A Dangerous Crossing by Rachel Rhys is a full-length, standalone. historical fiction novel.
1939, in the face of war, Lily Sheperd boards a ocean liner to Australia and goes on a wonderful journey. She visits Naples, Cairo and Ceylon. But she has secrets.
She meets new friends who are also running from something.
A Dangerous Crossing is the story of love, secrets, hate, murder, darama and much more.
I love the pace of the book. The story is told in a single POV.
I give 4 stars. Thank you, Rachel Rhys.

Dangerous Crossing shows us a slice of life on a ship from England to Australia in 1939. Everyone seems to have a secret which draws them away from England. The author intimately introduces us to a handful of these passengers. War is looming and two are dead on the crossing. The book touches on Anti-Semitism, homosexuality and class differences. I found Dangerous Crossing to be an interesting read.

Dangerous Crossing hearkens back to the 1900's, a time when social class dictated one's standing in life, when the world still felt so expansive with much yet to be discovered and when secrets could irrevocably destroy someone. The language and voice in third person definitely creates that old world atmosphere as a young girl full of potential boards a ship that will take her to her new life in Australia.


The first thing I noticed was that reading Dangerous Crossing was kind of like reading an Agatha Christie novel. I loved Agatha Christie as a teenager where I'd try so desperately and failed each time to analyze as best I could and deduce who the villain was before the final reveal. I found myself doing the same here. The plot does start out slowly to introduce all the players who come from different social classes, and under normal circumstances wouldn't have any reason to mingle with each other to the extent that they do on this ship. The drama and curious behaviours kick in later; by that time I was fully invested in all the happenings and anxious to get to the climactic event.


Reading this was also a challenge for me as Lily's backstory and POV can be a hard perspective to grasp for today's female reader who isn't subjected to the social and gender constraints of that time. Every time I felt myself irked by something along those lines I had to remind myself that this was the 1930's and I was in Lily's shoes so I had to embrace all of that. Yet even when she was conflicted about her interactions with the opposite sex, she was decisive and maintained independent thought about other social issues. At a time when fascism had gained momentum and Germany was close to invading Poland, Lily even with her limited real world experience showed remarkable astuteness when it came to judging character. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that some of the social and political elements in the book have their own parallels with today's current events.


I felt so content when I finished Dangerous Crossing. I liked its steady pacing and that the ending was equal parts bitter and promising. More so than a mystery, it's a study in human nature and it's a character-driven story that had me sitting forward with eager interest.


~ Bel

I struggled to get into this one, if there is an audio version I might try that instead.

There have been many a novel that looks at the world as it was in 1939 and on the brink of its second world war. There have been many a novel set at sea. I do not imagine there have been many novels that have both as their setting. Dangerous Crossing is one such novel as it explores one young woman's travel across the world to a new beginning on board a luxury ocean liner right after Germany invaded Poland. It is, in many ways, a coming-of-age story not just for the main character but for the rest of the passengers as well.

Lily is a wonderful main character. She is young and inexperienced, and her excitement for this adventure to her new life is infectious. Yet, she is not completely naive and therefore not an easy target for someone looking to take advantage of her. She has a sharp mind and is quite observant in one so young. She is not perfect, but her mistakes are almost endearing. Her vibrancy and eagerness to explore the world opened to her is so infectious that it is easy to ignore any annoyances she might cause you.

For as fun as it is to see the story unfold through Lily's point of view, the true star of the story is the ocean liner and entire voyage. Ms. Rhys' descriptions are stunning and make you feel like you are there alongside Lily. Everything from the odor of the cabins after a long night to the sun on the horizon is crystal clear and compelling. Even those scenes that take place off-ship are evocative and vibrant. You find yourself so caught up in the descriptions that the story fades in importance.

The other element of the novel Ms. Rhys does well is establish the unrest caused by not knowing where the world stands as it pertains to Germany's aggression. There is also the sense of timelessness that results from not having access to the latest news. It is such a unique perspective. The ship is literally in its own bubble out of time for as long as it remains away from its destination. It becomes something of an experiment then to watch the passengers interact without thought of the outside world and with no immediate worries to guide them. The not knowing is particularly profound given today's instantaneous news access and rapidity of reporting, and the ease with which they accept the lack of news fills you with longing to be back in those blissful years of ignorance because the news took time to reach you.

