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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
62 of 63 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
If Edward Marston stays true to his writing history, his legions of fans can welcome a new series! In "The Railway Detective," Marston introduces us to Detective Inspector Robert Colbeck of the new Scotland Yard. A charming, some
say "dandy," gentleman of the Victorian school, Colbeck seems an unlikely person for his job--solving cases and catching the crooks in 1850s England.
say "dandy," gentleman of the Victorian school, Colbeck seems an unlikely person for his job--solving cases and catching the crooks in 1850s England.
It is the dawn of the age of the locomotive and it does not come peaceably. There are enough "foes" of this "new fangled contraption" and many will go to all ends to try to put a stop to it and the new Age that is surely dawning on the British Empire.
Early on we know who the culprits are, as Marston doesn't play games with the reader. Instead, he permits Colbeck and his Sergeant Leeming to methodically put the pieces of the puzzle together and, despite the usual suspects and the usual
obstacles, arrive at a satisfactory conclusion.
A train is highjacked in Chapter One and subsequently and deliberately de-railed. It is carrying gold bullion from the Royal Mint and the day's mail. The robbery is carried out with true military precision (a clue Colbeck quickly picks up).
It is such a perfect and professional job that Scotland Yard knows that there have to be "insiders" involved. A few murders later (Colbeck cleverly links them to the robbery), the case is put to rest.
Marston doesn't do histrionics and not a lot of melodrama. Instead, he tells a story that not only serves to keep out interest in solving the crime but provides much readable background of the time and place. There's the usual violence in a police procedural murder mystery and Marston also throws in a limited romantic turn, too!
Marston's historical series (The Nicholas Bracewell Elizabethan mysteries, the Redmayne series, and the Domesday Books series) stand on their own merit. The author jumps a few centuries and seems to fit right in. That said, readers will hope for more in this interesting era.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
If Edward Marston stays true to his writing history, his legions of fans can welcome a new series! In "The Railway Detective," Marston introduces us to Detective Inspector Robert Colbeck of the new Scotland Yard. A charming, some
say "dandy," gentleman of the Victorian school, Colbeck seems an unlikely person for his job--solving cases and catching the crooks in 1850s England.
say "dandy," gentleman of the Victorian school, Colbeck seems an unlikely person for his job--solving cases and catching the crooks in 1850s England.
It is the dawn of the age of the locomotive and it does not come peaceably. There are enough "foes" of this "new fangled contraption" and many will go to all ends to try to put a stop to it and the new Age that is surely dawning on the British Empire.
Early on we know who the culprits are, as Marston doesn't play games with the reader. Instead, he permits Colbeck and his Sergeant Leeming to methodically put the pieces of the puzzle together and, despite the usual suspects and the usual
obstacles, arrive at a satisfactory conclusion.
A train is highjacked in Chapter One and subsequently and deliberately de-railed. It is carrying gold bullion from the Royal Mint and the day's mail. The robbery is carried out with true military precision (a clue Colbeck quickly picks up).
It is such a perfect and professional job that Scotland Yard knows that there have to be "insiders" involved. A few murders later (Colbeck cleverly links them to the robbery), the case is put to rest.
Marston doesn't do histrionics and not a lot of melodrama. Instead, he tells a story that not only serves to keep out interest in solving the crime but provides much readable background of the time and place. There's the usual violence in a police procedural murder mystery and Marston also throws in a limited romantic turn, too!
Marston's historical series (The Nicholas Bracewell Elizabethan mysteries, the Redmayne series, and the Domesday Books series) stand on their own merit. The author jumps a few centuries and seems to fit right in. That said, readers will hope for more in this interesting era.
17 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
It's London in 1851, the railways are slowly establishing themselves as the best means of travel and preparations are underway for the Great Exhibition. A robbery on the railway near Leyton Buzzard and the theft of both money and mail threaten the reputation of the safety of the trains.
Enter Inspector Colbeck, a bit of a dandy, and one of the best detectives with the Metropolitan Police. Will he be able to find those responsible??
This is a great novel, really easy to read, and includes everything you want in a detective novel of this kind; robbery, treachery, murder, life in the slums of London, a little love interest and an uptight Chief Inspector.
Cracks along at a great pace and avoids being too 'nerdy' about trains. Recommended.
Enter Inspector Colbeck, a bit of a dandy, and one of the best detectives with the Metropolitan Police. Will he be able to find those responsible??
This is a great novel, really easy to read, and includes everything you want in a detective novel of this kind; robbery, treachery, murder, life in the slums of London, a little love interest and an uptight Chief Inspector.
Cracks along at a great pace and avoids being too 'nerdy' about trains. Recommended.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Better than I expected
I was concerned about this one after reading some of the less favourable reviews of other readers, but I needn't have worried. Read more
Published 27 days ago by 45156
Steams Along Nicely!
The Railway Detective is the first volume in Marston's series featuring Victorian Scotland Yard Detective Inspector Robert Colbeck. Read more
Published 1 month ago by davidscott429
Enjoyable read!
Really enjoyed reading this book. New to the author and found that he gave off enough of the atmosphere of the period without becoming a 'copycat Dickens'. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Amanda Hall
Potential for niche series, spoilt by stereotypes
On the plus side, it's a detective story, set in the early days of both the Railways and the Detective Section of the Met Police. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Nordie
One of the worst written books i've ever read
Terrible plot, terrible narrative, terrible dialogue.
I enjoy crime/mystery novels but this one had no element of mystery. Read more
I enjoy crime/mystery novels but this one had no element of mystery. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Jim
Really enjoyable
I really enjoyed the slower pace of this novel in comparison to other crime novels. The story was good and so are the characters. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Jennifer Stanley
Railway Detective
The first book in a series and I definitely intend to read the others. I had read one of Edward Marston's Christopher Redmayne series, set in a totally different time and age,and... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Lisa
A very simple tale with not much umph!
This book is easy to read and I would say the language is simplistic but there are some lovely uses of words which no longer exist in out 21st Century vocabulary but that really is... Read more
Published 16 months ago by missussmith
A great book if you can only take your literature in porridge form
I read a lot of crime/detective fiction and I love steam trains, so I assumed this would be a good read.
There are numerous things wrong with this book. Read more
There are numerous things wrong with this book. Read more
Published 16 months ago by DeadNotSleeping
not a bad read
This was not a bad book but couldn't get sean connerys film the grest train robbery out of head as i read about the first third of the book. Read more
Published 16 months ago
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