of the vessel does not lessen the impact of the event. A gripping and plausible book highly recommended.

 Review by: Peter David Mitchell

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