The Titanic Tragedy

Starred review from September 24, 2012
First published in 1996 as Sherlock Holmes and the Titanic Tragedy, this captivating pastiche finds the famous sleuth, in disguise as a Royal Navy commodore, and his loyal friend and narrator, John Watson, on board for the equally famed ocean liner's fateful maiden voyage. Accompanying Holmes is Christine Norton, Irene Adler's grown daughter, who's carrying secret plans for a prototype submarine. The trio join Capt. E.J. Smith at his table, where they meet a lively group of dining companions, including Colonel Moriarty, brother of Holmes's most notorious adversary; a German baron, Hans Von Stern, and his wife, Elizabeth; and crime writer Jacques Futrelle. Soon after the Titanic leaves port, the secret plans are stolen, while a blackmail plot against Baroness Von Stern and the shooting of a ship's officer, found dead in a Rolls-Royce below decks, add to the intrigue. The heroes' efforts to unravel an apparent anarchist plot combine with the reader's foreknowledge of the disaster awaiting the legendary ocean liner to create taut, absorbing suspense.