Murder on the Caronia by Conrad Allen
Another adventure with George Porter Dillman and Genevieve Masefield. I really enjoy them as characters, and thoroughly enjoy my visits with them, even if they are re-readings of the books. It has been so long since I read them originally, it’s almost like reading them for the first time, only better.
This time, the intrepid team of detectives are aboard the Caronia, one of Cunard’s “pretty sisters” for a trip across the Atlantic. As with the other book of this series, the embarkation and end ports are of little consequence, all the action takes place on board the ship. And while it is a cruise ship, it’s not like today’s cruise ships that are the destination in and of themselves. This was a mode of transportation from one port to another, with differing levels of service depending on which class the passenger was in.
This adventure draws heavily from the case of Dr. Crippen — who was accused of the murder of his wife and chased across the Atlantic until he was arrested getting off a cruise liner in Canada. In the opening chapter an English citizen and his lover were brought aboard under armed guards. George and Genevieve learn that they are suspects in the murder one of the accused’s wife. Reading the book, I could pick out the parts of the fictional story that were lifted from the real-life story of Dr. Crippen. And while the prisoners do have a part to play in the overall mystery around which this adventure centers, the murder of which they are accused is a secondary plot element.
Murder on Caronia is a fun book to read, made more so because of the real-life story from which it draws a plot element. And I have attended several lectures on several cruises about the Crippen murder and the trans-Atlantic chase that followed.
The main mystery has nothing to do with the Crippen-based story, but the characters do overlap. It was a fun mystery with a good number of red herrings and false starts for the detectives and this reader. I really am enjoying re-reading this series more than I anticipated. And I am particularly enjoying not remembering the solution to the mysteries in each episode.
The series is a light and easy read, definitely a cozy mystery, the kind you can read late at night without worrying about scaring yourself. If you are at al interested in different historical cozy mysteries, I would certainly recommend this series.
One Bear’s Opinion: Four Cups of Tea and a plate of Maple Sugar Candy
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
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