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Jim Stringer #3
The Lost Luggage Porter
'Unerringly sharp and pioneeringly original, it locks the reader in from start to finish.' Andrew Barrow, SpectatorWinter, 1906. It's Jim Stringer's first day as an official railway detective, but he's not a happy man.As the rain falls incessantly on the city's ancient streets, the local paper carries a story highly unusual by York two brothers have been shot to death. Soon Jim enters the orbit of a dangerous, disturbed villain - and discovers that the two murders are barely the start of his plans . . .'A cracking good thriller.' Independent on Sunday'Crime narratives dispatched with a Dickensian relish . . . Delectable stuff.' Daily Express'Has the charm of Alexander McCall Smith's simple-is-good philosophising and its addictive quality.' Metro
340 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2006
10 people are currently reading
170 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Martin
190 books106 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Andrew Martin (born 6 July 1962) is an English novelist and journalist.
Martin was brought up in Yorkshire, studied at the University of Oxford and qualified as a barrister. He has since worked as a freelance journalist for a number of publications while writing novels, starting with Bilton, a comic novel about journalists, and The Bobby Dazzlers, a comic novel set in the North of England, for which he was named Spectator Young Writer of the Year. His series of detective novels about Jim Stringer, a railwayman reassigned to the North Eastern Railway Police in Edwardian England, includes The Necropolis Railway, The Blackpool Highflyer, The Lost Luggage Porter, Murder at Deviation Junction and Death on a Branch Line. He has also written the non-fiction book; How to Get Things Really Flat: A Man's Guide to Ironing, Dusting and Other Household Arts.
Andrew Martin (born 6 July 1962) is an English novelist and journalist.
Martin was brought up in Yorkshire, studied at the University of Oxford and qualified as a barrister. He has since worked as a freelance journalist for a number of publications while writing novels, starting with Bilton, a comic novel about journalists, and The Bobby Dazzlers, a comic novel set in the North of England, for which he was named Spectator Young Writer of the Year. His series of detective novels about Jim Stringer, a railwayman reassigned to the North Eastern Railway Police in Edwardian England, includes The Necropolis Railway, The Blackpool Highflyer, The Lost Luggage Porter, Murder at Deviation Junction and Death on a Branch Line. He has also written the non-fiction book; How to Get Things Really Flat: A Man's Guide to Ironing, Dusting and Other Household Arts.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
September 1, 2025
Jim Stringer arrives in York in the winter of 1906 on his first day as an official railway detective expecting to be put to work as a normal detective, but as the rain falls incessantly on the city he instead finds himself doing undercover work and in the orbit of a dangerously disturbed villain, whom Jim believes has murdered two brothers.
In this book Stringer moves from amateur detective to a fully paid up one and his character, his hopes and frustrations, are fleshed out a little more. This is the third book in the series and as with the previous books the crime element is quite simple with few twists, turns or surprises. However, what Martin does well was to take me right to York in the winter of 1906, a city with it’s dark, cobbled, gas-lit streets, where the city's petty villains and down-and-outs live out of sight of the tourist hotspots that we all recognise.
The villains in this book aren't people that you wouldn’t want to meet down a dark alleyway but aren't particularly memorable either. The story has a steady pace throughout, very much like the steam trains featured, and it's obvious that Martin has studiously done his research. But despite actually working on trains I'm only really interested in their ability to get me from a to b, rather than what type they are or their physical attributes.
Despite being the third book in the Steam Detective series, I believe that this book will also work as a stand-alone. I already own a few more in the series so will continue with it, the books are at least a decent piece of gentle escapism.
In this book Stringer moves from amateur detective to a fully paid up one and his character, his hopes and frustrations, are fleshed out a little more. This is the third book in the series and as with the previous books the crime element is quite simple with few twists, turns or surprises. However, what Martin does well was to take me right to York in the winter of 1906, a city with it’s dark, cobbled, gas-lit streets, where the city's petty villains and down-and-outs live out of sight of the tourist hotspots that we all recognise.
The villains in this book aren't people that you wouldn’t want to meet down a dark alleyway but aren't particularly memorable either. The story has a steady pace throughout, very much like the steam trains featured, and it's obvious that Martin has studiously done his research. But despite actually working on trains I'm only really interested in their ability to get me from a to b, rather than what type they are or their physical attributes.
Despite being the third book in the Steam Detective series, I believe that this book will also work as a stand-alone. I already own a few more in the series so will continue with it, the books are at least a decent piece of gentle escapism.
July 20, 2013
The Lost Luggage Porter by Andrew Martin is book 3 of the Jim Stringer mystery series set in early 1900s England. It’s winter 1906 and Jim is downhearted, having moved to York to take a new job as railway detective. He sees the new assignment as a punishment for crashing an engine into a station in Halifax. He longs to return to his dream job of railway engineer. The only positive notes in his life are his wife and their soon-to-be-born first child. Of course his anxiety is enhanced by the need to support his family.
