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The Death of Sir Martin Malprelate
A gothic tale of murder and corruption set in 1840s Victorian London, taking inspiration from our most famous 19th century writers.
History, Politics and class collide in this suspenseful crime novel, following the death of a railway baron and the impact it has on the suffocated community.
Railway Baron, Sir Martin Malprelate of the 1840s, has been laying waste to the warren of Camden; buying up houses and clearing streets for his new railway line linking King’s Cross with the prosperous town of Middlemarch. He stands to make his fortune ever more vast and to earn the loathing of all who attempt to stand up to him.
Little wonder, then, that he meets a violent end on a foggy street after walking out of a particularly bitter meeting with outraged residents facing eviction. But the cause of his death causes more wonder. How could he have possibly fallen beneath the wells of a speeding spectral train running on tracks not yet even built?
Sir Martin’s death is investigated by the police, but the company employ one of its senior engineers, Mr Bryde, to pursue his own investigation. Bryde uncovers a network of resentment and conspiracy, agitating workers, scheming shareholders, corrupt politicians and a gallery of varied and grotesque characters – all of whom had some stake in the old man’s death.
Lacing it’s realism with both social commentary and the gothic imaginations of the time The Death of Sir Martin Malprelate is a vivid recreation of a London stalked by poverty and haunted by visions of demons and ghosts; a world of slums, lavish wealth and opium dens.
History, Politics and class collide in this suspenseful crime novel, following the death of a railway baron and the impact it has on the suffocated community.
Railway Baron, Sir Martin Malprelate of the 1840s, has been laying waste to the warren of Camden; buying up houses and clearing streets for his new railway line linking King’s Cross with the prosperous town of Middlemarch. He stands to make his fortune ever more vast and to earn the loathing of all who attempt to stand up to him.
Little wonder, then, that he meets a violent end on a foggy street after walking out of a particularly bitter meeting with outraged residents facing eviction. But the cause of his death causes more wonder. How could he have possibly fallen beneath the wells of a speeding spectral train running on tracks not yet even built?
Sir Martin’s death is investigated by the police, but the company employ one of its senior engineers, Mr Bryde, to pursue his own investigation. Bryde uncovers a network of resentment and conspiracy, agitating workers, scheming shareholders, corrupt politicians and a gallery of varied and grotesque characters – all of whom had some stake in the old man’s death.
Lacing it’s realism with both social commentary and the gothic imaginations of the time The Death of Sir Martin Malprelate is a vivid recreation of a London stalked by poverty and haunted by visions of demons and ghosts; a world of slums, lavish wealth and opium dens.
400 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 14, 2023
10 people are currently reading
109 people want to read
About the author
Adam Roberts
258 books559 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Adam Roberts (born 1965) is an academic, critic and novelist. He also writes parodies under the pseudonyms of A.R.R.R. Roberts, A3R Roberts and Don Brine. He also blogs at The Valve, a group blog devoted to literature and cultural studies.
He has a degree in English from the University of Aberdeen and a PhD from Cambridge University on Robert Browning and the Classics. He teaches English literature and creative writing at Royal Holloway, University of London. Adam Roberts has been nominated twice for the Arthur C. Clarke Award: in 2001, for his debut novel, Salt, and in 2007, for Gradisil.
Adam Roberts (born 1965) is an academic, critic and novelist. He also writes parodies under the pseudonyms of A.R.R.R. Roberts, A3R Roberts and Don Brine. He also blogs at The Valve, a group blog devoted to literature and cultural studies.
He has a degree in English from the University of Aberdeen and a PhD from Cambridge University on Robert Browning and the Classics. He teaches English literature and creative writing at Royal Holloway, University of London. Adam Roberts has been nominated twice for the Arthur C. Clarke Award: in 2001, for his debut novel, Salt, and in 2007, for Gradisil.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
December 14, 2023
La trama se sitúa en Inglaterra, en 1848. Sir Martin Malprelate es un exitoso hombre de negocios, con fama de gruñón y avaro. Su riqueza proviene del ferrocarril, medio de transporte en auge, aunque con muchas protestas en contra, sobre todo por parte de los conductores de carretas. Y como indica el título de la novela, es brutalmente asesinado en los terrenos recién adquiridos para el paso del ferrocarril. Pero hay algo muy sorprendente tras esta muerte, y es que según varios testigos, un tren lo arrolló. Y esto es imposible, porque ni hay vías ni rastro de las mismas por las que pudo pasar la locomotora. Visto esto, la compañía ferroviaria encarga a Bryde, un brillante ingeniero que ha resuelto algún que otro entuerto, que investigue el extraño caso.
Buena historia de investigación detectivesca, que mezcla personajes ficticios y reales. En un momento dado, la novela pasa a ser protagonizada por Vavasour Holmes, futuro padre de un tal Sherlock. Pero esta no es la única aparición de un personaje famoso de la literatura, ya que Griffin, el protagonista de ‘El hombre invisible’, de H.G. Wells, tiene un papel preponderante.