There is something about the open ocean that calls to mind romance and adventure. Dangerous Crossing captures that feel with its impressive attention to detail and spirit of possibility that exists in each of the characters. Lily makes for a great heroine, full of adventure as only the young are, intelligent enough to discern harsh truths, and more than capable of speaking her mind. The big mystery of the voyage proves to be minor when compared to Lily's growth, and that is okay. Ms. Rhys does such a great job establishing the characters and their interactions that the rest is not even necessary. I remain pleasantly surprised and impressed by this character-driven story on the sea and hope others take the opportunity to see the world through Lily's eyes.

Though apprehensively, Lily Shepherd is embarking on the adventure of a lifetime. Taking advantage of a government program, she boards a ship bound for Australia joining a few other young ladies looking for work and a change. Lily finds herself sharing cocktails and dinner with members of society that would otherwise, not look at her twice. As the voyage progresses, rumors of a new war arise and tensions among the passengers along with them.

Readers looking for a straight up ‘who done it’ might be disappointed picking up this novel. I encourage those readers to step outside their box and indulge in something different. Rhys has given us a protagonist that is strong but unreliable. On one page you are sympathetic towards her, the next one you want to slap her! There are many characters within this story that are unreliable. The world has just survived the first World War and the farther the ship moves from the European stage the more erratic the passengers behave. Rhys packs in and addresses many issues within this story skillfully. Though this title is being marketed as a mystery, the real story lies within the small group surrounding Lily. As each mile falls away and they move closer to their destination, the created facades of each character slowly peel away. It’s an interesting look at the effect of the coming war from those on the other side of the world. The story will stay with you.

3.5, maybe 4 stars

I actually found myself a bit bored the first half of this book so I put it down for awhile but then I found myself needing to know exactly what happened on the cruise ship. So I picked it back up and found that I thoroughly enjoyed the last half of the book, maybe even quarter of the book way more than the first part. I think at first I had a hard time with the character driven story vs an actual plot. Once I got past that my whole mindset changed.

The writing in this book is descriptive and flawless that you almost find yourself on the ship and the many stops yourself. The author does a great job on transporting back to a time that we may not understand. A time tumultuous time of the world being on the brink of war once again. A time when people from different classes just didn't mix, well until they are on a cruise ship and can forget all kinds of social norms.

I loved all the characters in this book and how they interacted and drove this book. Witnessing interactions that may have not happened otherwise was an interesting take on keeping readers engaged.

Although these kinds of books are usually not my cup of tea but overall I found I enjoyed this one.

If you're a fan of classic mysteries with exotic settings, Rachel Rhys' Dangerous Crossing is the perfect book for you. It's set aboard a fancy ocean liner making its way from England to Australia on the eve of the Second World War, and it's filled with all the drama, romance, and suspense you could want.

The story opens with a nameless woman being led off an ocean liner in handcuffs, accused of the murder of a fellow passenger. The author then takes us back to the beginning of the voyage and introduces us to a wide and varied cast of characters, all bound for new lives in Australia. It's a quiet, rather unassuming story that doesn't rely on flashy twists to capture the reader's interest. Instead, Ms. Rhys reels us in with her remarkable attention to even the tiniest detail of life aboard ship and her ability to create characters who seem ready to jump off the page.

Housemaid Lily Shepherd is ready to start a new life. After a disaster involving the son of her former employer that left her dearest friend dead, Lily knows there's nothing left for her in England. So, she takes advantage of a government program that offers discounted passage to young women who are willing to live and work in Australia for a number of years, and boards the Orantes, a ship more ornate and luxurious than anything she's ever seen. Still grieving the loss of her friend, Lily doesn't plan to get involved with any of her fellow passengers, but, of course, fate has other plans.

As soon as the Orantes sets sail, Lily gets caught up in the magic of shipboard life. True, it's smelly and crowded, but it enables her to get to know people who wouldn't have given her a second glance on shore, and she soon finds herself growing close to a diverse group of travelers, most notably Max and Eliza Campbell, a married couple who are traveling first class and seem desperate for a way to escape the scandal that dogs their steps.

Lily is rather naïve and soon becomes enthralled by the Campbells and the flashy existence of those on the first class deck. She doesn't necessarily like Max and Eliza, but they fascinate her in a strange way and she feels a strong need to learn more about them and their secrets. In their company, Lily is able to attend fancy dress balls and take part in expeditions to the Egyptian pyramids, things she certainly could not have afforded to do on her own, but even in the midst of the glitz and glamour with which the Campbells surround themselves, Lily feels a sense of impending doom unlike anything she's felt before.

