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A murder mystery featuring Lord Edward Corinth and Verity Browne.
1937. Lord Benyon is on board the Queen Mary, bound for New York, where his mission is to persuade President Roosevelt to supply Britain with arms and money, if it comes to war with Germany. Those who want him to fail will stop at nothing to prevent him from reaching an agreement with the American President. So, when Lord Benyon refuses police protection, Special Branch enlists the help of Lord Edward Corinth: he is to board the ship and keep an unofficial eye on Benyon.
Verity Browne is aboard the Queen Mary too, going to America on behalf of the Communist Party to liaise with sympathisers to their cause. There is indeed a murder on board, but not that of Lord Benyon: the victim is a right-wing Senator from North Carolina. The obvious suspect would be Warren Fairley, an African-American singer, actor, and communist. But the Senator has enraged many of his fellow passengers, such as Sam Forrest, the union organiser with whom Verity is so taken…
Praise for David Roberts:
‘The plot is both intricate and enthralling, like Poirot on the high seas, and lovingly recorded by an author with a meticulous eye and huge sense of fun’ Michael Dobbs, author of Winston’s War
‘A classic murder mystery […] and a most engaging pair of amateur sleuths’ Charles Osborne, author of The Life and Crimes of Agatha Christie
‘A perfect example of golden-age mystery traditions with the cobwebs swept away’ Guardian
1937. Lord Benyon is on board the Queen Mary, bound for New York, where his mission is to persuade President Roosevelt to supply Britain with arms and money, if it comes to war with Germany. Those who want him to fail will stop at nothing to prevent him from reaching an agreement with the American President. So, when Lord Benyon refuses police protection, Special Branch enlists the help of Lord Edward Corinth: he is to board the ship and keep an unofficial eye on Benyon.
Verity Browne is aboard the Queen Mary too, going to America on behalf of the Communist Party to liaise with sympathisers to their cause. There is indeed a murder on board, but not that of Lord Benyon: the victim is a right-wing Senator from North Carolina. The obvious suspect would be Warren Fairley, an African-American singer, actor, and communist. But the Senator has enraged many of his fellow passengers, such as Sam Forrest, the union organiser with whom Verity is so taken…
Praise for David Roberts:
‘The plot is both intricate and enthralling, like Poirot on the high seas, and lovingly recorded by an author with a meticulous eye and huge sense of fun’ Michael Dobbs, author of Winston’s War
‘A classic murder mystery […] and a most engaging pair of amateur sleuths’ Charles Osborne, author of The Life and Crimes of Agatha Christie
‘A perfect example of golden-age mystery traditions with the cobwebs swept away’ Guardian
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Reviews
A classic murder mystery with as complex a plot as one could hope for and a most engaging pair of amateur sleuths whom I look forward to encountering again in future novels
The plot is both intricate and enthralling, like Poirot on the high seas, and lovingly recorded by an author with a meticulous eye and a huge sense of fun
Praise for David Roberts:
Roberts' use of period detail... gives the tale terrific texture. Recommend this one heartily to history-mystery devotees
A really well-crafted and charming mystery story
Roberts just keeps getting better with each book in this historical series
A perfect example of golden-age mystery traditions with the cobwebs swept away
A gripping, richly satisfying whodunit with finely observed characters, sparkling with insouciance and stinging menace
