Murder on the Oceanic

Ocean Liner Mysteries #7

by Conrad Allen, Edward Marston

When the Oceanic sets sail from England's Port of Southampton, its ultimate destination is New York. But it must make one very important stop first: at Cherbourg, in France, to pick up internationally renowned financier and art collector J. P. Morgan, fresh from a continental buying spree sure to have turned up numerous priceless objets d'art. Needless to say, George Porter Dillman and Genevieve Masefield, ship's detectives aboard the Oceanic, are slightly nervous about the presence of such an important passenger, not to mention his valuable cargo, among the passengers. For in their five years as detectives aboard the most elegant, regal sailing ships of their time, the two sleuths have never known a transatlantic voyage to pass without incident.



Also on board are a recently engaged couple, a charming rake who seems set on breaking them apart as well as seducing Genevieve, a controversial painter of nudes traveling with his bohemian wife and his alluring French model, and a pair of cabin stewards who have exclusive access to the private lairs of all aboard.

Previously published under the name Conrad Allen, the Ocean Liner series is relaunched for a new generation of readers.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Historical, Cozy Mystery

278 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 21, 2006

About the author

A pseudonym used by Keith Miles
Keith Miles (born 1940) is an English author, who writes under his own name and also historical fiction and mystery novels under the pseudonym Edward Marston. He is known for his mysteries set in the world of Elizabethan theater. He has also written a series of novels based on events in the Domesday Book.

The protagonist of the theater series is Nicholas Bracewell, the bookholder of a leading Elizabethan theater company (in an alternate non-Shakespearean universe).

The latter series' two protagonists are the Norman soldier Ralph Delchard and the former novitiate turned lawyer Gervase Bret, who is half Norman and half Saxon.

Reviews

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am well aware of the limitations of this series - one would never pick these up expecting three dimensional characters or stellar character/relationship development, and certainly not in-depth or unique cases. Its appeal for me lies in its comforting and solid familiarity instead; George and Genevieve will inevitably meet an array of obnoxious passengers, experience danger, sneak along the corridors in search of thieves and murderers and succeed in the end.

But even with my well-adjusted expectations, Murder on the Oceanic still managed to let me down overall. It was a boring retread of plot points that had happened before on previous voyages - we have Genevieve chasing a thief, George chasing a murderer, Genevieve once again has an unwelcome suitor who won’t take no for an answer, etc. NOTHING was new!

The most disappointing aspect was that we returned to the same-old Genevieve and George separate investigation routine, despite their newly-married status. After their relationship finally developed further in the previous book and they reached that crucial turning point at long last, I (and Genevieve) had hoped to see them travel as a couple for a change. But no - George insists they’d be more effective using their tired old method of pretending not to know each other, so we are “treated” to a repeat of their previous outings. They barely interact at all and frankly might as well not have been married - if the author didn’t tell us once in a while through their monologues that they’re husband and wife, I wouldn’t even have noticed. It sure wasn’t apparent in their behaviour.

In terms of the mystery, it’s also the same old - there’s a murderer on board and a spate of thefts concurrently. I feel like Genevieve and George seemed less effective than usual as a detective team; Genevieve in particular makes some astoundingly stupid mistakes, one of which nearly gets her almost sexually assaulted AGAIN. What kind of apparently seasoned detective gets so impatient that she ignores good advice to wait for backup and insists on barrelling into the cabin of someone who might be a thief AND a murderer alone?

George isn’t as bad, but does make his own fair share of errors that - again, what kind of seasoned detective clears potential suspects because they’re friends and “he doesn’t think they would do it”? (He’s only known these people for a few weeks at most!)

Usually the previous books would have at least one or two likeable passengers, but amazingly enough everyone was either obnoxious or barely tolerable. We don’t even get the pleasure of seeing them taken down a peg - the lady who lost the diamond earrings and nearly gets them killed with her idiocy at the end is never taught a lesson, clingy Blanche gets together “happily” with the horrible Mark, Genevieve’s attacker gets away almost scot-free because she once again chooses not to press charges… and so on.

