The end of innocence. The start of life.

And even if I have chosen that title, this is no romance novel. In a sense, this is a coming-of-age novel, even if the main heroine is in her twenties. Because this long ship journey to Australia will bring Lily Shepard a bigger sense of herself, the new horizons and the possibilities to simply be more than she could be in her native country.

This is a slow book. But I find its slowness being very intentional, the authoress have you navigate the endless parties and happenings to get you into the atmosphere - and it works! This voyage becomes a slice of life, the reality itself where the past seems like a life on a different planet and the future is far, far away. There is only now, and you can become somebody else than the *normal* you.

Unfortunately, the characters do not work for me. I like Lily and several other characters (like Helena and Ian), but the charm of the supposed charmers do not work on me. Which is a pity, because then the final tragedy could bring more emotions! And when I am at the tragedy - I am sad and outrage, but for entirely different reasons that the novel is promoting. Because how can the death of one woman be less - and be addressed as less! - than the other, more dramatic, shiny tragedy? Just because...? As if one life is less and is worth not even the justice of simply telling the police the truth.
I will remember the novel for its lush storytelling. But the ending has killed my joy of reading it.

The book begins with a ship docking in Australia and a female passenger being escorted of the liner in handcuffs.

The novel then moves back with Lily Shepherd departing England on an assisted passage on the liner, for a new life as a housemaid in Australia.

It’s 1939 and on board Lily is befriended by the hedonistic of first class passengers Max and Eliza Campbell. Through them she embarks on a type of Great Gatsby journey of being part of a social circle that she would never gain access to outside of the cruise liner.

The trip takes us from cold England, through Lily’s homesickness and sea sickness, through the hot steamy equator crossing to the landing in Australia and subsequent arrest. The novel itself is a sumptuous read – you go on the on shore trips, you are horrified by the passenger George who despite his fascist politics is moving to New Zealand to escape the possibility of conscription. We sympathize with the Jewish Maria who arrived on the boat with only the clothes she is wearing and anxiously awaits news of her family in Vienna. Like Lily we are dazzled by Edward and confused by the mixed signals, and Edwards’s sister Helena who appears to be keeping secrets.

I was sucked in to this story and felt that I was on the crossing myself. The writing is sublime and felt so bereft when the novel ended.

Well deserved 5 star read and definitely recommended.

From the opening section when we read about a woman being walked down a gangway in handcuffs, I found myself asking questions, what did you do? and with the introduction of each new character could it be you?, to the the last when all my questions and more were answered. A Dangerous Crossing is not a 'whodunnit' in a traditional sense of the word, in fact I'd go as far to say that the murder/mystery was almost secondary, it is more of a character-driven story on an eventful journey.

It's July 1939 and with the political unrest happening in Europe we meet a colourful cast of characters as they embark on a five week journey on the ocean liner Orontes that will take them to a new life on the other side of the world. From the offset it is clear that many of the travellers have a story to tell as to why they are taking this journey but at the same time some have dark secrets that they wish to remain hidden. As paths cross, friendships blossom which would more than likely never have happened at home due to their different cultures and professions.

I loved the whole sense and time throughout this story, of what life must have been like on the brink of war, and seeing the journey to the unknown through the eyes of Lily as she enjoys new experiences both onboard and onshore at the stopover ports, I could picture so vividly the encounter Lily experienced in Gibraltar with the macaques. It's clear that the author has done a lot of research as her descriptive writing really pulls you into the sights and sounds they experience along the way. I particularly loved reading at the end the real story that influenced the writing of this book although I don't think that journey was quite as eventful as Lily's!

A Dangerous Crossing was a stunning read from start to finish, I'm only kicking myself that I left it to long to read as I've had a copy of the book since late last year. I loved this first dip into historical fiction by Rachel Rhys, otherwise known as Tammy Cohen, so hope that it won't be the last even though I do enjoy reading her thrillers too.

I think that A Dangerous Crossing is the kind of books that just not completely work for me. I prefer reading thrillers rather than drama when it comes to a book. And, this book contained way too much drama for my taste. I did spend much of the time waiting for someone to die so that something would happen beside reading about Lily's interactions with the rest of the passengers. And, one of the biggest problems I had were that I grew sick and tired of Eliza Campbell, she is the kind of bombastic character that in the end is just too much. Always showing up and dominating everyone around her. it just got to be too much for me.

