The Lusitania Murders [Mass Market Paperback]

Max Allan Collins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 5, 2002

On May 7, 1915, the luxury liner Lusitania was struck by a German torpedo. On board was an under-cover journalist using the pen name S.S. Van Dine. And hours before the tragic sinking changed the course of history, there was a mystery-of treason, sabotage, and murder.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Historical mysteries grounded in fact and embellished with fiction are Collins's forte, and here he takes the World War I sinking of a great Cunard liner as the canvas for a rollicking story of murder, espionage, and mayhem. Willard Wright, a critic, journalist and mystery writer (under the pseudonym of S.S. Van Dine), is supposed to be interviewing the rich and famous who are making the journey to England on the luxurious ship. But what he's really doing is investigating the sub rosa shipment of munitions by a government supposedly neutral in the European conflict. Aided by a female version of Philo Vance, Van Dine's series hero, Wright unmasks a couple of spies and a murderer and finds the munitions in plenty of time to carry on a decidedly modern affair with the beautiful and sexy Pinkerton agent, but, alas, too late to save the Lusitania from a German U-boat. A skillfully told story with all the verisimilitude and historical accuracy of earlier books in this captivating series, which gave the Titanic, Hindenburg, and Pearl Harbor disasters the same lively treatment. --Jane Adams

From Publishers Weekly

In this traditional, pre-World War I mystery, prolific Collins (The Pearl Harbor Murders, etc.) emulates the memoir-like writing style of S.S. Van Dine, a mystery writer and art critic popular in the Jazz Age, and casts him as a journalist-cum-amateur sleuth. Humbled by the need to make a buck, the ever disdainful Van Dine agrees to board the Lusitania in order to interview the ship's wealthiest passengers and investigate rumors that the opulent ocean liner is carrying munitions. While touring the vessel, Van Dine and his guide surprise three stowaways who may be German saboteurs. When one of them turns up dead, Philo Vance, the ship's dimpled detective, takes over and enlists Van Dine as her assistant and lover. Two corpses later, Philo and Van Dine deduce there's a traitor in their midst who is most likely one of the vessel's most esteemed passengers. Collins, author of several screenplays and movie/TV tie-in novels (In the Line of Fire; Road to Perdition), ably weaves a well-paced, closed-environment mystery reminiscent of Agatha Christie, but the acerbic Van Dine, who scorns popular fiction and politics, will grate on readers' nerves. Nevertheless, the author succeeds in resurrecting a long-forgotten writer and re-imagining the Lusitania's final voyage.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Berkley; First Edition edition (November 5, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425186881
• ISBN-13: 978-0425186886
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #749,104 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Max Allan Collins is a New York Times bestselling author of original mysteries, a Shamus award winner and an experienced author of movie adaptions and tie-in novels. His graphic novel ROAD TO PERDITION was made into a major motion picture by Tom Hank's production company, Playtone.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars All-Star Jazzers Targeted For Suspense, October 9, 2009

By 

Patrick R. Cleary (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Lusitania Murders (Mass Market Paperback)

Author Max Allan Collins is adept at transforming raw historical research and tried-and-true mystery novel techniques into an entertaining and thought-provoking adventure in "The Lusitania Murders." I highly enjoyed the character of Wright aka Van Dine and his adventures with the ship's most interesting and famous first class passengers. This is a window into the art, literary and popular culture of the Jazz Age, through figures such as a Elbert Hubbard, Vanderbilt, Frohman and Kessler, among others. WWI politics lurk in the shadows, fueling the pseudo-reality of this Agatha Christie-like mystery. The author impresses with his breadth of knowledge and does a good job of enlivening and condensing the voluminous research into a highly readable novel. I pulled this book off the shelf knowing nothing of Collins or the Lusitania and was highly impressed.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Mystery, July 6, 2006

By 

W. Zollo ""the queen"" (MA, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Lusitania Murders (Mass Market Paperback)

The author William Huntington Wright, traveling under his alias S.S.Van Dine (Wright and Van Dine are real people as are most of the characers in this book), is undercover for the British as a journalist on the last voyage of the Lusitania to discover if it is carrying munition for the enemy.

Along the way, he interviews the likes of Alfred Vanderbilt, Charles Forham and Elbert Hubbard. As expected, murders and espionage soon become all too common occurrences and Van Dine with the help of a female Pinkerton agent is rapidly engaged in the investigation.

The Lusitania Murders, judging by its author's notes (def. worth reading) is well-researched but lacking a tightness and suspense that keeps the reader flipping pages.