One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review

Murder on the Lusitania by Conrad Allen

Since my housemate and reading companion and I were on a bit of a roll with fun books, we decided to leave Guns, Germs and Steel for a while and pick up something else fun. I suggested we invite old friends for a visit and re-read a series she had read a while ago.

She agreed and together we decided that we could have a nice visit with George Porter Dillman and Genevieve Masefield, who are detectives on a cruise ship in the early 1900s. Not quite the same as the cruise ship my housemate will be going on later this year, but still similar.

We had read the entire series of eight books previously, so this reading is a re-read of Murder on the Lusitania. I have no problem re-reading books, as I do look at books as friends and reading them as visits with good friends. Everyone needs more time with good friends.

The R.M.S. Lusitania made its own mark on world history, but this book is not about that moment.  It is set on the maiden voyage in September 1907. It is interesting to have a view of the ship that is not about that moment, even if it is entirely fictional.  There is a postscript in the book detailing the real story of the Lusitania, but it was very nice to have the story set completely apart from the moment that made the Lusitania a household word.

I checked out when we began this series the first time we read it. It was March 2002. I was surprised how little of the details of the book I remembered from that first time. I could not remember who the murderer was, and even though we had read it before, I was, like the detective, on the trial of the wrong person all the way through the book.

After I finished my re-reading, I read a review that said this book will never be mistaken for great literature, and I cannot disagree. But that does not mean it’s not a fun book to read, or that you should not read it. The book is reasonably fast-paced, and there are plenty of sub-plots to follow, which also served to complicate the murder investigation.

The book stands up to a re-read, and the series is fun, if only because of the setting. It’s really nice to disappear into a bygone era for a while. Who would not want to spend some time in the first class cabins on a trans-Atlantic crossing on the Cunard line?

One Bear’s Opinion: Four cups of tea, leisurely enjoyed while watching the gentle waves

Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver