This is quite fun: by taking the great disaster as a backdrop to a murder mystery, the author makes himself three great gifts:

1. The opportunity to ladle on titanic levels of dramatic irony;
2. The opportunity for fun with real-life characters (Jack Futrelle as detective);
3. The opportunity to explore the implications for morality of an enclosed world where there will be no tomorrow (at least from the moment that the realisation that the ship is sinking sinks in).

The first two of these Collins exploits with gusto, the third less so; he has done his research: he recreates with loving attention to detail the appearance and atmosphere on board the sinkable unsinkable liner; he knows who was there; he knows what was on the menu, what music was played, etc. etc.

Using the (wholly factual) fictional mystery writer Jack Futrelle (inventor of that other Sherlock Holmes, Prof S.F.X. Van Dusen, aka The Thinking Machine) as the character through whom this other (fictional) blackmail mystery is told is an inspired idea.

But...

Since we know that, before very long, the ship will sink, (nearly) all will be lost and justice will go undone, it does become very difficult to care, at least about the whodunnit.

I suppose, though, just as the prologue of a Shakespearean play gives the ending away before the action has even begun, our pleasure must here, too, come from the way in which the story is told, rather than any sense of surprise in how it ends.

And the way in which this story is told is ... fun.

Just don't expect great depths - except for the obvious ones. ( )

Author Max Collins has given his readers an interesting mystery: what if a murder had been committed on the Titanic before it struck the iceberg? On board in this work of fiction are the people who really were on board, including mystery writer and journalist Jacques Futrelle. When a body is discovered, likely murdered and not deceased through natural causes, Futrelle is pressed into service to find the guilty party. To complicate matters, the dead man was a blackmailer who had several “clients” on the ship. The novel is a quick and entertaining read, dealing with life on the ship and folllows Futrelle as he chases down clues. It’s a good mystery that doesn’t dwell on the actual sinking. ( )

3.5 Stars, rounded up to 4. This was an enjoyable book, although it did take a while to get going as the feel for being on the Titanic was developed. As the book went on though it did fully engage me and I enjoyed the writing style. Not surprised the first person who was killed was murdered, I think that I might have been tempted as well. Lol! The author did an excellent job of mixing fact and fiction and it just makes you wonder! The book felt quite sad towards the end as you knew what was coming and you had grown attached to the characters by then. It was quite a quick read, and this was a very slight weakness as it left you wanting some more. I definitely think I'll read other books by this author. ( )

Nice feel to the period. Good characters. Plausible mystery. ( )

Very well researched and thoughtfully done. Skillful use of the mystery as the tree on which he could hang the necessary Titanic cast of characters ( )