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The Titanic Secret
On Sunday 15 April 1912, the 'unsinkable' RMS Titanic sinks on her maiden voyage to New York. But the truth is quickly suppressed. On board she carries three men scheming to create a new military alliance between the USA and Germany. Their goal – war with Great Britain and the destruction of the British Empire. Alex Tremayne and his American colleague Maria Weston are sent by British Intelligence to stop the spies, and with them the greatest war in history. On a voyage bristling with intrigue, Alex and Maria have one aim: to stop the conspirators from reaching America – at any cost...
386 pages, Paperback
First published June 4, 2018
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271 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
May 4, 2021
Big problem, I don't think I can write a review to do justice to this book.
I expected it to be a good read, being, a big fan of his Chris Bronson stories, but this just blows them out of the water. Excuse the pun.
This is a story of secret agents, operating just before the Great war, and a plot to start it.
The action starts on page one and literally does not stop through the whole book. The pace is incredible, there are no wasted words. The descriptions are spot on they really do paint a picture, and tell a story about an era. When there were barely any telephones, planes and travel/ communication was a lot slower. Even the clothes that people wore, were so different, certainly could not put any where near the quantity of things in my clothes that they did.
I have to admit to nearly in tears as the story came close to the end, the writing was that good.
If this book is not in my top 3 books of the year, I am going to have a fantastic year of reading.
I expected it to be a good read, being, a big fan of his Chris Bronson stories, but this just blows them out of the water. Excuse the pun.
This is a story of secret agents, operating just before the Great war, and a plot to start it.
The action starts on page one and literally does not stop through the whole book. The pace is incredible, there are no wasted words. The descriptions are spot on they really do paint a picture, and tell a story about an era. When there were barely any telephones, planes and travel/ communication was a lot slower. Even the clothes that people wore, were so different, certainly could not put any where near the quantity of things in my clothes that they did.
I have to admit to nearly in tears as the story came close to the end, the writing was that good.
If this book is not in my top 3 books of the year, I am going to have a fantastic year of reading.
August 30, 2019
James Becker is back with another story of espionage shrouded in a memorable time in history. After a man is gunned down in Berlin, mere feet from the British Embassy, questions remain. These questions climb all the way to the top of the Secret Service Bureau (SSB), the elite spy agency in Britain in 1912. There are whispers of an American alliance with German to overtake the British. Armed with this news, the SSB call on one of their premier agents, Alex Tremayne, to take on the massive task of killing three German agents before they can reach New York City. Plans are drafted to put Tremayne on-board the new transatlantic liner, Titanic, where he will be tasked with eliminating the Germans and disposing of them before anyone knows of their deaths. Tremayne and his female companion take on the roles of the Maitlands. Keen to complete the mission, Alex locates his targets and seeks to reconnoiter before striking. However, his elusive tactics are caught by the Germans, who begin their own plan to stop Tremayne however they can. As the higher-ups in London await news, they have sent a submarine to monitor the mission, perhaps ensuring nothing goes wrong. With the Titanic inching across the Atlantic, Tremayne is running out of time, but soon discovers that there are many other problems that require his attention. However, no one could have predicted what came next, aboard the unsinkable Titanic, as history takes over the narrative and turns the tale on its head. Well developed and on point, Becker shows why he is the master of his art. Recommended to those who enjoy stories layered in actual history, as well as readers who find pleasure in all things related to espionage.
I have read many of James Becker’s novels over the years and find his mix of history with thrills is like few others. In a piece that take the reader back to the early part of the 20th century, Becker keenly develops a story that puts Alex Tremayne in the driver’s seat. Tremayne is a man wanted by many, who has mastered his job. He is gritty and little derails him, though there is surely a weakness to his having no family. He is happy to serve King and Country, though he is surely one who is not ready to pack it up and admit defeat. Tremayne does well to blend into his surroundings, but uses code breaking skills to stand out from the others. There is a handful of other characters who seek to flavour the narrative effectively. A mix of backgrounds and positions within the story help Becker to effectively tell the tale he seeks to shape. While there are surely a few characters based on those from history, Becker shapes them effectively in his own image. The story remained strong and kept my attention throughout, particularly because I have a great interest in all things Titanic. With a narrative that builds with each passing chapter, the reader will not be disappointed. Short chapters keep the story moving and forces the reader to read “just a little more” before putting the book down. I was able to finish in a sing;e day, which surely speaks to Becker’s style of writing. Opening the reader’s mind to ‘what if’ at one point, James Becker is one storyteller not to be forgotten in a supersaturated genre.
Kudos, Mr. Becker, for another wonderful story. I always enjoy your pieces and cannot wait to see what else you have in store for the reader.