Now this book is not all bad, I enjoyed reading about the trip to Australia with its stop along the way. Unfortunately, Lily is just the kind of meek character that I have a hard time connect to. I would have preferred a more independent and head-strong woman to read about. Not in the pompous Eliza kind of way of course, but a woman with a mind of her own.

However, the ending I have to admit was both surprising and good. I did know that the passengers had secrets, but I did not expect it would end as it did. And, I loved the end chapter, with a look at what happened next for the passengers onboard the ship.

Set in 1939, not long before the outbreak of the second World War, ‘A Dangerous Crossing’ follows young Lily Shepherd as leaves her much loved family and a past she would rather forget behind her to sail towards a new life in Australia.

She is travelling on a cruise liner, the ‘Orontes’, thanks to an assisted passage scheme, paid for by the Government to encourage people to settle in Australia. Lily had been a domestic servant, and she had been told that when that when she reached Sydney she would have no trouble finding a good job, as good servants were in short supply and valued very highly indeed.

This story of Lily’s month long-voyage is a lovely period piece and a fascinating travelogue; threaded with mystery and intrigue.

She travels in tourist class with other young women who are travelling for similar reasons, under the watchful eye of a chaperone; but Lily finds herself mixing with a much wider social circle in the dining room. She forms a friendship the quiet and charming Edward Fletcher and his protective elder sister, Helena; and she is captivated by a rich, glamorous, hedonistic couple – Max and Eliza Campbell – who come down from first class because they feel unwelcome there.

Less happily, Lily catches they eye of the loud and fascist George; and her cabin-mate Ida, a terribly intense young woman looks on disapprovingly.

At sea, with only brief stops on land along the way, the passengers have little idea what is happening back at home. They know that with Germany could be close; some hope for the best but many fear the worst.

There are Jewish refugees and a large group of Italians on board; some – and most vociferously, George – regard those people as the enemy. Lily befriends a young Jewish woman, who shares her fears for the family she had to leave behind, and tells Lily of some of the terrible things that are already happening in Europe.

As time passes secrets unravel and tensions grow,

Not everyone who sailed from England will survive the voyage.

I was hooked from the first page to the last.

The first chapter told me that someone had been arrested and led from the ship in handcuffs when it docked in Sydney, and I had to keep reading to find out why and to find out who it was, but I found many more reasons like that to keep turning the pages.

‘A Dangerous Crossing’ is a wonderful character study of people with very different backgrounds, who would not usually mix, but were drawn together in the close confines of the ship. It a self-contained world, where, for the five weeks of the voyage, the usual rules did not apply.

Rachel Rhys evokes the period, and a world on the brink of change, quite beautifully. Life aboard ship – the daily routine and social events – is so vividly drawn, and the accounts of excursions to places like Gibraltar, Naples, Egypt, Yemen and Ceylon felt so real that I really felt I was there, travelling right across the world.

I was travelling with people I knew, but people that I knew had secrets.

Lily was a wonderful companion, Eliza and Max were an extraordinary couple, and Edward and Helena were intriguing. As the voyage continued I learned more and more about them all; and I realised that they all had such depth and complexity. Some of that revelations made my heart lift and some of them made my heart fall. Some of them I foresaw, and some of them came as complete surprises.

The final twist, that led to the walk in handcuffs in the first chapter, was the most remarkable of all.

Rachel Rhys deployed he cast of characters very effectively, she gave her story many different aspects of her story, she caught the changing times beautifully, and she wove her plot very cleverly.

I felt so wonderfully close to it all.

I’d call this book commercial fiction done very well.

There were times when I would have liked a little more subtlety, and I thought that the epilogue was more elaborate than it needed to be; but the book as a whole works.

A beautifully written historical fiction with old-fashioned romance, glamour, murder and mayhem on the high seas.

I loved the style of this book. It made me feel like I was there on board the ship. As I saw that I was coming towards the end of their journey I did not want it to end, but instead for them to stop off in a few more destinations. A great book. I would thoroughly recommend it

A memorable, addictive and absolutely brilliant novel! Brilliantly written and incredibly developed this historical story made my day!