I believe there’s only one more book in the series, so I hope it at least finishes off on a higher note than this one.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

George Dillman and Genevieve Masefield are working as undercover detectives aboard the cruse ship Oceanic investigating burglaries, recovering lost objects and always observing their fellow passengers. On this trip they have several challenges; a major burglary, petty thefts and a murder. The resolutions of all of these crimes are fascinating as are the conventions of the first class passengers, their wardrobes and their relationships. Most heart warming is the relationship between the two detectives who are not only partners in solving crimes, but in marriage. I found their total honesty with each other to be very touching. I recommend this book, as well as others in the series, very highly

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this, it being the last but one of the series, Genevieve and George are sailing on a ship on the White Star Line. This time they are both traveling as first class passengers, and although they are married, they are both traveling as singles. This time Genevieve is befriended by a young woman, Blanche, who is meeting her fiance aboard, however the fiance does not approve of Genevieve, a woman traveling alone, and this causes some problems. However the most important of the travellers was J.P. Morgan, who boarded in Cherbourg, along with his bodyguard and a lot of priceless objects he had brought in France.
The formula of the book is much the same as in the previous books. There are various petty crimes but also a murder, which is taking up all of George's time, leaving the rest to Genevieve. George manages to whittle down the suspects but we are really not told how.
I liked this episode better than some of the others, for me they have been light easy reads.

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's an alright book.
I appreciate that it can be read individually and not as part of the series, but it was physically hard for me to read. When characters have an accent there are apostrophes everywhere to the point that my brain jams up when trying to read it, but anytime the word "we'll" is written, it's somehow missing its apostrophe which is just as distracting. It's a shame because the content in the book isn't bad. They are all very samey now though, not much is a surprise, the flow of the books are all very similar.
Obviously it can't be that bad though because I finished the book and am still planning on reading the next.

[Eden · Rating 5 out of 5]

2020 bk 289. J. P. Morgan is aboard the Oceanic. Theft of his new treasures and the murder of his bodyguard seem to take up most of our intrepid duo's time, but his is not the only mystery onboard. The couple must make nice with the passengers, seeking out information that might help in their discovery. The first class passengers seem more diverse in backgrounds and interests than might be the norm and in this novel, the stewards have to provide a helping hand in solving the multiple mysteries of the voyage. Good Read!

[QNPoohBear · Rating 3 out of 5]

George Dillman and Genevieve Masefield are now working for the White Star Line, sailing for New York on the Oceanic. On board is the owner of the shipping line, noted financier J.P. Morgan, who is returning from Paris with a suite of art treasures. Urged by the purser and both detectives to lock up his valuables, he believes his bodyguard, Howard Reidel, will keep away any unwanted thieves. Dillman makes the acquaintance of an eccentric, bohemian artist, the artist's wife, Veronica, also an artist and his model, Dominique. Dillman finds them all charming. He also likes his steward, Manny Ellway, but suspects the man is hiding something. Genevieve is dealing with too much adoration again. A young woman, Blanche Charlbury, latches on to Genevieve and wants Genevieve to know her fiance, Mark. Mark disapproves of Genevieve and tries to curb Blanche's friendship,which angers Genevieve. Blance also introduces Genevieve to Johnny Killick, a rake with no scruples when it comes to the female sex. Not only does Genevieve have to worry about Johnny, she has an irate passenger who lost her diamond earrings and demands their return NOW; an absent-minded lady who lost her purse and a rash of other thefts. She's on her own because Dillman has a bigger crime to solve - the murder of J.P. Morgan's bodyguard and the theft of some valuable artwork. Dillman thinks the thefts are a ruse to distract him from his pursuit of the murderer. He needs Genevieve to solve the mystery quickly so he can catch the thief and murderer.

This story was less interesting than the previous mysteries. Now they're on the famed White Star Line but there's little description of the ship's interior. There's a lot of info dump about the history of the ship which does not bear any relevance to the story. There's a couple of red herrings and I couldn't figure out who committed the crimes. I suspected one person and was partly right. I wasn't sad or surprised that Reidel was murdered. He was too harsh and too stupid to stick around for long. This story lacks the charming characters of some of the previous books. I felt sympathy towards Blanche and hoped she would not work things out with Mark because he is not right for her. The victims of theft are not very sympathetic characters and one is horrid to Genevieve. The stewards and stewardess are the most sympathetic characters because they're just trying to earn a living but because of their social status, they're accused of crimes.

