Wilful Murder: The Sinking of the Lusitania (Unabridged) [Audio Download]

I'd never heard of the Lusitania before visiting Cobh in Co Cork Ireland a few years ago. Since then I'd looked for an accessible account of the tragedy and have now found it.
The book is comprehensively sourced and researched, covering a lot of unseen material. However, the book's true strength is its accessibility, it is objective yet highly empathic, the story telling is like a thriller and once you start reading, it is impossible to put down.
Whether you are interested in this period of history or simply looking for a facinating read about a little known episode, I would highly recommend this. You will not be disappointed.

As a leading reporter from the Sunday Times said about this work; "It is not easy, nowadays, to write an original book on the First World War... but Preston has succeeded." My own view is equally as supportive in that I recognise a thorough and competent job of research when I see it and this book is at least that!

As I have said on several previous occasions, not all so-called authors understand the complexities of research. Such an undertaking is not just a matter of reading (perhaps translating) and understanding whatever information comes to hand and then producing an accurate and unbiased account, it is also a matter of finding that information - which might be located anywhere in the world and in any format. In the case of the Lusitania, four countries were directly involved; UK, USA, Germany and, of course, Ireland where she was sunk. Personal theories, expert analysis', political intrigue, survivors accounts, photographs, cemeteries, newspaper articles and official findings (to mention but a small number of areas of interest) are, therefore, spread far and wide. Add to that the passage of time (with little or none of the information being readily available on the Internet), and you might just begin to appreciate the amount of work which has gone into making this book an absolute triumph of dedicated research.

With almost 600 pages ofn text plus extensive index and bibliography supported by a good selection of black and white photos, cartoons of the day and press cuttings, this is probably the most comprehensive account of the loss of the Lusitania there will ever be. First published in 2002, Preston draws on hitherto previously unpublished British, USA and German archive material in a successful bid to answer so many questions which refused to go away after the loss of this magnificent ship on 7 May 1915 with over 1,200 of those who were on board at the time.

Why did Cunard ignore those German advertisements which warned that they regarded the ship as a legitimate target of war? Had Cunard been infiltrated by German agents? Was the ship carrying military, warlike stores? Was the ship armed? Was it the loss of the ship which heralded America's entry into WW1 or overwhelming public outrage? Conversely, was the Lusitania deliberately sacrificed in order to get the USA into that war to support the Allies at a critical time?

Those are just a few of the questions which have been asked over the years and I earnestly believe that this book is the one single work which will help every reader arrive at their own conclusions.

On top of that, Diana Preston is an author who has the gift of arranging words in such a way as to make the entire product a thoroughly enjoyable read and there is no better commendation for any book than that.

NM

I am currently on a non-fiction kick, and as someone with an interest in the First World War picked this up at my local bookshop. I was aware that the sinking of the Lusitania was shocking and controversial when it occurred, however had not read anything more than superficial accounts of the tragedy.

The Ms Preston triumphs here by making the first large scale naval attack on civillians seem (in light of the current world climate) topical and relevant to today. She takes the reader through the history and development of the transatlantic ocean liners, which by the beginning of the War were at the peak of their "golden age", and submarine technology which by then was still very much in it's infancy. The details of the passengers aboard the fated voyage give the book a humanising, more immediate feel - I found myself thinking of this novel in terms of the September 11 attacks of three years ago, the worldwide revulsion at the deaths of over twelve hundred people in the sinking shocked and saddened the world then as the more recent attacks have done to us. The exploration of the political ramifications of the attack on the Lusitania for Germany, Britain and the USA are also very interesting, however I did find myself becoming a little bogged down in some of the technical detail toward the end. A great read, I look forward to reading some more of this author's work.