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When a new novel based on the tragedy of RMS Titanic is published exactly a hundred years after it sank the reader may be excused for approaching it with a certain degree of suspicion, particularly when 2012 saw a number of other reminders of the event. However, it is clear after only a few pages that the author has brought something new to the story. Whilst most people will have heard of the Siege of Sydney Street, they may not be familiar with the Tottenham Outrage and the Houndsditch Murders, incidents in which policeman were killed and which caused a furore at the time, particularly in London's East End. Although the words Russians, Jews, anarchists and terrorists are frequently invoked in connection with these crimes, it is not entirely clear who all the perpetrators were. However, one name associated with these events - Peter the Painter, a Latvian anarchist - has lived on in legend as an anti-hero, although the man himself has vanished into the mists of time. Since these historical incidents occurred little more than a year before the sailing of Titanic, one of the theories for his disappearance is that he was on board the liner on his way to the United States. The author assumes this theory to be correct and the novel is concerned with his being recognized and hunted down during the voyage. Arthur Beck is a former member of Special Branch who, having been unfairly dismissed from his post, is anxious to clear his name. He is on his way to what he hopes will be a new life in the United States. Having been involved in the Houndsditch Murders, he had been wounded by the man he knew as Peter the Painter and had seen him murder three other policemen in cold blood. When he sees a man on board who he thinks is Peter the Painter he is determined to investigate further and to bring him to justice. Martha Heaton is an American journalist who has been sent to cover the maiden voyage of Titanic. Something of a feminist, she feels that if she is going to compete with men, she will need to produce a story that her editor will not be able to spike, and when she finds out what Beck is doing she knows that she has her story. The last part of the novel is, of course, concerned with the actual sinking and, whilst there is little in the way of factual information to add, it is written in a graphic and moving way. Anyone not familiar with the facts will find it very gripping as the author moves about the stricken ship to show how different groups reacted. He suggests - perhaps controversially - that third class passengers were deliberately kept below decks until all the lifeboats had been launched. However, this is not supposed to be a history of that night's events and he manages to sustain the reader's interest. There is a blossoming romance between Beck and Martha and it is impossible not to be concerned about their fate. Will either or both of them go down with the vessel? Peter the Painter disappeared from history. We find ourselves wondering if the suggestion is to be that he met his end on the ship. It was hard to understand why the dying Swede, a former sailor, was introduced into the story but all becomes clear in what can only be described as a very clever Keyser Soze moment! Beck and Martha are the only two characters developed in any detail. Martha in particular is appealing because her attraction to Beck is understandable and she is clearly frustrated when it becomes clear to her that he is interested in finding his man and will not allow himself to be diverted by a shipboard romance - even one he would welcome under different circumstances. The description of the historical Ismay losing his nerve and climbing into a lifeboat intended for women and children might cause some readers to wonder whether they might have done the same. This is not, however, a novel of self-analysis, simply a well told story that maintains its interest from start to finish. § Arnold Taylor is a retired Examinations Board Officer, amateur writer and even more amateur bridge player.
Reviewed by Arnold Taylor, December 2012
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