"A Dangerous Crossing" takes place in a beautiful ship on a journey to Australia in 1939. Abroad the glamorous The Orontes, Lily Shepherd embarks on a journey for a fresh start. In a time where appearances are everything, Lily will quickly learn the difference between acquaintances and friends and that everyone has one or two skeletons in the closet, including a few secrets about her own past.

First off, the descriptions are amazing. I had a very specific and colourful vision of the interior of the ship and of the amazing sights on the different ports. I felt like I was part of the crew and that I was seeing the surroundings myself.

The story line is solid and enjoyable, even if there are moments of too much drama for me. On the other hand, I loved the tension that builds along the story ending in the ultimate and unexpected climax. The author almost managed to divert my attention from the mystery but not in an unpleasant way. The style of writing is very good. I’m not a fan of big and detailed descriptions but I really enjoyed reading about the atmosphere and the characters.

The characters are built in a smart way and each one has a unique story and all of them represent the diversity of society, both in class and in religion; there is depth in them. Their interactions are brilliantly thought and smartly presented to the reader. I didn’t get lost in their conversations and exchanges, which for me is definitely a plus.

I recommend this book to readers that enjoy a light and sublime historical novel that takes place in the high seas.

"A Dangerous Crossing" is a very well written historical novel set shortly before the start of WW II. The cruise boat setting allows for an exploration of class boundaries and the depiction of various exotic locations. Lily is a great protagonist, she is haunted by her past but still positive about what might await her in Australia.

Thanks Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and netgalley for this ARC.

A novel set on a ocean liner full of people from different backgrounds makes for a exciting, dangerous, passionate, and deadly combination.

Rachel Rhys' debut historical novel charts a voyage from Tilbury to Sydney taken in the late summer of 1939 as England stood on the brink of war. The heroine, Lily Shepherd, is a young woman taking advantage of a government scheme to support those who wish to emigrate to Australia to work in domestic service. The novel essentially covers the five weeks of the journey and Lily's arrival in Sydney as war is declared.

The novel isn't quite what I expected, and anyone who anticipates a traditional murder mystery (as I did) might be disappointed. Yes, there are deaths on board ship, but they are almost peripheral to the main narrative, which is basically Lily's experiences of the journey and the people she meets.

However, the voyage is beautifully described and the historical detail convincing: the clothes, music and current affairs are all true to the period, and Rhys perfectly evokes an atmosphere of mistrust and tension between the ship's passengers about to find themselves on opposing sides of World War Two. The claustrophobia of the ship is also presented well, with the distinct class differences and on-board politics being all the more evident and important within this group who are stuck in each other's company for the duration of the crossing. Rhys also does an excellent job of juxtaposing the glamour of the first class passengers' experiences with those who are travelling 'tourist' class or lower, like Lily herself.

Overall, I did get caught up in this novel as it is so beautifully written and the descriptions of the the places visited were captivating; there was a sense of a lost Cairo, for example, or Ceylon, now lost forever in the mists of time. An intriguing read, albeit not quite as pacy or exciting as I expected.

Though iI enjoy the novels under the author's normal name, the Dangerous Crossing was an interesting read. I enjoy historical novels and found this interesting especially all the different ports visited. The views of the day do not seem to have changed much still the hatred over certain sectors of our society. I would like to see a sequel to this novel based on Australia at the time.

I'm a sucker for a pretty cover, and it was the cover of this book that made me download it, as I had never heard of the author*. From the vintage look and the blurb, I got it into my head the story was going to be a glamorous 'golden age' murder mystery set on board a ship. A kind of Agatha Christie meets Downton Abbey. In fact, the story is a very clever psychological suspense - one of those stories that slowly draws you in and builds up the tension until you can practically feel it closing in on you.

The story is about Lily Shepherd, who is travelling from England to Australia on the Orontes as part of the Government's assisted-passage scheme. Once she arrives, she will apply to work as a maid in one of the large houses in Sydney. It is 1939, and Britain is on the brink of war. Why would Lily want to leave her family, whom she loves very much, and travel to the other side of the world to work in domestic service - something she has sworn she would never do again?

