A dangerous fugitive and a series of thefts mar a voyage the Celtic
makes in 1910 from New York to London in Allen's satisfying eighth shipboard mystery to feature the husband-wife detective team of Bostonian George Porter Dillman and Englishwoman Genevieve Masefield (after 2006's Murder on the Oceanic
). While the lovely Genevieve fends off suitors vying for her affections (the pair conceal their marriage supposedly for more efficient sleuthing), she and George are on the lookout for Edward Hammond, a thief wanted for murder who might have sneaked on board. Among the legitimate first-class passengers is novelist Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, whose cherished first edition of his novel A Study in Scarlet
—which introduced the character of Sherlock Holmes—goes missing. The light, well-executed plot will live up to the expectations of Allen's fans. (Mar.)
