Dangerous sea - David Roberts

It is the spring of 1937 and distinguished economist Lord Benyon is on the Queen Mary, bound for New York harbour. His highly important mission is to persuade President Roosevelt to provide Britain with arms and money if it comes to war with Germany - as seems very likely. Many people want the mission to fail and will not stop at murder to achieve their aim. Major Ferguson of Special Branch and a friend of Lord Edward Corinth, asks him to keep an unofficial eye on Benyon who refuses to be surrounded by policemen on the Queen Mary but is prepared to have Edward at his side. Also on board is Verity Browne, going to America at the Party's behest to liaise with Communist sympathisers there.

But it is not Lord Benyon who is murdered but the racist senator from South Carolina who has managed to enrage a number of his fellow passengers - not least Warren Fairley, the black singer, actor and communist. But surely Fairley is too obvious a suspect? Might not the murderer be the German aeronautical engineer, or Marcus Fern, the city banker who is acting as Benyon's secretary? And what about Bernard Hunt, the art dealer, or even the young American union organiser Sam Forrest, with whom Verity is so taken?

David Roberts worked in publishing for over thirty years, most recently as a director, before devoting his energies to writing full time. He is married and divides his time between London and Wiltshire.

Praise for David Roberts:

The plot is both intricate and enthralling, like Poirot on the high seas, and lovingly recorded by an author with a meticulous eye and a huge sense of fun
Michael Dobbs, author of Winston's War and Never Surrender

Roberts just keeps getting better with each book in this historical series
Publishers Weekly

Roberts' use of period detail... gives the tale terrific texture. Recommend this one heartily to history-mystery devotees
Booklist on Bones of the Buried

A classic murder mystery with as complex a plot as one could hope for and a most engaging pair of amateur sleuths whom I look forward to encountering again in future novels
Charles Osborne, author of The Life and Crimes of Agatha Christie, on Sweet Poison

A gripping, richly satisfying whodunit with finely observed characters, sparkling with insouciance and stinging menace
Peter James

A really well-crafted and charming mystery story
Daily Mail

A perfect example of golden-age mystery traditions with the cobwebs swept away
Guardian