Full disclosure, I was provided a copy of this book by the author or their authorized representative, however I have voluntarily chosen to provide a review. All opinions are my own.
Murder on the Ship of Dreams
When the Titanic makes her last stop at Queenstown and seven passengers disembark, she takes on a load of mail and resumes her maiden and final voyage across the Atlantic. Shortly after, the body of a man is recovered by Irish fishermen. With no identification and only a small trinket to go on, District Inspector Lorcan O’Dowd is sure this man came from the ship. As he begins his inspection he focuses on tracking down the seven people who left the ship via a more traditional means. As he interviews the individuals his attention turns to the mysterious woman in black who was also on the tender. As he follows his leads all evidence points to Amelia Nelson as the mysterious woman in black. But why would a widow be cavorting with the deceased? Lorcan is not convinced as he begins to follow a winding trail of clues and hints leading back years into the victim’s history, his travels through China and schemes and secrets once thought long buried. When the true killer is unmasked, will Lorcan be able to prevent an ultimate injustice from being done?
As a person who has been obsessed with Titanic history and lore from a very young age the second I saw this book I knew I had to read it. Rowe has taken a well-known event in time and has crafted an intricate mystery that uses Titanic as the setting of a murder decades in the making. This is a brilliant concept. How can you review the crime scene for clues when it is no longer accessible? The flashbacks Rowe uses to Titanic with various passengers and survivors were vivid and really spurred my imagination. The brief scenes of the survivors on the Carpathia also helped to further the mystery and intrigue. In The Seventh Passenger, Rowe has created an intricate murder mystery that spans decades, through the Boxer Rebellion and culminating on Titanic. At times I wondered how it all fit together, but when the ties were all joined, the true murderer was revealed, and the picture came into full focus I was blown away by the intricacies of the plot. Rowe has imagined a complete timeline including a back story for the main character that opens the door for more Lorcan O’Dowd mysteries in the future.
If you are a fan of Titanic, mysteries, books with historical aspects, and intricate plots that will have you scratching your head trying to figure out who the culprit is The Seventh Passenger will be a good read for you. After reading, I am looking forward to more cases involving DI Lorcan O’ Dowd in the future.
Jennly Reads 