Titanic: 'Iceberg Ahead' by James W Bancroft

                                                  

The historical facts of the RMS Titanic's infamous sinking have been a morbid maritime currency, in non-fiction books, films, and television documentaries, for well over 100 years. With countless articles written and books published, many stories have been told and retold about the 'unsinkable' ship and have been historically re-written on several occasions.

The most famous that spring to mind 'A Night to Remember' by Walter Lord, and James Cameron's 1997 cinematic masterpiece 'Titanic', which are probably the best of both cinematic and non-fiction retellings. Assuming you've read plenty of Titanic's history (like I have) you'd think 'TITANIC - ICEBERG AHEAD' by James W Bancroft is superfluous in this well-stocked subject matter? Well, yes and no.

The beginning of the book recounts all of the usual Titanic information; when she was launched, where she was from, how big, and unsinkable, her maiden voyage, etc. However, by the second half of the book, the author delves deep into the passengers' lives. Unlike those well-versed accounts of the ship's first-class millionaires on board, this book tells the life stories of passengers, survivors and victims, of the Titanic, from second and third class. 

The social history is fascinating and tragic in equilibrium and is told with impressively researched detail.  Foreboding narrative aside, it's a great book for those not familiar with the tragedy of the Titanic or the lives of those who sailed in her. 

A very recommended read for history buffs and true crime fans, alike! 

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Serpentine - The True Story of a Serial Killer's Reign of Terror by Thomas Thompson

 True Crime seems to be captivating TV audiences these days, and like never before. The latest offering from the UK has been the BBC crime drama The Serpent. I binged it in one week and was captivated by this exotic far-flung tale of a 1970s serial killer, his murder spree, drugging, gem trafficking and poisonous reign of terror. 

Serpentine by Thomas Thompson tells the story of serial killer Charles Sobhraj, the notorious ‘Serpent’ or ‘bikini killer’ who preyed on Western tourists throughout the hippie trail of Southeast Asia during the 1970s. Joined by his band of ‘followers’ you could almost say that this murderer had a cult following, however, unlike Charles Manson, Charles Sobhraj was hands-on when it came to killing. 

The book is a biography of Charles’ life from birth in 1944 up to his eventual capture and jailing in 1976. Over several months in late 1975 and early 1976, the French serial killer (although of Asian and Indian descent) murdered tourists on the ‘hippie trail’. During this period, bodies have been found slain, their corpses strangled and stabbed and burned and drowned, from the paradise beaches of Thailand, through to slopes of the Himalayas and beside the river Ganges. Sobhraj used a variety of aliases, usually from stolen passports, posing as a gem dealer to first extract money, but which (for reasons unknown) quickly escalated into murder. Maybe to cover his tracks or to keep the police from his trail, Charles had a femme fatale in tow (one of many) in French / Canadian Marie-Andree Leclerc, who acted as his wife, and an eventual accomplice (although she feigned innocence through trial). The book is a fascinating delve into The Serpent's crimes, and his heady band of followers, and analytically deconstructs his subsequent trial.

This book is the perfect accompaniment to the smash-hit BBC true crime drama and paints a portrait of a master manipulator psychopath who still resides in jail to this day. 

About the Author; Thomas Thompson was an American journalist and author. He worked for Life magazine from 1961 and died in 1982.

Watch The Serpent on BBCiPlayer

Serpentine by Thomas Thompson is published by Open Road and is available on Amazon Kindle