Murder on the Marmora

George Dillman and Genevieve Masefield, used to the grand opulence of the Cunard cruise line, are at first disappointed with the Marmora, a small, unimpressive ship owned by the P&O shipping line. Employed by P&O to be the ships detectives, George and Genevieve are certain they will encounter the same petty thefts and confidence tricksters they're used to dealing with, though they hope identifying the culprits among the 500 or so passengers will prove a little easier than it did aboard the great Cunard cruise ships. They soon settle in to the routine of taking reports and doing their best to recover whatever stolen jewellery or purloined cash the unfortunate travellers are missing. The cruise is certain to be unique in at least one respect: the Duke and Duchess of Fife, along with their two small children, are aboard, and the detectives' secondary task is to provide security on the royals. However when a dead body turns up, George and Genevieve know they've got their work cut out for them. Suspects abound, and on such a small ship keeping the demise of the poor victim a secret proves tougher than they'd like. Through the eyes of Edward Marston, a luxury cruise to Egypt in 1908 becomes a majestic voyage albeit with murder in the mix upon which readers will be eager to embark.Previously published under pseudonym Conrad Allen.