A Fatal Crossing is an intriguing, Agatha Christie style murder mystery set on board the luxury cruise liner Endeavour, travelling to New York in the winter of 1924. It opens with a death of an elderly man who appears to have fallen down a flight of stairs during a storm. Did he fall or was he pushed? Ship's officer Timothy Birch is tasked with assisting James Temple, a Scotland Yard detective who happens to be on board, with his investigation into the death. So begins the unravelling of a story which involves stolen paintings, long-standing grudges, and keeping up appearances. With only a few days to solve the crime before the ship docks in New York it is a race against time to discover the killer. It took me a little while to get into the story but then the pace quickens as we sail towards the end of the journey. This is a good, atmospheric story with lots of twists and turns and a real twist at the end.

I really wanted to like this book, as the concept sounded good, but I actually ended up DNF'ing this.
It was quite slow, and could have benefitted from some cutting, it felt like everything was dragged out more than it needed to be. The characters fell a bit flat and felt really two-dimensional, which made everything less compelling. It took over 30% of this book to get even remotely near something happening, if the pacing had been quicker, I would have stuck with this as it could have been great.

I don't know about you, but I get super excited/a little intimidated when a book starts with a full character list! It makes me feel like the writer has really created a whole new world for me to lose myself in. This whodunnit does just that as Hindle immerses you in life on The Endeavour, a Titanic-esque cruise ship travelling to New York. Unfortunately for Timothy Birch, our narrator and one of the ship's officers, a murder is committed and there is, very conveniently, a policeman on board who will not settle until the mystery is solved!
The mystery itself was intriguing enough to keep me reading and guessing, with the final reveal being a decent climax!
However, the characterisation fell a bit flat for me. Birch and Temple, the policeman, were both relatively two-dimensional, and with such an array of suspects, we never really get a chance to become much more familiar with any of them. This also didn't really help to create a believable ending. I've seen so many reviews praising the final twist at the end of this novel, but my reaction was sadly more of a "what the hell was that?!" as I gawped at my Kindle in disbelief - disbelief that 400-odd pages had really led to that!
Overall, an interesting mystery but an unconvincing ending.

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I can't believe this book! At 20% I was slightly bored, thinking it would be a solid 3 but I kept turning the virtual pages. Suddenly, I was 60% in & I didn't want to put it down. Then it became 5 🔔 & I'm so freaking excited for Tom Hindle & everyone who will get to read this book.
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This book will give you strong Poirot vibes. My brain played this out like a Christie movie, complete with fully formed characters. I can usually imagine characters but it's somewhat rare they're fully formed.
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2022 has started strong!! I
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November 1924. The Endeavour sets sail from Southampton carrying 2,000 passengers and crew on a week-long voyage to New York.

When an elderly gentleman is found dead at the foot of a staircase, ship's officer Timothy Birch is ready to declare it a tragic accident. But James Temple, a strong-minded Scotland Yard inspector, is certain there is more to this misfortune than meets the eye.

Birch agrees to investigate, and the trail quickly leads to the theft of a priceless painting. Its very existence is known only to its owner . . . and the dead man.

With just days remaining until they reach New York, and even Temple's purpose on board the Endeavour proving increasingly suspicious, Birch's search for the culprit is fraught with danger.

And all the while, the passengers continue to roam the ship with a killer in their midst . . .
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Publication Date UK - 20 January 2022
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I received a free copy of this book from @centurybooksuk , @penguinrandomhouse in return for an unbiased review.
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#AFatalCrossing #TomHindle #5 #NetGalley #murder #mystery #intrigue #southampton #NewYork #AgathaChristie #poirot #art #ArtHeist #ArtThief #champagne #BookCommunity #BookReview #Igreads

A wonderful old fashioned classic 'who done it' with a brilliant twist!! Brilliant reading and had me guessing right to the end!
Set aboard an old fashioned cruise liner in the 1920's, Officer Timothy Birch is full of personal anxiety and angst, when a body of a man is discovered early one morning. No spoilers here!
The plot twists and turns are brilliant, loved the characters, and got completely enthralled in life at sea, in a cross between Titanic and Gangs of New York.
Fantastic read, I really enjoyed this and recommend highly.
Thank you to NetGalley for the early read!

I found this book to be throughly gripping throughout with a spectacular concept that kept me guessing as to who the killer was. Looking forward to HIndle's next book

A classic Agatha Christie whodunnit. Indeed, It could very well have been written by her so true to its time in the style of storytelling. A good read!

