Eadie B. (eadieburke) - , reviewed on 10/23/2021 + 1619 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

July 1910: A gruesome discovery by Chief Inspector Walter Dew of Scotland Yard - a body in the cellar buried under the flagstones is Cora Crippen, former music-hall singer and wife of Dr. Hawley Crippen. No one would have thought the quiet, unassuming Dr. Crippen capable of murder, yet the doctor and his mistress have disappeared from London, and now a full-scale hunt for them has begun. Mr. John Robinson, accompanied by his teenage son, Edmund, has just set off on its two-week voyage to North America. Crippen reimagines the amazing escape attempt of one of history's most notorious killers and marks the outstanding American debut of one of Ireland's best young novelists. It is an entertaining read about a real-life murder with lots of twists. John Boyne is a master storyteller and his characters are always unique and interesting. I first heard about this murder while reading Eric Larson's Thunderstruck novel and wanted to read more about the murder. If you love books based on true historical accounts then you will love this book too.


Across the Channel in Antwerp, the S.S. Montrose has just set off on its two-week voyage to North America. Slipping in among the first-class passengers is a Mr. John Robinson, accompanied by his teenage son, Edmund. The pair may be hoping for a quiet, private voyage, but in the close confines of a luxury ocean liner, anonymity is rare. And with others aboard looking for romance, or violence, or escape from their past in Europe, it will take more than just luck for the Robinsons to survive the voyage unnoticed.

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