Customer Reviews

Murder on the Titanic (Mysteries in Time Series)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

James Walker's "Murder on the Titanic" has an intriguing plot and enough historical accuracy to keep things interesting, but Broadman & Holman (his publishers) did him a disservice by editing the book poorly. There are misspelled and misused words, adjectives repeated too frequently and some very wooden sections in the dialogue. All of these things detract from the story and, for me, spoiled the enjoyment of the book. I kept thinking, "I wish someone had read this over more carefully before it was printed!" It also seemed like a whole chapter must have been cut near the end of the story, as it jumps from hitting the iceberg to the frantic search for lifeboats without any reference to that critical period on the Titanic when most of the passengers didn't believe she would sink. Although there is much that is good about the story and its message of faith, I wouldn't recommend this one to my mystery-reading friends.

I found this book very interesting and enjoyable. It is a little slow to start but becomes quite exciting and suspenseful. Realy a great book once you get into it. It is non stop action and I found myself hardly able to put it down. It was a treat to find a book with no swearing in it. Also has numerous references to God. It has a moral of what faith can do.

Murder on the Titanic is the best mystery I have ever read! If you are interested in the Titanic, this is the book for you! Jim Walker's book gives you alot of history about the Titanic, but he also weaves in an intricate mystery and murder that makes you not wanting to put it down! Murder on the Titanic was the best book and I can't wait to read the sequel: Voices from the Titanic! This is a must read for everyone!

Easy reading, thrilling, and mystery all aboard the greatest ship of the century. People who knew me often said, " Do you EVER put that book down?". Since I love the Titanic and love stories about people, this book was perfect for me. It was UNPREDICTABLE and EXCITING!!!

I read so many books--4-5 a week--and rarely take time to write a review, but I must let others know what a find this book is. The characterization is phenomenal and the story riveting. Morgan Fairchild, named for his great uncle J. Pierpont Morgan, is the main character. Born to wealth, he is determined to make his own way and is responsible almost to a fault. His strong sense of honor has cost him the love of his life, now engaged to another man...ackwardly, they are all on the Titanic. I can't even begin to get into the mystery involved, and all the plot intricacies. I have not enjoyed a book this much in a very long time. It has every element one could want. Now I'm off to start its sequel, Voices from the Titanic!

I really enjoyed reading this book. It is great for all ages! I am 14 years old and when I got the book I thought it might be too hard to read because of how thick it was, but I finished it in about 2-3 weeks, and I loved every minute of it! If you like reading about the Titanic, you'll LOVE this book!

I got this book for christmas, and I truly enjoyed it. I am a strong reader, and a fast one, at that, and so the length can keep me occupied for about a week, reading whenever I have time. Not only did I not have a clue who the murderer was, I didn't the second time either! I couldn't remember because it goes through so many investigations, and suspects, that I couldn't remember! And I usually remember every detail from books! It you are like me, in any way, you will love this book. A job well done, Jim Walker

The author's research,if any,left something to be desired. He captured the details of the structure of Titanic rather well. His details of his characters on the other hand were rather confusing, giving a physical description of a character in one chapter and then completely changing it in a following chapter. Also his main character, Morgan, seemed not to remember people at all. Moments before the ship hits the iceberg he has a physical confrontation with a passenger. Later as the ship is sinking he again has a physical confrontation with the same passenger and he does not know who he is or even remembers confronting him before. Also every Titanic buff knows that the Astors boarded the ship at Cherbourg and not Southhampton.

I have read with varying degrees of interest several of Jim Walker's other historical mystery novels. But nothing, IMHO, compares to "Murder on the Titanic". The story weaves a completely fictitious -- but oddly believable -- murder mystery into one of the most well-known tragedies in recent history. While the major characters of the mystery are creations of Walker's own mind, I was amazed at the incredible number of actual historical figures who played significant roles in the book. I'm sure that, were they alive today, they would refute the story that Walker tells -- but that's the entire point, isn't it? This is a work of fiction -- and no more and no less than Shakespeare's telling of the story of Julius Caesar. The conversations and actions in that play are as fictitious as what Walker has created -- but we accept Shakespeare completely.

As to other reviews that downplay the "accuracy" of the historical elements of the story, I feel that the reviewers should do a bit more homework. If they would do so, they would realize that there are a LOT of different (and often conflicting) stories of what actually happened on the Titanic, who was involved, what the key people were like, etc. I simply accept that; I don't try to argue it. As far as I'm concerned, the characters have every probability of being as Walker describes them, as anything else. And accepting that as a foundational point to reading the story makes it so much more enjoyable.

Even though the story was over 450 pages long, I wanted it to go on and on! I'm so glad that Walker decided to continue the story in "Voices from the Titanic". This man is truly talented -- and also shows (just as an aside) that a good story can be written without resorting to debased language, or overt sexual themes, as seems to be the trend lately.

Thank you Jim & James for a wonderful Christian mystery, set aboard the most famous doomed ship in history. Started to read it and couldn't put it down. A must read for all.