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Ocean Liner Mysteries #6
Murder on the Salsette
Genevieve Masefield and George Porter Dillman make a living anonymously, cruising the seven seas aboard the early twentieth century's most extravagant sailing vessels as ship's detectives. In this line of work they've experienced more than their share of humanity. Along with the members of first class in all their finery, the card cheats and pickpockets plying their trade, the lascivious crew members and elderly cruise matrons that normally populate the voyages George and Genevieve work on, the Salsette boasts a group of travelers whose lives are set to intersect in ways none of them could have foreseen on dry land.
There are a pair of British men, traveling independently, who clearly know each other from another place and time; though each tries to hide it, there is no love lost between them. There's an elderly Indian man whose powers of deduction may be based on more earthly techniques than the mystical energy he claims to possess. Not to mention a young woman and her wheelchair-bound mother traveling on their own, determined to make new friends, who seemingly find their way smack into the middle of every bit of trouble aboard the Salsette-including murder.
George and Genevieve know that nothing in the cloying, claustrophobic confines of an ocean liner is as straightforward as it seems, and as the ship inches toward port the relationships between all of these people, both those in plain sight and some hidden from view, will be revealed. But will the exposure of the intricate web of deceit that's covered the Salsette lead George and Genevieve to the killer? Readers of Conrad Allen's sparkling ocean liner mysteries know that nothing stops this intrepid pair of shipboard detectives, and their newest adventure is sure to delight.
There are a pair of British men, traveling independently, who clearly know each other from another place and time; though each tries to hide it, there is no love lost between them. There's an elderly Indian man whose powers of deduction may be based on more earthly techniques than the mystical energy he claims to possess. Not to mention a young woman and her wheelchair-bound mother traveling on their own, determined to make new friends, who seemingly find their way smack into the middle of every bit of trouble aboard the Salsette-including murder.
George and Genevieve know that nothing in the cloying, claustrophobic confines of an ocean liner is as straightforward as it seems, and as the ship inches toward port the relationships between all of these people, both those in plain sight and some hidden from view, will be revealed. But will the exposure of the intricate web of deceit that's covered the Salsette lead George and Genevieve to the killer? Readers of Conrad Allen's sparkling ocean liner mysteries know that nothing stops this intrepid pair of shipboard detectives, and their newest adventure is sure to delight.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2005
25 people are currently reading
246 people want to read
About the author
Conrad Allen
10 books51 followersA pseudonym used by Keith Miles
Keith Miles (born 1940) is an English author, who writes under his own name and also historical fiction and mystery novels under the pseudonym Edward Marston. He is known for his mysteries set in the world of Elizabethan theater. He has also written a series of novels based on events in the Domesday Book.
The protagonist of the theater series is Nicholas Bracewell, the bookholder of a leading Elizabethan theater company (in an alternate non-Shakespearean universe).
The latter series' two protagonists are the Norman soldier Ralph Delchard and the former novitiate turned lawyer Gervase Bret, who is half Norman and half Saxon.
Keith Miles (born 1940) is an English author, who writes under his own name and also historical fiction and mystery novels under the pseudonym Edward Marston. He is known for his mysteries set in the world of Elizabethan theater. He has also written a series of novels based on events in the Domesday Book.
The protagonist of the theater series is Nicholas Bracewell, the bookholder of a leading Elizabethan theater company (in an alternate non-Shakespearean universe).
The latter series' two protagonists are the Norman soldier Ralph Delchard and the former novitiate turned lawyer Gervase Bret, who is half Norman and half Saxon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
December 29, 2017
I really enjoy this series. The writing seems less stiff and formal (less contrived, perhaps) this late in the series compared to the first book in the series. I continue to find the main characters engaging. As with the other books in the series, the setting is on a famous ocean liner during the 1910's. This particular novel was fascinating to me as the Salsette traveled back and forth from England to India. The author addressed the relationship between the people of these countries when India was under British imperialism.