Lily will be sharing her cabin with Audrey and Ida, two former chambermaids from Claridge's Hotel. While Audrey is friendly, Lily takes an instinctive dislike to Ida, who can't seem to say anything nice. At dinner, Lily finds herself seated on the same table as Edward and Helena Fletcher, a brother and sister who appear to have fallen on hard times. Lily is increasingly attracted to the good-looking Edward, but he seems to be obsessed with glamorous socialite Eliza Campbell. Eliza, meanwhile, takes Lily under her wing, paying for her excursions and lending her designer clothes - but are her motives entirely altruistic?

I loved the incredibly detailed descriptions of life on board the Orontes, and the places Lily visited, from the pyramids of Egypt to a Buddhist temple in Ceylon. I felt as though I'd travelled back in time and was taking the cruise along with Lily. The cast of characters, who all seemed to be running away from something, were fascinating. The author allows the reader to get to know character in turn, letting us discover their real personalities one flaw at a time. Which character's behaviour will result in their murder? Which character will be goaded into carrying out that murder?

A Dangerous Crossing is an absorbing and compelling read about an eclectic cast of characters forced into claustrophobic proximity with people they would normally cross the street to avoid. I loved it! Also, what a brilliant title!

If you love reading historicals with a bit of a mystery, or tightly-wound psychological suspense, you will love this book. If you're a fan of fast-paced murder mysteries then this might not suit, as the first murder does not take place until a good three quarters of the way through the book.

It is 1939 and the world is on the brink of war. The ocean liner 'Orestes' is on its way to Australia full of people from different walks of life. We see the story through the eyes of Lily Shepherd, a young woman taking advantage of the assisted passage scheme to start a new life after some trauma in her life.

The ship is full of diverse characters. Here in this enclosed world the rigid class system is relaxed somewhat. Lily finds herself mixing with people she would never have spoken to under normal circumstances. She is seated with George the fascist as well as the attractive Edward & Helena his sister, who seem to be escaping too. She befriends Maria, a young Jewish girl who has escaped Austria but is terrified for her family and much to her surprise the charismatic couple Max and Eliza Campbell take her under their wing along with Edward.

As the voyage goes on Lily wonders what she is involved in. She mistrusts one of her cabin mates, detests George, sees Maria becomes more nervous and ill, Edward blowing hot & cold and Eliza growing more manic. By the end of the voyage two people are dead. This was not what Lily had expected!

Rachel Rhys captures the era and the atmosphere perfectly. The cast of characters are intriguing and I could never quite decide what was going on! I loved it! Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this book. I'm looking forward to reading more from Rachel Rhys.

From the cover, I was expecting something of a pastiche of 1930s crime, along the lines of the Phryne Fisher books, so the book came as something of a surprise. Good things: a vivid picture of life onboard a liner at an interesting point in history; a wide cast of characters; based on an interesting slice of real history which has been deftly woven into a narrative. This isn't so much a murder mystery as a character study, an exploration of how the real story itself might have unfolded. This means that, at times, the pace of the story felt a little slow and episodic, but overall it was a very enjoyable read.

An enthralling historical crime novel, A Dangerous Crossing is set in 1939, just before the Second World War broke out, on an ocean liner travelling from England to Australia, stopping at various exotic locations on the way. A mixing pot of cultures, classes and races slowly comes to the boil on the five-week voyage and not everybody survives the journey.
Lily Shepherd, a young working-class woman, has made the decision to take a sponsored passage to Australia to work in service for two years to escape a tragic loss. In tourist class she is flung together with people who she normally would not interact with socially – a middle class brother and sister, and an Austrian Jewish refugee – and as the voyage progresses she is drawn into the sphere of a brash wealthy couple in first class, Eliza and Max. At first look it seems to be a place where social boundaries are removed – at least within your boarding class – but this is soon proven wrong as prejudice and personal enmities emerge.
A ship full of glamorous people initially seems an exciting adventure but as Lily is told when applying for her passage, everyone is running away from something and so it proves to be. The atmosphere of the ship is conveyed with rich detail, bringing to life the many destinations at which they stop and the glamour of travelling in leisure and semi-luxury but also evoking the claustrophobic nature of a long sea voyage. This is a good read that will keep you guessing.

“You can’t get away with anything on a ship you know. Someone always finds out.”

