A Watery Grave (Wiki Coffin Mysteries 1) [Paperback]

Joan Druett (Author)

Book Description

Series: Wiki Coffin Mysteries 1 | Publication Date: September 15, 2005

The year is 1838, and after more than ten years in the planning, the famous United States Exploring Expedition is set to launch into uncharted waters from the coast of Virginia. A convoy of seven ships filled with astronomers, mapmakers, naturalists, and the sailors charged with getting them around the world, the "Ex. Ex." is finally underway, with much fanfare.

Aboard the convoy as ship's linguist is Wiki Coffin. Half New Zealand Maori and half American, Wiki speaks numerous languages and is expected to help the crew navigate the Pacific islands that are his native heritage. But just before departure Wiki, subject to the unfortunate bigotry of the time, is arrested for a vicious murder he didn't commit.

The convoy sails off, but just before the ships are out of reach Wiki is exonerated, set free to catch up with his ship and sail on. The catch: the local sheriff is convinced that the real murderer is aboard one of the seven ships of the expedition, and Wiki is deputized to identify the killer and bring him to justice. Full of the evocative maritime detail and atmosphere that have won her numerous awards for her nonfiction, Joan Druett's A Watery Grave is the mystery debut of a masterful maritime writer.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Plotting a mystery series around the 1838-42 United States South Seas Exploring Expedition, a famous, though scandalized scientific voyage of half a dozen ships from Virginia to "the far side of the world," is such a brilliant idea, it's a wonder that nobody thought of it before. Fortunately, the task has now been taken up by New Zealand nautical historian Joan Druett.

In A Watery Grave, she introduces us to William "Wiki" Coffin Jr., the illegitimate, 24-year-old, half-Maori son of a New England sea captain, who has reluctantly enlisted with this expedition as a "linguister." Even before he boards the brig Swallow, "a weatherly little craft" and the fictional seventh vessel in this convoy, Wiki lands in trouble. While waiting on a moonlit Virginia riverbank to fight a duel, he's caught in a burst of rifle fire, aimed at a small boat in which is later found the corpse of Ophelia Stanton, the wealthy and supposedly suicidal daughter-in-law of a plantation owner. After clearing himself of complicity in the crime, Wiki, encouraged by a local sheriff, pursues better suspects. At the top of the list is Ophelia's husband, Tristan, an astronomer with the expedition, who was reportedly spotted in their house at the time of her slaying. However, others claim that Tristan was, instead, far away, entertaining a crowd of navy men. As the fleet departs for points east, this case remains unsolved, but Wiki keeps his eyes open, sure that the killer is along on the voyage--a fear soon supported by additional dubious deaths and disappearances.

Druett, best known now for her 2003 nonfiction book, In the Wake of Madness, shows in A Watery Grave both her knowledge of 19th-century sailing ships (look especially for her details about how to fire cannons) and her understanding of the closed, often jealous male societies they contained. Yet the history and real-life characters incorporated here (including mercurial fleet commander Charles Wilkes) never overshadow her wholly satisfying mystery plot. After seeing the eccentric but able Wiki Coffin face such adversities at sea, one can only wonder what more colorful finds and crimes await him as he makes landfall at Antarctica and the Pacific islands in future installments of this series. If Rafael Sabatini (Captain Blood) had experimented with crime fiction, A Watery Grave might well have been the result. --J. Kingston Pierce --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

