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The Railway Detective: The bestselling Victorian mystery series

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Format: Kindle


Description

London 1851. With the opening of the Great Exhibition at hand, interest is mounting in the engineering triumphs of the railways, but not everyone feels like celebrating. In an audacious attack, the London to Birmingham mail train is robbed and derailed, causing many casualties. Planned with military precision, this crime proves a challenge to Detective Inspector Robert Colbeck who fights to untangle a web of murder, blackmail and destruction. As Colbeck closes in on the criminal masterminds, events take an unexpected turn when the beautiful Madeleine, daughter of the injured train driver, becomes a pawn in the criminals' game. With time running out, good and evil, new and old, battle against each other. But will the long arm of the law have speed on its side? The Railway Detective is an action-packed dip into murky 1850s London. Full of historical detail, unexpected twists and memorable characters, this is a mystery that will surprise you at every turn. Read more


Publisher ‏ : ‎ Allison & Busby (July 12, 2009)


Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 12, 2009


Language ‏ : ‎ English


File size ‏ : ‎ 2280 KB


Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled


Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported


Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled


X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled


Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • ... started this series out of order so it was fun to circle back to the beginning
Admittedly I started this series out of order so it was fun to circle back to the beginning, and learn about how Inspector Robert Colbeck became "The Railway Detective." The year is 1851 in England, and the city of London is gearing up for the grand opening of the Great Expedition. However, not everyone is excited about the advances made in the railway system. A mail train is derailed on its way to Birmingham. The railway driver, Caleb Andrews, is gravely injured, and his fireman, Frank Pike, is forced by the looters to take the train off the tracks. It's up to Inspector Colbeck and his sidekick if you will, Sergeant Lemming to solve the crime. Inspector Colbeck relies heavily on his intuition to solve the mystery, which can be frustrating at times. I'd prefer to see a more of a trial and error approach to his methods because that at least has some authenticity to it. The villain is also revealed in the middle of the novel simply with him pointing to the character list and saying, ah yes, that's him.He's also near flawless and described as such. The characters are divided into clear roles: the bad guys and the good guys with little wiggle room in between. For instance, Madeline Andrews, is the daughter of Caleb Andrews, and is the love interest. She's beautiful, smart, pleasant, etc. We are told all of this information rather than shown. I definitely think that the dirtier, grungier aspects of the story appealed to me more, such as when Inspector Colbeck visited the Devil's Acre. I found the second half of the book to be on the slower side, especially once the villains were revealed. There was just too much gloating on their side and while I understand their motives, I didn't particularly care for them. Granted, some of Marston's books are better than others but I always check them out, even if I don't particularly enjoy reading historical fiction. I enjoy spending time with these characters and the books aren't heavy lifting. Yes, the writing isn't the best at times but it's a quick weekend read. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2017 by Olga Gamer
    • Fun and intriguing
The robbery was amazing in scale and destruction. The inspector uses his brains to deduce the who and why. Interesting ins and outs.
Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2022 by Kindle Customer
    • Wonderful story!!
It is a very compelling and well written story. And since there are 20 more books left in the series, I will be occupied for months!!
Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2023 by lsandler3
    • Predictable
I enjoyed the book. In particular, I knew very little about the beginnings of the British railways and their equipment. I do think, however, that some of the romantic parts of the plot are a bit too predictable.
Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2022 by Sylvane
    • Read Crichton first, just not as goos as his Bracewell series
I first discovered Marston through his Nicholas Bracewell. My memory of that is it is one of my favorites. This newer series I find not near as well done. In effect it has stereotypes throughout. We have the sidekick who does grunt work but really is not near as bright as our hero. Our hero who knows he is bright and often will say something that is condescending to show off his intelligence. I do not think that characters need to be humble, but a policeman trying to get information should be respectful and not saying things that could lead to animosity from witnesses. Further, Colbeck, our hero, treats his boss with a little contempt. In all the man is not nice. Not a man you would want as a friend. That leaves me to look at the Victorian Era. And here this man is solving the first crime on a train. But wait Crichton did that excellently with the first real case in the Great Train Robbery. So Hold your need for a read, and get that first. Then you can compare the two. Crichton gave us a researched world and explained it. Marston wants to talk about the train greatly, but he seems to not place us in a full Victorian immersion which I think Crichton does better. I give this book a slightly better than average. I like Marston. That he makes some Conan Doyle like leaps to profile the culprit I may not agree with. I might get more in the series, and then I might not. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2013 by David Wilkin
    • Railroad, Crime, British Detectives, 19th Century - What More Would You Need?
The Railway Detective by Edward Marston (2005): This book is the first volume in a 12-book series that features the Scotland Yard detectives, Inspector Robert Colbeck and Sergeant Victor Leeming. It is set in 1850 when railroads were becoming more important to the British economy and popular with British citizens. However, not everyone was endeared to the noisy and dirty iron horses. In this book a train is hijacked, the locomotive is derailed, the driver is injured, and an extremely large sum of money is stolen. Inspector Colbeck and Sergeant Leeming head the investigation, which introduces the reader to a 19th-Century industrial society, with many poor citizens struggling to survive under difficult conditions. It also introduces the reader to a new and exciting railroad society that has just suffered its first violent crime. The book is informative, the characters are interesting, and the reader experiences significant and compelling action. I enjoyed this book very much and I plan to continue reading this series over time. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2015 by Clark Hallman
    • A great introduction to the series, the characters, and the 1850s
Some years after the financial end of the great railway building boom in Great Britain, a train robbery of gold and mail nearly destroys the faith of the public in the safety of travel or shipping by rail. A very well organized gang, impersonating the police and with inside information make a formidable opponent to the nine year old police agency, Scotland Yard. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2022 by Amazon Customer
    • A ‘different’ plot
An excellent read. A cleverly constructed plot and certainly a ‘different’ line. Some very interesting and illuminating Victorian history along the way.
Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2022 by Rob

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