A 1920s story inspired by the Golden Age of crime.
An old man is found at the foot of the stairs . The crime is investigated by a Scotland yard policeman, Temple, on his way to New York and one of the crew, Birch
With plenty of twists and turns along the way it will appeal to fans of the Golden Age of crime.

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC.

The blurb for this really intrigued me and I found myself imaging an Agatha Christie type affair and it certainly matched that for me.

It's 1924 and The Endeavour is full and setting sail for New York. Amongst the staff we meet ship's officer Timothy Birch back on board after a personal tragedy. When an man's body is found at the bottom of a flight of stairs is this just a terrible accident or is it something more sinister?

Here we meet James Temple a Scotland Yard Inspector, on the ship for business of his own in New York, who is convinced foul play is afoot. The ship's captain agrees to let him investigate but only if he allows Birch to shadow him. Along comes the introduction of the other characters who are all travelling to New York for one of the worlds biggest Art Fairs. Paintings are stolen, people are killed and many more are hiding secrets and double crossing each other. Can Birch and Temple uncover the truth, and the paintings, before they dock in New York and the culprits escape?

I really enjoyed this and as the ending leaves this open for a further installment I will be keeping my eye out for it to find out more.

With it’s 1920s setting and closed-community premise, there’s more than a whiff of Agatha Christie about A Fatal Crossing, the debut crime novel from Tom Hindle. However, whilst the stylings may be classic crime fiction, this transatlantic mystery soon ventures into thriller territory with a shady detective, a dash of mob violence, and a final twist that will leave reader’s gasping!

When the crumpled and rain-soaked body of an elderly man is found dead at the bottom of a companionway after a stormy night, the majority of the passengers and crew aboard the steamship Endeavour believe it to be a tragic accident. Certainly the ship’s captain, McCrory – two days into his retirement voyage and only four days out of New York – is all too happy to set the matter aside as swiftly as possible. So when obstinate Scotland Yard detective James Temple is insistent upon investigating the death, McCrory demands that ship’s officer Timothy Birch accompany him.

Taciturn, reclusive, and largely ostracised from the rest of the crew, Birch makes for an unusual companion for the brash and fiery Temple and, sure enough, it isn’t long before the two butt heads over Temple’s confrontational investigative style. However, when it emerges that the elderly gentleman was an art dealer travelling under a false name – and that a rare painting was stolen on the night of his death – Birch has to reluctantly admit that Temple might be onto something. As the investigation progresses and another death occurs, Birch and Temple must work together to catch a deadly killer. But with both detectives keeping secrets of their own and the Endeavour steaming across the Atlantic towards New York, can they complete their investigation before time – and their tempers – run out?

Personally, I found both Birch and Temple to be quite challenging characters to spend time in the company of. Both men are keeping secrets that, over the course of the novel, gradually emerge to become part of the wider story and that do, eventually, make them slightly more sympathetic but I have to admit that, even after these revelations, I struggled to warm to either of them. Temple, in particular, felt a little two-dimensional and both men were capable of rapid and irrational mood swings that, at times, felt as if they were serving the plot rather than ensuring well-rounded characterisation.

I also found the writing somewhat awkward at times, with Birch in particular obsessing over – and repeating – certain facts. As an example, once he realises that character possesses a revolver – and begins to worry about what might be done with it – it gets mentioned three times in the space of two pages and several more times over the course of subsequent chapters. Although this is a relatively minor niggle in the grand scheme of things, it was something that, once noticed, I couldn’t un-notice!

This was a great shame as the plotting really doesn’t need this heavy-handed signposting. Indeed, the intriguing plot and the eclectic cast of side characters is what kept me reading and preventing A Fatal Crossing from becoming a DNF. There’s some brilliant misdirection, plenty of subtle red herrings and, as I mentioned at the start of my review, a fantastic twist in the tale that I definitely didn’t see coming!

I also really enjoyed the sense of time and place that Hindle conveys. From the quiet luxury of the first-class cabins to the hubbub of the third-class common areas and the sparse utility of the officer’s quarters, A Fatal Crossing conveys a real sense of life on-board a luxury liner, and hints at the wider political and social concerns in 1920s Britain and America.

