OK, I know this is a little early, but here is the book/author who I will be recommending for my February 2014 Cozy Mystery Book Recommendation. I am enjoying my current mystery so much that I just have to tell you about it now.
I’m currently reading the first mystery in Conrad Allen‘s (aka Edward Marston & Keith Miles) Dillman Mystery Series. The first book in the series is Murder on the Lusitania. We are introduced to George Porter Dillman, the main sleuth in this series. He hails from a family of yacht builders, but has decided on a different career path. He is a detective on a ship, which, from the titles of Allen’s books must change to different ships in the line’s fleet.
The series takes place in the very early 1900s, so it’s not a “cruise” ship as they are known today. This ship is the mode of transportation for people going from Europe to North America. Don’t expect the “Las Vegas glitzy shows” or the many planned activities that one might expect on a cruise ship today. A major source of fun is walking on the decks, and socializing with others before, during, and after each meal.
So, is this a Cozy Mystery? I am 63% through this book, and I would say that I definitely would call it a Cozy Mystery. Hmmm, you may say. How can you do that? The main sleuth is currently a detective (after being a Pinkerton agent for a while) >>> not an amateur detective. My answer is this: Let’s not lose sight of Hercule Poirot, a police-trained detective, who is among the Coziest of Cozies.
This mystery (as I said I’ve only read 63% of it) takes place on a cruise ship, where everyone seems to become familiar with each other. It’s like a small, contained “village” – so to speak. Allen has been able to make the characters into a small community of sorts.
While reading this Conrad Allen mystery, I have been struck several times by how much it reminds me of an Agatha Christie mystery. It is well written; the words seem to flow seamlessly. The writing is crisp. Allen doesn’t make the reader wait to get answers. He actually moves from one puzzle piece to the next. (I get quite annoyed by authors who make you wait two or three chapters to get an answer to a question that has been posed!)
The characters, of which there are quite a few, are very well-developed. They are “identifiable” >>> I didn’t find myself having to scan back to try to remember who is who. I think that’s pretty significant, because to me, when I can “remember” a character, it’s like that character has been fleshed out and has become a person, rather than a “character.” (I sure hope that makes sense!) Allen treats us to a few quirky people amongst the “normal” ones.
Also, (again based on the first 63% of the first mystery in the series) there has been no gratuitous/superfluous violence/sex/profanity. (That’s a lot of “/”!) This is not to say that there isn’t implied violence/sex/profanity. Allen gets his point across when he tells one character to “lock the door” to another. A lot of us can get the drift as to what is going to be happening behind those locked doors.) Also, when the “bad guy/gal” (No spoilers here!) is hit several times and stabbed, we don’t actually need a blow-by-blow description of all of his/her injuries, do we? Also, Allen mentions when one of his characters uses “expletives” without us having to hear (read) them.
If you’re interested in reading more of these brief revisits of some of the more popular Cozy Mystery Series that I’ve written in the past, you can find them at the Most Recommended Cozy Mystery Series page on my site.
Martine says
Danna,
That book sounds really good. I am always looking for authors who are similar to Agatha Christie. On a scale of 1 to 10, just how close to Dame Agatha is it in your opinion (with 10 being exactly like)?
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Martine, I just mentioned your comment to my husband (who will be starting Murder on the Lusitania tonight), and he told me that he thought I had gone a little over-board (pardon his pun) with my Agatha Christie comparison. He thought I was setting people’s expectations too high, which sometimes can lead to disappointment.
To answer your question about similarity with Christie (not book rating) I’d give it a 7.5 out of 10, which to me is very high. I truly did find myself thinking I was reading an Agatha Christie mystery.
Lenore Kay says
I agree with you.Loved the Ocean Liner books was so sad to read the lat one. I will try his other series listed here.
Susan* says
This is one of my favourite mystery series, too! I fell in love with the author / series after discovering “Murder on the Mauretania”, the 2nd book in the series. (Still my favourite.)
I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that yes, the duo – In the rest of the series, Dillman partners up with a lady he meets in this one – do travel on various ships in the line, and they even get ‘loaned out’ to another shipping line at least once. Every book is a different ship.