March 2, 2015
3.5 stars
George Dillman and Genevieve Maesfield are working on the P&O steamer from Bombay to Aden. George loved the vibrant city of Bombay but his first new friend, Mr. Dudley Nevin hates India. A Civil Servant, he's spent his career in the hot, steamy environment and would welcome a change. On board the ship he encounters a man from his past who gives him a black look. Dillman is certainly intrigued. Genevieve has her hands full with an invalid woman, Constance Simcoe, and her daughter Tabitha and a series of thefts the victims demand to be solved. Easier said than done when one of the victims won't share all the information with Genevieve. Dillman has attracted the notice of another young woman, this one on roller skates and he also befriends a Sikh mystic who predicts something terrible is going to happen. His prediction comes true when someone ends up dead. With only 4 days to solve all the crimes, the detectives have their hands full.
The plot was nicely paced and the action happens fairly quickly and doesn't let up. I liked the colorful characters in this novel, especially the journalist writing about women at sea. He actually reveals a big clue so I wasn't surprised at some of the revelations. I did guess about one thing though. I felt it was pretty obvious. I objected to the stereotype of the charming flirtatious Italian, Paulo Morelli but I grew to like him and was rooting for him to succeed. I just wish the author hadn't fallen back on the old stereotype. I also really liked the exuberant young Lois Greenwood. I had never heard of a women's roller derby football team in Edwardian England. That sounds so unusual and fascinating. Lois' father was my least favorite character. He and the Kinnerslys who epitomized the stereotype of British in India at the time. I wish their maid, Suki, had been fleshed out more. I'm still enjoying the series and plan to dig in to the next soon.
George Dillman and Genevieve Maesfield are working on the P&O steamer from Bombay to Aden. George loved the vibrant city of Bombay but his first new friend, Mr. Dudley Nevin hates India. A Civil Servant, he's spent his career in the hot, steamy environment and would welcome a change. On board the ship he encounters a man from his past who gives him a black look. Dillman is certainly intrigued. Genevieve has her hands full with an invalid woman, Constance Simcoe, and her daughter Tabitha and a series of thefts the victims demand to be solved. Easier said than done when one of the victims won't share all the information with Genevieve. Dillman has attracted the notice of another young woman, this one on roller skates and he also befriends a Sikh mystic who predicts something terrible is going to happen. His prediction comes true when someone ends up dead. With only 4 days to solve all the crimes, the detectives have their hands full.
The plot was nicely paced and the action happens fairly quickly and doesn't let up. I liked the colorful characters in this novel, especially the journalist writing about women at sea. He actually reveals a big clue so I wasn't surprised at some of the revelations. I did guess about one thing though. I felt it was pretty obvious. I objected to the stereotype of the charming flirtatious Italian, Paulo Morelli but I grew to like him and was rooting for him to succeed. I just wish the author hadn't fallen back on the old stereotype. I also really liked the exuberant young Lois Greenwood. I had never heard of a women's roller derby football team in Edwardian England. That sounds so unusual and fascinating. Lois' father was my least favorite character. He and the Kinnerslys who epitomized the stereotype of British in India at the time. I wish their maid, Suki, had been fleshed out more. I'm still enjoying the series and plan to dig in to the next soon.
September 19, 2022
2022 bk 286. Another review said that she liked this the best of the series. I still love the first book, but this does come a close second. The story of the French woman made me giggle at the end. The identities of the murderer and the thieves took me totally by surprise and I loved seeing Genevieve and George working together as man and wife. I also enjoyed that Genevieve and George were both right about the older gentleman.
March 8, 2008
Here we are at number 6, and once again it's the same sort of crimes that have plagued Dillman and Masefield in the past. Nothing's changed but the name of the ship and the fact that they are not on the Cunard line any more. Arrgh!
This time our somewhat less than dynamic detective duo are aboard the Salsette, making their way from Bombay to Aden. Once again, Genevieve makes friends with those in first class, while George does his thing with the second class passengers. As the ship sets sail, all is well until a woman reports some missing jewels and cash, which she had left in a hatbox in an unlocked cabin. Then a series of petty thefts begin; complicating the investigation (of course) is a murder. With a number of suspects to choose from, Dillman and Masefield have their jobs cut out for them.
If you go look back at my reviews for each and every one of the books in this series, you'll pretty much see the same thing written for each one. This series defines the term "formulaic."
If you're interested in historical mysteries, or if you're following the series you may like it; however, you really want to start with book one in the series so you're not confused about the relationship between Dillman and Masefield.
2 more to go and I'm done with the series. Personally, unless something changes, I can't wait until it's over!
