The Lusitania Murders

Historical mysteries grounded in fact and embellished with fiction are Collins's forte, and here he takes the World War I sinking of a great Cunard liner as the canvas for a rollicking story of murder, espionage, and mayhem. Willard Wright, a critic, journalist and mystery writer (under the pseudonym of S.S. Van Dine), is supposed to be interviewing the rich and famous who are making the journey to England on the luxurious ship. But what he's really doing is investigating the sub rosa shipment of munitions by a government supposedly neutral in the European conflict. Aided by a female version of Philo Vance, Van Dine's series hero, Wright unmasks a couple of spies and a murderer and finds the munitions in plenty of time to carry on a decidedly modern affair with the beautiful and sexy Pinkerton agent, but, alas, too late to save the Lusitania from a German U-boat. A skillfully told story with all the verisimilitude and historical accuracy of earlier books in this captivating series, which gave the Titanic , Hindenburg , and Pearl Harbor disasters the same lively treatment. --Jane Adams From Publishers Weekly In this traditional, pre-World War I mystery, prolific Collins (The Pearl Harbor Murders, etc.) emulates the memoir-like writing style of S.S. Van Dine, a mystery writer and art critic popular in the Jazz Age, and casts him as a journalist-cum-amateur sleuth. Humbled by the need to make a buck, the ever disdainful Van Dine agrees to board the Lusitania in order to interview the ship's wealthiest passengers and investigate rumors that the opulent ocean liner is carrying munitions. While touring the vessel, Van Dine and his guide surprise three stowaways who may be German saboteurs. When one of them turns up dead, Philo Vance, the ship's dimpled detective, takes over and enlists Van Dine as her assistant and lover. Two corpses later, Philo and Van Dine deduce there's a traitor in their midst who is most likely one of the vessel's most esteemed passengers. Collins, author of several screenplays and movie/TV tie-in novels (In the Line of Fire; Road to Perdition), ably weaves a well-paced, closed-environment mystery reminiscent of Agatha Christie, but the acerbic Van Dine, who scorns popular fiction and politics, will grate on readers' nerves. Nevertheless, the author succeeds in resurrecting a long-forgotten writer and re-imagining the Lusitania's final voyage.Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.