Kitty Hawk and the Tragedy of the RMS Titanic by Iain Reading

Kitty Hawk and theTragedy of the RMS Titanic is the fourth book of the Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency created by Iain Reading.

From the land of Vikings, volcanoes and ice, Kitty Hawk now finds herself in the emerald hills of Ireland. After a presentation to promote the grand opening of Wasabi Willy’s Family Sushi Restaurant in Dublin, the company financing her flight around the world, Kitty is approached by a handsome stranger.

Andrew presents Kitty with an ancient envelope containing two equally ancient items: a newspaper article with an unfinished crossword puzzle and a postcard with a black and white photo of the doomed luxury steamship, the RMS Titanic.  

Just like the previous three books, this is a treasure trove of fascinating, albeit some of them tragic and some even horrible, information. I particularly enjoyed the retelling of the ill-fated maiden voyage of one of the most famous ships in history. Moreover, I appreciate the lessons on the ancient Egyptian writing, the Hieroglyphics, as well as the stories about the scariest and most notorious serial killer of all time, Jack the Ripper.

I find the pacing of this fourth installment faster and the plot more suspenseful than the first three and I absolutely love it for that. Kitty, bolder and more daring, is appropriately described as ‘the incredible and remarkable young female pilot.’ I couldn’t pick a favorite from any of the new characters not because they aren’t likable. Quite the contrary, they are all endearing in their own ways. I love Andrew, Professor Flynn, Katherine and Richard for their passion: Andrew for his passion for the truth about his ancestor, the professor for the Titanic, Kate for history and Richard for Jack the Ripper. I like Ellie for her truthfulness and helpfulness and even Thomas for his tenacity. Finally, though the solution to the puzzle was as much as I expected, I still felt good that the book ended the way it did.   

Needless to say, I love this book and I enjoyed it a lot.

However, I was a little disappointed that Kitty’s plane played a very minimal role in her adventures this time, though it was apparently understandable. Moreover, other readers may have misgivings about Kitty’s non-conforming behavior. Though I personally take as a trigger to the suspense, others may consider it inappropriate that might send a negative message to people Kitty’s age.

Congratulations to Iain Reading (@IainReading) on yet another awesome novel! For more books in this series, click HERE.