And then, there's Edward Fletcher, a sickly young law student, to whom Lily is almost instantly attracted. A part of her knows it would be foolish to get involved with Edward, but another, more adventurous part urges her to let her hair down and live a little on the voyage. Unfortunately, Edward doesn't seem nearly as interested in Lily as she is in him and instead, he trails after Eliza, a willing participant in any scheme she proposes in the name of excitement.

There's so much more to this story than I can accurately convey here. Ms. Rhys has crafted a novel that skilfully blends social commentary with thrilling suspense. She doesn't shy away from difficult topics like racism, sexual assault, and addiction, but neither does she beat her readers over the head with them. Instead, she allows her characters to deal with them in very real ways, adding an extra layer of authenticity to the story.

Lily is an engaging and sympathetic heroine. She's not perfect, but she experiences quite a bit of growth over the course of the novel. I was sometimes frustrated by some of her decisions, but none of them seemed out of character, and Ms. Rhys did a stellar job of helping me understand her motivations.

The pacing of Dangerous Crossing won't appeal to all readers. As I stated above, it's not full of shocking twists and chilling discoveries and the build-up to the climax is slow, much like the voyage of the Orantes would have been. I loved this aspect of the book, but I do recognize that some might find it plodding or tedious.

Dangerous Crossing is a book I'm eager to recommend to readers of historical mysteries who aren't looking for something overtly shocking. It's not the type of psychological thriller I usually choose to read, but I'm so glad I traveled a bit outside my comfort zone and gave it a chance. It was totally worth my time, and I urge all of you to pick it up at your earliest convenience.

Buy it at: A/BN/iB/K

A chance for a new life in a far away country? With free passage on an ocean liner? Lily Shepherd is apprehensive but open to change. She just didn't realize it was going to be exciting so fast. On board, Lily gets to mingle with the sort of people she might never have otherwise met. Even... well. Maybe a little romance. But, the veneer of wealth hides some dark secrets and Lilly gets caught up in webs she never thought she'd be a part of.
I have to admit that the present-tense-writing is not my jam and made it really hard to get into the book. I wish this book hadn't been billed as a mystery because nothing really happens until the end of the book. It's more a character study of flawed people but set among historical fiction.

Two stars
This book comes out January 9
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

1939 and Lily Shepherd is onboard a ship to Australia to start a new life. But the new friends she makes just leads to tragedy.
The story was okay, it seemed well-written, though in the present tense which I do dislike. I didn't love it or hate it but it felt flat and didn't really care much what happened to any of the characters.

Dangerous Crossing had an interesting premise and immediately caught my attention. I thought the characters all seemed unique and the setting was caught my eye as well. As I began to read, I became more and more interested in the story and felt a bit on the edge of my seat waiting on the action to start. Unfortunately, I had to keep waiting for a while. The story itself was intriguing, but it took too long to get to the interesting parts of the story. I felt that it was stretched out about 100 pages further than it needed to be.

I enjoyed getting to know each of the characters, but I had a really hard timely liking Lily. Being the main character, I felt that I was supposed to like her, but she wasn't a great friend and I actually found her to be a little childish. She seemed to complain a lot and I wish she would have spoken up for herself a little more. The other characters she comes in contact with were also a little hard to like.

All in all, I thought the story itself was very interesting, but it fell a little short for me. The ending was very heavy on the action and suspense, while the beginning and middle were a little flat. I would still recommend this novel to readers who enjoy historical fiction novels, but go into knowing there will be a few sections of the novel that are pretty slow.

Lily Shepherd boards a ship to Australia that will take five weeks to reach its destination – Sydney, Australia. Lily hadn’t planned on leaving England, but when she saw an ad in the paper to travel on the assisted-passage scheme, the opportunity was too good to pass up. While aboard the ship she becomes close to several passengers and most of them have a little something to hide from one another. What happens when you throw complete strangers on a ship from all different social classes, as well as ethnic backgrounds, during a time when the world is on the brink of war? You will have to read it to find out.

I couldn’t help but to think of this story in terms of a masquerade ball. Strangers coming together for a trip of a lifetime, excitement is in the air and new friendships are to be made. Being that no one knows each other, everyone can be whoever they want to be. They can hide behind their masks of truth and no one would know otherwise.