The troubled United States South Seas Exploring Expedition of 1838 (the subject of Nathaniel Philbrick's bestselling Sea of Glory) makes the perfect backdrop for a tricky murder manhunt in this first mystery from New Zealand maritime historian Druett (In the Wake of Madness). William "Wiki" Coffin, a Maori half-breed, has just signed on in Virginia as "linguister" for the voyage when he's jailed as a suspect in the murder of wealthy Mrs. Tristram T. Stanton, wife of the expedition's civilian astronomer. Wiki clears himself easily and so impresses the local sheriff with his savvy that he's deputized to pursue the investigation aboard ship. Druett makes fine mystery McGuffins out of the infamous expedition's real-life chaos and mismanagement, notably commander Charles Wilkes's capricious transfers of personnel between ships that made it difficult to keep track of who was where. She also presents some well-realized villains, whose bigoted treatment of Wiki salts the plot with complicating red herrings. Evoking writers from Melville to Patrick O'Brian, and incorporating fascinating snippets of historical and anthropological lore, this novel is a fine start to a series sure to appeal to lovers of historical mysteries and fans of sea adventures.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books (September 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312334427
• ISBN-13: 978-0312334420
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,932,324 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Back in the year 1984, on the picture-poster tropical island of Rarotonga, I literally fell into whaling history when I tumbled into a grave. A great tree had been felled by a recent hurricane, exposing a gravestone that had been hidden for more than one and a half centuries. It was the memorial to a young whaling wife, who had sailed with her husband on the New Bedford ship Harrison in the year 1845. And so my fascination with maritime history was triggered ... resulting in 18 books (so far). The latest -- number nineteen -- is a biography of a truly extraordinary man, Tupaia, star navigator and creator of amazing art.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great mystery along with a wonderfuul nautical adventure, March 8, 2005

By 

A. S. White (Mill Valley, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Watery Grave (Hardcover)

At the end of this book, you will definitely be left wanting more. You know that the tale has just begun and are hoping the author finishes the next story sooner rather than later. The characters are richly drawn, the descriptions of life on board detailed enough to illuminate the surroundings, but not so detailed as to detract from the story and mystery itself. I would definitely recommend this book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars terrific historical mystery, September 29, 2004

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Watery Grave (Hardcover)

In 1838 Norfolk, someone takes a shot at half Maori William "Wiki" Coffin, Jr. before fleeing the area. Wiki next sees the corpse of a woman in his boat. The Sheriff arrests Wiki for murdering Mrs. Tristam Stanton, wife of the expedition's astronomer. However, not long afterward, the Sheriff frees the "darkie" though he has no papers. Instead he believes that the killer is on the ship the Ex. Ex. already sailing on an exploration expedition in the South Seas. Since Wiki is a linguist with the expedition, the Sheriff asks him to investigate the murder on board the vessel.

As Wiki catches up to the ship, he also begins making inquiries. However, he finds the crew's bias towards his race and national origin makes it difficult to obtain answers as well as delineate who is simply a bigot from a killer. Still, Wiki persists even as the ship is wracked with blunders, confusion, and dangerous decisions that almost sinks the effort before reaching the destination let alone solve a homicide.

This is a terrific historical mystery with the emphasis on real events and relationships circa 1838. The story line contains a fabulous who-done-it, but many of the red herrings are caused by racism that makes an individual seem nasty enough to commit murder. Wiki is a wonderful protagonist who hopefully stars in future South Sea adventures, but the key to this superb tale is the insight into the seemingly doomed real United States South Seas Exploring Expedition of 1838.

Harriet Klausner

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a glimpse into another time and place, with a mystery!, October 16, 2005

By 

Charlie_in_la "charlie" (los angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Watery Grave (Hardcover)

I came across this book, and it sounded interesting. So, I read it.

The book combines the technology of the United States in 1838 with my country's zeal for exploration. Take that, and add a mysterious death. Throw in some interesting characters, and a clever protagonist, "Wiki".

The result is a mystery that I had trouble putting down. I read most of it last night, but waited until this morning to finish. I did not want it to end....fortunately there will be a sequel.

Anyway, the characterisation (?spelling) is wonderful. I felt that I had begun to know these people....and I know nothing about ships of that time.

Somehow, the author has given us a bit of understanding of how things worked then. She also provided us with a great mystery.

The mystery is resolved....I almost got it....but, "Wiki" is quicker.

If you like books by Patrick O'Brien, or if you like mysteries, or, if you would like to try a new book, this is for you. I highly recommend it.