The great-granddaughter of a Titanic survivor, Edie is writing a thesis on the truth behind the fateful events of 15th April 1912. Heir to a banking fortune, she isn’t interested in the family business and shuns her father’s posh friends. Kit was accused of stealing gold from the sinking ship, could that be the secret to her family’s success?

The Titanic connection is a bit thin and Good as Gold is much more about corrupt bankers than anything else. From the start, I felt that the characters would be more suited to 1912 than 2008, with their snobbish attitudes and feudal systems. There is an afterword about Louise Patten’s findings of the Titanic disaster which is probably more useful if that’s what you’re looking for.

It was a book I almost put down. Bankers aren’t exactly the most popular people at the moment and I was starting to think it was all about rich people and their obsession with boats. Edie may reject their ways but she still begs her family for the money to allow her to study. Yet it is easy reading and it suddenly gets gripping in the second half.

Half the problem is, it doesn’t really know what it wants to be. Is a it a Bagshawesque commentry on the rich and their relationships? Is it a conspiracy thriller? Is it a genuine attempt to shed some light on the disaster? Or is it even crime? Just too many elements and not all of it interesting to me. The relationships developed all too quickly which made everyone seem a bit detached.

Good as Gold is published in paperback and ebook formats by Quercus who provided me with a copy to review.