I found Lily to be likeable and relatable, but for the most part the rest of the passengers came across as being two-dimensional. Eliza was anything but two-dimensional, but she got under my skin and I eventually found her to be quite annoying.

I enjoyed the many excursions the passengers went on during several of their port stops. I found the descriptions of the sights and sounds of each city to be very enjoyable.

I appear to be in the minority here with my enjoyment of this book. I was really looking forward to it, but for me it fell a bit flat. I however encourage you to read it and hopefully you will have a much better experience with it.

Class boundaries disappear and secrets slip out on a long, hot journey from England to Australia in Rachel Rhys’ Dangerous Crossing.

London housemaid Lily Shepherd signs on for 2 years in Australia, taking advantage of the reduced fare, and hoping that time and distance will heal her. She’s in tourist class, a sort of midrange accommodation that was totally unknown to me. I guess I know most about glittery cocktail parties in First, and desperate conditions in steerage. Or, you know, wives living in an aircraft carrier’s liftwells.

Everyone has their own reasons for making the journey, which is exactly the sort of premise I love in expat stories. Max and Eliza Campbell, at first seem like bored British aristocrats, unhappily married in a way that manifests in barbs over cocktails. Eliza imperiously demands that the tourist-class travelers make up the required number of card players, or tag along on excursions to keep them from being bored with each other. But of course, they’re not just off to Australia to keep themselves entertained, and there’s a reason they keep coming down from First to slum it with the tourist-class passengers.

Edward and his sister Helena are also escaping, although at first it seems like they’re just avoiding their overbearing parents and looking for an agreeableclimate for recovering Edward. An Austrian-Jewish schoolteacher, Maria, is escaping a lot more literally, although during the journey, all the shipmates glance at the papers and reassure each other that although Herr Hitler looks a bit frightening, Neville Chamberlain won’t let them be drawn into war again.

The entire novel takes place on the boat, or on short dockside excursions on the journey from England to Australia, but there’s endless action on board. At the same time as our characters are on their personal journeys, the shipboard social classes represent the fragile alliances and ethnic prejudices of 1939 Europe. The drama of traveling to the other side of the world, right on the eve of WWII, for so many different reasons, keeps the pages turning.

Dangerous Crossing was a good idea which to me went awry. In her afterword, Rhys says that she found a diary in her mother's house written by her mother's friends about a five week boat journey in 1938 from England to Australia. At the time, Britain had an an agreement with Australia to send young women to Australia to fill positions for domestic servants. Rhys' mother's friend was one of the recruits and her diary records her experience on the boat going over. As seen by Rhys, this was is a social microcosm in which many of the socioeconomic and political tensions of the time were replicated and amplified. This seemed like a great setting for a mystery or sorts.

I agree, but I didn't love the delivery. Lilly Shepherd is the heroine of Dangerous Crossing, and she gets caught up in a number of different friendships and romantic tensions on her journey to Australia in 1939. She becomes friends with a young Jewish woman, who is treated with suspicion and disdain by some of the other passengers. She becomes friends with a wealthy couple, who seem glamorous but are both emotionally fraught and unstable. She is attracted to a young law student traveling with his sister, who gives her mixed signals and seems to be escaping some dark secret. Lilly has secrets of her own. It could have actually been a really good read, and there were parts I liked, but at times the delivery was a bit dull and the denouement felt oddly over the top. I'd hoped for a light entertaining read, but it ended up being a bit of a slog.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.

It’s 1939 and a young English woman, Lily Shepherd, is off to Australia on board a ship. She will do two years in domestic service when she arrives to pay for the free passage on the ship. Many on the ship are leaving Europe to escape the rising tensions related to Hitler’s ascent in Europe and the threat of war. On board the ship, Lilly meets a wealthy and troubled couple Eliza and Max; Cambridge graduate Edward and his sister; Jewish refugee Maria; a horribly obnoxious fascist named George, and her suite mates Audrey and Ida – as well as several others. Before the ship docks two passengers are dead, war has been declared in Europe and Lily has gone from naïve young girl to a far more experienced woman of the world.