This time our somewhat less than dynamic detective duo are aboard the Salsette, making their way from Bombay to Aden. Once again, Genevieve makes friends with those in first class, while George does his thing with the second class passengers. As the ship sets sail, all is well until a woman reports some missing jewels and cash, which she had left in a hatbox in an unlocked cabin. Then a series of petty thefts begin; complicating the investigation (of course) is a murder. With a number of suspects to choose from, Dillman and Masefield have their jobs cut out for them.
If you go look back at my reviews for each and every one of the books in this series, you'll pretty much see the same thing written for each one. This series defines the term "formulaic."
If you're interested in historical mysteries, or if you're following the series you may like it; however, you really want to start with book one in the series so you're not confused about the relationship between Dillman and Masefield.
2 more to go and I'm done with the series. Personally, unless something changes, I can't wait until it's over!
September 5, 2025
Very much more of the same for George Porter Dillman and Genevieve Masefield. We find ourselves on the P&O passenger ship, the Salsette, as the title of the book suggests, and we're on the return journey from Australia to England from the last story. Where George and Genevieve had spent a week in Bombay, India and were now heading across the Arabian Sea to the next stop off point, of the port of Aden in Yemen. All very exotic, and which set us up nicely for the usual cast of exotic characters.
One thing that is different this time, is that Genevieve Masefield is now, Genevieve Dillman! Yes, George and Genevieve are now married. They were wed aboard ship, by the captain, on a previous journey. Which by no means affects the day to day running of their maritime detective partnership. They still initially mingle on board ship, very much as single entities. However, this now seems to rankle with Genevieve a tad more than it did when they were just boyfriend and girlfriend, somewhat hankering for a more public display of her marital bliss and affections.
Nevertheless, their romantic interludes, refreshingly never last for very long and thankfully, there isn't much in the way of other 'romantic fluff', that unfortunately clog up some of the other books in this series.
Here, even the swooning over 'dreamy' Dillman by the 'zany' teenager, Louis Greenwood doesn't get much air time. The fact that the newly wed private investigator has to grill the girl, whom he meets when she crashes into George while practising her skating on deck, late at night, about her father, the Liberal MP, Sylvester Greenwood, takes precedence over any immature infatuations that Louis might have toward the former Pinkerton detective.
The reason the questioning of Louis about her father was required by Dillman in the first place, was because, for a while Sylvester Greenwood MP was the prime suspect in the stories murder.
It turned out that the victim, the extremely shifty Mr Dudley Nevin, who’s acquaintance George Dillman had made while boarding, had been none other than the Conservative candidate whom had contested and lost the same seat in the Houses of Parliament, which Greenwood had won! A contest in which the unprincipled Nevin had presumably employed every dirty trick in the book during his campaign for election, including criminality and had left Britain for India in disgrace, once he'd lost the by-election, and the slippery ’wanna be’ politician had even been disowned by his party. And given the duplicitous perfidy and criminality, historically associated with the Conservative Party, that’s certainly going some!
But the event which upset Sylvester Greenwood the most, was understandably the fact that the unscrupulous Nevin had exploited an employee of Greenwood’s at the time, to extract information on his rival candidate. Feigning a relationship with the girl, he had eventually got her pregnant, then had cast her aside, when she was no longer of any use. Ultimately resulting in the unfortunate girl’s death during childbirth, and Greenwood had followed the civil servant from India in an attempt to make him face up to his responsibilities and take care of the child. Or so he claimed, Dillman certainly had a suspect with ’motive’, ‘means’ and ‘opportunity’, particularly when he found that Greenwood had visited the victim on the evening of his murder!
I did feel however, that the author had perhaps missed a trick somewhat, in that he could have made more play on how there wasn't that much of a difference, if any, between Liberal and Conservative MP's of the time (nothing much has changed then!). They were all toffs, looking after the interests of other toffs, in what was pretty much a closed shop. Which would also have continued on in a 'socially conscientious' vein, running through from previous book’s in the series. But then again, I thought calm doon loon, it is just a light hearted murder mystery romp aboard a ship, and not 'The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists' haha! And to be fair, George Porter Dillman did give a good account of his anti-colonial views, which was indeed something I suppose.