The new job’s instructions are suspiciously vague: to find and infiltrate a gang that has committed a series of railway crimes, including robbery and murder. His boss Detective Weatherill is more interested in eating lavish breakfasts and identifying crimes as non-railway (and therefore a matter for the city police) than solving the crimes and catching the criminals. An odd young man working as the lost luggage porter provides Jim with clues, never in a straightforward manner. Jim has to be quick-witted and take a few punches to be credible in the underworld, besides he must join into the commission of crimes. He is constantly concerned about his future, since by joining the gang he is now a criminal, and he fears the railway police will not support or rescue him. Indeed they don’t - and Jim is forced to flee to France with the gang ringleaders. When they threaten his wife’s life, he must take desperate risks.
I enjoyed the first two books of the series (The Necropolis Railway and The Blackpool Highflyer) much more than this one. The earlier books were positive, as Jim worked hard to achieve his dreams; book 3 rambles along in a depressed mood. Jim is unhappy with his job and the uncertainty of his future. He loves his wife and is happy about imminent parenthood, but is also irritated by her condition and behavior, and so spends most of his hours and days away from home. The steps he takes to find and infiltrate the gang are somewhat boring, mostly consisting of drinking in rundown pubs with shady characters. He never can figure out the right time or manner in which to arrest the criminals - just as well, since more policemen are corrupt than he realized.
On the strength of my satisfaction with the earlier books, I plan to read the next book in the series, Murder at Deviation Junction, in which I hope Jim will regain happiness and motivation in his work. I don’t recommend The Lost Luggage Porter as a stand-alone mystery.
The new job’s instructions are suspiciously vague: to find and infiltrate a gang that has committed a series of railway crimes, including robbery and murder. His boss Detective Weatherill is more interested in eating lavish breakfasts and identifying crimes as non-railway (and therefore a matter for the city police) than solving the crimes and catching the criminals. An odd young man working as the lost luggage porter provides Jim with clues, never in a straightforward manner. Jim has to be quick-witted and take a few punches to be credible in the underworld, besides he must join into the commission of crimes. He is constantly concerned about his future, since by joining the gang he is now a criminal, and he fears the railway police will not support or rescue him. Indeed they don’t - and Jim is forced to flee to France with the gang ringleaders. When they threaten his wife’s life, he must take desperate risks.
I enjoyed the first two books of the series (The Necropolis Railway and The Blackpool Highflyer) much more than this one. The earlier books were positive, as Jim worked hard to achieve his dreams; book 3 rambles along in a depressed mood. Jim is unhappy with his job and the uncertainty of his future. He loves his wife and is happy about imminent parenthood, but is also irritated by her condition and behavior, and so spends most of his hours and days away from home. The steps he takes to find and infiltrate the gang are somewhat boring, mostly consisting of drinking in rundown pubs with shady characters. He never can figure out the right time or manner in which to arrest the criminals - just as well, since more policemen are corrupt than he realized.
On the strength of my satisfaction with the earlier books, I plan to read the next book in the series, Murder at Deviation Junction, in which I hope Jim will regain happiness and motivation in his work. I don’t recommend The Lost Luggage Porter as a stand-alone mystery.
June 25, 2022
I found this book very difficult to follow. There are lots of references to railway talk which is difficult to understand. The underlying story was great, but not a favourite of mine at all.
April 29, 2024
The third entry in Andrew Martin’s series of crime novels set against the backdrop of the Edwardian railway system provided just as much pleasure (actually, more, given that it was largely set in York so I could visualise the meticulously drawn mise en scene very clearly) as the previous book, The Blackpool Highflyer. Jim Stringer has moved from the footplate to a new job as a detective with the Railway Police. His first case takes him undercover into a dark and dangerous criminal underworld where stakes are high and risks to his life await round every corner. Andrew Martin has a masterful sense of time and place and a knack for building tension in slow-burning plots that grip the reader. I’m glad there are plenty more titles in the series to look forward to.
October 30, 2007
Luuuuuuved this book! The tone/voice and the atmosphere--fabulous, completely original! There was one moment early on, when the detective has a conveniently chance meeting with the men who ultimately become the murder victims, which I was a little disappointed with. But then what Martin did with that moment... luuuuved it. So unpredictable, authentic, suspenseful, and entertaining. Can't wait to read more of this series.
April 11, 2020
Loved the descriptions of York one of my favourite places and the story was quite interesting although I’m not desperately searching for others in this series.