A Fatal Crossing is a really clever and assured novel, and it’s hard to believe it’s Tom Hindle’s debut.

It’s 1924 and we join Timothy Birch, an officer on board The Endeavour as it sets sail from Southampton to New York.

By page 3 we have a dead body and confirmation that all is not well at sea. Up springs police officer, James Temple, who is adamant about looking into the sudden death of the mysterious passenger.

What then ensues is a well managed and structured build up of circumstances and tales between suspect passengers who are seemingly unconnected but some have already tangled their own web of intrigue and deceit between themselves.

As the body count rises, you get fed the odd red herring and misdirection as desirable pieces of artwork are stolen from some of the passengers in the spotlight, making you ask how all of the dots will join together.

Alongside the main happenings, you get a drip feed of the curious backgrounds of Temple and Birch - they are both hiding personal facts, but why?

As we speed ahead to the last few chapters, some of the biggest twists and turns occur until the biggest, most shocking reveal of all, making you realise the double meaning of the book’s title. Who has crossed who?

Clever, pacy, original - A Fatal Crossing is a four star read for me.

If I had one gripe it would be wanting a floodplain of the ship and a diagram of the characters’ relationships rather than a list.

Look forward to reading more from Tom.

November 1924. The Ocean Liner Endeavour is sailing from England across the Atlantic to New York.
There is a mysterious death of an elderly man. The Ships captain who is about to retire wants to call it an accidental death. However a London based police detective James Temple insists on investigating. The reluctant captain instructs one of his officers to accompany Temple despite his objections. The officer Tim Birch and the detective only have four days until the ship berths in Manhattan. If this was murder a killer could walk free from the ship.
Temple and Birch start interviewing passengers and soon find an involved sequence of events centering on the Art world. Birch is a difficult character to like. He was wounded in the Great War. An American saved his life. Birch is to renew their acquaintance when they reach America as he hopes the American can find his missing daughter. Birch is estranged from his wife, who blames him for their daughter's disappearance.
You have to suspend belief over some of the things that happen on the ship. But it is an interesting story told well by this part time author. This is his first novel. There is an unexpected twist at the end that was a surprise.
I was drawn to the story because I have made this crossing between Southampton to New York a few times, but not in the golden age of Ocean sailing, when there were three classes of passenger and entertainment was very basic. Whereas on a modern cruise there is so much to occupy and entertain the present day traveller.
I enjoyed the book and I miss cruising in this covid world.

A good period thriller set on board a cruise liner heading for New York, with an unusual duo trying to solve an unexplained death. Liked the writing and the twists and turns - it kept me guessing and an enjoyable read.

This is an interesting historical mystery novel written in a similar style to that of the great Agatha Christie. Set in the early 1900’s and featuring a crossing from England to the USA on The Endeavour. We meet a troubled officer who is on the crossing with a heavy heart, bound for America looking for help to find his missing young daughter. We also meet a prickly detective who immerses himself immediately when an elderly man is found dead on board. Together somewhat reluctantly the two interview across all classes of traveller and the reader is swept away with interesting twists and descriptions with plenty of red herrings.

A good read that I enjoyed and would not hesitate to recommend as it was well written and atmospheric.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’m gonna keep this review short and sweet. A murderer. On a ship. Set in 1924. Couldn’t be more perfect! A wonderful debut for readers who enjoy a good historical fiction murderer mystery! With tastes of Agatha Christie throughout, you’re sure to delight in this if you enjoy others of the sort!
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Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK for the ARC

Intense, intriguing and an incredible twist. This novel will have you hooked from the outset with a host of characters that leave you wanting- needing- to know more.

The story takes place aboard a luxurious cruise ship bound for New York and opens with the mysterious death of an unknown gentlemen. Enter a policeman with a past and a seemingly reluctant ship officer to investigate the death with more than a few twists and turns on the way. The Who Dunnit is revealed in a Christie-esque fashion but what came next left me questioning everything...

A must read for any crime fiction lover.

I was drawn to A Fatal Crossing first by the cover, then when I saw that it was a Golden Age-style mystery novel set at sea in the 1920s, I was even more interested!

The whole story takes place over a four day period in November 1924 as the cruise liner Endeavour approaches New York from Southampton with two thousand passengers and crew on board. When an elderly man is found dead at the bottom of a staircase, the ship’s captain assumes – and hopes – that it’s an accident. However, James Temple, a Scotland Yard inspector, happens to be one of the passengers on the voyage and, after examining the body, he is convinced that the old man has been murdered. The captain gives Temple permission to investigate the crime, but only if he agrees to be accompanied by one of the ship’s officers, Timothy Birch.

