Book reviews

Maritime non-fiction / History

Wonderful story of the inland waterways

Water Gypsies by Julian Dutton

With so many people employed on Britain's rivers and canals over the centuries, it is unsurprising that many of them ended up making their homes afloat as well. This historic community is the focus of a new book by the award-winning writer and actor Julian Dutton

Maritime fiction / Novel

Fiction debut with humour and insight

Something in the Blood by Phillip Messinger

Phillip Messinger spent 24 years at sea, first as a navigating officer in the Merchant Navy then as a captain of chemical tankers.

Maritime fiction / Novel

Spooky thriller dredges the demons of the deep

The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton

Author Stuart Turton crashed onto the scene in 2018 with his debut novel The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. That uniquely positioned 'manor house murder mystery' became an international bestseller, so his follow up novel was much anticipated.

Maritime non-fiction / Memoir

The Merchant Navy in vibrant verse

A Bucket of Steam by Captain Joe Earl

A Bucket of Steam is both a memoir and a work of the imagination – a little gem of a book where the author reflects on his own seafaring life and tells other maritime stories, all through the medium of poetry.

Maritime fiction / Novel

Captain vs captain in a Titanic novel

Deep Sleep by Paula Astridge

Described as the 'novel for the thousands of those who can’t get enough of all things Titanic', Deep Sleep is a gripping read of fact-based fiction.