October 1, 2015
Not the best the series has offered. Jim has been sacked from his beloved job on the steam engines he adores after a blunder. He's packed off to York and set to be a detective for the railway fuzz. No actual detecting goes on. He's entirely at the mercy of the station chief who sends him out to see if he can catch some 'bad lads' and an informant sign posts the rest for him. He sets out with a cunning disguise consisting of specs with no lenses and a bad suit. I'm sure if it had occurred to him he'd have also attached a plastic tache but perhaps they hadn't been invented in 1906. I do love all the northern vernacular which is all hiding away in my lexicon passed down from my grand parents. The period detail is a delight and the scenes with Jim and his family are quite funny.
December 30, 2008
An evocative picture of Edwardian York from a railway standpoint. The atmosphere of the railway sidings are admirably captured and the action switches from York to Paris and back before Jim Stringer eventually works out what is happening, nails his men and solves the mystery. The Paris episodes are as good as any in the book but, particularly early on, the mystery is difficult to follow. However, it works out fine and on further reflection, the book may prove to have been better than presently rated. I would like to read another Jim Stringer novel to see if it brings about the same feelings.
August 8, 2011
All the ingredients were there for a good read - historical, murder mystery and set in yorkshire but.... This was just not well written at all. Totally lacked cohesion.
July 14, 2017
Prior to 9/11, I remember a very handy feature of British (Scottish, Welsh, and Irish, too) railway stations. One could check luggage at a “Left Luggage” locker or check room. This meant that one could take advantage of long layovers and explore towns without dragging one’s luggage along with them. I hadn’t realized, though, that “Left Luggage” and “Lost Luggage” were handled differently. Since The Lost Luggage Porter is one of the Jim Stringer mysteries that takes place in the early 20th century (the first decade thereof), the difference was clearly eliminated. Calling some of these novels “mysteries” may be a stretch. They are essentially undercover thrillers with a railway connection and a few twists one might not have expected as the “expected” solution to the supposed mystery unwinds.
The historical setting is fascinating. Young Jim Stringer seems to be making a life of it even though his long-term desire to be a railroad engineer driving some of the fastest steam locomotives of the day seems to be thwarted at every hand. He is a glorified errand boy set to discover the vile doings on The Necropolis Railway. If it seems like a set-up, you’re not wrong, but since there is a series, you know the protagonist survives. You just don’t know why (and in spite of his naivete). In The Blackpool Highflyer, Stringer has finally reached part of his goal. He serves in the cab as a fireman. Yet, again his life is plunged into paranoid guilt as he tries, without any particular ability or authority, to solve the mystery of train saboteurs on his own—putting himself again in danger.
In The Lost Luggage Porter, Stringer is once again forced into an undercover role. He is expected to uncover the perpetrators of an “inside job” where shipped goods are being stolen in the York railyards. In the course of doing so, he must involve himself with the suspects in such manner as to endanger his life (and that of his politically active and, in this story, pregnant wife) and his future (how far does an undercover agent go in the commission of a crime or crimes?). As in my critique of The Necropolis Railway, I often felt that Stringer was not proactive, but dragged along for the ride and fortuitously gathering information or escaping certain death. Although one could easily relate to Stringer’s self-questioning in this adventure, it does seem like he rarely (although somewhat at a key point does) help himself.
Shortly after my first publication in two game magazines, I optimistically sent a short story to a science-fiction magazine. It was quickly rejected on the basis that my protagonist was a loser (I thought it was more realistic that way.) and readers didn’t want to invest in losers (Hard Case Crime might dispute that, but even there, the losers find a sort of triumph. Frankly, it seems like Stringer is largely the lovable loser who occasionally comes out on top by virtue of chance. There is too little sleuthing and too much waiting for something fortuitous to happen for me to be completely satisfied with The Lost Luggage Porter.
The historical setting is fascinating. Young Jim Stringer seems to be making a life of it even though his long-term desire to be a railroad engineer driving some of the fastest steam locomotives of the day seems to be thwarted at every hand. He is a glorified errand boy set to discover the vile doings on The Necropolis Railway. If it seems like a set-up, you’re not wrong, but since there is a series, you know the protagonist survives. You just don’t know why (and in spite of his naivete). In The Blackpool Highflyer, Stringer has finally reached part of his goal. He serves in the cab as a fireman. Yet, again his life is plunged into paranoid guilt as he tries, without any particular ability or authority, to solve the mystery of train saboteurs on his own—putting himself again in danger.
In The Lost Luggage Porter, Stringer is once again forced into an undercover role. He is expected to uncover the perpetrators of an “inside job” where shipped goods are being stolen in the York railyards. In the course of doing so, he must involve himself with the suspects in such manner as to endanger his life (and that of his politically active and, in this story, pregnant wife) and his future (how far does an undercover agent go in the commission of a crime or crimes?). As in my critique of The Necropolis Railway, I often felt that Stringer was not proactive, but dragged along for the ride and fortuitously gathering information or escaping certain death. Although one could easily relate to Stringer’s self-questioning in this adventure, it does seem like he rarely (although somewhat at a key point does) help himself.