Buena historia de investigación detectivesca, que mezcla personajes ficticios y reales. En un momento dado, la novela pasa a ser protagonizada por Vavasour Holmes, futuro padre de un tal Sherlock. Pero esta no es la única aparición de un personaje famoso de la literatura, ya que Griffin, el protagonista de ‘El hombre invisible’, de H.G. Wells, tiene un papel preponderante.
December 26, 2023
Review originally on
JamReads
The Death of Sir Martin Malprelate is a historical fiction novel which blends its story with touches of classic science fiction, intrigue and an excellent homage to the classics of English literature, written by Adam Roberts, and published by Datura Books. The apparently impossible assassination of Sir Martin Malprelate, a railroad magnate, becomes the spark of a case whose ramifications while take us on a ride for the 1848's Great Britain.
Malprelate's death is definitely a problem for the railroad company, asking Mr Bryde to investigate and to solve how reality and what witness are claiming they saw are compatible. However, soon it becomes clear that this case it is even more complicated that it seems; Roberts using this resource to create a big mystery, which eventually ends involving who will take the main role, Vavasour Holmes, author's way to introduce us to the epitome of British detective novels.
With all those elements, the plot grows more convoluted, but absorbing you into the narration; Roberts shows his appreciation for English literature sparkling several references to different authors (some more obscure than others, but personally, as somebody who speaks English as second language, most of them are really easy to recognize). The historical accuracy and how well small details are portrayed also helps immersing the reader into 1848's London and the labour rights' movements.
While I found most of the book to be excellent, the pacing suffers a bit of slowness when embracing the science-fiction elements; said that, part of the charm is contained in those parts of the plot. Social commentary takes an important role once the novel is at full steam, leading towards an interesting reflection that can be applied nowadays.
If you are looking for some mystery historical fiction, The Death of Sir Martin Malprelate is an excellent piece which is a delicious homage to English literature; the attention to detail is another plus, making this a great novel by Adam Roberts.
The Death of Sir Martin Malprelate is a historical fiction novel which blends its story with touches of classic science fiction, intrigue and an excellent homage to the classics of English literature, written by Adam Roberts, and published by Datura Books. The apparently impossible assassination of Sir Martin Malprelate, a railroad magnate, becomes the spark of a case whose ramifications while take us on a ride for the 1848's Great Britain.
Malprelate's death is definitely a problem for the railroad company, asking Mr Bryde to investigate and to solve how reality and what witness are claiming they saw are compatible. However, soon it becomes clear that this case it is even more complicated that it seems; Roberts using this resource to create a big mystery, which eventually ends involving who will take the main role, Vavasour Holmes, author's way to introduce us to the epitome of British detective novels.
With all those elements, the plot grows more convoluted, but absorbing you into the narration; Roberts shows his appreciation for English literature sparkling several references to different authors (some more obscure than others, but personally, as somebody who speaks English as second language, most of them are really easy to recognize). The historical accuracy and how well small details are portrayed also helps immersing the reader into 1848's London and the labour rights' movements.
While I found most of the book to be excellent, the pacing suffers a bit of slowness when embracing the science-fiction elements; said that, part of the charm is contained in those parts of the plot. Social commentary takes an important role once the novel is at full steam, leading towards an interesting reflection that can be applied nowadays.
If you are looking for some mystery historical fiction, The Death of Sir Martin Malprelate is an excellent piece which is a delicious homage to English literature; the attention to detail is another plus, making this a great novel by Adam Roberts.
March 9, 2024
8 - I never really know how to review an Adam Roberts novel, that is to say, I'm always of two minds: in awe of the ambition and the originality, impressed by the witty but still literary prose, but always slightly disappointed by the story itself, that to me never truly lives up to its ideas, and often has pacing issues and resolutions that are less clear than they could be. Every time I find myself excited to start a new novel by Roberts, but on finishing I'm asking myself: 'Wait. Was this all there is to it?' To me he never hits it out of the park. And still I find myself coming back to his novels, again and again, because, for all their flaws, they seem to give me something I don't find in other SF-novels - a genuine sense of unpredictability.
Roberts is unique as an author. As a professor in English literature he has a deep background in English, knowing both the classics (broadly) and the SF genre, and he is a deep thinker about both literature and philosophy. (Here, aside from the literary allusions, we find discussions about the revolutionary movements in 1840's England and the way they interacted with the industrial revolution and the coming of trains). This provides his stories with some real depth - and him as a writer with the vocabulary to deliver that (you will find words like 'ratiocination' here - that I liked as I don't suffer from hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia).
