Eileen Enwright Hodgetts

Most Titanic stories end once the ship has gone down but this novel picks up with the survivors, and passengers, on the Carpathia, and continues the story all the way to the US Senate hearings in Washington. The book is well-researched and full of interesting historical characters, and events, interwoven with fictional mysteries involving Carpathia passenger Kate Royston, Titanic survivor Danny McSorley, and the tenacious Eva Trentham, among others. I really enjoyed it, though I’ll admit it took me a while to get into. I was a little put off at first by what, to my mind, seemed unnecessary mysticism (characters at home waking on the night of the sinking, feeling certain that something terrible has happened). I also thought the Irish characters’ speech patterns were slightly “stage Irish” at times, though I did enjoy Bridie’s character. Overall, I was gripped by the story and surprised at how moving it was, considering how familiar the events are. I recommend the book for anyone interested in Titanic history because it approaches it from such an unusual angle, giving the reader a unique sense of what the immediate aftermath of the sinking may have been like.

I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.… (mais)

Katherine Royston is running away from a hometown disaster. She becomes a governess and sets off on a Mediterranean cruise with the family. However, the Carpathia hears the Titanic's calls for help. She is pressed into service as the survivors are rescued. Eve Trentham, a very wealthy woman and Titanic survivor, scoops her up as her secretary/companion. From there Kate becomes involved in the Senate investigation into the disaster run by Senator William Alden Smith of Michigan. The book is about Kate's hunt for a future and the investigation into and laying blame for the sinking of the Titanic.… (mais)

England, 1952 and lawyer Toby Whitby arrives at work to find one of the partners, Robert Alderton, dead. Unfortunately he now has to take his place at a meeting with the Earl of Southwold. All he would need to do is verify that certain documents are legal. But nothing is ever simple or straighforward and that is true in this case. Can the truth be discovered.
An interesting and enjoyable well-written mystery story with its foundations in the Second World War.
Received a copy from Voracious Reader.… (mais)