Shortly after my first publication in two game magazines, I optimistically sent a short story to a science-fiction magazine. It was quickly rejected on the basis that my protagonist was a loser (I thought it was more realistic that way.) and readers didn’t want to invest in losers (Hard Case Crime might dispute that, but even there, the losers find a sort of triumph. Frankly, it seems like Stringer is largely the lovable loser who occasionally comes out on top by virtue of chance. There is too little sleuthing and too much waiting for something fortuitous to happen for me to be completely satisfied with The Lost Luggage Porter.
August 19, 2021
"Jim Stringer ... Railway Detective"
Coming as I do, from what used to be one of the oldest and largest railway communities, Swindon, this book was of great interest to me, when I saw it for sale in a local charity shop. That was long before I knew that the author himself came from a family of railway workers, based in the offices of the York works, where this book is set.
The book was originally recommended to me by Nikki-Ann, after her great review of it appeared over at `Notes Of Life', so I knew that I wasn't going to be too disappointed with it, although you should maybe check out both reviews, as we do have some differing views about the overall appeal of the book.
This, once again given my appalling track record for reading a series in any kind of logical order, is not the first book in the series, featuring the character `Jim Stringer'. However, `The Lost Luggage Porter' starts us off on a new chapter in Jim's life, so works great as a stand-alone story. Incidental snippets of information which appear throughout the book, contrive to paint a more than adequate picture of the young Jim's life so fully, that I really don't feel the need to go back and read the earlier episodes in the series.
The scenes which are set in and around the railway station and yard are detailed and visual in their description, creating just the right atmosphere. From the vast expanse of the dimly, gas-lit station terminus, with all its noise and smoke-filled atmosphere, to the cobbled back alleys surrounding the station, where thieves and vagabonds live and prey on the unsuspecting interloper, I could just imagine myself there. However, I did think that once we were taken out of this `safe' environment, the descriptive power of Andrew Martin's writing, did rather lack imagination and finesse, especially in some of the later scenes, which take place in Paris.
Jim Stringer himself, lives up to his Northern reputation, a dour, morose individual, who appears to have the weight of the world upon his shoulders. True, he has been disappointed in not attaining the career in life he had chosen for himself, however unjustly and seemingly through no real fault of his own. However, it now looks as though he has been beaten into submission and forced into a career change which he doesn't relish and is therefore determined to make the worst of, with his bitterness and resentment overflowing unchecked into his demeanour and actions. He comes across as a very two dimensional, monochrome character, who, if the book had come complete with audio, I would imagine to have a very emotionless and monotonous voice.
His life is therefore dictated by a whole series of strong people, who he appears to have no desire or ability to challenge. There are numerous, extraneous characters who play quite pivotal roles in the story and whilst the general broad montage of faces are explained and brought to life in all the appropriate places, it may be that some of them could have benefitted from slightly stronger dialogue and deeper characterisations.
Jim and Lydia have a fairly unique relationship for the times, as Lydia is allowed much more freedom than many Edwardian women would ever have enjoyed. Jim, whilst not fully supporting her suffragist views and friends, allows her the freedom to pursue them and also to work, to help support them as a family. In reality, it may be that he is unable to exert much authority over Lydia, who is a very strong, intelligent character, determined to get her own way, including deciding on Jim's career path for him, not even realising that Jim has no real appetite for the direction she is sending him in.
Jim's father is a self-made businessman, full of his own imagined importance, pompous and over-bearing. Definitely not at one with his errant daughter-in-law, he does however side with her whenever Jim's future comes into question.
Chief Inspector Weatherill, is a complete enigma. He has never met, let alone had the opportunity to assess this `rookie' officer, before placing him in plain clothes and under cover, to help stem the rising crimewave in and around York railway station. He then seems completely powerless to help, when the inevitable happens and Jim is left stranded and way out of his depth. He does appear to be `in the right place, at the right time' on a few occasions, but is unable to offer advice or help to Jim, who acts like a `rabbit caught in the headlights'.
Jim's loyalty to the job is questioned and found wanting one last time, when `The Lost Luggage Porter', Lund, makes his dramatic and final confession, although he does eventually reveal the sorry truth to Weatherill, but by then it is too late for the pathetic Lund.
The plot does move at quite a pace and is suspenseful, intense and deadly in many places. There are plenty of unexpected twists and turns and many occasions when it looks as though Jim is about to make his move and offer the gang up for arrest, although he just never finds the right time to follow through on a plan. The gang are a real bunch of disparate characters and will stop at nothing to win their ultimate prize. Jim however, is only galvanised into action when Lydia's life becomes threatened and then his first thoughts are survivalist, rather than apprehending the gang members, whose downfall is eventually brought about by their own inate greed and belief that they were untouchable.