Then also, because he is a professor, and happily so I gather, he does not feel a need to make a living out of his writing or even earn anything, thus he does not feel compelled to take a commercial bent. He feels free to write what he wants, in the way that he wants it. And if someone wants to publish that, great. And if someone wants to read it, greater still. But he will not try and speak to the Zeitgeist, follow trends or write series, just because that would sell better. He just takes something that interests him at the time and goes on a roll. (I gather he was writing a book about Dickens, and he is also wrote a book about H.G. Wells - here he has combined the two). This means as well, I think, he does not really care if readers find his stories tense or exciting. He writes them the way he wants, the way he finds exciting, often imposing on himself rules for the form (e.g. writing his book in 19th century prose, using words people of that time would have used themselves).
In the end the conclusion to the story was really unexpected (as soon as a character with a white paste on his face, gloves and sunglasses comes on the scene, readers of H.G. Wells will know there are science fictional elements to this tale). But the way it got there was fascinating and as a tour of 19th century British literature I liked it a lot (seeing as how I have begun reading more literary classics myself, like the works of Trollope and Dickens and more). Even if this was not perfect, the book left a grin on my face. And even though I'm still not fully satisfied with the book, I will go on reading whatever Roberts comes with next - because I like being surprised!
Roberts is unique as an author. As a professor in English literature he has a deep background in English, knowing both the classics (broadly) and the SF genre, and he is a deep thinker about both literature and philosophy. (Here, aside from the literary allusions, we find discussions about the revolutionary movements in 1840's England and the way they interacted with the industrial revolution and the coming of trains). This provides his stories with some real depth - and him as a writer with the vocabulary to deliver that (you will find words like 'ratiocination' here - that I liked as I don't suffer from hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia).
Then also, because he is a professor, and happily so I gather, he does not feel a need to make a living out of his writing or even earn anything, thus he does not feel compelled to take a commercial bent. He feels free to write what he wants, in the way that he wants it. And if someone wants to publish that, great. And if someone wants to read it, greater still. But he will not try and speak to the Zeitgeist, follow trends or write series, just because that would sell better. He just takes something that interests him at the time and goes on a roll. (I gather he was writing a book about Dickens, and he is also wrote a book about H.G. Wells - here he has combined the two). This means as well, I think, he does not really care if readers find his stories tense or exciting. He writes them the way he wants, the way he finds exciting, often imposing on himself rules for the form (e.g. writing his book in 19th century prose, using words people of that time would have used themselves).
In the end the conclusion to the story was really unexpected (as soon as a character with a white paste on his face, gloves and sunglasses comes on the scene, readers of H.G. Wells will know there are science fictional elements to this tale). But the way it got there was fascinating and as a tour of 19th century British literature I liked it a lot (seeing as how I have begun reading more literary classics myself, like the works of Trollope and Dickens and more). Even if this was not perfect, the book left a grin on my face. And even though I'm still not fully satisfied with the book, I will go on reading whatever Roberts comes with next - because I like being surprised!
November 20, 2023
Adam makes a good case for being the most underrated author of the last twenty years.
Consistently superb.
Consistently superb.
December 25, 2023
I'm late to the party and I'm wonderin why because this is a brilliant mix of historical fiction and mystery, well plotted and solid.
The historical background is well researched and vivid, the social remarks are interesting and the character well rounded.
The mystery is solid and well developed, it kept me guessing and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
The historical background is well researched and vivid, the social remarks are interesting and the character well rounded.
The mystery is solid and well developed, it kept me guessing and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
December 15, 2023
3.5 stars.
This is an atmospheric piece of historical fiction that is a murder mystery with magical realism added to it.
When Sir Martin’s death is witnessed by many people who swear that they all saw a train running on no tracks hitting him, it makes for a very weird yet intriguing death to investigate.
The story gave me Sherlock Holmes vibes but with a paranormal element to it alongside a Dickensian feel with it being set in Victorian London. The immersive descriptions of that setting is rich and vivid.
The author brings in some famous characters into the story; Ebenezer Scrooge, Charles Dickens’ Inspector Bucket from Bleak House, The invisible Man and Sherlock Holmes’ father.
I did at times find the pacing was a bit off at times but it still kept me engaged.
The social commentary, the mystery and the murder all created an enjoyable novel that is perfect for reading during these dark winter nights.
This is an atmospheric piece of historical fiction that is a murder mystery with magical realism added to it.
When Sir Martin’s death is witnessed by many people who swear that they all saw a train running on no tracks hitting him, it makes for a very weird yet intriguing death to investigate.
The story gave me Sherlock Holmes vibes but with a paranormal element to it alongside a Dickensian feel with it being set in Victorian London. The immersive descriptions of that setting is rich and vivid.
The author brings in some famous characters into the story; Ebenezer Scrooge, Charles Dickens’ Inspector Bucket from Bleak House, The invisible Man and Sherlock Holmes’ father.
I did at times find the pacing was a bit off at times but it still kept me engaged.
The social commentary, the mystery and the murder all created an enjoyable novel that is perfect for reading during these dark winter nights.