Nevertheless, I did applaud when the author had a particularly odious fellow, Major Romford Kimersley lament (for him) the fact that there was now an Indian MP in the Houses of Parliament. Kimersley whom along with his battleaxe of a wife, Matilda Kimersley, were both egregious colonial, White supremacists, and were this outings most detestable characters. They really were vile, racist snobs, and I took great pleasure in booing and hissing them every time they appeared. Anyway, I had thought that the Indian MP mentioned by the Major had been none other than Independent Labour (IL) and Communist Party of Great Britain member, Shapurji Saklatvala. But although he joined IL in 1909 (the time of this book’s setting), he didn't actually become an MP till 1922. He was also the first person of colour/Indian to become an MP, so perhaps the author just used artistic license with the dates? Writers quite often do that to some degree, but they usually point out any discrepancies with times and dates in the author’s notes and/or postscript at the end of the book, something Conrad Allen fails to do here. So, anywho, it was great to see him getting a mention, even although Shapurji Saklatvala wasn't actually named, so I am being somewhat presumptive and although it is an educated presumption, it is still just conjecture when all’s said and done!
Unfortunately, we also had more over description of women's clothes, but I'm starting to feel like that the book's maybe just wouldn't be the same without the mention of frivolities of female fashion such as, 'frou-frous', ‘rouches’ or 'fichus' haha! Here we had,
'Daphne Greenwood, a thin, handsome, dark haired woman, was wearing a tomato-coloured frock of Liberty Velveteen and Indian muslin, with an elaborate lace fichu.'
Dearie me, that sailed over my head somewhat, whoosh!
Anyway, as well as the murder, we also had the usual mix of petty thefts, card sharks and con-(wo)men.
The culprits at the end, as per, were pleasurably dispatched with the minimum of fuss and the ship's purser, Max Cannadine gleefully shook the hands of Mr and Mrs Dillman on a job well done! 'appy days!
One thing that is different this time, is that Genevieve Masefield is now, Genevieve Dillman! Yes, George and Genevieve are now married. They were wed aboard ship, by the captain, on a previous journey. Which by no means affects the day to day running of their maritime detective partnership. They still initially mingle on board ship, very much as single entities. However, this now seems to rankle with Genevieve a tad more than it did when they were just boyfriend and girlfriend, somewhat hankering for a more public display of her marital bliss and affections.
Nevertheless, their romantic interludes, refreshingly never last for very long and thankfully, there isn't much in the way of other 'romantic fluff', that unfortunately clog up some of the other books in this series.
Here, even the swooning over 'dreamy' Dillman by the 'zany' teenager, Louis Greenwood doesn't get much air time. The fact that the newly wed private investigator has to grill the girl, whom he meets when she crashes into George while practising her skating on deck, late at night, about her father, the Liberal MP, Sylvester Greenwood, takes precedence over any immature infatuations that Louis might have toward the former Pinkerton detective.
The reason the questioning of Louis about her father was required by Dillman in the first place, was because, for a while Sylvester Greenwood MP was the prime suspect in the stories murder.
It turned out that the victim, the extremely shifty Mr Dudley Nevin, who’s acquaintance George Dillman had made while boarding, had been none other than the Conservative candidate whom had contested and lost the same seat in the Houses of Parliament, which Greenwood had won! A contest in which the unprincipled Nevin had presumably employed every dirty trick in the book during his campaign for election, including criminality and had left Britain for India in disgrace, once he'd lost the by-election, and the slippery ’wanna be’ politician had even been disowned by his party. And given the duplicitous perfidy and criminality, historically associated with the Conservative Party, that’s certainly going some!
But the event which upset Sylvester Greenwood the most, was understandably the fact that the unscrupulous Nevin had exploited an employee of Greenwood’s at the time, to extract information on his rival candidate. Feigning a relationship with the girl, he had eventually got her pregnant, then had cast her aside, when she was no longer of any use. Ultimately resulting in the unfortunate girl’s death during childbirth, and Greenwood had followed the civil servant from India in an attempt to make him face up to his responsibilities and take care of the child. Or so he claimed, Dillman certainly had a suspect with ’motive’, ‘means’ and ‘opportunity’, particularly when he found that Greenwood had visited the victim on the evening of his murder!