I am not sure however, that reading just this one book is enough for me to come to any conclusion about the strength and sincerity of Jim as a believable character, so I may need to read one of the later books in the series, just to see how Jim's character has been developed and stretched to fit this new role he has undertaken in life.
Coming as I do, from what used to be one of the oldest and largest railway communities, Swindon, this book was of great interest to me, when I saw it for sale in a local charity shop. That was long before I knew that the author himself came from a family of railway workers, based in the offices of the York works, where this book is set.
The book was originally recommended to me by Nikki-Ann, after her great review of it appeared over at `Notes Of Life', so I knew that I wasn't going to be too disappointed with it, although you should maybe check out both reviews, as we do have some differing views about the overall appeal of the book.
This, once again given my appalling track record for reading a series in any kind of logical order, is not the first book in the series, featuring the character `Jim Stringer'. However, `The Lost Luggage Porter' starts us off on a new chapter in Jim's life, so works great as a stand-alone story. Incidental snippets of information which appear throughout the book, contrive to paint a more than adequate picture of the young Jim's life so fully, that I really don't feel the need to go back and read the earlier episodes in the series.
The scenes which are set in and around the railway station and yard are detailed and visual in their description, creating just the right atmosphere. From the vast expanse of the dimly, gas-lit station terminus, with all its noise and smoke-filled atmosphere, to the cobbled back alleys surrounding the station, where thieves and vagabonds live and prey on the unsuspecting interloper, I could just imagine myself there. However, I did think that once we were taken out of this `safe' environment, the descriptive power of Andrew Martin's writing, did rather lack imagination and finesse, especially in some of the later scenes, which take place in Paris.
Jim Stringer himself, lives up to his Northern reputation, a dour, morose individual, who appears to have the weight of the world upon his shoulders. True, he has been disappointed in not attaining the career in life he had chosen for himself, however unjustly and seemingly through no real fault of his own. However, it now looks as though he has been beaten into submission and forced into a career change which he doesn't relish and is therefore determined to make the worst of, with his bitterness and resentment overflowing unchecked into his demeanour and actions. He comes across as a very two dimensional, monochrome character, who, if the book had come complete with audio, I would imagine to have a very emotionless and monotonous voice.
His life is therefore dictated by a whole series of strong people, who he appears to have no desire or ability to challenge. There are numerous, extraneous characters who play quite pivotal roles in the story and whilst the general broad montage of faces are explained and brought to life in all the appropriate places, it may be that some of them could have benefitted from slightly stronger dialogue and deeper characterisations.
Jim and Lydia have a fairly unique relationship for the times, as Lydia is allowed much more freedom than many Edwardian women would ever have enjoyed. Jim, whilst not fully supporting her suffragist views and friends, allows her the freedom to pursue them and also to work, to help support them as a family. In reality, it may be that he is unable to exert much authority over Lydia, who is a very strong, intelligent character, determined to get her own way, including deciding on Jim's career path for him, not even realising that Jim has no real appetite for the direction she is sending him in.
Jim's father is a self-made businessman, full of his own imagined importance, pompous and over-bearing. Definitely not at one with his errant daughter-in-law, he does however side with her whenever Jim's future comes into question.
Chief Inspector Weatherill, is a complete enigma. He has never met, let alone had the opportunity to assess this `rookie' officer, before placing him in plain clothes and under cover, to help stem the rising crimewave in and around York railway station. He then seems completely powerless to help, when the inevitable happens and Jim is left stranded and way out of his depth. He does appear to be `in the right place, at the right time' on a few occasions, but is unable to offer advice or help to Jim, who acts like a `rabbit caught in the headlights'.
Jim's loyalty to the job is questioned and found wanting one last time, when `The Lost Luggage Porter', Lund, makes his dramatic and final confession, although he does eventually reveal the sorry truth to Weatherill, but by then it is too late for the pathetic Lund.
The plot does move at quite a pace and is suspenseful, intense and deadly in many places. There are plenty of unexpected twists and turns and many occasions when it looks as though Jim is about to make his move and offer the gang up for arrest, although he just never finds the right time to follow through on a plan. The gang are a real bunch of disparate characters and will stop at nothing to win their ultimate prize. Jim however, is only galvanised into action when Lydia's life becomes threatened and then his first thoughts are survivalist, rather than apprehending the gang members, whose downfall is eventually brought about by their own inate greed and belief that they were untouchable.
I am not sure however, that reading just this one book is enough for me to come to any conclusion about the strength and sincerity of Jim as a believable character, so I may need to read one of the later books in the series, just to see how Jim's character has been developed and stretched to fit this new role he has undertaken in life.
October 22, 2017
I found this story a bit slow & some of the situations I just couldn't picture - the whole France thing was a bit of a filler IMHO. The only part that really peeked my interest & I did enjoy, was the visit of Jim's father & his attempts to make Jim's wife more "wifely" (always referred to by Jim, in typical Yorkshireman fashion as "the wife" - did we ever learn her name?)