Read
March 9, 2024DNF
January 18, 2024
Thank you to the publisher Datura Books and Caroline Lambe for the digital ARC, it has not affected my honest review.
TW: violence, death, poverty, injury
“The Death of Sir Martin Malprelate” is a historical fiction mystery unlike any I’ve read before. Set in 1840s London, Sir Martin Malprelate made his fortune through the power of railroads, and now he’s expanding into Camden, driving people from their homes to make room. An unpopular man, his murder is nonetheless shocking: he is run down by an enormous ghostly spectre of a train speeding across land without tracks just after a terrible meeting with those he’s evicted. Although the police are investigating, the railway company he owned entrusts one of its chief engineers, a man with experience in solving mysteries named Bryde, to investigate. Bryde uncovers stories about Sir Martin that no one would ever believe, travelling through opium dens and into grand houses on his search, as well as teaming up with the future father of Sherlock Holmes, Vavasour. However, as he deepens his search into the corrupt politics of the upper classes and the agitated working classes on strike, Bryde realises that this one man’s murder might not be as simple as it seems- and it might even cost him his life. In the aftermath of a shocking event, Vavasour Holmes is forced to take on the mystery for himself, knowing the dangers but unable to give up.
If you want to read a historical fiction novel that reads like one from the era, this is the one to try. Combining characters from famous stories- including Middlemarch and the Holmes family- with the events of the Chartist movement, this is a meticulously researched book that carries an intriguing plot: how did Martin Malprelate get run down by a ghost train when there are no tracks? I enjoyed reading it, but one particular event about halfway changed the story entirely for me and made finishing it harder. I liked Bryde as well, he was an interesting lead because of his role within the railway company and also how far he was willing to go to discover the truth, though sometimes his narration was flat. The highlight of “The Death of Sir Martin Malprelate” for me was the social commentary and historical detail, it’s so richly written and weaves fact and fiction together so smoothly.
TW: violence, death, poverty, injury
“The Death of Sir Martin Malprelate” is a historical fiction mystery unlike any I’ve read before. Set in 1840s London, Sir Martin Malprelate made his fortune through the power of railroads, and now he’s expanding into Camden, driving people from their homes to make room. An unpopular man, his murder is nonetheless shocking: he is run down by an enormous ghostly spectre of a train speeding across land without tracks just after a terrible meeting with those he’s evicted. Although the police are investigating, the railway company he owned entrusts one of its chief engineers, a man with experience in solving mysteries named Bryde, to investigate. Bryde uncovers stories about Sir Martin that no one would ever believe, travelling through opium dens and into grand houses on his search, as well as teaming up with the future father of Sherlock Holmes, Vavasour. However, as he deepens his search into the corrupt politics of the upper classes and the agitated working classes on strike, Bryde realises that this one man’s murder might not be as simple as it seems- and it might even cost him his life. In the aftermath of a shocking event, Vavasour Holmes is forced to take on the mystery for himself, knowing the dangers but unable to give up.
If you want to read a historical fiction novel that reads like one from the era, this is the one to try. Combining characters from famous stories- including Middlemarch and the Holmes family- with the events of the Chartist movement, this is a meticulously researched book that carries an intriguing plot: how did Martin Malprelate get run down by a ghost train when there are no tracks? I enjoyed reading it, but one particular event about halfway changed the story entirely for me and made finishing it harder. I liked Bryde as well, he was an interesting lead because of his role within the railway company and also how far he was willing to go to discover the truth, though sometimes his narration was flat. The highlight of “The Death of Sir Martin Malprelate” for me was the social commentary and historical detail, it’s so richly written and weaves fact and fiction together so smoothly.
November 17, 2023
🗣💬
❝🇨🇭🇦🇳🇹 🇳🇴 🇲🇴🇷🇪 🇾🇴🇺🇷 🇷🇭🇾🇲🇪🇸 🇦🇧🇴🇺🇹 🇧🇴🇱🇩 🇷🇴🇧🇮🇳 🇭🇴🇴🇩
🇭🇮🇸 🇫🇪🇦🇹🇸 🇮 🇧🇺🇹 🇱🇮🇹🇹🇱🇪 🇦🇩🇲🇮🇷🇪...❝
👩🏾🏫 𝔾𝔼ℕℝ𝔼:
Mystery/ Science Fiction / Historical Fiction / Gothic
📄 ℙ𝔸𝔾𝔼 ℂ𝕆𝕌ℕ𝕋:
411
🎡 𝕋ℍ𝔼𝕄𝔼𝕊:
Duplicity / Scientific ingenuity / Victorian London
✍️ ℙ𝕃𝕆𝕋:
A gothic tale of murder and corruption set in 1840s Victorian London, taking inspiration from our most famous 19th century writers.
The 1840s.
