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The Railway Detective Series – Book
VIII
Edward Marston
Allison and Busby
11 April 2011/ ISBN 0749008695
Historical Mystery / 1857 / Various locations in England and New
York
Amazon
US
|| UK
Reviewed
by Rachel A Hyde
It looks as
though the end of the line (no pun intended) has arrived for dangerous
criminal Jeremy Oxley. But as two burly policemen escort him onto
the train that is taking him to his execution, he plays his final
hand. This results in the deaths of both policemen and Jerry on
the run again, this time with his accomplice. Inspector Colbeck
is on the case to catch the criminal who has eluded him for years,
and he is determined not to let him escape again…
The game is afoot! But afoot in a way that is a departure for both
this series and this writer. Usually there is a teasing puzzle to
solve with a drawerful of red herrings and a large cast of suspects,
in short just the type of detective novel I particularly enjoy.
This time we already know who the guilty parties are and it is a
case of sitting back while Colbeck, Leeming and others chase after
them. I’m not personally a fan of this type of story as a
rule, and this is a surprisingly downbeat story from the usually
more llighthearted (if not exactly cozy) pen of Mr. Marston. But
I’m always interested in writers who can add the spice of
variety to their work, particularly if it tends to come in long
series. This is only book eight of this one however, and I am far
from weary with the usual format but there is still plenty to enjoy,
the highlight of which is surely the last few chapters as the chase
continues across the Atlantic. As usual the thrill and freedom of
railway travel is a theme of the book and this time it also extends
to the new ships that can get to the States in less than ten days.
I won’t be sorry to read a mystery again next time however.
Other reviews in this series at MyShelf.com
The
Railway Detective,
1
The
Excursion Train, 2
Railway
To The Grave, 7
Blood
on the Line, 8
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