For some reason I found it difficult to visualise Jim Stringer as a 23 year-old - or was he 25? - either way he seemed older to me & I didn't understand why he was working as a railway detective when he seemed to loathe the idea of being one so much! It failed to capture my interest at all & I wasn't particularly impressed with it.
For some reason I found it difficult to visualise Jim Stringer as a 23 year-old - or was he 25? - either way he seemed older to me & I didn't understand why he was working as a railway detective when he seemed to loathe the idea of being one so much! It failed to capture my interest at all & I wasn't particularly impressed with it.
December 27, 2022
Oh, so old fashioned - not because of the historical setting, but because of the plodding plot and the under-realised characters. I was not sure I knew any more about any of them when I finished the book. It's simply not enough these days to put together a load of historical detail, and a good guy chasing a bad guy. Another one for the charity shop. And lensless glasses? Really??????
October 24, 2024
Set in the early 20th century the concept was good. The lead character has a good backstory and the period of the age was evoked well. But I found that some of the things being asked of our nascent railway detective seemed a little unreasonable. But it is a story from the imagination and well developed to a good conclusion.
January 23, 2023
3.5 stars. Very interesting, new (to me) detective. Not as stupid or innocent as he might come across initially, Jim Stringer (and his bicycle) are definitely worth reading, and others in the series worth finding.
October 1, 2025
Rather dull read.
January 16, 2023
Read this book as a change from my usual genres but it made me realise why I prefer science fiction and fantasy!!!
It reads a little like an Agatha Christie novel (but not as good) combined with a thriller set on railways in the early 1900s.
The main character Jim Stringer is a detective who is resentful about being shunted (see what I did there?) from his last job. This was presumably covered in book 2 of the series, this bring the third.
He gets tasked with working undercover as a detective to infiltrate the network of local villains. Some of the language was difficult to follow. I’m sure this is historically accurate but got in the way of the story.
Jim was pretty miserable throughout despite the prospect of imminent fatherhood and spent most of his time away from home in dodgy pubs.
I was questioning Jim’s use of a pair of glasses with no lenses as a disguise. I mean, really??
My interest waned and by the end I had run out of steam (OK enough). One for the spotters.
It reads a little like an Agatha Christie novel (but not as good) combined with a thriller set on railways in the early 1900s.
The main character Jim Stringer is a detective who is resentful about being shunted (see what I did there?) from his last job. This was presumably covered in book 2 of the series, this bring the third.
He gets tasked with working undercover as a detective to infiltrate the network of local villains. Some of the language was difficult to follow. I’m sure this is historically accurate but got in the way of the story.
Jim was pretty miserable throughout despite the prospect of imminent fatherhood and spent most of his time away from home in dodgy pubs.
I was questioning Jim’s use of a pair of glasses with no lenses as a disguise. I mean, really??
My interest waned and by the end I had run out of steam (OK enough). One for the spotters.
April 26, 2011
I loved reading The Lost Luggage Porter. The writing took me straight into the book, right to winter 1906 in York where I totally lost myself in the story. 1906 York, with it’s dark, cobbled, gas-lit streets and down-and-outs, gives the perfect setting for a detective novel. Between Andrew Martin’s period writing and having been to York a few times, I was able to picture the scenery quite vividly (I don’t think the centre of York has changed much over the years, to be honest).
The characters in the book are right characters and are all quite memorable (and some you wouldn’t want to meet down a dark alleyway!). They speak in local (but entirely understandable) accents, giving the story even more authenticity.
I loved Stringer’s simple disguise of a scruffy suit and a pair of spectacles with no lenses (yes, you read that right, no lenses)! Whilst some may think that’s not much of a disguise, it’s actually a clever one in some ways… For example, one day I passed a colleague in the street without even realising it was him. He normally wears glasses, but was wearing contact lenses and had me totally fooled! Anyway, I digress…
The story had a steady pace throughout, very much like the steam trains in the book, which kept me turning the pages to find out what was going to happen next. There’s something going on all the time. There’s a few twists and turns and surprises along the way, too. I enjoyed the book so much that I started it one afternoon and finished it the next morning, and I’m eager to read the rest of the series.
Despite being the third book in the Jim Stringer, Steam Detective series, The Lost Luggage Porter also does well as a stand-alone book. There’s no need to read the early books in the series to enjoy this one, but now I’ve read this one I want to read the rest!
Highly recommended!
The characters in the book are right characters and are all quite memorable (and some you wouldn’t want to meet down a dark alleyway!). They speak in local (but entirely understandable) accents, giving the story even more authenticity.