Railway Baron Sir Martin Malprelate has been laying waste to the warren of Camden; buying up houses and clearing streets for his new railway line linking King’s Cross with the prosperous town of Middlemarch. He stands to make his fortune ever more vast and to earn the loathing of all who attempt to stand up to him. Little wonder, then, that he meets a violent end on a foggy street after walking out of a particularly bitter meeting with outraged residents facing eviction. But the cause of his death causes more wonder. How could he have possibly fallen beneath the wells of a speeding spectral train running on tracks not yet even built?
💭 𝕍𝕀𝔹𝔼𝕊:
Well, I wasn't expecting this but it was still enjoyable...the kind of thing I prefer on screen to in a book though.
A cleverly written masterpiece that reads as though it was written during the time in which is was set and gives '𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘨𝘶𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯' vibes, this makes for a great (if slightly long winded) mystery.
Roberts ties in many stories you will recognise; Ebenezer Scrooge, Charles Dickens’ Inspector Bucket, the Invisible Man, Vavasour Holmes (father of the better known Mycroft, Sherlock and Enola), Macbeth, Hamlet, the Middlemarch Serpent ... to bring together legends of old for our delight.
I did enjoy the mystery of it but if you aren't a fan of Gothic literature then there are definitely more modern reads that give you the same story in a more palatable and relatable style.
❝🇨🇭🇦🇳🇹 🇳🇴 🇲🇴🇷🇪 🇾🇴🇺🇷 🇷🇭🇾🇲🇪🇸 🇦🇧🇴🇺🇹 🇧🇴🇱🇩 🇷🇴🇧🇮🇳 🇭🇴🇴🇩
🇭🇮🇸 🇫🇪🇦🇹🇸 🇮 🇧🇺🇹 🇱🇮🇹🇹🇱🇪 🇦🇩🇲🇮🇷🇪...❝
👩🏾🏫 𝔾𝔼ℕℝ𝔼:
Mystery/ Science Fiction / Historical Fiction / Gothic
📄 ℙ𝔸𝔾𝔼 ℂ𝕆𝕌ℕ𝕋:
411
🎡 𝕋ℍ𝔼𝕄𝔼𝕊:
Duplicity / Scientific ingenuity / Victorian London
✍️ ℙ𝕃𝕆𝕋:
A gothic tale of murder and corruption set in 1840s Victorian London, taking inspiration from our most famous 19th century writers.
The 1840s.
Railway Baron Sir Martin Malprelate has been laying waste to the warren of Camden; buying up houses and clearing streets for his new railway line linking King’s Cross with the prosperous town of Middlemarch. He stands to make his fortune ever more vast and to earn the loathing of all who attempt to stand up to him. Little wonder, then, that he meets a violent end on a foggy street after walking out of a particularly bitter meeting with outraged residents facing eviction. But the cause of his death causes more wonder. How could he have possibly fallen beneath the wells of a speeding spectral train running on tracks not yet even built?
💭 𝕍𝕀𝔹𝔼𝕊:
Well, I wasn't expecting this but it was still enjoyable...the kind of thing I prefer on screen to in a book though.
A cleverly written masterpiece that reads as though it was written during the time in which is was set and gives '𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘨𝘶𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯' vibes, this makes for a great (if slightly long winded) mystery.
Roberts ties in many stories you will recognise; Ebenezer Scrooge, Charles Dickens’ Inspector Bucket, the Invisible Man, Vavasour Holmes (father of the better known Mycroft, Sherlock and Enola), Macbeth, Hamlet, the Middlemarch Serpent ... to bring together legends of old for our delight.
I did enjoy the mystery of it but if you aren't a fan of Gothic literature then there are definitely more modern reads that give you the same story in a more palatable and relatable style.
November 7, 2023
“The Death of Sir Martin Malprelate” by Adam Roberts ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Genre: Gothic Mystery. Location: Victorian London, England. Time: 1848.
Sir Martin Malprelate, railway baron, has little use for people, but can’t stand for an animal to suffer. He’s evicting people in Camden to build a railway line linking King’s Cross with Middlemarch. As residents are evicted, hatred against him rises. Of course he meets a violent end on a foggy street. But how could he be hit by a speeding pale green spectral train running on tracks not even built? Malprelate’s senior engineer Mr. Bryde investigates. He finds agitating workers, scheming shareholders, corrupt politicians, and various grotesque characters.
Author Roberts is Professor of 19th century literature in London. He has written a gothic mystery that’s very 19th century Victorian in tone-and in the vast amount of description. It’s filled with both realism and gothic visions. He adds whimsy by weaving in characters you will recognize: Ebenezer Scrooge, Vavasour Holmes (father of Mycroft and Sherlock), the Invisible Man, Charles Dickens’ Inspector Bucket, Macbeth and the parade of kings, Hamlet, the Middlemarch Serpent. There are too many tie-ins to list, and I enjoyed puzzling them out!