I did feel however, that the author had perhaps missed a trick somewhat, in that he could have made more play on how there wasn't that much of a difference, if any, between Liberal and Conservative MP's of the time (nothing much has changed then!). They were all toffs, looking after the interests of other toffs, in what was pretty much a closed shop. Which would also have continued on in a 'socially conscientious' vein, running through from previous book’s in the series. But then again, I thought calm doon loon, it is just a light hearted murder mystery romp aboard a ship, and not 'The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists' haha! And to be fair, George Porter Dillman did give a good account of his anti-colonial views, which was indeed something I suppose.
Nevertheless, I did applaud when the author had a particularly odious fellow, Major Romford Kimersley lament (for him) the fact that there was now an Indian MP in the Houses of Parliament. Kimersley whom along with his battleaxe of a wife, Matilda Kimersley, were both egregious colonial, White supremacists, and were this outings most detestable characters. They really were vile, racist snobs, and I took great pleasure in booing and hissing them every time they appeared. Anyway, I had thought that the Indian MP mentioned by the Major had been none other than Independent Labour (IL) and Communist Party of Great Britain member, Shapurji Saklatvala. But although he joined IL in 1909 (the time of this book’s setting), he didn't actually become an MP till 1922. He was also the first person of colour/Indian to become an MP, so perhaps the author just used artistic license with the dates? Writers quite often do that to some degree, but they usually point out any discrepancies with times and dates in the author’s notes and/or postscript at the end of the book, something Conrad Allen fails to do here. So, anywho, it was great to see him getting a mention, even although Shapurji Saklatvala wasn't actually named, so I am being somewhat presumptive and although it is an educated presumption, it is still just conjecture when all’s said and done!
Unfortunately, we also had more over description of women's clothes, but I'm starting to feel like that the book's maybe just wouldn't be the same without the mention of frivolities of female fashion such as, 'frou-frous', ‘rouches’ or 'fichus' haha! Here we had,
'Daphne Greenwood, a thin, handsome, dark haired woman, was wearing a tomato-coloured frock of Liberty Velveteen and Indian muslin, with an elaborate lace fichu.'
Dearie me, that sailed over my head somewhat, whoosh!
Anyway, as well as the murder, we also had the usual mix of petty thefts, card sharks and con-(wo)men.
The culprits at the end, as per, were pleasurably dispatched with the minimum of fuss and the ship's purser, Max Cannadine gleefully shook the hands of Mr and Mrs Dillman on a job well done! 'appy days!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 4, 2014
A mystery aboard a smaller cruise ship, that is sailing from Bombay to Aden. It takes place in 1909 and is a very chatty mystery, lots and lots of dialogue. The main investigators are a recently married couple who must appear to be single for their work. There is a murder aboard as well as thefts. But little by little the bits of evidence are found and worked upon. It's a pretty realistic detective mystery in that the detectives are smart but aren't superhuman smart and know who the bad guy is at the very first chapter.
Would say pleasant to read. Good easy summer reading.
Would say pleasant to read. Good easy summer reading.
April 9, 2016
Another enjoyable adventure with George and Genevieve. The mystery, however, was not nearly as clever or complex as previous efforts. And the banter between George and Genevieve is terribly stilted at times. I do believe this series may be running out of steam, especially as there is little character development. I can see why the series ends after just eight books. There's just not much more one can do.
March 22, 2023
The formula is getting a bit dull now and the rollerskating felt like a rerun of the previous cyclist story...
November 9, 2023
The sixth book in this series and we find George and Genevieve back with the P&O Line, working on a steamer between Bombay and Aden. They are newly married, but are keeping that status a secret, so that they can work together, but independently. On a ship that has not had much crime over it's time afloat, it does seem as if this pair attract it. There are thefts, card-sharps, and a murder for them to sort out. George attracts a very young woman on roller skates, as opposed to an earlier book where Genevieve attracted a cyclist, which seemed like a repartition of a previous book, but this did have other characters which made it feel different.
I guessed rightly who it was that was stealing, also that certain characters were not who they appeared to be, but I had no idea who committed the murder.
I guessed rightly who it was that was stealing, also that certain characters were not who they appeared to be, but I had no idea who committed the murder.