I loved Stringer’s simple disguise of a scruffy suit and a pair of spectacles with no lenses (yes, you read that right, no lenses)! Whilst some may think that’s not much of a disguise, it’s actually a clever one in some ways… For example, one day I passed a colleague in the street without even realising it was him. He normally wears glasses, but was wearing contact lenses and had me totally fooled! Anyway, I digress…
The story had a steady pace throughout, very much like the steam trains in the book, which kept me turning the pages to find out what was going to happen next. There’s something going on all the time. There’s a few twists and turns and surprises along the way, too. I enjoyed the book so much that I started it one afternoon and finished it the next morning, and I’m eager to read the rest of the series.
Despite being the third book in the Jim Stringer, Steam Detective series, The Lost Luggage Porter also does well as a stand-alone book. There’s no need to read the early books in the series to enjoy this one, but now I’ve read this one I want to read the rest!
Highly recommended!
February 27, 2012
The merit of this book appears to be curatorial. Its portrait of York and its great railway yards in Edwardian times is obviously the result of much midnight oil-burning on the part of the author. He has also gone to some trouble to recreate the local vernacular of the time, though the results are only intermittently convincing.
In theory, this is a book that should appeal to a lot of different audiences: readers of detective novels and thrillers, railway enthusiasts, natives of Yorkshire and lovers of historical fiction. In fact, the mystery is very amateurishly handled and the whodunit is insoluble without previously unknown information given to us only at the denouément, the evocation of railways and railway work is pedestrian and the historical material fails to charm. Jim Stringer is a pretty pathetic figure with nothing to recommend him as a man or a detective, except that he appears to have a modern, liberal, Guardian-reading conscience, a very unlikely thing for an Edwardian railway policeman to own.
I can't speak for Yorkshire folk, not being one myself, but the book is so badly plotted and poorly written I can't really see many of them enjoying it, either.
In theory, this is a book that should appeal to a lot of different audiences: readers of detective novels and thrillers, railway enthusiasts, natives of Yorkshire and lovers of historical fiction. In fact, the mystery is very amateurishly handled and the whodunit is insoluble without previously unknown information given to us only at the denouément, the evocation of railways and railway work is pedestrian and the historical material fails to charm. Jim Stringer is a pretty pathetic figure with nothing to recommend him as a man or a detective, except that he appears to have a modern, liberal, Guardian-reading conscience, a very unlikely thing for an Edwardian railway policeman to own.
I can't speak for Yorkshire folk, not being one myself, but the book is so badly plotted and poorly written I can't really see many of them enjoying it, either.
November 29, 2013
I have to say I'm not too sure if I'm impressed with this book or not. The previous 2 books were excellent descriptions of life in the new post-Victorian era, with colourful worlds built in London and somewhere in the north, all referencing places I know well. Visualising them in their states over a century ago was enjoyable. The good old days of jobs for life, of railway networks that literally criss-crossed the country and a pre-computer age where there were jobs for everyone, that we now take for granted as being mostly automated.
But I ramble.
Much like the book seemed to at times!! The storyline didn't seem to develop as well as in previous books, and I found the constant ambiguity surrounding the bad guys quite frustrating. However, knowing York, London and Paris relatively well, I was able to follow the journey in my mind yet at the same time not really grasp why they were undertaking it (yes, the plot clearly states their reasons, but I just couldn't get rid of a niggling doubt).
Anyway, other reviewers have said this wasn't as good as the first 2 books and I agree, but that's not to say it shouldn't be read. The author's conjuring of a world long gone and yet only just out of reach is masterful. Perhaps a better plot would have served the book better though.
But I ramble.
Much like the book seemed to at times!! The storyline didn't seem to develop as well as in previous books, and I found the constant ambiguity surrounding the bad guys quite frustrating. However, knowing York, London and Paris relatively well, I was able to follow the journey in my mind yet at the same time not really grasp why they were undertaking it (yes, the plot clearly states their reasons, but I just couldn't get rid of a niggling doubt).
Anyway, other reviewers have said this wasn't as good as the first 2 books and I agree, but that's not to say it shouldn't be read. The author's conjuring of a world long gone and yet only just out of reach is masterful. Perhaps a better plot would have served the book better though.
January 9, 2009
This is the third of the Jim Stringer mysteries, and I must say they are really good -- particularly this last one. To refresh your recollection, Jim is a young man working for the English railroad in the very early 1900s. Jim is somewhat of a naif, and in the first two books he sort of stumbles on to some nefarious events and manages to sort them out. In this case, he has been made a railroad detective, and assigned to a particular problem. The dialogue is a little loopy, and the language so authentic that sometimes it's a bit hard to understand, but neither detracts from the story. Mr. Martin knows his period railroad lore and terminology, and the settings are excellent. Jim is thoroughly likable, and it's easy to identify with him as he struggles to understand what is going on around him. He's also resourceful, and his actions are credible -- the latter being something which is in rare supply in many mysteries.
