Conrad Allen



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Edward Marston and Judith Cutler, author of twenty crime novels with a contemporary setting, compare techniques for writing about crime in the past and in the present. Their talk has been given at several libraries, festivals, bookshops and writers' groups in the UK and in America. MURDER ANCIENT AND MODERN is available for hire. Click the email link at the top of the page to request more information.

"Two of the most entertaining speakers on the crime writing circuit" - Raw Edge Magazine

Murder on the Marmora cover

GEORGE DILLMAN and GENEVIEVE MASEFIELD (by Conrad Allen)

1907. On the maiden voyage of the Lusitania, George Porter Dillman, a suave American, is working as a private detective for Cunard. Among the first class passengers, he meets Genevieve Masefield, an attractive and intelligent young Englishwoman, who is sailing to America to begin a new life after a broken engagement to a member of the minor aristocracy. A baffling murder changes her travel plans. Unwittingly, she becomes Dillman's assistant and proves to be so competent that they decide to work together as a team in future. A former actor from a family that builds ocean-going yachts, Dillman is highly suited to detective work afloat and Genevieve's ability to blend in with the rich and famous in first class make her an invaluable partner.

MURDER ON THE MARMORA

George Dillman and Genevieve Masefield set sail for Cairo on the Marmora, a small, luxury P&O cruise ship. The detectives act as unofficial bodyguards to the Duke and Duchess of Fife, but they are soon diverted by a series of thefts. A hideous murder then takes priority and they find a whole host of possible suspects. The situation is complicated by the fact that Genevieve's former fiance is on board, and although the man is nominally on his honeymoon, he still feels impelled to corner her in her cabin. The investigation is further hampered by a problem that Dillman and Genevieve have never encountered before - a resentful and uncooperative purser.

"A clever and amusing tale of sea-bound adventure. Delightful escapism."
Chicago Sun-Times

"First-class entertainment."
Publishers Weekly

"Great reading."
Library Journal

Purchase online

Amazon UK: Hardcover 288 pages. Published by St Martin's Minotaur, Feb 2004.

Amazon USA: Hardcover 288 pages. Published by St Martin's Minotaur, Jan 2004.

MURDER ON THE SALSETTE Murder on the Salsette cover

George Dillman and Genevieve Masefield have been enjoying a short honeymoon in Bombay before sailing to Aden on a P&O vessel as private detectives. The murder of a British civil servant and a spate of thefts enliven the voyage and the detectives have to cope with villains of all nationalities. A key figure on the cosmopolitan passenger list is a young English girl who races around the deck at night on roller skates.

"The intimate picture of seaboard activity makes this an unusual, suspenseful mystery."
The Oklahoman

"The shipboard atmosphere does sparkle..."
New York Times

Purchase online

Amazon UK: Hardcover 272 pages. Published by St Martin's Minotaur, Apr 2005.

Amazon USA: Hardcover 272 pages. Published by St Martin's Minotaur, Apr 2005.

MURDER ON THE OCEANIC

George Dillman and Genevieve Masefield have to be on their mettle when the great J.P.Morgan sails to New York with them on the OCEANIC, a vessel that belongs to a shipping line Morgan owns. The death of his bodyguard and the theft of priceless paintings from his stateroom throw everything into confusion. The presence on board of an unwanted suitor for Genevieve, and a mad Welsh artist with his wife and mistress in tow, complicate an already difficult situation. The only way to placate the infuriated J.P.Morgan is to solve the murder but time is limited and there are far too many suspects.

Purchase online

Amazon UK: Hardcover 288 pages. Published by St Martin's Minotaur, Feb 2006.

Amazon USA: Hardcover 288 pages. Published by St Martin's Minotaur, Feb 2006.

REVIEWS

"Delightful escapism."
- Chicago Sun-Times

"Conrad Allen remains the captain of the ocean cruise mystery in this fabulous whodunit."
- Harriet Klausner Reviews

Murder on the Celtic cover MURDER ON THE CELTIC

When they sail from New York on the Celtic, a White Star ship, George Dillman and Genevieve Masefield face an immediate problem. They are warned that a dangerous criminal may be aboard. Genevieve excites the interest of two passengers, a Briton and an American, who compete for her attention. Also on board is the creator of the most famous fictional detective of them all – Sherlock Holmes. Dillman is delighted to meet Sir Arthur Conan Doyle but the author is soon the victim of a crime when his annotated copy of A Study in Scarlet is stolen. More thefts follow.

Sir Arthur and his wife attend a séance and Genevieve, though highly sceptical, also wishes to see the medium in action. The leisured luxury of first class is contrasted with the privations in steerage where some passengers are emigrants who were refused entry to America. One man is so distressed that he contemplates suicide. While the Celtic sails on, Dillman and Genevieve work frantically to solve the various crimes even though they put themselves in jeopardy. An interested observer, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle learns the essential difference between detection in a story and in practice.

Purchase online

Amazon UK: Hardcover 288 pages. Published by St Martin's Press, Feb 2007.

Amazon USA: Hardcover 288 pages. Published by St Martin's Press, Feb 2007.