I think I may be one of those who has mentioned these books in the past – and you are very welcome!! 🙂
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Susan*, you are indeed one of the Cozy Mystery readers who suggested/recommended Conrad Allen’s series. It took me a while to finally get to him, but I’m so glad I did.
Thank you!
PamB says
I found Murder on the Lusitania at a used book store months ago after your recommendation and am putting it on top of my TBR pile. So enjoy all the recommendations.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Wise decision, PamB!
Lynn T. says
Thanks for the information on Conrad Allen. It sounds like a book that I would like. Just love trying new authors while also reading familiar authors. It is now downloaded on my Kindle. Your recommendation, the comparison to an Agatha Christie novel and the character development enticed me to try Murder on the Lusitania. Looking forward to reading this mystery.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Lynn T, I hope you like this mystery as much as I do. I wanted to read the second in the series immediately, but I try to adhere to my “spacing” of favorite authors. Some times that’s more difficult to do than other times.
LadyD says
I just finished reading this book. I have a few more in the series as well that I look forward to reading.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
There you go, LadyD, isn’t it good?
Cathy says
I agree that is is exciting to hear about new to me author! That’s why I love your blog and the great comments and suggestions from you and your followers.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Cathy, I get so doggone excited when I find a new-to-me author to add to my favorite authors list. (Unfortunately, I have taken a lot of authors off of that very same list, so I am always looking for newbies.)
reginav says
Hi Danna, I enjoyed those books very much. You are always very good about mentioning authors you have read. I just recently finished a series you recommeneded by Ada Madison about a college professor of Math. I had read the first book but lost track of the others. As usual I had to read them all at once. Very good reading.I have just now read Simon Brett’s newest “Fethering Series.” In each book it seems as if one of the 2 main characters has a leading role.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Regina, I think I have been a fan of Camille Minichino since she was just known as Camille Minichino!
Marja says
Danna, I know what you mean about too many characters whose identities are unclear to the reader.
Recently had to give up on a book by one of my fave mystery authors because there were something like 30 characters, only about 8 of whom were drawn clearly enough for me not to have to look back. Frustrating.
I like what Rita Mae Brown does in her Sneaky Pie books: lists a Cast of Characters at the beginning. This can be tricky b/c a mystery writer doesn’t want to give the game away simply by a short description of a character, but I could stand for many more authors to do this.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Marja, there have been a few audio books that I have had to begin several times because the author introduced so many characters all at once. Of course, this meant that I had to keep rewinding and trying to find the right spot where that particular character was introduced, ETC. Good grief! When that happens, I generally get a bad feeling for that particular author, and am tempted to just give up on him/her.
MJ says
Marja, I so totally agree with you! I really, really, really appreciate it when an author lists the characters with a brief description. Only a few authors do that, though. I wish we could convince authors to adopt this formula. I think this might be a problem no matter the book genre.
I’m currently reading the third book in a series by a popular author(s). She is making the assumption we have read the previous two books (which I have) because she starts out with several characters discussing various agenda items in a meeting. However, she doesn’t give any identity to these characters. They all are recurring characters (none will be the culprit). When books are released a year apart, many readers (including me) forgot what each did (occupation) within the context of the story. Ugh! It gradually improves, but there is still one character I haven’t figured out, and I’m a third of the way through the book.
It’s always easy to identify the sleuth/protagonist and detective(s). However, it is all the other characters that need further clarification. It’s a minor irritation, but I know it could easily be resolved with a character list in the book before the story begins. I don’t think an author gives too much away if they state – John Smith, bar owner, or Mary Jones, store manager, or Hilda Hump, great aunt!
Deahna says
Danna, you’ve ab-so-lute-ly ruined my plans last night!!!
I’m quite interested in the newer cruise ships but I don’t like the current batch of mega liners.
I’ve been on different ships from a small exploration vessel to one of the larger ones.
I’ve read several cruise-related mysteries and I was disappointed by most. They just seem so far from any plausible reality I could relate to.
So I started in on that one with low expectations, thinking I’d see the same drivvel I’ve seen before.
Before I was even halfway through the book I bought the other seven in the series (epub on smashwords.com).