Definitely worth reading.
Definitely worth reading.
February 8, 2008
I like trains, the romance of them, their history. I haven't read a mystery in a long time, so when I saw this book at my local library, I thought I'd give it a go. It was a fun read, well paced and I could tell well researched. The story takes place in England in 1906, in and around the steam trains of the era. I could smell the steam and smoke, hear the rain falling on the station roof, all the while hoping our hero has gets himself out of a dangerous situation with the bad guys. Man, they sure drank a lot in those days....
This is the latest in a series of Jim Stringer mysteries. The next one is due out this fall. While I wait for that, I have three previous ones to read. After 'Atonement' it's a nice break to have some lighter fare yet still a book that takes you to another era while you wonder what will happen next.
This is the latest in a series of Jim Stringer mysteries. The next one is due out this fall. While I wait for that, I have three previous ones to read. After 'Atonement' it's a nice break to have some lighter fare yet still a book that takes you to another era while you wonder what will happen next.
December 6, 2011
This third (my first) Jim Stringer mystery finds Stringer with, and conflicted about, an appointment to the railway police, following his discharge from fireman due to an accident, which he feels was not his fault. Stringer's new Chief has Stringer working undercover on a series of thefts from the railway, having Stringer insinuate himself into the gang. Crooked railway employees, bent cops, and various other murderous villains combine to make Stringer's assignment challenging. Nonetheless, I found the first third of the book slow paced, as Stringer anguishes over his lost job, and the balance unbelievable, as Stringer attempts to carry out his investigation with little or no support and no experience. In the acknowledgments, the author exempts his police advisor for the abuse of police procedure but fails to apologize to the reader.
January 8, 2014
One of a series of mysteries set early in the 20th century and taking place on or around the British railway system--trains, yards, stations--populated by various workers, clerks, managers, criminals and hangers-on. This is the third of a (so far) three book series and while ti refers to action that took place in the earlier books it isn't necessary to have read them.
Jim Stringer is an unlikely and not very likable protagonist. He has just been promoted to official railway policeman although he would rather be an engine driver and seems to have been one in the past. He isn't a very skillful cop and has a hard time figuring out who is on his side and who is more likely to kill him.
As one would expect there is plenty of period detail and minutiae about steam trains from that time.
Jim Stringer is an unlikely and not very likable protagonist. He has just been promoted to official railway policeman although he would rather be an engine driver and seems to have been one in the past. He isn't a very skillful cop and has a hard time figuring out who is on his side and who is more likely to kill him.
As one would expect there is plenty of period detail and minutiae about steam trains from that time.
December 11, 2011
This is the first of the series about a Railway Police officer in the Edwardian era. It is a beautifully described recreation of the period with well fleshed out characters from the detective himself (who did not want to take the job but got fired as a locomotive driver due to an other man's fault), his wife (about to have a baby and expressing worries about losing her self and becoming 'just' a mother and wife, his chief (slightly pompous but good natured) and a host of criminals. You really feel like you inhale York in 1903 along with all the smoke from the trains and the grime of the underworld.
At times it was slightly confusing but the book moved along well and I enjoyed the world sufficiently so that I did not mind that.
At times it was slightly confusing but the book moved along well and I enjoyed the world sufficiently so that I did not mind that.
December 30, 2009
I liked this Jim Stringer better than the first two. Jim has just become a member of the York Railway Police. He goes to the lost luggage to retrieve some railway magazines he lost. The porter suggests he meet at a railway platform where he observes a man robbing a passenger. In the followup, he goes undercover and gets involved in a big heist, and has trouble getting away from the perpetrators in order to report them. He is required to stay with the two culprits on their getaway to Paris while meanwhile his wife is having a baby.
March 22, 2015
Third in a series about a railway detective in Edwardian England, this has its merits - good historical colour, a clever plot though one requiring quite a lot of suspension of disbelief and familiarity.
It is light entertainment tending to the potboiler as the author tries to get from A to B. The home life aspects are less well drawn than in the previous book in the series. Enjoyable but not startlingly so.
January 20, 2016
A gripping page turner, The Lost Luggage Porter is a rather old fashioned Edwardian murder mystery involving the decent and likeable railway sleuth Jim Stringer. The plot takes in York, London and Paris, and the action takes place in and around steam locomotives, railway stations and Boat trains. What's not to like?
November 28, 2008
A period detective story, as a railway detective tries to slip into a criminal gang to learn their secrets. Even for this politer age, he seemed far to honest for his own good (worried when he lied and when he essentially had to break the law in the line of his duties) and incredibly naive.
June 21, 2011
Another excellent read from Andrew Martin in the Jim Stringer series. These stories and the Edward Marston railway dectective series are good easy tom follow reads but with plenty of description. Good old fashioned detective series
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