Novel set in COPENHAGEN at Christmas
Novel set in 1915 as the Lusitania crosses the ATLANTIC
22nd January 2024
Death on the Lusitania by R L Graham, novel set in 1915 as the Lusitania crosses the Atlantic.
Patrick Gallagher is taking a British diplomat back to England for questioning and possible sentencing, his misdeed appears to be that has has been spying on behalf of the Germans. The ship has set sail from New York and is heading via Queenstown to Liverpool. The voyage commences on 1 May 1915. There is a heads up at the beginning of the novel about the torpedo strike followed by a mysterious explosion on 7 May, and this story is an imagined lead-up to these events.
WW1 is raging and the Germans have let it be known that any ships entering the waters around the British Isles are considered legitimate targets. One passenger affirms that German submarines should be operating under cruiser rules, meaning that if a ship is unarmed, passengers and crew should be allowed to signal for help and evacuate before the ship sinks. This is some reassurance to those on board… or not.
A passenger is found dead at the outset of the voyage, with two bullet holes, a clear indication of murder (people taking their own lives only inevitably leave a single bullet hole). Gallagher is asked to investigate and a locked-boat mystery ensues (with a good nod to the works of Agatha Christie). Multiple secrets and backstories are revealed amongst the passengers, leading to several potential perpetrators appearing in Gallagher’s crosshairs.
The author has clearly gone to considerable lengths to research the setting and period: the people, the way they communicated then, the menus on board and the interior decor of the ship, (emulating the grand houses of Europe), which lends a very atmospheric feel to the story. The sombre tones of the mahogany interior, so typical of the era, adds another level of darkness, which enhances the story in one way, but also can add a slightly gloomy feel to this – at times – heavily worded narrative.
There are several characters to get straight right from the off and it can be a bit of a struggle to differentiate between the largely crusty folk – mainly male – aboard the ship. There are many interesting aspects within the story and certainly some learning to be had. I guess this is the equivalent of method acting, where there is a drive to get into the drama of the early 20th Century in terms of veracity and feel, but perhaps the story needed a greater lightness of touch to make it truly appealing and immersive to me as a 21st Century reader. Nevertheless a good and immersive read.
Tina for the TripFiction Team
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