A Watery Grave

by Joan Druett

Book Overview

The year is 1838, and after more than ten years in the planning, the famous United States Exploring Expedition is set to launch into uncharted waters from the coast of Virginia. A convoy of seven ships filled with astronomers, mapmakers, naturalists, and the sailors charged with getting them around the world, the "Ex. Ex." is finally underway, with much fanfare.

Aboard the convoy as ship's linguist is Wiki Coffin. Half New Zealand Maori...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312334427
• ISBN13: 9780312334420
• Release Date: October 2005
• Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Not an O'Brian, But...

I agree with Bozemaniac's comment about the lack of depth when compared to other maritime authors such as, O'Brian, C.S. Forester, Kent, et al. Other aspects that appeared dubious to me are some of the described handling of the square-rigged sailing vessels of that era and the relaxed discipline of some of the naval officers. Conversations among the characters are presented in mostly today's vocabulary and employ only bits and pieces of the vernacular of that era, including maritime terms, as opposed to O'Brian and the like. Subsequently, I feel that author Druett appears to present no intended purpose to emulate the style and depth of the authors mentioned above. It's simply a much lighter delivery. What I see here is a nicely told sea tale, loosely entwined with the initial days of an historical nautical event (a common ploy of historical fiction authors) blended with a twist of mystery. Druett's knowledge of native New Zealand and South Seas way of life is thrown in to enhance the main (half-Polynesian) character and does provide some depth too - an interesting approach indeed. As with typical uncomplicated mysteries, I was delighted with its suspenseful climax in the last pages. As I moved through it, I also visualized an intended scope of readership to include teen age. Well, what a nice way to entice young readership on to the more involved tales of Forester and the like! However, American maritime writer James Nelson may be a worthy way point in route before the heavy English ship-of-the-line narratives are boarded. IMHO, Nelson's literary fashion lies betwixt Druett and the O'Brian types. Plus, Nelson's Biddlecomb and Marlowe series do give a nice feel-good to us Americans. It's pleasurable for we Yanks to have a morsel of American naval historical fiction in a sea of British well-done novels! So, fellow land lubbers, I plan to clap my eyes on her next sequel or two for some all-plain-sail cruising, wear ship, and then navigate a course into the larger swells of Pope with maybe a Dumas tale and a dash of Sabatini for blue water winter reading!

Sail Away with this Debut

The morning the US Exploring Expedition is set to launch, Wiki Coffin finds himself waiting on shore. When shots ring out, he thinks he is the target. Instead, the target is a row boat floating down the river. The occupant of the boat is already dead from a broken neck. She is the wife of one of the expedition's astronomers. Wiki is briefly accused of the crime, but the sheriff quickly realizes that couldn't be. He's able to rejoin the expedition before it completely launches. But when another death occurs not too long into the voyage, Wiki begins to suspect a connection between the two. Is there a killer on board? Can Wiki find him? This is a series debut that shows lots of promise. Wiki, half New Zealander and half American, is a fascinating character. In fact, all the characters on board the expedition are interesting. And watching the way Wiki is treated is quite fascinating. I was not even aware of this historic expedition from the 1830's, so that aspect of it is fascinating as well. Plus, I love boats and the ocean. The mystery was good and managed to confuse me until the heart stopping ending. The only real flaw is the historic detail. I know, I know, it's a historic mystery. But, the author, at times, overwhelmed me with ship jargon. These terms weren't explained anywhere in the book. Additionally, she occasionally slowed down the action to give us great detail about life on the ship. Some of that came into play later in the book, but even so it frustrated me at the time. And there is some needless background on the main characters that slowed things down. Despite the overwhelming historic detail, I really enjoyed this book. I am looking forward to catching up with Wiki soon to see where the expedition heads next.

a glimpse into another time and place, with a mystery!

I came across this book, and it sounded interesting. So, I read it. The book combines the technology of the United States in 1838 with my country's zeal for exploration. Take that, and add a mysterious death. Throw in some interesting characters, and a clever protagonist, "Wiki". The result is a mystery that I had trouble putting down. I read most of it last night, but waited until this morning to finish. I did not want it to end....fortunately there will be a sequel. Anyway, the characterisation (?spelling) is wonderful. I felt that I had begun to know these people....and I know nothing about ships of that time. Somehow, the author has given us a bit of understanding of how things worked then. She also provided us with a great mystery. The mystery is resolved....I almost got it....but, "Wiki" is quicker. If you like books by Patrick O'Brien, or if you like mysteries, or, if you would like to try a new book, this is for you. I highly recommend it.

Great mystery along with a wonderfuul nautical adventure

At the end of this book, you will definitely be left wanting more. You know that the tale has just begun and are hoping the author finishes the next story sooner rather than later. The characters are richly drawn, the descriptions of life on board detailed enough to illuminate the surroundings, but not so detailed as to detract from the story and mystery itself. I would definitely recommend this book.

terrific historical mystery

In 1838 Norfolk, someone takes a shot at half Maori William "Wiki" Coffin, Jr. before fleeing the area. Wiki next sees the corpse of a woman in his boat. The Sheriff arrests Wiki for murdering Mrs. Tristam Stanton, wife of the expedition's astronomer. However, not long afterward, the Sheriff frees the "darkie" though he has no papers. Instead he believes that the killer is on the ship the Ex. Ex. already sailing on an exploration expedition in the South Seas. Since Wiki is a linguist with the expedition, the Sheriff asks him to investigate the murder on board the vessel. As Wiki catches up to the ship, he also begins making inquiries. However, he finds the crew's bias towards his race and national origin makes it difficult to obtain answers as well as delineate who is simply a bigot from a killer. Still, Wiki persists even as the ship is wracked with blunders, confusion, and dangerous decisions that almost sinks the effort before reaching the destination let alone solve a homicide. This is a terrific historical mystery with the emphasis on real events and relationships circa 1838. The story line contains a fabulous who-done-it, but many of the red herrings are caused by racism that makes an individual seem nasty enough to commit murder. Wiki is a wonderful protagonist who hopefully stars in future South Sea adventures, but the key to this superb tale is the insight into the seemingly doomed real United States South Seas Exploring Expedition of 1838. Harriet Klausner