'A tense and claustrophobic mystery told with startling wit' Tim Minchin
'Swerves from cosy Christie homage into something far more brutal' Guardian

It's 1925, and the Empress of Australia sails toward New York with a full passenger manifest. When a body is discovered onboard, Inspector Archie Daniels begins investigating - but one murder becomes two, then three. Racing against time to prevent disaster, Daniels realizes no one is safe, from entitled first-class passengers to those deemed 'dregs of empire' below deck. With nowhere to run on the open Atlantic, the killer remains among them. The Empress Murders delivers a razor-sharp, mind-bendingly clever whodunnit that doubles as a bloodthirsty mystery and scathing examination of British Empire excess as its sun begins setting.

"A tense and claustrophobic mystery told with startling wit." - Tim Minchin

"A uniquely brilliant reimagining of the nautical murder mystery ... It's a novel that is both literary and highly readable. Unequivocally recommended." - Richard Roxburgh

"Prepare to be both dazzled and discombobulated. You have been warned." - Sydney Morning Herald

"Readers expecting to snuggle up with a bit of Miss Marple-style cosy crime will be in for a shock ... a book that will leave you thinking." - The Australian

"Whatever you think this book is, think again. Cosy murder mystery? Historical crime fiction? Flamboyant literary feast? Slasher horror? The Empress Murders has all that, but Toby Schmitz has created a unique beast. I loved it. What a trip. Be ready for anything." - Malcolm Knox, author of The First Friend