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Dark Passenger
2019 WINNER - Independent Audiobook Awards - Best in "HORROR!!!"
Once they said..."God Himself could not sink her!"
On board the RMS TITANIC, Professor Dennis Parker believes he's taking with him to New York the archeological discovery of a lifetime. As the voyage progresses, passengers and crew become the victims of several grisly murders - not seen since the infamous Jack the Ripper. All clues point to the impossible: the murderer is a 3,000-year-old mummy named "Ka-Re." Amid all the death and chaos, Parker is ultimately forced to choose between preserving his lifelong discovery and saving himself.
Once they said..."God Himself could not sink her!"
On board the RMS TITANIC, Professor Dennis Parker believes he's taking with him to New York the archeological discovery of a lifetime. As the voyage progresses, passengers and crew become the victims of several grisly murders - not seen since the infamous Jack the Ripper. All clues point to the impossible: the murderer is a 3,000-year-old mummy named "Ka-Re." Amid all the death and chaos, Parker is ultimately forced to choose between preserving his lifelong discovery and saving himself.
250 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
25 people are currently reading
130 people want to read
About the author
Donald Allen Kirch
47 books201 followersDONALD ALLEN KIRCH is an Multi-Award-Winning author who lives in The United States of America. He is an avid reader of history, Sherlock Holmes Mysteries, the paranormal, and is a "hardcore" Doctor Who / Star Trek fan. He has a degree in Radio and Television Arts and is listed in "Who's Who in America." After spending two weekends in the famous "Sallie House," a "haunted house" in Atchison, Kansas, he is one of the only authors of his craft who can claim to have been attacked by a ghost!
Donald is a Member of The Horror Writer's Association.
Donald is a Member of The Horror Writer's Association.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 28, 2018
The maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic has a stow away. And no, it isn’t Leonardo DiCaprio. It’s Ka-Re, an ancient and vengeful mummy that has just been awakened from a 3,000 year long nap.
And she’s cranky as hell.
I listened to this one on audio and really enjoyed it. Hollie Jackson did a very good job with the narration, though some of her accents were a wee uneven, the story still flowed nicely.
The mummy is almost a secondary character to the story of the ship and the infamous iceberg. Not sure how Mr. Kirch pulled it off, but it worked. Well done and entertaining.
“I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this honest review."
And she’s cranky as hell.
I listened to this one on audio and really enjoyed it. Hollie Jackson did a very good job with the narration, though some of her accents were a wee uneven, the story still flowed nicely.
The mummy is almost a secondary character to the story of the ship and the infamous iceberg. Not sure how Mr. Kirch pulled it off, but it worked. Well done and entertaining.
“I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this honest review."
November 16, 2010
As the author of “TORN,” being addicted to all things pertaining to theTitanic, I just had to check out Still Waters by Donald Allen Kirch. While most of us already know the story of the Titanic—or some version of it—I had never thought of it as a setting for a murder mystery. Kirch brings into the story an ancient Egyptian mummy, a deadly curse, and grisly murders giving a traditional story a most interesting twist. Because its premise is so unusual, it makes for an intriguing and fast read. Although a work of fiction, a lot of research must have gone into this book for all its facts. I found the book easy to read and would definitely recommend it to anyone who has a curiosity about the Titanic or murder mysteries. Donald Allen Kirch is an author who definitely has talent and one to keep your eyes out for! Thank you Donald for a most entertaining story!
Amber
Amber
July 30, 2010
With so many stories milling about regarding the sinking of the Titanic, one wonders what the real truth is. Perhaps Kirch, through his fictional novel “Still Waters” has deciphered the real catastrophe’s secret. Was it Ka Re?
Kirch brings together the Titanic’s calamity with Egyptian beliefs, a mummy by the name of Ka Re—that should have stayed in her resting place—mayhem and murder. This is not your typical report of the Titanic’s fatal end. Weaving together elements of believable characters with long-ago forgotten curses, Kirch brings the reader to the water’s edge with his fantastical tale of one mummy’s form of justice. Ka Re’s desire for revenge shows no mercy as she kills those she believes defies her and her gods.
Dennis Parker, the archeologist who finds Ka Re and attempts to transport her remains on the Titanic back to America for the museum, believes the murder victims and lost souls from the Titanic aptly lay at his door; he is guilt ridden. Will Ka Re be the end of him or will the reverse be true?
Thumbs up to Kirch for composing a novel with a refreshing twist.
~ Reviewed by Starr Gardinier Reina, author of “In the Name of Revenge”
Kirch brings together the Titanic’s calamity with Egyptian beliefs, a mummy by the name of Ka Re—that should have stayed in her resting place—mayhem and murder. This is not your typical report of the Titanic’s fatal end. Weaving together elements of believable characters with long-ago forgotten curses, Kirch brings the reader to the water’s edge with his fantastical tale of one mummy’s form of justice. Ka Re’s desire for revenge shows no mercy as she kills those she believes defies her and her gods.
Dennis Parker, the archeologist who finds Ka Re and attempts to transport her remains on the Titanic back to America for the museum, believes the murder victims and lost souls from the Titanic aptly lay at his door; he is guilt ridden. Will Ka Re be the end of him or will the reverse be true?
Thumbs up to Kirch for composing a novel with a refreshing twist.
