Rachel Rhys – A Dangerous Crossing (Literature Review)

Rachel Rhys plunges into uncharted waters with her debut novel A Dangerous Crossing.

Technically speaking, A Dangerous Crossing isn’t really Rhys’ first novel. Under her real name, Tammy Cohen, she has written a number of best-selling psychological thrillers praised for keeping readers on the edge of their seats from start to finish. This, however, is her first foray into the so-called classic themes of the crime genre, à la Agatha Christie and Patricia Highsmith (to whom Rhys has been compared in other reviews of this book).

A Dangerous Crossing is an intriguing tale as we follow the journey of young Englishwoman Lily Shepherd. It’s 1939. With Hitler seemingly holding Europe and the rest of the world captive, it’s only a matter of time before they will once again be at war. Desperate to get away from this unrest, as well as her own personal demons, Lily boards a ship bound for Australia, where she plans to work as a domestic until the whole thing blows over. Little does she know that this is one adventure she will never escape.

There’s something altogether intriguing and special about A Dangerous Crossing. While the plot itself takes a while to heat up, the characters, their interactions and escapades moved the tale along quite nicely. While I was a little dubious of the comparisons to Christie, it’s easy to see how these might be made, whether such things were intentional or otherwise. Rhys writes with a balance of charm and flair that makes the book seem both fresh and classic. That it’s inspired by actual events makes it all the more impressive.

I, for one, hope Rhys continues with this new-found writing style, and look forward to reading more. Until then, I’m off to brush up on Tammy Cohen’s back catalogue.