And after four hours I closed the book at ‘The End’ and was only disappointed that I could not start in on the next right away. By then it was really late and I had to pick up some of my evening plans early this morning (like doing the washing up before going out).
This is well thought out, it’s about as realistic as can be, it’s written well and while there is some violence towards the end it’s still a cozy because neither the violence nor sex/bad language dominate the book in any way.
On an Agatha Christie-alike scale I’d give it a 6 to 7.
And the fact that the main hero is a private detective adds to the plausibilty for me because – let’s face it – no sane captain or purser would ever ask a passenger, not even a Jessica Fletcher, to investigate a crime or listen to someone who invisioned themselves as sleuths of any kind. This detective can go where a passenger can’t but he’s not making overmuch use of it either. It just adds colour to the whole setting.
Thank you for your recommendation. I certainly loved it.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Deahna, sorry I ruined your plans, but it is nice to have a new-to-me author on your list, isn’t it?
I’m not a connoisseur of cruise ships, but I did like the ship setting. You make a good point about the necessity of Allen’s main sleuth (Dillman) to be a private detective. I have to admit to having been astonished a few times when police chiefs welcomed Jessica Fletcher’s involvement in their crimes. Sort of like a “Oh, yeah, I read your mystery books. Here, let me share all of the important facts with you.” scenario… (Don’t get me wrong, I’m a Jessica Fletcher fan!)
Deahna says
I’m a Jessica Fletcher fan, too, but this doesn’t mean you or I can’t be critical. Some settings work just well, others, not so much.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Deahna, I used to get a kick out of Jessica’s good friend the realtor. She must have loved that Jessica always seemed to drum up new business for her. >>> Every time there was a Cabot Cove murder, Jessica would quickly solve the case so the crime scene tape could be removed…
Danna - cozy mystery list says
I just re-read this entry and cannot believe I used the word “Dillard” two times instead of Dillman! (Nothing like getting a character’s name mixed up with a store!)
Paula says
I just downloaded a book by Linda Larsen, “Hidden Maples” which was listed on the Amazon Cozy Mystery list, it is free at this time.
I have not read it yet, but this is a FYI.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Paula, thank you for telling us about Linda Larsen’s Hidden Maples being free right now in the Kindle format.
JLM says
Hi! I am reading Connie Willis’ “To Say Nothing of the Dog”, which I am thoroughly enjoying. I just got it as a Nook book for $1.99 which is great. I saw it at the airport at Powell’s little bookshop at PDX, read a few pages, then found it ver fiscounted on Nook a few days ago. Serendipitous. It is funny! It is a time-travelling, genteel adventure set mostly in the Victorian era, mid-1800s England, with switches to London during the Blitz, Oxford in the future, etc. Historians are being sent back in time to find and document architectural details for the rebuilding of Coventry Cathedral, destroyed during the bombings of WWII. The main character Ned, and his colleague Verity are trying to fix the time continuum which she has accidentally disturbed by rescuing a cat, find the missing Bishop’s bird stump, & prevent (possibly) the end of the civilized world by figuring out who & where Lady Shrapnell’s great-great-great grandfather is so he can marry her great-great-great- grandmother, who is engaged to the wrong man, thanks to Ned & Verity’impuslive decisions. Verity is a fan of Hercule Poirot & Lord Peter Wimsey, attempting to use their methods to solve the problems. This is not a traditional mystery, but very entertaining in a cozy, non-gory tale. If you like the Victorian era, the details are superb & fun, including clothes, manners & lifestyle.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
JLM, thanks for telling us about Connie Willis’ To Say Nothing of the Dog.
Lenore Kay says
Thank you for taking the time to tell about this book, I am so going to put it on my kindle right now|
Janine says
I read every Conrad Allen’s Dillman Series. I wish there had been more.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Janine, you’re not alone in that!
Attagirl says
Hi all Dillman and Masefield fans! I read the first book and really enjoyed it so I started the second when out of the blue an American passenger drops a “—damn” and I was shocked. I hate even trying to type it out! Can someone who has read all of these books tell me if there is more of this language? I can take dirty language, not that I want that either, but I can’t take using God’s name in vain. Anyone with me?