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
I have read many of James Becker’s novels over the years and find his mix of history with thrills is like few others. In a piece that take the reader back to the early part of the 20th century, Becker keenly develops a story that puts Alex Tremayne in the driver’s seat. Tremayne is a man wanted by many, who has mastered his job. He is gritty and little derails him, though there is surely a weakness to his having no family. He is happy to serve King and Country, though he is surely one who is not ready to pack it up and admit defeat. Tremayne does well to blend into his surroundings, but uses code breaking skills to stand out from the others. There is a handful of other characters who seek to flavour the narrative effectively. A mix of backgrounds and positions within the story help Becker to effectively tell the tale he seeks to shape. While there are surely a few characters based on those from history, Becker shapes them effectively in his own image. The story remained strong and kept my attention throughout, particularly because I have a great interest in all things Titanic. With a narrative that builds with each passing chapter, the reader will not be disappointed. Short chapters keep the story moving and forces the reader to read “just a little more” before putting the book down. I was able to finish in a sing;e day, which surely speaks to Becker’s style of writing. Opening the reader’s mind to ‘what if’ at one point, James Becker is one storyteller not to be forgotten in a supersaturated genre.
Kudos, Mr. Becker, for another wonderful story. I always enjoy your pieces and cannot wait to see what else you have in store for the reader.
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
July 22, 2018
Top notch thriller
As someone who reads an average of 2-3 books a week. to find a book which I would say is in my top 5 reads of all time is a rare event indeed but this is firmly up there! One of those books which leaves a gaping hole in your life when you finish the last page!
As someone who reads an average of 2-3 books a week. to find a book which I would say is in my top 5 reads of all time is a rare event indeed but this is firmly up there! One of those books which leaves a gaping hole in your life when you finish the last page!
August 9, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. All the way through I had the nagging feeling that I had read this before. I checked all my non kindle James Becker books but no nothing.
Then lo and behold a previous book called "The Titanic Secret" but by Jack Steel and Peter Stuart Smith popped into mind.
It seems I am not loosing the plot after all as the story has the same Alex Tremayne and Maria Weston.
I will now need to revisit the first book to see just how close the story is.
Then lo and behold a previous book called "The Titanic Secret" but by Jack Steel and Peter Stuart Smith popped into mind.
It seems I am not loosing the plot after all as the story has the same Alex Tremayne and Maria Weston.
I will now need to revisit the first book to see just how close the story is.
August 9, 2019
Really enjoyed the book, thought is was a brilliant story, hard book to put down
January 15, 2020
A good fast paced read that needs no introduction and plays on quite an exciting twist to a thoroughly tragic real event and picks up on the global tensions at the time escalating into a purely fictional twist leading onto the potential early start of the Great War 1914-1918.
I'd actually give this book a 3.5/5, however I've been generous and upgraded this one to 4 stars as at no point did I become unstuck, lost or disinterested.
Where did the book fall down in my eyes? Simply a lack of emphasizing the pure grandeour and majesty of what the Titanic really was and what it meant to the equivalent jet set lifestyle at the time. Seeing as the whole story is based in the 1st class lounges and passenger suites I felt a little underwhelmed. Bizarrely, having watched the film 'Titanic' with Leo & Kate I found myself picturing the lounges, restaurants, bars & suites they frequented to help visualise where the characters from this story would actually be when roaming around ship. This was great in the sense that I had visually seen a representation of what the Titanic could have been but also poor in the sense that had I not have watched the film, James Becker did very little to help the reader visualize.
I'd actually give this book a 3.5/5, however I've been generous and upgraded this one to 4 stars as at no point did I become unstuck, lost or disinterested.
Where did the book fall down in my eyes? Simply a lack of emphasizing the pure grandeour and majesty of what the Titanic really was and what it meant to the equivalent jet set lifestyle at the time. Seeing as the whole story is based in the 1st class lounges and passenger suites I felt a little underwhelmed. Bizarrely, having watched the film 'Titanic' with Leo & Kate I found myself picturing the lounges, restaurants, bars & suites they frequented to help visualise where the characters from this story would actually be when roaming around ship. This was great in the sense that I had visually seen a representation of what the Titanic could have been but also poor in the sense that had I not have watched the film, James Becker did very little to help the reader visualize.
February 6, 2021
Whilst this novel is obviously a work of fiction, it's a brilliant book. There's tension, a certain amount of fear and also the sense of shock and disbelief that a liner as big as Titanic was, in actual fact, not as indestructible as many thought.
There is a plot afoot for three American citizens, who were either born in Germany or have links with Germany, to return to the States on Titanic in order to facilitate the financial ruin of not only the American economy, but, if discovered, would have brought down the incumbent President, also in personal financial ruin.
Enter Alex Tremayne (Briton) and Maria Weston (American). They both work for their respective nations' Secret Services and are sent, posing as a couple, to follow and eliminate the plotters, thus rendering their plans null and void. A huge task on a huge ship! But the couple are determined to succeed.
I enjoyed the writing style of this author. The only part of the story I found difficult to read was when the Titanic's demise was being described. I find it almost impossible to watch any surface vessel sinking, and the thought of all those passengers doomed to die in horrendously freezing Atlantic Ocean is almost too much to dwell on.
There is a plot afoot for three American citizens, who were either born in Germany or have links with Germany, to return to the States on Titanic in order to facilitate the financial ruin of not only the American economy, but, if discovered, would have brought down the incumbent President, also in personal financial ruin.
