Three female thieves, a priceless painting, and a Pinkerton agent aboard the Titanic. What could go wrong?
Colette DuVall, a young jewel thief from Canada, follows Mary Carr, the 'Queen' of the criminal gang The Forty Elephants, aboard the Titanic to steal a painting by the French master, Blondell. Her resolve weakens when she meets Harry Worth, a young Pinkerton agent hired to safeguard the wealthy passengers during the ship's maiden voyage. Harry, the son of master criminal Adam Worth, questions his role as a private policeman exacting private justice, and his doubts deepen after losing his heart to the charming Colette. Can two people on opposite sides of the law find love and survive the sinking of the largest object ever made?
Loyalties collide as fiercely as the ship with the iceberg, and as the three struggle to escape the foundering colossus they find that love may be the greatest thief of all.
What did I think?
I love stories about the Titanic so I was very excited to read Maiden Voyage and I was not disappointed. As well as some of the characters being real people who were on the Titanic, Bradley Harper imaginatively includes Mary Carr, the Queen of the Forty Elements, among the passengers with a cunning plan to steal a valuable painting on board.
The art heist plot is fantastic and it really kept me riveted, especially as the reader knows that time is running out for RMS Titanic but the thieves are still going full steam ahead. The drama and tension just keeps on ramping up as the ship starts to fill with water and I couldn't read fast enough to see how it was all going to end (spoiler alert: the ship sinks).
Bradley Harper's writing is so very evocative and vivid that I could easily visualise the scenes in my head. I even had a pretty good idea of what the painting would look like before I even realised it was on the front cover of the book! Maiden Voyage is Bradley Harper's fourth novel and I will definitely be looking to read his earlier books on the strength of this one.
Imaginative, original and compelling, Maiden Voyage is a stunning novel that gave me goosebumps as I was reading. It is incredibly entertaining and dramatic as the art heist plays out against the infamous and poignant backdrop of Titanic's fatal voyage. A very highly recommended read.
I received a gifted digital copy to read for the Paste Creative virtual book tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
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About the author:
Bradley Harper is a retired US Army Colonel and pathologist who has performed over two-hundred autopsies and some twenty forensic investigations. A life-long fan of Sherlock Holmes, he did intensive research for this debut novel, A KNIFE IN THE FOG, including a trip to London's East End with noted Jack the Ripper historian Richard Jones. Harper’s first novel was published in October 2018 and was a finalist for the 2019 Edgar Award by the Mystery Writers of America for Best First Novel by an American Author and won the Killer Nashville 2019 Silver Falchion for Best Mystery. Harper’s second novel, QUEEN’S GAMBIT, was awarded the Killer Nashville 2020 Silver Falchion Award as Best Suspense and Book of the Year.
MAIDEN VOYAGE is Harper’s fourth book.
ONLINE LINKS
Website: https://bharperauthor.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bharperauthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bharper1888/
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