Birch has no experience as a detective but follows Temple around the ship as he looks for clues, speaks to suspects and establishes alibis. They quickly discover a link between the dead man and a priceless painting stolen from another passenger, but the mystery deepens when more deaths occur and Temple and Birch find themselves racing against time to uncover the truth before the ship reaches its destination.

This is a complex and engaging mystery novel, with plenty of suspects, lots of red herrings and a strong sense of time and place. Although I felt that there were times when the plot was starting to become quite convoluted and I was struggling to keep track of who was who and who did what, I kept going and was rewarded by some spectacular plot twists near the end which I thought I had worked out in advance, but most definitely hadn’t!

Temple and Birch make an interesting partnership, particularly as it’s a very reluctant one! As an intelligent, competent and experienced detective, Temple is not at all happy about having an inept and bumbling ship’s officer shadowing his every move, saying the wrong things and interfering with the investigation. Birch is our narrator, and as we only see things from his point of view, Temple comes across as bad-tempered, rude and hostile, but there are hints that there’s more to each character than meets the eye. While Temple’s past and his reasons for boarding the Endeavour are shrouded in mystery, we learn that Birch is haunted by the disappearance of his young daughter Amelia and the breakdown of his marriage.

As well as the unusual detecting duo and that unexpected ending, I also loved the setting and the atmosphere. A ship on a long sea voyage is the ideal location for a murder mystery, as all of the suspects are confined in one place with nobody able to arrive or depart until the destination is reached. There’s some wonderful attention to detail as the action moves around the ship from the elegant first class decks to the less luxurious third class areas and the officer’s quarters.

A Fatal Crossing is Tom Hindle’s first novel; having enjoyed it so much, I’m already looking forward to his next one!

A Fatal Crossing is set in 1924, on board a passenger ship called Endeavour. Shortly after setting sail on its week-long voyage to New York, an elderly man is found dead at the bottom of a flight of stairs.

Ship's officer Timothy Birch believes it to be a tragic accident. But another passenger, James Temple, a police inspector, is convinced the death is suspicious.

Birch agrees to investigate, and the mystery of why the old man died becomes increasingly complicated, with twists and turns that would make Agatha Christie proud.

As the voyage nears New York, and the danger intensifies, I was on the edge of my seat.

A Fatal Crossing is a clever, thrilling, expertly plotted crime thriller, every bit as enthralling as a Christie or Sayers.

"A Fatal Crossing" by Tom Hindle is very much in the style of Agatha Christie. Think Murder on the Orient Express or Death on the Nile but on a transatlantic crossing the New York. Are the deaths to do with the upcoming art fair or is there something more sinister afoot? Some parts of the plot were clear and succinct and then others were a bit overcomplicated. Not entirely sure who did what in the end, but the vibe was good.

I enjoyed this book. I thought the plot was well thought out. I had a slight inclining as to what was going on, but nothing concrete which made me all the more curious as to the outcome. It is very well written, the conversations flow well and the characters were believable. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of whodunnits. Thank you #netgalley

We meet ship's officer, Timothy Birch, on board the cruise liner “Endeavour” as it makes its way to New York in late 1924. Following the seemingly accidental death of an elderly passenger, Birch finds himself drawn into a murder investigation when paired with James Temple, a police inspector on board who believes there is more to the man’s death than meets the eye.

What follows is a classic “whodunit”, albeit with a suspect pool of some 2,000 passengers and crew. As Birch and Temple investigate further, they uncover links to organised crime and to the art world, which kept me guessing to the end. The plot was cleverly put together, and I loved the setting of the 1920s cruise ship. There was a really good sense of the time and place, and I enjoyed the period details. I did find several quirks of the main characters somewhat cumbersome – Temple seems to be in a state of constant fury, which didn’t allow for much in the way of character progression, and there was a bit too much focus on the ribbon in Birch’s possession for me. However, I see why the author made those choices and overall they didn’t hamper my enjoyment of this historical murder mystery. I would certainly read more by this author!

My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the arc to review.

What an absolute joy it was reading this! I did not want it to end! I loved it from start to finish. The cover is simply stunning and was what appealed and when I read the blurb I knew I wanted to read this. Highly recommend

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am a big fan of Agatha Christie books, and I thought this would be similar. Not quite as good, but a good read nonetheless. Recommended.