Death on a Branch Line (Jim Stringer Steam Detective 5)
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £0.25
Get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade in Death on a Branch Line (Jim Stringer Steam Detective 5) for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £0.25, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Independent - 50 Best Summer Reads
`Offers a snap-shot into a beautifully realised Victorian world.'
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Guardian
`The story builds up a good head of steam early on and rattles along nicely to a satisfying conclusion.'
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
38 of 39 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Andrew Martin's Death on a Branch Line is the 5th railway detective novel of a 6 book series. They are all excellent but this latest book underlines his great writing skill through its movement and stillness, and a handful of compelling quirky characters. Tension is achieved by a race against the clock; the sleepy Yorkshire village is curiously empty. I couldn't put the book down once I'd started, and I was frustrated to have rushed through to the last page so hastily. I didn't want it to end.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
My first encounter with Andrew Martin's Jim Stringer series, 'Death on a Branch Line' is a mystery which owes a great deal to the likes of John Buchan and 'The Riddle of the Sands', concerning as it does mysterious and murderous goings-on in an isolated Yorkshire village which draws railway detective Jim Stringer and his spirited wife Lydia into a race against time to save an innocent man's life. The shadow of war against Germany is never far away, and the sense of unease in the village is well described, as are the characters of Lydia and Jim's Chief, who come across particularly well.
If I have one reservation, it's that the language is occasionally a little too strong for the period setting, with a few expletives I'd normally expect to find in something more contemporary. Otherwise the evocation and atmosphere are good, the characterisation something of a curate's egg and the resolution satisfying if tinged with bleakness. But for a modern take on the classic adventure stories of the Edwardian period, it's certainly worth a read.
If I have one reservation, it's that the language is occasionally a little too strong for the period setting, with a few expletives I'd normally expect to find in something more contemporary. Otherwise the evocation and atmosphere are good, the characterisation something of a curate's egg and the resolution satisfying if tinged with bleakness. But for a modern take on the classic adventure stories of the Edwardian period, it's certainly worth a read.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is my first of the `steam detective `books and it wont be my last but it was oddly unsatisfying. The plot seemed so contrived, a man on his way to his execution warns Jim Stringer of the imminent murder of his brother. There follows a string of events in a deserted town on a branch line with elements of the British Secret Service and information of National Importance. The ending is a little confusing and I hope it can be explained by reading some of the earlier books. The writing is good the characters are fleshed out. It will be worth trying another one but I would not start here.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Each one better than the last
This set of books get better as you read each one.
As a mainly "just before I go to sleep" reader this series is ideal. Read more
As a mainly "just before I go to sleep" reader this series is ideal. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Albatross
A GOOD READ SPOILT
As with the previous five books in this series, this is an excellent read spoilt by the gratuitous introduction at intervals of four-letter words. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Mr. R. Hurst
Not bad...but...
I have been reading Martin's Jim Stringer books since his very first, and they are entertaining and nicely written, full of good period atmosphere and have some excellent... Read more
Published on 19 Feb 2010 by Mr. S. A. H. Done
Not Impressed
Sadly this is drivel. It starts out well with good period description of Victorian railways, but then deteriorates with a sorry plot that seems to ramble and go nowhere. Read more
Published on 2 Oct 2009 by Mr. Peter Steward
Steaming along !
Another very enjoyable diversion into the murky world of steam trains and crime in the early 20th century. Recommended to lovers of crime drama and railway enthusiasts. Read more
Published on 3 Sep 2009 by C. Cohen
Chuffed
Not disappointed by an Andrew Martin story yet and Jim & Lydia are almost friends by now!
Published on 10 July 2009 by Michael Field
Jim Stringer. Steam Detective of Steam Detectives
Jim Sringer is, once again, a railway detective.
In 1905, it is his job to guard a convicted killer at York station until he can be taken to the jail in which he is to... Read more
In 1905, it is his job to guard a convicted killer at York station until he can be taken to the jail in which he is to... Read more
Published on 5 July 2009 by MartinS
Death on the 30th page
Unlike the other reviewers, I simply couldn't get on with this. I hadn't gotten on with the other 4 ( bought 5 at once, like to have a series to go at), so this one didn't... Read more
Published on 21 Jan 2009 by Ndpye
Guilty or not guilty?
Jim Stringer, railway detective, meets convicted murderer Hugh Lambert at York station and is convinced Hugh is not guilty even though he is to face the death penalty in just over... Read more
Published on 6 Nov 2008 by Damaskcat
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