I love his combination of history, literature tie-ins, social commentary, and mystery. If you like books with lots of literary tie-ins, and lots of description, this is the book for you, and it’s 4 stars from me 🌵📚💁🏼♀️ Thank you to Datura Books and Adam Roberts for this early copy. Publishes November 13, 2023.
Sir Martin Malprelate, railway baron, has little use for people, but can’t stand for an animal to suffer. He’s evicting people in Camden to build a railway line linking King’s Cross with Middlemarch. As residents are evicted, hatred against him rises. Of course he meets a violent end on a foggy street. But how could he be hit by a speeding pale green spectral train running on tracks not even built? Malprelate’s senior engineer Mr. Bryde investigates. He finds agitating workers, scheming shareholders, corrupt politicians, and various grotesque characters.
Author Roberts is Professor of 19th century literature in London. He has written a gothic mystery that’s very 19th century Victorian in tone-and in the vast amount of description. It’s filled with both realism and gothic visions. He adds whimsy by weaving in characters you will recognize: Ebenezer Scrooge, Vavasour Holmes (father of Mycroft and Sherlock), the Invisible Man, Charles Dickens’ Inspector Bucket, Macbeth and the parade of kings, Hamlet, the Middlemarch Serpent. There are too many tie-ins to list, and I enjoyed puzzling them out!
I love his combination of history, literature tie-ins, social commentary, and mystery. If you like books with lots of literary tie-ins, and lots of description, this is the book for you, and it’s 4 stars from me 🌵📚💁🏼♀️ Thank you to Datura Books and Adam Roberts for this early copy. Publishes November 13, 2023.
December 13, 2023
The Death of Sir Martin Malprelate is an absolute feast of a novel.
At 400 pages, it's quite lengthy, but for me, as is such a quality piece of writing, that's a good thing.
It's beautifully-written, packed full of humour and wit, and just hugely enjoyable throughout.
Without giving too much away ( I always like to avoid spoilers in my reviews ), it's set in 19th century England where Scrooge and Sherlock Holmes are real people and Middlemarch is a real place.
Bryde, our investigator, is tasked with uncovering the truth behind the death of railway magnate Sir Martin Malprelate.
The narrative is compelling, it's well written, well paced, clever and the story moves along nicely.
Filled with great prose and insight into the human condition, this is another tremendous novel by Adam Roberts.
At 400 pages, it's quite lengthy, but for me, as is such a quality piece of writing, that's a good thing.
It's beautifully-written, packed full of humour and wit, and just hugely enjoyable throughout.
Without giving too much away ( I always like to avoid spoilers in my reviews ), it's set in 19th century England where Scrooge and Sherlock Holmes are real people and Middlemarch is a real place.
Bryde, our investigator, is tasked with uncovering the truth behind the death of railway magnate Sir Martin Malprelate.
The narrative is compelling, it's well written, well paced, clever and the story moves along nicely.
Filled with great prose and insight into the human condition, this is another tremendous novel by Adam Roberts.
May 12, 2024
Premise in one sentence : Seemingly unexplainable death of a controversial railroad magnat in 1848.
Historical fiction with touches of classical science fiction written in gothic style, with phenomenal prose and atmosphere. The tone of the story is apparent from page 1, quickly creating an illusion of a book seemingly written in 1800s.
A beautiful homage to classical English literature. The author didn't shy away from blending several iconic works from that era into one story lead by the theme of progress, change (both inner and of the world at large) and revolution. Social commentary makes an important part of the narrative once the story is in full steam (pun intended).
The plot quickly gets more convoluted, revealing it's full potential and meticulous attention to details.
Great book for anyone looking for some historical mystery fiction.
Historical fiction with touches of classical science fiction written in gothic style, with phenomenal prose and atmosphere. The tone of the story is apparent from page 1, quickly creating an illusion of a book seemingly written in 1800s.
A beautiful homage to classical English literature. The author didn't shy away from blending several iconic works from that era into one story lead by the theme of progress, change (both inner and of the world at large) and revolution. Social commentary makes an important part of the narrative once the story is in full steam (pun intended).
The plot quickly gets more convoluted, revealing it's full potential and meticulous attention to details.
Great book for anyone looking for some historical mystery fiction.
December 17, 2023
Type of Dickensian pastiche that draws on several classics of the English cannon. We have here, Middlemarch, The Invisible Man, Dombey and Son while the main narrator is Vavasour Holmes, the father of Mycroft and Sherlock. Indeed Sherlock actually gets born partway through the account. Holmes and two friends try to get to the bottom of a mysterious phenomenon that results in the death of Sir Martin Malprelate. The mystery is well worked out and author Adam Roberts makes a bold stab at Dickens ornate style.