There were two major things I hated about this book: 1)Our detectives get arrogant again and make mistakes. By now they should be so experienced they would act cautiously. 2)Once again Genevieve puts herself in a dangerous situation and needs to be rescued. I absolutely think Dillman needs to teach her some self defense and that she should be smart enough NOT to put herself in that situation. It was horrible for her and horrible to read. At least this time she has a good reason not to press charges but even in 1910 I think she should have stood up for herself more. The minor thing I disliked about the story is that other than J.P. Morgan, the story could have taken place at any time during the steamship era.

Content warning: Dialogue about free love and what that means for the characters; near sexual assault

[Moravian1297 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately, the seventh and penultimate voyage in this Ocean Liner Mysteries series, has been the worst yet. It really wasn't great, and yes, there was the usual grizzly murder and petty thefts, but the characters aboard ship weren't all that good and the set up and story was generally poor, and at times excruciatingly boring.

I particularly found the constant bickering between the priggish diplomat, Mark Bossingham and his fiancée, Blanche Charlbury to be flat, somewhat tedious and completely uninteresting. But unfortunately their habitual and wholly ridiculous arguments over propriety, seemed to take up about a quarter of the story, yawn indeed. The pair had absolutely nothing in the way of any charisma, and I kinda wish that someone had livened things up early doors, and took it upon themselves to chuck Bossingham overboard and into the sea for fish food!
Another couple of characters that I didn't get on with whatsoever, were J.P. Morgan and his chief of security, Howard Riedel. Fair enough, the egregiously obnoxious Riedel was set up perfectly as the stories murder victim, I could see why someone would have wanted to off that cretin, but I wasn't so enamoured at even a hint of his boss, Morgan being shown to be altruistic or a philanthropist in any way, shape or form. Something that the book kept hinting at. J.P. Morgan was a scumbag, end of. And the only other character in the book, that I liked to any degree, besides Dillman and Masefield (actually now, Dillman and Dillman, but that doesn't quite have the same ring to it haha!), was Welsh artist, Abednego Thomas. The eccentric Welshman, whom had an infamous reputation as an extremely randy ’player’, and was known by the nickname, ’Abedwego’ Thomas, not only openly despised the banker, he told him exactly what he thought of him straight to his face, without fear or favour! Go on my son!

I also thought it to be exceedingly far fetched, that the reprehensible character of Johnny Killick, whom, as well as being a self entitled, predatory womanizer, and had also been set up as the book’s main ’red herring’, would have a bag of jewelry, which he had presumably won playing cards, that just so happened to be exactly the same as the items that had been stolen from his fellow first class passengers! Aye right! Utterly preposterous, and highly improbable! I did however, somewhat enjoy the beating George Porter Dillman dished out to the upper class predator, on learning that the posh trouble maker had attempted to coerce Genevieve into sexual relations. Nevertheless, and despite my dislike for Killick generally, I must admit that I did take some pleasure from the popinjay’s baiting of the sanctimonious poltroon, Mark Bossingham.

Another welcome distraction, besides Dillman’s beating of the aristocratic narcissist, was that the author focused on some of the staff, outwith the security team, aboard ship on this journey, and they weren’t just the bad guys either!
It was somewhat of a relief reading the interactions between first class stewards, Sidney Browne, Manny Ellway and Manny’s cabin maid wife, Edith Hurst, from the tedious, self righteous drivel, which was boring us to death, from J.P. Morgan, Mark Bossingham and Blanche Charlbury! And we also got a bit of a giggle, when Dillman, after catching the steward and maid sneaking into an empty first class cabin, as they were recently married and the trip was effectively their honeymoon, and after promising the pair that he would not report them to the head steward, but had then asked Manny and Edith for a ’quid pro quo’ in return for his silence, Manny had replied, somewhat taken aback, ’I didn’t think you’d be the type to blackmail us Mr Dillman? And besides, we couldn’t afford to give you a quid out of our meager wages anyway!’ So, George then had to explain it was just Latin, meaning ’a favour for a favour’, but it was certainly smiles all round, haha! It also reminded me of the great Alan Partridge line, ’You ought to have a basic grasp of Latin, if you’re working at Curry’s!’ (or in this case, as a steward aboard a White Star Line vessel!)

