Just Finished Reading: A Christmas Railway Mystery by Edward Marston (FP: 2017) [350pp] 

Swindon, England. December 1860. With only a few weeks left until Christmas it was the last thing either of them wanted – to be called away from London, Scotland Yard and their families to investigate a bizarre murder at the recently built Swindon railway works. One of the hundreds of workmen had been found dead but that wasn’t the strange part. The works was not a place for those who treated their own wellbeing casually. To survive unscathed from a hard day's work you needed to keep your wits about you. But that wouldn’t have helped Frank Rodman much. His wife had raised the alarm when he hadn’t returned home from the local pub. Thinking he might have injured himself on the way back a search was organised. It wasn’t long before a body was found. But it was no accident that claimed Franks life – not when his head had been removed from his body and was nowhere to be seen. Great Western Railway (GWR) insisted that Scotland Yard sent their very best man to take charge. That, at least, was the easy choice for Superintendent Tallis – the famed ‘Railway Detective’ Inspector Colbeck and his right-hand man Sergeant Leeming would be sent post-haste. Once in Swindon the trouble really began. Not only was the victim widely hated and feared but his wife was widely admired and, prior to her marriage to Frank, widely courted. The number of potential killers was a lengthy one which seemed to grow with each interview. Each had their own reason to see Frank dead. It was going to be quite a headache indeed to solve things before Christmas... 

This is actually the 15th Railway Detective novel but my first read. I just couldn’t resist the idea of having a Christmas themed novel/mystery this close to the actual event. As with most series like this it's not hugely problematic to read things out of sequence (or in my case dive straight into the middle of things). Some mention is made of previous cases but that information isn’t generally germane to the investigation. Despite the headless victim this is overall a rather light and fluffy affair. It’s far more about the clues and working out the mystery than the gory side of things. There’s only one (minor) moment of ‘yuck’ factor for maybe a few lines and that’s it. I did have a feeling throughout that it was as inoffensive as an Agatha Christie novel which feels about right. The overall ‘feel’ of the novel was a delight. It evoked the time nicely (maybe too nicely actually – there's little Dickensian about the whole affair) and the railway works felt real enough. Both the detective and sidekick were well drawn and I liked both of them. I was intrigued by the Inspectors wife who he met in a previous novel so I’m looking forward to finding more out about that! Likewise, there is a young and upcoming detective that I’m looking forward to knowing better too. Being a well-constructed mystery, it kept me guessing to the very end and I only really clued into the murderer seconds before it was revealed and even then I wasn’t anywhere near sure. Many of the side characters were well drawn including the suspects and some of those being interviewed along the way. There wasn’t a single jarring moment throughout and it was a wonderfully relaxing read and I enjoyed it greatly. I already have several more (earlier!) novels in this series and will be scheduling them in at my earliest opportunity. Definitely recommended for all Victorian crime lovers – and those with even a passing interest in trains!