What I really liked about the book: The big events that I just didn’t see coming. I love when a book surprises me. And I’m not talking about cheap surprises – but in this case, I didn’t see one of the two deaths coming in any way. Made it an excellent plot twist and made an intriguing character about face. Very much enjoyed. I could see a sequel coming off of this book about Lily’s two years in Australia.

What I didn’t like about this book: George was such an obvious “bad” guy and yet we don’t know his back story. He keeps saying his father “made” him go help his uncle, but I was envisioning that his actually did make him come perhaps because he got himself in trouble with his temper.

Would definitely recommend to those who like historical fiction.

I found most of this novel boring, and I disliked that it is written in present tense.

I went into this novel expecting a murder mystery, but once it became clear that this was more of a character driven book than an action driven one, I was completely on board for the emotional rollercoaster ride. The opening passage detailing the arrest in Sydney was enough to get me hooked, and I was utterly thrilled when I was blind sided upon discovering who our arrestee was at the end. It’s not too often I don’t guess the guilty party, so this one totally takes the cake for surprise plot twists.

Lily was a wonderful narrator to follow, especially given her social standing and the rare opportunity she had to make connections on her journey. I really enjoyed how aware she was of her station within this class stratified society, and the open acknowledgement that she knew she could never carry out the same type of interactions once off the ship. Also, the fact that the event that she was running away from wasn’t revealed until right at the end really worked for me. I was constantly pushing through to find the next tidbit from her flashbacks, and constantly desired to know more about Robert and Mags. By the end I was entirely willing to forgive Lily’s relative meekness, and instead found myself lauding her strength and bravery despite it all.

The fashion and period elements in this book were absolutely spot on! Everything from the dresses – whether to be corseted or not – to the swimming costumes had me waxing poetic about pictures of my grandparents at that age. And, I think it’s important to mention, that just as much detail was paid to apparel of the men as the women. I think I would have killed for Eliza’s evening gown from the ball on the last night, and maybe even the peach silk dress that she loaned Lily during the passage. Considering the role that clothing plays throughout the book, especially how much it can say about a person, I would kill to see this novel cast as a movie.

Would I recommend this book? Absolutely! It wasn’t what I was expecting, but it ended up being so much more. Perhaps its not the fastest pace book out there, but the depth and detail create a dream world in which it is easy to get swept away. I’d suggest this vibrant and enthralling read to just about anyone as it can’t be pigeon-holed into just one genre.

I enjoy a good mystery and read historical novels sparingly, so this one combined the two into one book I found quite enjoyable and entertaining. There are quite a few interesting characters with varied back stories on the ship. Since this takes place on a boat, the background locales were aptly described without being to wordy, and the dialogue flowed well, I'm looking forward to reading more from Rachel Rhys.

A throughly enjoyable locked boat mystery. Good complex characters in a claustrophobic setting, in a fascinating time in history.

Rachel Rhys has written a very good, gripping historical novel that misses the mark of being great. The book's strengths are its plot and its setting; it falls short in development of its characters.
Rhys really excels in telling a story. This one is set on a ship making the long journey from England to Australia on the brink of Hitler's invasion of Poland in September 1939 and focuses on Lily, who is traveling under a scheme (one that really existed) that paid for her voyage in exchange for her work as a domestic servant for at least two years. While on board, she meets a number of interesting characters, including a society couple fleeing from a recent scandal, a brother and sister traveling for his health, a professed fascist and sexual abuser, a young Austrian Jew worried about her parents back home and who becomes the target of hatred on board, an embittered woman whose finance perished in the previous world war, and more. Rhys lets the story unfold, throwing in twists and turns that keep the reader glued to the page. The ship's many ports of call cleverly allow Rhys to move the setting from the confines of the ship to places such as Gibraltar, the Pyramids in Egypt, and Ceylon. They lend interest and authenticity to the book. Alas, it is in its character development that the book falls short. Lily is presented as a naif, although as the story unfolds unpleasant events in her past are revealed, and one can't help but wonder why she didn't learn much from them. Other characters are much less well developed, and except for Maria Katz, the young Austrian Jew, their motivations are often clouded and difficult to discern or they seem artificial.
When beginning a novel, an author must choose the voice in which to tell her or his story. I assume that Rhys deliberately chose to use the third person, with Lily as the main character. I wonder if a first person narrative might have revealed more about her. Finally, although the concluding "newspaper article" and letters answered some questions, including what happened to Lily and several other characters over time, I would have preferred that the author left those unresolved issues to my own imagination.