Author Edward Marston really, really likes his early twentieth century female fashions. This time, among other descriptions of fancy female attire, he regaled us with this over blown depiction of Genevieve Dillman’s evening wear,

’Dillman was his usual elegant self while Genevieve was wearing a full-length pink evening gown of chiffon-velours with graceful folds, a pointed Court bodice, and lace revers falling tastefully over the décolletage. Her hair was up, throwing her gold earrings into prominence. There was a pink choker around her neck, supporting a single large ruby.’

My word! I really don’t know what half of those things are, and if I never come across a ’chiffon-velour’ or a ’lace rever’ again, I’m not sure I’ll lose much sleep over it, haha!
The Oceanic even had a couturier passenger aboard, one Oskar Halberg, whom not only had his billfold and money stolen, by the tale’s main thieves and murderers, he was also hoodwinked by Abednego Thomas’s model and lover, Dominique Cadine into giving her his latest dress designs, which were then plagiarized by the Welsh artist’s wife, Veronica Thomas! It was certainly a very tangled web indeed, but Halberg, whom could not be accused of modesty to any degree, didn’t really inspire much in the way of any sympathy, as he was highly unpleasant and rather obnoxious all told.

Hopefully things pick up again for the final instalment of Dillman and Masefield aboard the wonderfully named ship, the Celtic.
I will say however, because Dillman and Masefield were now working for the White Star Line in this particular sea faring adventure, where the year was also now 1910 and with one more ship to board in the series, I really think that the author missed a trick by not adding a further book, which could have seen the pair of ship’s detectives aboard The Titanic! What a way to go out! Genevieve would obviously, being a first class female passenger, have been rescued, but poor auld George Porter Dillman would most certainly have gone down with the ship! Just a thought mind, but Eddy M definitely missed a trick there I think!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book by Conrad Allen that I read, and I have to say that I enjoyed it. The setting of a historic ship was both intriguing and informative. Mr. Allen does a good job of bringing the reader on board an ocean liner.

I began asking myself questions like, "How would I deal with being trapped on board a ship in the middle of an ocean with a murderer? Another interesting dynamic that I thought about was, "Could I work with my spouse without openly acknowledging that I am married?" I like to read books that make me ask questions.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not too sure what to make of this book. It rolled along at a pretty good pace and set the scene pretty well. However I just couldn't really get with the whole idea and concept of great ocean liner ship companies employing on-board detectives. It's just not an idea I found believable, so therefore struggled with the storyline.

[John Hardy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had already read the first book in this series, and the concept seemed to be not too bad. However, this, being the seventh book in the series, is showing the strain. The concept of the married couple working together as detectives, and having to pretend to not know each other, is hard to swallow.
The mystery is not bad, there are characters you love to hate, one of whom rapidly gets it in the neck - literally.
The dialogue is stilted, which may reflect the 1910 setting, but shows little of the fun and riotous times in that era. A real life character, the banker JP Morgan, is on board, and figures heavily in the plot. He doesn't come across as a nice man. Fun fact: Morgan died only a couple of years later.
As an experienced reader of whodunnits, I had an inkling of the culprit early on, but did not really get the full picture until late in the book.
At nearly 300 pages it is perhaps over-long, and I did tend to skip just a little towards the latter half of the book.
I didn't seem to get any real sense of the luxury of the ship, and I think the author missed the boat there.
It's readable but I'll just award a rating of 3.2.

[Danielle Lade · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this series, I find it a really comforting read & along with the railway detective, I love delving back in time with some familiar characters.

But this one felt disappointing. We had the same ‘fake robbery to find out who the ships detective was’, & the same ‘these thefts & murder are linked’. It felt rinse & repeat & while it’s always going to be a familiar format, this one just felt a bit too recycled.

There’s only one more of the series so I’m hoping it can finish on a high because other than this one, I’ve loved them.

[Chris Howland · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's always nice to discover another series of books to read. Having read 'Murder on the Lusitania' I was pleased to find this on the shelves at Waterstones the other day.
Dillman and Masefield have a tough case to solve... not helped in the least by the fact that the aggrieved party is non other than American financier JP Morgan.
It takes a little time and a lot of shoe leather but they do eventually crack the case!

