Andrew Wilson (9) (1967–)

This book looks not just at the Titanic, but picks out a few of the survivors to follow after the ship sank. Of course, it also backs up to include biographical information on these people from before the Titanic, as well as where they were and what happened with each of them the night the ship sank.

This was a bit of a different look at the story of the Titanic. I quite liked it! Some of the stories were of first class passengers I knew a bit about or at least remember hearing their names (Madeleine Astor, John Jacob Astor’s young, new, pregnant wife; Sir Cosmo Duff Gordon and his wife, Lady Duff Gordon); also J. Bruce Ismay, a White Star official. Many of the stories were people I hadn’t heard about before. Probably the one I’ll remember best is Jack Thayer, 17 years old and was going down with the ship when he jumped, managed to clear the ship, and be rescued. Dorothy Gibson was a silent screen actress on the Titanic who made it out. There were two little boys who were on the ship with their father; he got them in a lifeboat and they never saw him again… turns out the father had kidnapped them from their mother in France!

Ismay, of course, was on trial after the Titanic sunk. The Duff Gordons were, as well, it being alleged that they bribed the rowers of their lifeboat to not go back to see if they could help anyone. Madeleine Astor married and divorced two more times (though remarrying caused her to lose all wealth left to her by John Jacob). A number of people committed suicide (not necessarily right away) and many just wouldn’t talk of the Titanic afterward.… (meer)

Wilson's novel posits that the real reason Agatha Christie disappeared for eleven days in 1926 was because she was being blackmailed by the doctor of her husband's lover. The idea that Christie could have been coerced into murdering the doctor's wife to prevent a scandal is unimaginable. The aptly named Dr Kurs went to extreme trouble and expense in planning a hit-job that is glaringly obvious would have been simpler and considerably less risky to perform himself.

This contrived poorly written novel was an entire waste of time. Yes, it's fan-fiction and not to be taken seriously, but Wilson's tale was so ridiculously far-fetched that he scuttled my interest soon after starting. I'm convinced Christie's name was only used as an attention-getter to attract Agatha Christie readers.

If you are looking for a novel featuring Agatha Christie as a character I recommend The Woman on the Orient Express by Lindsay Jayne Ashford.… (meer)