Although not every aspect of this novel landed with me, I’m glad that I stuck with A Fatal Crossing – and I’d definitely read more by Tom Hindle in the future. Although the characters didn’t quite gel for me, the impressive plotting and regular twists and turns kept me reading and the ending, although definitely pushing at the boundaries of plausibility, was certainly unexpected! Fans of historical mysteries are sure to find a lot to enjoy here, especially if they don’t mind exploring the darker side of human nature and enjoy their Golden Age crime with a thrilling twist.

Enjoyable read. Perfect for holidays, even cruises. When it's a mystery I don't like to say too much!

With thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for an ARC.

I thought this was ok but I found the characters confusing and I kept having to backtrack to find out who was who. Other than that it was ok and went along really well.

November 1924. The Endeavour sets sail from Southampton carrying 2,000 passengers and crew on a week-long voyage to New York.

When an elderly gentleman is found dead at the foot of a staircase, ship's officer Timothy Birch is ready to declare it a tragic accident. But James Temple, a strong-minded Scotland Yard inspector, is certain there is more to this misfortune than meets the eye.

Great mystery
Loved the old fashioned who dunnit feel it had
Murder Mystery and intrigue what more can you ask for

Thank you netgalley, Tom Hindle and Random House UK

A fantastic mystery debut all set on a ship travelling from England to New York with 2000 passengers aboard. I loved the setting of the ship and the exceptional detail that was applied to every aspect of the ship from the first class cabins to the grand stair case and restaurant. I felt like I could have been on the ship with how much detail the reader receives and the drama is even better.
Temple and Birch, both with secrets of their own, are tasked with finding a killer on board with very little evidence. The story is filled with twists and turns and the information is slowly provided to help create the picture of the murder which is eventually revealed towards the end. There is one last surprise in store for readers which really shocked me and I loved how it cleared everything up and left me wanting more.

Unfortunately this book was not for me. Other readers may enjoy it more, but I could not get into it and ultimately did not finish it.

So excited that this has now been released and have already had so many chats with my customers about what a great read they're in for. I'm not normally into historic fiction, but the draw of a murder on board a boat got me, and I'm glad it did. With a death deemed an accident initially an on-board Scotland Yard detective pushes the captain to find out what really happened to the man at the bottom of the stairs, and soon he and ship officer, Tim, are a brilliant mystery solving duo - think Sherlock and Watson. With shades of Agatha Christie and her famous golden age thrillers this is perfect for her fans, or indeed, fans of most historical fiction!

Only as I finished reading did I begin to understand why there had been so much detailed discussion of relationships on board this ship headed for NYC. In some ways its complexities are still beyond me but the double twists in the last sections told by this deeply depressed narrator were alluding to changes in habits that had to be carefully sorted. The time frame of 4 days helped with tensions but events seemed speedier than my experience attending to them.

Such an enjoyable read. A atmospheric whodunnit with so much charm and beautiful characterisation. I will be looking out for more books by this author

Tim Birch is a senior officer on a passenger liner sailing from Southampton to New York on a week-long crossing in November 1924. We soon discover that he is traumatised by both recent experiences in WW1 and by a family crisis, revealed in glimpses as the story progresses. There is a fatality on board and Tim is charged with accompanying James Temple, a Scotland Yard detective who has stepped forward and demanded to investigate the case. Temple believes it to be more than an unfortunate accident, and with good cause. The captain's only concern is that the incident is handled with extreme discretion so that the other 2,000 passengers are not unduly alarmed.

The book is very atmospheric and evocative of the time period. Passengers are strictly divided into 1st, 2nd or 3rd class, with the former occupying cabins as large as hotel suites, dressing for dinner and enjoying piano recitals, whilst 3rd class are crammed into tiny bunk-bed dormitories with 5 strangers. The action mainly revolves around a small group of 1st and 2nd class passengers who are travelling to the famed New York art fair, some of them carrying very valuable paintings, one of which is stolen and discovered to be linked to the dead passenger. It all makes for a complex tale of mystery in a space which is confined, and not just physically - the frustrating assumption that a gentleman's word is the truth gets in the way of the investigation on more than one occasion. The ending was a spectacular twist - I began to suspect some of it only a few pages before it was revealed, but even so the denouement was more whirling Dervish than twist.