[Pamela · Rating 2 out of 5]

This series has been interesting and entertaining. This one fell flat, even with the famous JP Morgan aboard, returning to New York from an art buying expedition in France. The dialogue was stiff and the thefts that Genevieve works to uncover seem convoluted. The dialogue announced what people were doing or feeling, in an awkward way all to often. So, this took me much longer to finish than typical cause I really did not care how the thefts were solved.

[Andree · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a favourite. There was a bit too much casual sexism in this, in a way that's definitely starting to feel like more than just a product of the time period it's set. In that people are just a little too patronizing to Genevieve, and she's just a little too apologetic. And also often cast as slightly the victim in the overall denouement of the mysteries. I'm going to read the last one in this series out of curiosity, but I'm not sure I'll pick up anything else by this author.

[Helen Birkbeck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting to have a real person on board, not long before JP Morgan nearly sailed on the 'Titanic'. Morgan is a more nuanced character than one would expect, though it's hard to feel sorry for the murder victim. Quite a good plot and the usual mix of passengers. I do wish the text didn't have two characters' speech in one paragraph - this is just not done in any form of publishing and makes it hard to know who is speaking.

[Diane Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 7 of 8 in the series and it’s good to see Dillman and Masefield back at sea solving crimes. Although I can never guess who is responsible for the thefts/murders the format is always the same. Thefts hen murders suspects made and Masefield trapped in a cabin with a “wrong un” getting into bother but saved before anything happens then the culprits found and case solved.

I will read the final book just so I’ve completed the series but know the format will be the same.

[Aaron Mullis · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book reads like a young adult book. One of the biggest problems I had was that the writers “says it” instead of “showing it.” An example of this is when the author says” “she said with a look of fear” rather than describing her look. To much is stated and it takes away from the writing. I liked the concept of the book far more than the final product.

[Andrew Pender-Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though this book could have done with more dramatic tension, it still proved a worthwhile read. The Edwardian period, including life on an ocean liner, is well conveyed and the, often, lively characters helped bring 'MURDER ON THE OCEANIC' to life. I am happy to read other books by this prolific author.

[Joshkun Mehmet · Rating 5 out of 5]

A crime story set on a cruise liner with the usual array of dysfunctional passengers and the beleaguered crew trying to keep everyone happy.

The husband and wife undercover detective team have their work cut out in identifying the perpetrator alongside a number of thefts of precious jewellery and art collections.

An enjoyable murder mystery with engaging characters.

[Sharon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the characters, the story was alright and the suspects weren't totally random. But the writing was a little stilted and I'm not a fan of the majority of the sleuthing based on "feeling" rather than clues. I read it, I may or may not read more in the series.

[Jerry Summers · Rating 4 out of 5]

George and Genevieve attract and detect more Murder and mayhem on the Oceanic, part of the White Star Line. This time JP Morgan is onboard with some interesting artistes. Insightful saying Morgan uses:

Pense moult. Parle peu. Écris rien.
Think a lot. Speak little. Write nothing.

[Stephen Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series just keeps getting better

This is another brilliantly crafted thriller, that sees this great series only getting better. All the characters and the suspense come together wonderfully to make this a very engaging story.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the penultimate book in the ocean going mystery series by Edward Marston (originally writing as Conrad Allen).
These stories follow something of a formula with the main characters George Dillman and Genevieve Masefield as ships detectives, solving crimes on a luxury ship. This time they are travelling between London and New York and amongst the passengers is the well-known financier J P Morgan. It is not long before theft and murder abound and the due must untangle the clues to solve the crimes. These are lightweight 'cosy' reads. It's a bit of escapism, quite predictable but nonetheless, enjoyable.

[John Garlington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining

I have read other Dillman and Masefield books but this one lacked drama until the last thirty five pages or so.

[Stella · Rating 4 out of 5]

It rolled and pitched along to a satisfactory conclusion.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first of this authors novels I have read and I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to reading many more

[Donald · Rating 2 out of 5]

Getting to the end of the series the formulaic nature starts to take the edge off... entertaining enough

[Jenny Schroeder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to the audiobook. It was a mediocre story. I was hoping for some more twists and turns, but nothing really caught me by surprise or was super shocking.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

They are a bit samey but I still keep reading them.

[Aspin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately this story was almost identical to the previous book but with different character names.