So says the glamorous and beautiful Eliza Campbell, one of the first class passengers on board the ocean liner Orontes. It’s 1939 and the Orontes is setting sail for Australia, taking its passengers to a new life and leaving behind the threat of another war in Europe. Among those passengers is Lily Shepherd, trying to leave behind a secret that we get glimpses of throughout the book. On board ship, she quickly makes friends with many of the passengers but her choices don’t all sit easily with other passengers. As the ship makes its five-week voyage towards Australia, Rachel Rhys takes her readers on a completely addictive journey finding out about the passengers, the secrets they are trying to leave behind them and all that happens on the boat and at its various stopping points.

I adored this book and was drawn in from the very intriguing prologue. Who was the mysterious woman being taken off the ship in handcuffs and what had she done? The author has made her book gloriously visual. She paints a vivid picture of the woman leaving the boat: her detailed descriptions made it so easy to visualise the style of the clothing, the searing heat, the excitement of the waiting crowds. She continues this visual style throughout the book evoking the atmosphere and glamour of the era.

I was fascinated by the thought of all these people who wouldn’t normally engage with each other on land, being thrown together in the relatively small confines of the ship. Social and class barriers didn’t seem to matter quite so much, at least not for everyone. It was such an isolated community full of people who would not under normal circumstances associate with each other. The detail of radios being confiscated added to the feeling of a closed off society. The crew did not want the passengers to know if war was declared when they were at sea as it could result in social and political tension, potentially dangerous in such an enclosed environment.

For many of the passengers, travelling to Australia was as much about escaping from their pasts as beginning a new life. “On a boat like this….. everyone is running away from something.” Lily began to wonder if she had been too trusting of her fellow travellers: “It hasn’t occurred to Lily not to take her fellow passengers at face value.” As everyone’s secrets began to be exposed and the story neared its conclusion there was an almost unbearable sense of tension as I wondered what was going to happen and when the mysterious woman from the prologue would be revealed along with whatever she had done.

A Dangerous Crossing is a wonderful book. It’s glamorous, exciting and mysterious and all the more enthralling for knowing that it was inspired by a memoir of a real voyage to Australia in the 1930s. Although I must add that no deaths took place on that voyage to my knowledge!

This feels very much like a classic golden age mystery where instead of the usual setting of a country house, we have a cruise ship, the Orantes. It is 1939, Lily Shepard is travelling to Australia on a government assisted passage to meet the need for domestic servants in Sydney. Whilst it is clear that she is excited and looking forward to adventure and seeing other countries, there is something amiss, something she is running away from. Infiltrating the novel is the background to and run up to the second world war, the fears this gives rise to and the growing tide of Jewish refugees in Europe. Lily is travelling tourist class, with Mrs Collins who is a chaperone for girls like her, Audrey and Ida. The book begins with the ship docking in Sydney and a female passenger disembarking, handcuffed to police.

The ship provides a forum for the social classes to intermingle in a manner that would be otherwise inappropriate on land. Lily has little interest in the girls from similar backgrounds to her. Instead she is dazzled by the likes of brother and sister Edward and Helena Fletcher, and the scandal ridden couple from first class, Eliza and Max Campbell. There are black tie balls, trips to the Egyptian Pyramids, and exotic Sri Lankan markets. Lily begins to harbour romantic notions with respect to Edward, although his feelings for her seem to be considerably more volatile. There are a number of Jews on board, including Maria Katz who fled Vienna and anxious about what may have happened to her family since she fled. There is George Price with his fascist leanings, violent and prone to thuggish behaviour. The atmosphere on board becomes febrile as a swirling maelstrom of emotions come into play, and secrets tumble out. Two passengers will be dead before the ship arrives in Sydney as war is declared in Europe.

This novel perfectly captures the pre-war atmosphere and social class in flux through the characters. It shows how low the position of Jews is, given how poorly Maria Katz is treated. For Lily, a naive young girl, she has to learn to grow up fast on the journey and become more aware of exactly who she is. She has never encountered the likes of the privileged and wealthy Eliza and Max, becoming aware the price of being with them is that she entertain a damaged couple who are easily bored and therefore dangerous. An entertaining and absorbing novel. Thanks to Random House Transworld for an ARC.