January 4, 2024
I quite liked this, really, more than the other other Roberts novels I've read for sure. Interesting story, very convincing Victorian prose. I do feel sort of ambivalent about the denouement, though: I should have known it would turn out to be a thoroughly explicable science fiction thing, and maybe I did on some level, but the reality was a little...I dunno, uninteresting? Also, for a while it seems to be setting up a mystery: was Malprelate secretly a good guy, or not? But pretty quickly, the narrative just seems to forget about that.
June 14, 2025
Nope. Touted as a gothic murder mystery, I was all in. The use of some characters from Victorian literature was clever and kept me engaged. I was enjoying it until about halfway through when an unexpected twist happened. I kept waiting for the story to start taking off from that point. However, from there, it became a dull sci-fi story featuring Sherlock Holmes' father. This isn't a spoiler, as the reader meets him early in the story. Overall, this was a big disappointment and definitely NOT a gothic murder mystery.
October 13, 2023
an examination into the mysterious death of a bully and an unpleasant powerful guy is an interesting premise to carry off. I guess I struggled to care that he'd been 'done in' but the writing is skillful, and I was pulled along - I have to admit that finally I jumped to the end to find out who dunnit - so that's a good sign, despite myself in a way. Adam Roberts is always an entertaining read, and satisfyingly hits all the genre formulae. good fun ..
November 21, 2023
Clever, clever, oh so clever
Robert's ability to bring this all together is such a show off move!!! It feels like it started out as an intellectual exercise that grew and grew into a wonderful novel. Filled with great prose, humour and insight into the human condition. I think this would be a good introduction to his works (though it has less body horror, violence then his norm).
Robert's ability to bring this all together is such a show off move!!! It feels like it started out as an intellectual exercise that grew and grew into a wonderful novel. Filled with great prose, humour and insight into the human condition. I think this would be a good introduction to his works (though it has less body horror, violence then his norm).
January 25, 2024
3.5 stars maybe.
Interesting premise, intriguing mystery, clever use of characters from many 19th century novels, ranging from HG Wells to Dickens to George Eliott to Arthur Conan Doyle. Picking out what character and situation came from which novel was one of the fun parts. Yet the story seems to meander quite a bit and falls flat now and then, sometimes in crucial places. Worth a read but not as much of an engaging experience as I hoped it would be from its early pages.
Interesting premise, intriguing mystery, clever use of characters from many 19th century novels, ranging from HG Wells to Dickens to George Eliott to Arthur Conan Doyle. Picking out what character and situation came from which novel was one of the fun parts. Yet the story seems to meander quite a bit and falls flat now and then, sometimes in crucial places. Worth a read but not as much of an engaging experience as I hoped it would be from its early pages.
February 24, 2024
3.5 stars. Entertaining in that it combines a good story with some familiarity of characters and settings (Scrooge, the Invisible Man, Sherlock Holmes' father, etc. are characters in this tale set in Dickens's and Doyle's London and environs). Yet I felt that it was not as well done as Tim Powers' Anubis Gates, which combines historical and known fictional characters in a SF/Fantasy mystery more gripping and engaging. Still, an enjoyable read.
August 19, 2024
What a fun mystery with twists and turns that had me guessing until the final pages. Living in the world of 19th century English literature added an extra layer of depth to draw on for a cast of new characters who play on those same ideas.
April 27, 2025
Although I am not a fan of books about time travel, I found this novel quite intriguing, with its inclusion of fictional characters such as Sherlock and Mycroft Homes and Dombey and Son. The author, an expert on 19th century fiction, has used his knowledge to good effect.
December 12, 2023
Well written, well plotted, but ultimately lacking. The author weaves together Victorian novels about rich white men to tell another story about...rich white men. Yawn.
April 4, 2024
3.5 Stars
Not the most ambitious or imaginative novel that Roberts has written, but it is a consistently endearing and entertaining homage to 19th century English literature and London itself.
Not the most ambitious or imaginative novel that Roberts has written, but it is a consistently endearing and entertaining homage to 19th century English literature and London itself.
November 8, 2024
Full of mystery and suspense, and a few known culprits. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
May 28, 2025
2.5. Didn't really enjoy this book at all.
December 30, 2023
It was an unexpected treat to have a new book from Adam Roberts, and as we move into the season of Christmas ghost stories what better than one with a whiff of the uncanny, a story set in Victorian London - and a London beset by unease and coming change?
In 1848, much is in flux. Across Europe, revolutions and revolutionary movements swell. Even in Britain, the Chartists agitate. At the same time the new railways are redrawing the map of London, and of the wider country. Roberts catches a moment when these things are in process, but not complete, where the future is uncertain. The Middlemarch Grand Congruence Railway is imagined, and being built, laying waste to swathes of Camden, but it is not yet a reality. Despite the bustle of progress, many of the journeys taken in this book are on foot, by stagecoach, on horseback or in carts. Political agitators push the People's Charter and are seen as firebrands, radicals, though pursuing an agenda which to modern eyes seems a very modest step towards democracy. There is a great deal of "Dickensian" atmosphere (and Roberts plays games, dropping in characters and events from Dickens, and from other 19th century novels) and language but also a sense that this is looking backwards. In another strand of the story, literary ideas are formed from the fantastic, from the dawning of science fictional ideas. It all produces a feeling of dizziness, a loss of certainty, a sense that anything might happen.
