Whilst looking through my book collection a few weeks back I realised I was stuck in a rut. A Tudor rut. I need to branch away from my usual medieval choices and try something new. And this gem is about as far away from my comfort zone which I am happy to venture out of at this moment in time.
Aside from the fact this is not a novel about a Tudor romance, it is also a mystery. Due to the fact I am incredibly impatient and have the memory of a sieve this is also a genre I would never choose.
But, despite a slow start, it was great, and I whizzed through it in a couple of afternoons – an ultimate holiday read!
Lou Bates and Kate Wetherall are marine archaeologists working in Bermuda on the wreck of a pilgrim fathers vessel from the early 1600s. Meanwhile, in a colder part of the Atlantic, a burst of something radioative and lethal is unleashed from the deep ocean floor killing all sealife in its path. Its point of origin is the wreck of the Titanic with all the evidence indicating that it’s manmade. The United States Navy therefore enlists the help of Kate and Lou to discover the source using state of the art technology.
This is a chance of a lifetime for Kate and Lou who will be able to explore, for the very first time, the most famous wreck on the planet!
As if that’s not enough, a whole mix of competing agencies clock on that this could be a major discovery and want the radioactive material for themselves. Some think it’s a prize worth dying for.
The stakes are high
This novel moves between two worlds – that within modern day on the hunt to uncover the Titanic’s secrets and that of its last days in 1912. For me this was actually one of the most appealing aspects of the story; it gave me my dosage of history whilst keeping me engaged with the story in present day.
Tom West effortlessly brings both stories to life, and all the characters are easy to relate to. For an insight into the Titanic’s last days, alongside the backdrop of an exciting race to uncover its secrets, this book really delivers. Please be aware, it’s by no means a classic and it won’t be a book you come back to time and time again… but hey, we’ve got Pride and Prejudice for that!
The Titanic Engima By Tom West, Pan Macmillan