June 22, 2017
This is the first of this series that I've read. I think they call these "cozies" because they are pretty gentle and mild as mystery stories go. I got the impression this is aimed at middle aged ladies with lots of cats, very genteel and luxurious.
The book had a bit of humor and the characters were interesting enough. The mystery wasn't particularly challenging to work out, but it was a quick enough read. I got a bit tired of the emphasis on "look how terrible things were back then" and the class differences being so pushed, but they were real at the time in English culture.
In particular the handsome flawless male lead who does it all correctly and everyone likes was a bit tiresome. Not recommended, particularly, but not poorly done.
The book had a bit of humor and the characters were interesting enough. The mystery wasn't particularly challenging to work out, but it was a quick enough read. I got a bit tired of the emphasis on "look how terrible things were back then" and the class differences being so pushed, but they were real at the time in English culture.
In particular the handsome flawless male lead who does it all correctly and everyone likes was a bit tiresome. Not recommended, particularly, but not poorly done.
November 10, 2023
Although not a bad book, this is so similar to one preceeding it that really it seems the author has a formula and just churns them out, similarly to the way the ships in the series churn across the oceans. This sees Dillman and Genevieve embarking in Bombay, giving us a shipful of Indian mystics, blustering Major's and imerious British wives. That aside, it is much the same. Genevieve is still beautiful, Dillman handsome and looked down upon by some because he is American. There is a murder and a spate of thefts.
I am trying to struggle to the end of the series, just to see whether the pair ever actually take up a proper married life, but not sure I am motivated enough to read on.
I am trying to struggle to the end of the series, just to see whether the pair ever actually take up a proper married life, but not sure I am motivated enough to read on.
May 22, 2022
I really had hopes for this book because the writing itself isn't bad but I was barely making it through. To begin with, there is no real sense of urgency or fear within the book. The murder might as well have not happened at all because it literally felt like it made 0 impact on anything. I kept waiting for something to ignite excitement or interest or suspense but I was let down. The ending was a big eye roll for me as well, it lacked that satisfaction that comes with solving a crime. I wouldn't recommend it nor would I ever pick it up again.
November 21, 2024
This is number six in the Ocean Liner mysteries featuring George Dillman and Genevieve Masefield and as always an enjoyable romp. The series is quite formulated and makes for an easy read.
This time the detective duo are aboard the Salsette travelling from India. There are the usual array of nefarious characters, petty crimes and an inevitable murder.
All the stories - there are two more to go - take place on real ships in the early 1900's and the author leaves a brief note at the end detailing the subsequent history of the ships featured which is interesting.
This time the detective duo are aboard the Salsette travelling from India. There are the usual array of nefarious characters, petty crimes and an inevitable murder.
All the stories - there are two more to go - take place on real ships in the early 1900's and the author leaves a brief note at the end detailing the subsequent history of the ships featured which is interesting.
February 24, 2023
Mostly of interest for the area of the world, the Arabian Sea, that the detectives are sailing across and the mix of cultures and snooty upper class British reactions to everyone. Two mysteries in this installment, a murder of a British East India company man returning home and the continuing theft of jewels. Only, now Genevieve and George are married and working as detectives.
May 31, 2024
I didn't guess the identity of the killer as there were enough suspects to keep the plot boiling nicely. The racism and class prejudice of the era are shown but not overdone, and although there are obviously limits to stories set in the same milieu, these manage not to become too stale. Shame half the ships were later torpedoed, though!
January 31, 2025
This is book 6 in the series & I didn’t feel one was as good as the previous ones, possible because all the stories are somewhat similar & I have read them quite close together, however I feel that the characters didn’t grab my attention as well as the rest have.
It was definitely a surprise who the killer was in the end as I didn’t see it coming so that’s a bonus in its favour.
It was definitely a surprise who the killer was in the end as I didn’t see it coming so that’s a bonus in its favour.
August 3, 2022
Bombay to Aden on the P&O Salsette newly married George and Genevieve are still detecting and sleeping separately. Fall of English rule in India, women’s suffrage and independence, bridge, gurus and Gurkhas. A lot can happen on a short cruise too.
November 7, 2022
This amazing series marches on with gusto
This is another brilliant thriller, which sees this amazing series marching on with gusto. All the wonderful characters and the suspense all combine to make this a very entertaining story.