The novel opens with the death that gives it its title and this event is, like much here, uncertain. We're given many alternative explanations for Sir Martin's - the chief architect of the railway company's - death, from murder at the hands of mobs of disaffected agitators or citizens whose homes and gardens he's seized, to some kind of supernatural, devilish influence, to others even more fantastic. But as Sir Martin's own character proves slippery - his deeds contradictory, both a grasping Scrooge of a man and also a philanthropist - so does the reason for his death. Both end up as ways into the fantastically complex society that's being built, which is explored by two men seeing to understand what happened to Sir Martin. These are Bryde, an engineer, and Holmes - Vavasour Holmes, father of the more famous Sherlock.
These sleuths can't though be detached from the events whirling away here, but are picked up and jostled by the forces at play. Indeed there's a whole subplot where Holmes is spirited away to Middlemarch itself, making this not just a London novel but one engaged with progress and resistance across the whole country.
It's a truly absorbing read, a detective story - complete with a Scotland Yard Inspector, of course - but also plenty of bustling Dickensian figures - sneering company grandees, pernickety clerks, loquacious women serving soup, servants at inns who clearly imagine themselves as central characters in a narrative not walk-ons as here. It's a deeply literary mystery, not just in its atmosphere and characters but in the way it examines the world and in the alternative theories it considers for the accomplishing of the central murder. This was, it's clear from the start, intended to be a spectacle, and a puzzling one - but that doesn't mean there isn't a perfectly human motive behind it, even if it's obscured by the means adopted.
I loved the atmosphere here of an uneasy 19th century, not a self-satisfied, grand edifice but a society very uncertain of itself, not a place blessed with the perspective of hindsight at all but a fractious, provisional, turbulent society people by fractious, turbulent people.
A truly enjoyable read.
In 1848, much is in flux. Across Europe, revolutions and revolutionary movements swell. Even in Britain, the Chartists agitate. At the same time the new railways are redrawing the map of London, and of the wider country. Roberts catches a moment when these things are in process, but not complete, where the future is uncertain. The Middlemarch Grand Congruence Railway is imagined, and being built, laying waste to swathes of Camden, but it is not yet a reality. Despite the bustle of progress, many of the journeys taken in this book are on foot, by stagecoach, on horseback or in carts. Political agitators push the People's Charter and are seen as firebrands, radicals, though pursuing an agenda which to modern eyes seems a very modest step towards democracy. There is a great deal of "Dickensian" atmosphere (and Roberts plays games, dropping in characters and events from Dickens, and from other 19th century novels) and language but also a sense that this is looking backwards. In another strand of the story, literary ideas are formed from the fantastic, from the dawning of science fictional ideas. It all produces a feeling of dizziness, a loss of certainty, a sense that anything might happen.
The novel opens with the death that gives it its title and this event is, like much here, uncertain. We're given many alternative explanations for Sir Martin's - the chief architect of the railway company's - death, from murder at the hands of mobs of disaffected agitators or citizens whose homes and gardens he's seized, to some kind of supernatural, devilish influence, to others even more fantastic. But as Sir Martin's own character proves slippery - his deeds contradictory, both a grasping Scrooge of a man and also a philanthropist - so does the reason for his death. Both end up as ways into the fantastically complex society that's being built, which is explored by two men seeing to understand what happened to Sir Martin. These are Bryde, an engineer, and Holmes - Vavasour Holmes, father of the more famous Sherlock.
These sleuths can't though be detached from the events whirling away here, but are picked up and jostled by the forces at play. Indeed there's a whole subplot where Holmes is spirited away to Middlemarch itself, making this not just a London novel but one engaged with progress and resistance across the whole country.
It's a truly absorbing read, a detective story - complete with a Scotland Yard Inspector, of course - but also plenty of bustling Dickensian figures - sneering company grandees, pernickety clerks, loquacious women serving soup, servants at inns who clearly imagine themselves as central characters in a narrative not walk-ons as here. It's a deeply literary mystery, not just in its atmosphere and characters but in the way it examines the world and in the alternative theories it considers for the accomplishing of the central murder. This was, it's clear from the start, intended to be a spectacle, and a puzzling one - but that doesn't mean there isn't a perfectly human motive behind it, even if it's obscured by the means adopted.
I loved the atmosphere here of an uneasy 19th century, not a self-satisfied, grand edifice but a society very uncertain of itself, not a place blessed with the perspective of hindsight at all but a fractious, provisional, turbulent society people by fractious, turbulent people.
A truly enjoyable read.
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