A Fatal Crossing: Agatha Christie meets Titanic in this unputdownable mystery

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For the above reasons, whilst I genuinely did enjoy the story and wanted to know how it ended, I do not think I would have persevered to the end had I not felt obliged to leave an informed review. Recipes for Murder: 66 Dishes that Celebrate the Mysteries of Agatha Christie (2023) by Karen Pierce I wish Clive Cussler, in addition to funding the searches, had thrown some connections her way for a good editor and proofreader. The setting of the ship had such potential for a real air of mystery and suspense but I didn’t get a sense of this at all. Thanks for the review, and I confess I’m trying to discern if this might be my cup of tea. The premise and the GA tropes suggest it would be, but the novel as a whole sounds more hard-boiled and modern in tone than I’d prefer. 🤔 Also, the following comment makes me wonder if the resolution veers away from the prior commitment to the mystery as puzzle: “ unfortunately when we do reach the concluding chapters of the novel, the plot sharply goes in another direction.” Would that be a fair inference? 🧐

Timothy Birch, an officer on The Endeavour, carries a great burden with him. His daughter Amelia has been missing for two years, and he feels responsible, as he was away at sea at the time. His wife Kate had pleaded with him not to go, worrying that should something happen, she wouldn’t have anyone to turn to, and then of course it did. Kate has since left him, and he’s completely distraught. November 1924. The Endeavour sets sail to New York with 2,000 passengers - and a killer - on board.When the body of an elderly passenger is found at the bottom of a flight of stairs on board the Endeavour - a liner sailing from Southampton to New York - ship’s officer Birch is tasked with assisting an onboard police officer with his investigation. So begins the unravelling of a story which involves stolen paintings, long-standing grudges, and keeping up appearances. A tantalizing and captivating plot, filled with detail and texture to enhance the feeling of the halcyon days of the liners and their times' Shots Magazine

It would have been illuminating to hear more about her research methods and tactics, vis a vis archival research. It’s obvious she knows this story inside and out.The action unfolds at a rip-roaring pace in this perfectly executed homage to the Golden Age of crime, which features a deviously devised plot boasting a final twist worthy of Christie herself. I absolutely loved it' Anita Frank As a furious squall swept down Lake Michigan on June 23, 1950, a DC-4 with 58 souls on board flew from New York toward Minnesota. Minutes after midnight Captain Robert Lind requested a lower altitude as he began crossing the lake, but Air Traffic Control could not comply. That was the last communication with Northwest Airlines Flight 2501. It is not clear whether the agencies deliver on such promises, but it has become common for migrants like the Patels to use the agencies to obtain visas, sometimes under false pretenses, such as by seeking student or tourist visas when their actual intent is to slip into the United States.

A book set in my era. In my location. On my transport. An Agatha Christie like plot. A myriad of interesting characters and plot twists.Whatever happened, it’s a mystery that is supposed to keep readers guessing and hopefully continue reading which I did! I ate this up and I can’t even say why!! This may be a closed-circle mystery, but it wasn’t suspenseful even though they were all trapped on one ship. Birch and Temple spend their days interviewing other passengers, potential suspects and witnesses, going from one cabin to the next while the only thing Temple does is be angry and shout at people and Birch always calms everyone down. This starts well with an intriguing hook. Did the old man fall down the steps by accident or was he pushed? Why was he travelling under a false identity and what is the enigmatic detective Temple, hiding? The pace was good to start with as new characters and potential clues were introduced. However by around the halfway point I felt it was becoming too complex. Trying to recall who had prior knowledge of whom and in what circumstances and where on the ship various protagonists had been at different times was getting difficult. I made notes as a memory aide but even that didn't help very much and the novel was becoming too much hard work especially as the action slowed in the second half.

So, you see, THAT plottwist alone is a good enough reason to read this book already. It's really good, you'll enjoy it. And again: take a look at that cover. Isn't it gorgeous? I guess I just wanted to know who the murderer was but guess what, it’s only been three weeks since I finished the book and I have already forgotten, lmao. James Temple, the other key protagonist, was also a character I struggled to engage with, although for different reasons. Initially, I quite liked his combative verbal sparring with the ship’s captain, who is reluctant to let Temple investigate. Here’s is an excerpt of their interview:Whilst the plot was generally well structured, it felt too slow - the whole story takes place over just four days, but the narrative made it feel like several weeks. Fewer clichéd descriptions and less outrage on Birch's part would have gone some way towards remedying this, but the whole book would have benefited from more stringent editing and refinement. At 1:30 p.m., they saw what looked like human footprints in the snow. Not far away, they found what they dreaded: three bodies, a man, woman and toddler, frozen in the snow in the contorted positions in which they died. Several feet away was the stiff body of an 11-year-old girl, huddled into a ball. The very first thing I noticed about this book was the author’s writing style. Calling it juvenile might go a bit too far but it was definitely too tame for my taste. Bland and boring, it was immediately forgettable and repetitive. It’s always “the ship stretches the best part of…” or “the best part of fifty thousand tons” or “the restaurant’s capacity to seat the best part of five hundred diners” or “the best part of an hour/minute”… A Fatal Crossing is a mystery set over a few days in 1924. The action takes place on the Endeavour - a ship travelling from Southampton to New York. A very clever plot and a final twist which will delight Agatha Christie fans. You will love it!!!' Ragnar Jónasson