This is another brilliant thriller, which sees this amazing series marching on with gusto. All the wonderful characters and the suspense all combine to make this a very entertaining story.
January 13, 2023
Regular Marston fare
Yes, a very well trod plot by Marston, still well written and descriptive. A few nice twists as the plot progresses.
The only drawback is that the liner series has more murders than even Midsummer Murders.
Yes, a very well trod plot by Marston, still well written and descriptive. A few nice twists as the plot progresses.
The only drawback is that the liner series has more murders than even Midsummer Murders.
January 1, 2024
Okay, liked the diverse characters on the ship in this one, but I found they dynamic between George and Genevieve to be a bit off. Like some of the things she apologized for felt a bit... odd. I dunno. Otherwise this one was enjoyable in the way that all of these are.
April 26, 2025
Another Entertaining Book
The characters are well drawn, the storylines interesting. And they are light, fun reads. I've read several of Edward Marston's series, and they've all been entertaining as as well as informative of their time in history.
The characters are well drawn, the storylines interesting. And they are light, fun reads. I've read several of Edward Marston's series, and they've all been entertaining as as well as informative of their time in history.
February 9, 2021
Light and entertaining.
July 1, 2023
Charmingly classic
Read
August 11, 2023All been good but this one is the best of the lot so far.
September 27, 2023
I did worry that either George or Genevieve might be the victim!
December 12, 2023
I enjoyed this one. Fast paced and short it was an enjoyable read.
January 1, 2024
Nice idea; really requires the Victorian/days of the raj behaviours/attitudes for it to work, which it does albeit in a limited manner.
December 19, 2012
Married shipboard sleuthing pair, George Dillman and Genevieve Masefield, are once again on the high seas, this time aboard the Salsette, sailing from India. Working undercover, George and Genevieve have separate accommodations in first class, settling in for an uneventful cruise which is soon livened up by a series of thefts and a murder. Genevieve doesn’t hit it off with the mysterious first theft victim, Madame Roussel, but does make friends with young Tabitha Simcoe and her wheelchair-bound mother, Constance, who both seem addicted to playing bridge. Meanwhile, George befriends a rollerskating teenager and an old Indian man with mystical powers while seeming to get under the skin of a haughty, aristocratic couple traveling with a shy, young Indian servant girl.
As is common in cozies, the polite façade surrounding these class-conscious characters is only scant cover for their often ugly private motivations and hidden actions. By the time Genevieve and George solve their mysteries, several people are unmasked in many different ways. Though the mostly capable Genevieve annoyingly dissolves into a clinging vine sidekick who always defers to his superior experience and wisdom whenever in the presence of her husband, the mystery is well woven with several neatly tied-off subplots. While I probably won’t seek out more Conrad Allen novels, I would probably pick another one up if I stumbled across it.
As is common in cozies, the polite façade surrounding these class-conscious characters is only scant cover for their often ugly private motivations and hidden actions. By the time Genevieve and George solve their mysteries, several people are unmasked in many different ways. Though the mostly capable Genevieve annoyingly dissolves into a clinging vine sidekick who always defers to his superior experience and wisdom whenever in the presence of her husband, the mystery is well woven with several neatly tied-off subplots. While I probably won’t seek out more Conrad Allen novels, I would probably pick another one up if I stumbled across it.
September 7, 2014
#6 in the American George Dillman & English Genevieve Masefield mystery series. They are shipboard detectives working for the P and O line and are sailing from Bombay to Aden on the Salsette in 1909. On this voyage, they have to track down a thief who is stealing passenger valuables and then a murder. The thief and murderer are among 200 passenger.
The story follows the pattern of the first five, but is still interesting as the cast of characters change and each new cruise provides a new group of colorful passengers and suspects.
The story follows the pattern of the first five, but is still interesting as the cast of characters change and each new cruise provides a new group of colorful passengers and suspects.
March 5, 2008
Sometimes I enjoy a nice murder mystery. They usually are light and entertaining (which I realize is saying something since murder in the central theme)and often have multiple books in the series, which I really like if I find a good one. I usually choose books that are very low on horror and very high on sleuthing. This one is set (as the others in the series) on a ship in the early 19th century and has repeated characters from the previous book Ir ead in this series.
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