~ Reviewed by Starr Gardinier Reina, author of “In the Name of Revenge”
December 7, 2020
A little fiction, a little fantasy, and a lot of true facts. This book is a very enjoyable read for anyone interested ing the first and last voyage of the Titanic. Skillfully woven into the fabric of a journal of the voyage of the Titanic is a tale of an Egyptian mummy, greedy person of both Egypt and England, and a world famous iceberg. I wonder why that hasn't been named yet?
It also showcases the arrogant class culture that was existent at the time. It makes a person cringe now, but brings into focus that even now people strive to put themselves into a class above others.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
It also showcases the arrogant class culture that was existent at the time. It makes a person cringe now, but brings into focus that even now people strive to put themselves into a class above others.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 3, 2008
Donald worked for me at the time he was getting this book published. I still have one of the first run of paperbacks he signed to me. It was a great book, but it was an enjoyable read. I would call it Stephen King "lite."
March 7, 2010
Another great book! Who knew what really happened to the Titanic! :) Very enjoyable and I look forward to more.
September 3, 2022
How do you improve on the hubris of the Titanic and the horror of its sinking? Well, if you're Donald Allen Kirch, you weave in the hubris of early twentieth-century tomb raiders and the horror of cursed mummies. Considering Robert D. Ballard's early 80s search for the lost ship overlapped with my own discovery of Indiana Jones, it kind of feels like Dark Passenger was written for me.
The clash between science and magic, human greed and inhuman curses, is explored perfectly, accentuated by the clash between the idle rich and the working poor. The Titanic's sinking is more than enough to carry a story, especially with the question of cutting corners and putting spectacle ahead of safety, but the addition of a murderous mummy who's desperate to sink the ship before it can fall off the edge of the world adds laces foreboding with dread.
With the fact of the sinking inevitable, you might wonder how there could be any genuine drama or mystery to the story, but Kirch keeps us guessing as to the how and why of it all. Dark Passenger is a fast-paced thriller with just enough supernatural horror beneath the human drama to keep it exciting, without pushing it too far into the realm of the unbelievable. In fact, Mister Andrews' quest to discover all the ways his safety precautions were ignored, shorting the ship on everything from light fixtures to rivets, is one of the more interesting aspects of the story, especially as it overlaps Ka-Re's quest to curse the maiden voyage.
Although I would like to have spent a little more time with Professor Parker excavating the tomb at the start, and wish he'd spent a little more time in Ka-Re's embrace at the end, those are really my only complaints about the book. In between, I loved the dynamic of Captain Smith and his crew, the folly of Ismay and his arrogance, and the dogged detective work of Inspector Cotts. The moments of violence are spaced nicely, effective in their brutality, and the actual sinking of the Titanic is captured beautifully. Definitely recommended.
https://beauty-in-ruins.blogspot.com/...
The clash between science and magic, human greed and inhuman curses, is explored perfectly, accentuated by the clash between the idle rich and the working poor. The Titanic's sinking is more than enough to carry a story, especially with the question of cutting corners and putting spectacle ahead of safety, but the addition of a murderous mummy who's desperate to sink the ship before it can fall off the edge of the world adds laces foreboding with dread.
With the fact of the sinking inevitable, you might wonder how there could be any genuine drama or mystery to the story, but Kirch keeps us guessing as to the how and why of it all. Dark Passenger is a fast-paced thriller with just enough supernatural horror beneath the human drama to keep it exciting, without pushing it too far into the realm of the unbelievable. In fact, Mister Andrews' quest to discover all the ways his safety precautions were ignored, shorting the ship on everything from light fixtures to rivets, is one of the more interesting aspects of the story, especially as it overlaps Ka-Re's quest to curse the maiden voyage.
Although I would like to have spent a little more time with Professor Parker excavating the tomb at the start, and wish he'd spent a little more time in Ka-Re's embrace at the end, those are really my only complaints about the book. In between, I loved the dynamic of Captain Smith and his crew, the folly of Ismay and his arrogance, and the dogged detective work of Inspector Cotts. The moments of violence are spaced nicely, effective in their brutality, and the actual sinking of the Titanic is captured beautifully. Definitely recommended.
https://beauty-in-ruins.blogspot.com/...
January 1, 2021
This was a very enjoyable and entertaining book. This storyline was not what I expected I mainly took to read this as the cover caught my eye, and I did not regret it. The author was fantastic in painting this story about an Egyptian Mummy and the Titanic and his facts and information he provided were very detailed and clearly well researched.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
September 5, 2018
Here we have the historic Titanic cruise with a twist. On this particular maiden voyage the HMS Titanic has an unwanted stowaway. A 3,000 year old mummy has booked passage with its archeologist Dennis Parker. Due to an age old curse the mummy comes alive and decided to sacrifice passenger and crew to her god in the hopes of removing said curse. As with the real Titanic bottom line comes first and the Captain is persuaded to continue the voyage. Stay tuned for a cat and mouse hunt for a mummy. How many will survive? How will Parker deal with his resurrected find? This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.
October 5, 2018
I LOVED this book!I didn't want to put it down!A mummy on the Titanic!Was that the reason she sank?The characters were all very interesting.Hollie Jackson is an wonderful narrator.I was given this book by the narrator,author or publisher free for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews