PIC Tour Review: Titanic 2012 by Bill Walker

Titanic
Bill Walker
Cemetery Dance Publications
January 17,2012
288 pages
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4/5 Books

Best-selling mystery novelist Trevor Hughes has no idea that attending his twentieth reunion at Harvard will forever change his life.

Persuaded to go by his on-again-off-again girlfriend, Dr. Julia Magnusson, he meets up with three old friends: Solly Rubens, a self-made Wall Street millionaire; Ken Faust, a successful software entrepreneur; and Harlan Astor, New York real estate tycoon and the glue that holds their circle together.

That afternoon, over drinks at the Harvard Club, Harlan drops his bombshell: He is doing what James Cameron did not — he is rebuilding the Titanic, and sailing the ship on the hundredth anniversary to honor those who died, including his great-grandfather, John Jacob Astor IV. Only Trevor is intrigued by Harlan’s audacity. Touched by his friend’s interest and concern, Harlan invites him on the maiden voyage to serve as the official chronicler.

On April 10, 2012, Trevor journeys to Southampton and, along with the hundreds of handpicked passengers, boards the Titanic. He is awed by the immensity of the ship and the feelings that well up in him. His friend has made his grand dream a reality.

During the journey, armed with his iPod Touch and a miniature wireless camera hidden in his glasses, Trevor interviews both passengers and crew, eager to learn the reasons why they chose to sail on the reborn ship.

Nearly every one of them claims to have been profoundly affected by Cameron’s film, wanting to recapture the magic for themselves. And some of them are dying — their last wish to be on the maiden voyage of the new Titanic.

Trevor is touched that his friend has allowed these people to come aboard, and is unprepared when he meets Madeleine Regehr, a beautiful, free-spirited woman who resists his entreaties to be interviewed, intriguing Trevor all the more. Slowly, and inexorably, Maddy draws him out of his shell, allowing him to love deeply and completely, for the very first time in his life.

But Trevor soon discovers a darker purpose for the voyage, a purpose that threatens to destroy him and the woman he loves. In a race against time that pits friend against friend, Trevor must stop the unstoppable or risk a horrific replay of history…

About The Author:
A graduate of Emerson College’s prestigious film school, Bill wrote and directed his first feature film, Pawn, while still a student. After graduation, he co-founded Newbury Filmworks, Inc., an award-winning production company renowned for making high-quality corporate films and commercials.

In 1990, Bill relocated to Los Angeles, and began a freelance story analysis career for various studios and independent production companies, while devoting his spare time to the writing of novels, short stories, and screenplays. He is also a highly-respected graphic designer, specializing in book and dust jacket design. He has worked on books by such luminaries as: Ray Bradbury, Richard Matheson, Dean Koontz, and Stephen King. In addition, Bill is a member of the Authors Guild.

He has won awards for his screenwriting, his two short story collections for Mid-Graders, Five-Minute Frights and Five-Minute Chillers, are perennial Halloween favorites, and his first novel, Titanic 2012 was enthusiastically received by readers. His second novel, Camp Stalag was released in 2001. Bill lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Debbie, and their sons, Jeffrey and Brian.

Connect With The Author:
Website

My Review:
Since I was in high school when Titanic released in the theaters the first time around(yea I’m getting old, ya’ll!), I was in love. Not only with the characters, but the fascination with the ship, and the events surrounding it. The time period is absolutely one of my favorites. So, I thought why not give Bill Walker’s new take on Titanic a try. I’m certainly not as hooked on it as the historical one, for there’s nothing quite like being transported back into history, and feeling the passion and intensity of the era. However, that being said, Walker certainly created a wonderful new approach to the retelling of Titanic.

The characters of this book are enjoyable. They’re not as complex as I like my characters to be, but they are still great for the roles they played. Harlan Astor is one of 4 friends who are in a tight nit circle. He’s taking on a huge challenge: rebuilding the Titanic. He wants it to be perfect and he wants to replicate to the exact one that sank 100 years ago, including the course it sailed. The catch? Trevor Hughs, his friend and novelist, is going to write a book about it. Trevor is enlisted to ask questions of the passengers and document the entire trip. What Trevor wasn’t counting on: falling in love and having the ship sink. Trevor endeavors on a sea of mysteriousness and ends up with a story line like no other.

I can definitely see this as a modern day Titanic movie. It would be cool to see it on a big screen and compare the two movies. As Trevor dives into the writing for the journey, he takes on interviewing those who are on board. The passengers tell him of their favorite bits and pieces of the Titanic movie, and why they want to take on what they did. This book has visits from the actors from the original movie, references to the original passengers, my favorite being Molly Brown (of course, perhaps, because her name is Molly….???). The suspenseful plot line mirrors that of the original movie, but still embarks the reader on a unique journey along side the new characters, and the old! Harlan Astor’s character has the passengers take a journey back into time, revisiting the greatest ship made, and feeling the emotions that the original Titanic passengers take on.

This is definitely a 4 Book worthy read. From the uniqueness of the story line, to the intensity of the twists and turns, this is a book that I can see myself reading again and again. For any Titanic lover or mystery lover, this a book that I highly recommend you add to your book shelf! Bill Walker is most definitely a talented author and one that I am looking forward to reading more work by!