BLOG TOUR: Maiden Voyage - Bradley Harper

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 Elephants, 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.

My rating:

Buy it from:

Amazon

Bookshop.org

Indigo.ca

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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BLOG TOUR: The Last Lifeboat - Hazel Gaynor

September 1940. 

In the immediate aftermath of a U-boat attack on an evacuee ship, one lifeboat of terrified  survivors endures a fierce storm in the Atlantic. 

May 1940. 

Four months earlier, two very different women – Alice King, a teacher, and Lily Nicholls, a young  widow- confront life-changing choices as Britain prepares for German invasion and the  devastating Blitz bombing raids begin. 

In Kent, Alice sees a chance to play a part in the war and volunteers as an escort on the ‘seavac’  ships; in London Lily faces the agonizing decision of whether to keep her children with her as  the Blitz begins, or send them to safety in Canada. 

The dramatic events of one fateful night in the mid-Atlantic, and the eight unimaginable days  that follow, bind the two women together in the most devastating way…

 

What did I think?

The Last Lifeboat should be printed with reinforced waterproof pages as I wasn't just virtually gripped, I was physically gripping the pages as I willed the survivors to hang on.  I was completely moved throughout and I was completely overcome with emotion as I turned the final page and audibly exclaimed: 'That was fantastic'.

This heartbreaking historical fiction novel is based on a true story and, although I had heard of children being evacuated to the countryside during World War II, I don't recall hearing about them being shipped to Canada, America and Australia.  Even more shocking then, is never learning about the sinking of the SS City of Benares by a German torpedo in the Atlantic.  Hazel Gaynor puts that right by bringing this haunting story to light.

I lived and breathed every second of this book and I felt a complete wealth of emotions as I experienced the war from various perspectives.  From the difficult decisions made by parents to send their children so far away to the fear of the nightly bombing and hoping that their children were safe.  It must have been so difficult for all concerned and it completely broke me as I experienced every emotion with them.

Devastatingly breathtaking, incredibly poignant and completely stunning, The Last Lifeboat is a beautiful written haunting novel that will stay with you long after you have turned the final page and dried your tears.  I will certainly never forget it and I wouldn't be surprised if it becomes one of my most recommended books; I simply cannot recommend it highly enough.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

About the author:

Hazel Gaynor is an award-winning, New York Times, USA Today, and Irish Times bestselling author of historical fiction, including her debut The Girl Who Came Home, for which she received the 2015 RNA Historical Novel of the Year award. The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter was shortlisted for the 2019 HWA Gold Crown award, and The Bird in the Bamboo Cage was shortlisted for the 2020 Irish Book Awards. She is published in twenty languages and twenty-seven countries. Hazel lives in Kildare with her family.

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