The year is 1912. John Darnell is a professional investigator whose specialty is debunking theories of paranormal activities. He is approached by the Managing Director of White Star Line with a proposition. A bizarre series of apparent suicides in cabin 13 on three different White Star Line ships has the Managing Director frantic, worried that unlucky jinxes, ghosts or violent spirits will follow him onto their newest ship, the Titanic, and into cabin 13. Darnell agrees to take passage on the Titanic in cabin 13 to investigate, and once on board, he suspects the reported suicides were really murders, and tallies up a list of very-much-alive suspects, each with their own sinister motives. But when the fate of the Titanic is sealed in the icy waters of the Atlantic, will the killer get away with yet another murder?
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
This book required more action, less other stuff . . .,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Case of Cabin 13 (John Darnell Mysteries) (Paperback)
Walking through a Borders store, I saw Mr. McCarver speaking on his book. I sat down and listened, and the story sounded fascinating. At least the details of the Titanic (which was really all he spoke about) did. I bought the book, he signed it for me, and as I sank into it, (he offered many puns at his signing/presentation) I found myself becoming engrossed.But -- it was not until page 58 or so that I really became interested, which was a bit of a surprise. What kept putting me off was the talk of action, but never really taking it, and too much descriptive stuff about the Titanic, when I really wanted to know about the characters, the suspense, and what was going to happen. Darnell, the "hero" of the story, internalized a lot, thinking of this and thinking of that, yet he moved sluggishly, like he had no ability to take true control of the situation, even when he knew exactly what had to be done. I did read it quickly, which means the writing was good, but it left me yearning for some more meat. I truly hope the forthcoming mystery on the Orient Express deals more with the mystery than it does with the Orient Express. We are, after all, readers who long for intrigue -- not a history lesson.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Strikes an Iceberg,
By "steve_731" (Maple Grove, MN USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Case of Cabin 13 (John Darnell Mysteries) (Paperback)
I can not recommend this book. I had expected a good period piece with plenty of Titanic atmosphere and a somewhat supernatural mystery. I don't think either was delivered. The hero could have been on the Titanic or the Queen Mary, just because a ship hits an iceberg doesn't bring the Titanic scene to life.Ther are other, much better mysteries set on the Titanic. Two that come to mind that I enjoyed are Max Allan Collins "The Titanic Murders" and Jack Finneys' "From Time to Time"
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Warning: Pseudo-spoiler ahead!,
By
This review is from: The Case of Cabin 13 (John Darnell Mysteries) (Paperback)
Maybe it's because author Sam McCarver is, as his cover blurb puts it, "a lifelong mystery and history buff," but I think I was hoping for a fresh, accurate angle on what had been turned into a slickly commercial blockbuster. Whatever I was hoping for, I don't think I got it. The case of the title refers to a series of mysterious suicides in first-class cabin 13 of different White Star Lines ships. As the maiden voyage of the supervessel Titanic approaches in 1912, nervous White Star executives approach famous paranormal debunker Professor John Darnell in an effort to dispel rumors of a White Star curse. This brings me to my first complaint: Considering the suspicious circumstances of the "suicides," I think--even in 1912--that most people would have been quicker to suspect a human murderer than a ghostly one. It's not like these were tightly constructed locked-room puzzles in the John Dickson Carr tradition. In order to catch the culprit, Darnell agrees to occupy Titanic's cabin 13. This should make things interesting, right? Unfortunately, my second (and overwhelming) complaint is that anything actually having to do with solving the mystery is almost boring. Darnell lives and works almost entirely in his head, so any scenes that could be called "action" are few and far between, and they usually involve Darnell's Chinese manservant being attacked. The bulk of what Darnell does in this book falls into two categories: falling in love with shipmate Penny Winters, and berating himself for falling in love with Penny Winters, who just might be a murderess, even though the author makes it very clear to the reader that Penny is not a murderess, so it's really okay if he falls in love with her, thus robbing the reader of any sense of suspense regarding Penny Winters and making the reader scream, "Just boink her already!!" I don't want to mislead you into thinking that I hated this book. It was actually quite pleasant. It seems to me, though, that the book's flaws are the result of conflicting desires. McCarver obviously wanted to include a great degree of historical detail in his story. I'm certainly not qualified to comment on its accuracy, so I took it all at face value. But McCarver had a difficult time weaving it into the story, and I think that may be partially due to a desire (or perhaps external pressure?) to tell a story in blockbuster style. This brings me to my third complaint, which is that I felt I was continually being pulled out of McCarver's straightforward little mystery and plunked down in the middle of a less inspired version of Cameron's sweeping saga. Had McCarver spent more time developing his unique story before interjecting the known historical elements, I think it would have been a much more satisfying read. It's still worthwhile, though, and does provide a slightly different perspective on the famous tragedy at sea. (adapted from a "Skullduggery" review)
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