Investigating the Mary Celeste

by D Lawrence Young

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Investigating the Mary Celeste is an interesting partly fictionalized account of possible solutions to the perennial mystery of what happened to the unlucky crew of the Mary Celeste, written by D. Lawrence-Young. Released 26th March 2024 by Cranthorpe Millner, it's 290 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. 

The author has written an interesting mix of fiction alongside the factual recreations and recorded historical information which is extant from records of the time. It's possibly not as effective as if he'd stuck to one or the other, facts or fiction, and not presented them as a blended story. It's not a dry historical record; it's not annotated and there are no chapter notes. 

Readers looking for a deeply researched historical record won't find it here. Likewise, readers looking for a fictional story won't be satisfied either. The concluding chapter with the different scenarios and their likelyhood was logically laid out and accessible to laymen. 

The author/publisher have included a bibliography for further reading.

Three stars. This would be a good choice for public or school library acquisition, as well as for readers interested in naval history and nonfiction.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.