Many thanks for the ARC from NetGalley, the publisher and author.

As a fan of the Golden Age of Crime, this new murder mystery set on an ocean going liner seemed the perfect book to lose myself in.

In a play on the locked room mystery, The Endeavour sets sail from Southampton to New York. It is 1924. The social class system is in full swing and clearly evident and I think this novel shows it well.

When a man is found dead at the bottom of the staircase, the captain thinks it was a mere accident. Anything else would cause concern among the passengers. However step forward James Temple, an Inspector from Scotland Yard on his way to New York for what purpose we don’t know for a long time. Conveniently he is keen to solve this mysterious death – convinced it is murder. The captain agrees but only if he is accompanied by Tim Birch one of the ship’s officers.

A very unlikely pairing with secrets of their own, Temple and Birch find themselves investigating a missing painting, a scratch on a car and mysterious women all somehow connected to the dead man.

It becomes a race against time to find out the truth about what is happening on The Endeavour and the plot whilst complicated at times, throws in lots of twists, turns and a plentiful of red herrings that when you reach what you think of the dénouement, you are swept off your feet by the actions that happen next. Thrilling.

This debut novel has all the hallmarks of being a book everyone will be talking about. Taking the classic murder mystery and pretty much sticking to the genre, it does not pastiche any of those that have gone before. It is worthy of standing along amongst the greats and I for one am looking forward to the next book by this author.

I have enjoyed reading this classic who-done-it. The setting was great, on board a great liner heading to New York. The start gripped, an old man found dead at the bottom of a gangway with a fatal head wound.
I have to say that the story was quite good, but I did sometimes struggle with who was Mr...or Miss.. there seemed to be a lot of similar characters. Perhaps it was just me.
I did find that I had a few issues with the author's grammar. "He fetched something from his coat" instead of brought is the one that springs to mind. There were a few others and I hope these have been remedied by good editor.

Very atmospheric and Christie-like

A Titanic-style murder mystery sounds great! The setting is on a luxurious ship with suspicious passengers and two main characters off to solve the mysterious death of a man. I really liked the details of the ship, from the rooms to the passengers, to the ship's crew.

Unfortunately, I found the main characters really unlikeable without reason. I don't mind reading anti-heroes or complex characters, but these two are hostile from the get-go. Pretty much all they did was glare (this word appeared 48 times!) and yell at each other or at other people. It really took away my enjoyment of the story, even after the reveal that to me, still doesn't justify why the characters behave the way they do. In fact, the surprising ending would've been more effective if the characters had gone along well. It feels like a missed opportunity to explore the depth of human nature and the desperate willingness of people to venture into the dark side.

I thought this was a great mystery with two great characters at the forefront and an intriguing relationship between the two of them.

Still not sure how I feel about the ending though, it doesn't quite feel like justice was done...

This is an atmospheric murder mystery set on a transatlantic voyage in 1924 with a complex plot and numerous suspects. Two detectives, Temple from Scotland Yard, travelling on the ship, and a ship's officer Birch conscripted to help with the investigation reluctantly work together to solve the murder before the ship docks in New York.

There are many suspects and twists with complex and vibrant characters.

Immersive and rich in characterisation and historical detail, this is the perfect read for classic style mystery lovers.

I received a copy of this book from Century Books via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Loved reading this book. I felt transported back to 1920's,the 'golden age' of travel,with murders on board,a canny detective,a back story for all the characters a ships officer with a tragic past, it is a read to sink ones teeth into.
Will look out for more from this author.

This historical murder mystery set on an Atlantic crossing in the 1920s is unlike my usual reading choices but it turned out to be a good choice nonetheless. The whole story takes place over a four day period in November 1924 as the cruise liner Endeavour approaches New York from Southampton with two thousand passengers and crew on board. When an elderly man is found dead at the bottom of a staircase, the ship’s captain assumes – and hopes – that it’s an accident. However, James Temple, a Scotland Yard inspector, happens to be one of the passengers on the voyage and, after examining the body, he is convinced that the old man has been murdered.

This is a typical. "whodunnit" kind of story but with lots of twists and turns. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.