Enter Alex Tremayne (Briton) and Maria Weston (American). They both work for their respective nations' Secret Services and are sent, posing as a couple, to follow and eliminate the plotters, thus rendering their plans null and void. A huge task on a huge ship! But the couple are determined to succeed.
I enjoyed the writing style of this author. The only part of the story I found difficult to read was when the Titanic's demise was being described. I find it almost impossible to watch any surface vessel sinking, and the thought of all those passengers doomed to die in horrendously freezing Atlantic Ocean is almost too much to dwell on.
January 3, 2024
Wow, this book is the first for me by this author. It's Historical Fiction. The story goes from the streets of Berlin Germany all the way to London all the way to passage on the most luxurious ocean liner that had yet been built.... Alex Tremayne is a British secret agent and he and his partner an American agent named Maria Weston are sent by the British government on board the RMS Titanic on her maiden voyage to New York to find and stop three men scheming to create a new military alliance between the U.S. and Germany...Their goal being War and total destruction of the British Empire....If Alex and Maria can find the three men on board and stop them they put an end to the greatest war in history before it even begins...Alex and Maria have one aim: to stop the three conspirators from reaching American soil... at ANY cost
March 5, 2023
With an exciting start the book ends with a satisfying ending. There is absolutely no slow start or winding up to be found when you pick up this book. A story with spies, government agencies, and villains you can despise in the backdrop of the Titanic history we know so well. This book was the intense page turner that I was looking for. The author's note at the end addresses some of the theories and questions we often have about the Titanic. All in all wonderfully written. I highly recommend.
April 27, 2024
This may have taken me a while to get through... but I LOVED this story where the setting for most of the book was aboard the Titanic.
This would be considered a more historical storyline with just enough facts sprinkled in that you'll be left wondering... could this have all actually happened? Two agents against those who would rather see war must stop at nothing to make sure the bad guys don't make it to New York.
This was so good that I was honestly left wanting to see more of Alex and Maria.
This would be considered a more historical storyline with just enough facts sprinkled in that you'll be left wondering... could this have all actually happened? Two agents against those who would rather see war must stop at nothing to make sure the bad guys don't make it to New York.
This was so good that I was honestly left wanting to see more of Alex and Maria.
May 11, 2022
Love anything to do with the Titanic so was eager to read this book. A good page turner and learned a few things that I hadn't heard of before in connection with the ship.
The only grievance I had was with the author's note where the date given for the collision with the iceberg is 2340 on 12 April 1912 and the date for the arrival of the Carpathia is 1410 on 13 April 1912. This is clearly an oversight that should have been spotted in the proof reading.
The only grievance I had was with the author's note where the date given for the collision with the iceberg is 2340 on 12 April 1912 and the date for the arrival of the Carpathia is 1410 on 13 April 1912. This is clearly an oversight that should have been spotted in the proof reading.
June 17, 2023
This was a great thriller read! Lots of great characters with a good range of character development that happened through the story! The plot was intriguing and captivating which created a story that the reader can get sucked into quite easily and enjoy! I loved the historical elements of this book and how the titanic was incorporated into the plot making the events of the titanic work in tandem with the plot of this book in a really great way! Definitely recommend reading this one if you enjoy thrillers, historical fiction, the titanic, and suspenseful reads!
October 15, 2020
Great read
I love anything to do with the titanic so have this book a go. Loved the different angle on a well known tragedy with the spy story . Loved the main characters but I will say the ending was a little predictable. But over all I really enjoyed it. Plus you must read the after but as even I learnt a few new tings about the titanic.
I love anything to do with the titanic so have this book a go. Loved the different angle on a well known tragedy with the spy story . Loved the main characters but I will say the ending was a little predictable. But over all I really enjoyed it. Plus you must read the after but as even I learnt a few new tings about the titanic.
August 14, 2025
Decent hedonistic escapist literature for what it's worth. Don't expect too much. The characters were pretty two dimensional. The dialogue was filled with clichés and I don't believe that without the Titanic this story would float.
May 21, 2020
8/10, VFM 19%, cracking historical yarn suggesting the Titanic could have been torpedoed and an insightful appendix piece about the sister ship. Worth Reading again and nice short chapters.
January 10, 2021
Slow reading and characters were not very exciting
April 6, 2021
A well known story - the sinking of the Titanic - with a very interesting twist.
January 9, 2022
Can never go wrong with James Becker! Always a pleasure to read, his conspiracy fiction novels.
Brough me right back to the Titanic film. Great read!
Brough me right back to the Titanic film. Great read!
August 28, 2022
Great read. If you like thrillers, intrigue and anything Titanic, you'll enjoy this book. I didn't want to put it down!
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July 11, 2023I loved it.
September 10, 2025
Excellent story and easy to follow! Highly recommend!!!
October 28, 2025
fascinating fictional backstory to the Titanic disaster with WW1 spies as the central story. Titanic stories never fail to keep me on the edge of my seat hoping the outcome could change.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews