The Baghdad Railway Club

Jim Stringer #8

by Andrew Martin

Baghdad 1917. Captain Jim Stringer, invalided from the Western Front, has been dispatched to investigate what looks like a nasty case of treason. He arrives to find a city on the point of insurrection, his cover apparently blown - and his only contact lying dead with flies in his eyes. As Baghdad swelters in a particularly torrid summer, the heat alone threatens the lives of the British soldiers who occupy the city. The recently ejected Turks are still a danger - and many of the local Arabs are none too friendly either. For Jim, who is not particularly good in warm weather, the situation grows pricklier by the day. Aside from his investigation, he is working on the railways around the city. His boss is the charming, enigmatic Lieutenant-Colonel Shepherd, who presides over the gracious dining society called The Baghdad Railway Club - and who may or may not be a Turkish agent. Jim's search for the truth brings him up against murderous violence in a heat-dazed, labyrinthine city where an enemy awaits around every corner.

Genres: Crime, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Mystery, Historical Mystery

291 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2012

About the author

Librarian 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.

Reviews

[Sam Woodfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of detective/ murder mystery type reads, and so I was looking forward to discovering a new series when I picked up this novel. However, for me there was something missing which prevented this being a great mystery story.
The story follows Jim Stringer as he is posted to Baghdad during the First World War to do what appears to be railway reconnaissance. Upon arriving, he finds that an ally has been killed, and he has reason to believe that there is a traitor in the ranks.
This has the basis of a great novel, but for me, the one thing that was missing was tension. There was something quite Sherlock Holmes about this novel, in that the crime has already been committed and it's Stringers job to solve it without any sign that another crime is still to come. But whereas there is something very clever about Holmes, this isn't the case with Stringer. I don't think it helps that none of the characters were particularly engaging, which is often what makes a great murder mystery novel, and there was no tension at any point, again the makings of a good detective story.
There were some things about this novel that were good. I liked that unlike many WW1 novels, this was based in Iraq and showed a different side of the war. The setting was good, and the descriptions of the conditions really painted a picture of what it would be like at that time. It's a new side to history which I didn't know about so really enjoyed.
Overall, I think this novel was OK, but not anything I would rave about, and not the best detective novel there is. I don't know if males might enjoy this novel more, as there was a certain male comradery between certain characters which might mean that males relate more. I think if you like trains this might also be for you, but as a female who knows nothing about trains, this really wasn't for me

[Rohit Nair · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't know how many times i almost gave up on this book. Unbelievably dull. Clearly, Jim Stringer is not one for me.

[Mark Higginbottom · Rating 3 out of 5]

The latest one in the Jim Stringer series and this was a bit of a dull one I'm afraid.It just seems to plod on with him in the sun sweating and being ill whilst trying to find a murderer/spy.The most enjoyable settings and scenes for me are when he's in his native York as I love the place and have visited many times so when he's there Andrew Martin is great at describing the locations and various places of interest there but I just wasn't very interested in the Turks and the Arabs in the desert.I understand that it was an important part of WW1 and all its political machinations,it just doesn't make for interesting reading.In future novels I really hope Jim stays on his native soil as those were the best moments of this series.....

[Chris Gillies · Rating 4 out of 5]

The penultimate in the Stringer series, but another comfortable ramble through the railwaying world, this time in the oven-esque setting of Baghdad late in WW1. As ever, Martin sets the scene with ease, and as ever you read through the book with a sense of rose-tinted nostalgia for when days was simpler guv, whilst at the same time throwing in red herring after real herring after red herring. And then, out of nowhere, comes the conclusion and wrapping up of the case.

Except this time, the end was somewhat messy. Disjointed. Not really completed satisfactorily, even though it was completed.

[Keith Hamilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

The novel is set in Baghdad 1917. Captain Jim Stringer, invalided from the Western Front, has been sent to investigate what looks like a case of treason. He arrives to find a city in uproar, his cover apparently blown - and his only contact, Boyd, lying dead with flies in his eyes. As Baghdad swelters in a torrid summer, the British soldiers who occupy the city after kicking out the Turks suffer in the heat. Many of the local Arabs are none too friendly towards the British either.

Aside from his investigation, Jim has been drafted in to work on the railway line between Baghdad and Basrah. His boss is the enigmatic Shepherd, who presides over a very British dining society called The Baghdad Railway Club - and who may or may not be a Turkish agent. Jim's search for the truth brings him up against violence in a heat-dazed city where an enemy awaits around every corner.

Andrew Martin is excellent at depicting past times and places, you really get to feel what life was like in Baghdad in 1917. The plot rattles along and reaches a gripping conclusion, with Jim safely back in York ready to continue his policing on the railways.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really want to like the novels by Andrew Martin, but they never quite hit the mark. Also, I don't know why, but I never really warm to the main character, Jim Stringer.

First the good part: Martin is very good at capturing the atmosphere of the time and place and the choice of Baghdad in this book during WW1 certainly appealed to my curiosity.

...and the not so good part: the story , for me, tended to lose momentum on occasions and the conclusion seemed to lack a certain drama and excitement after a protracted build up and almost happened despite Stringer not because of him.

[Lyn Lockwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read quite a few of the Jim Stringer novels and I love Andrew Martin's deadpan humour and often lyrical descriptions of places. I love the relationship between Jim and his wife Lydia but she's barely in this one as it's mostly set in Iraq. It is full of amazing historical detail concerning a fascinating time in places we are still familiar with for being at war now sadly, Aleppo, Tikrit, Basrah etc. As ever, with Martin's books, the plot is convoluted, double agents, misunderstandings, traitors and heroes. So I'm leaving one star off for finding myself lost just once too often!

[Puddle Jumper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another one I wouldn't have picked up if I didn't 'need' a book set in Iraq for my list... but I enjoyed it. No hockey (surprise) but there was a Lt Col Shepherd (a 'loose cannon, prone to getting into scrapes whether at school, university or in the army'). Fascinated as much by the history as the mystery.

country #24 Iraq

[Jon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Readable, but ... it's one of those annoying stories where nobody ever tells anybody else anything, because if they did the plot would fall apart. I found the character of Jim Stringer a bit annoying, too. He never actually does any detecting, just wanders about in a stupor whilst events unfold around him.

[Edoardo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rather disappointed, I was expecting something more 'active'. The plot is quite bland, getting lost in many insignificant details but almost nothing of investigative nature.
I also feel that the author has no idea of the geography and climate of Iraq and this is very obvious to someone who has lived in Iraq for a while.
Overall rather boring.

[Debs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the local colour in this book. Thr descriptions of the desert and Bagdhad made me want to visit there 100 years ago.
The plot was intriguing w def surprise ending(s)!!! What a fun and fascinating book.

[Peter Davidson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmmm! Andrew Martin appears to capture the mores and culture of the times. He seems to have a good handle on the history but it is one of those books which one is frightened to put down for fear of not picking it up again.

[Frank · Rating 2 out of 5]

2, old-fashioned, definitely for rail enthusiasts, it did have an interesting plot but it took the first half of the book to get there

[Wanderingpanic · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you are a railway buff you should enjoy this book. I found it boring until the last 50 pages or so where it got slightly better.

[Steve Dempsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

The historical details in this novel make it a worthwhile read however the story around the murder is quite weak. The end of the book is quite abrupt but not surprising or even complex in reality

[Nick · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried hard, but could not get through this one.
Too slow and boring.....

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another wonderful story about York detective, Jim Stringer; this is now his 8th outing.

Recuperating from wounds and his time on the Western Front; Jim, in his Army persona is promoted to Captain Stringer and tasked to uncover a traitor following the fall of Baghdad.

As always railways and steam locomotion are the real stars of these beautifully written books and this is no exception. Indeed it is more exotic as it covers the railways of Mesopotamia around the summer of 1917. Jim gets to drive the engine as they head into the desert on a couple of occasions, culminating in a Mexican/Arab standoff. By reputation Stringer is nothing if he is not dogged and it is his determination and strength of character, even when being overwhelmed by sickness, helps him solve yet another case.

Interwoven into the storyline is the early process of silent movie-making' at times the film makers seem to follow his every step. However rather than blowing his cover, a realisation when watching part of the film back brings about the final solution of this complicated assignment of intrigue in the desert and around the streets of Baghdad.

Andrew Martin has a scholarly love of the railways but above all else he is a marvellous storyteller and this is another great read in that growing cannon of work, but is well worth reading as a stand-alone novel. It will delight all who read it and send them scurrying for earlier episodes in the engaging series.

[Jana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jim stringer is selected by Shepherd to be sent off to help in the railways at Baghdad. Stringer's secret job is to investigate a suspected treason committed by Shepherd. Jim Stringer tries to collect information about another official (Boyd)'s murder as inconspicuously as permitted but his facade slips every so often. Will Stringer be murdered by the suspected traitor before he unravels the truth? Or will justice be served?

Now, the books uses plenty of railway and military words to the extent that I had to have my dictionary next to me and this resulted in me finishing the books after three weeks but I'm glad as my vocabulary has expanded tremendously.

The writing was easy and light despite the seriousness of the plot and scenes and I loved the character of Ahmed that lightened the mood greatly and had me laughing out loud at his dry behavior.

Would I recommend this book? I would. There's nothing regretful about this book while it's certainly not a book I would normally pick to read. Still entertaining and educational.

[John Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I find Andrew Martin's Jim Stringer books totally absorbing and by chapter 3, The Baghdad Railway Club is no exception. I so enjoy these books I'm tempted to give each one 4 or 5 stars but judging by the score this book has, I guess his gritty matter-of-fact style is not to everyone's taste.
Plausibility is a big factor for me; I'm unable to suspend my disbelief for contrivances of convenience that some authors base their plots on: Andrew Martin's plots contain the odd convenient coincidence but other than that are perfectly believable. Some may say "ordinary" but life is generally like that and realism is his stock-in-trade.
UPDATE: On completion, I find, ironically, that there is one 'coincidence of convenience' but it has not devalued this excellent reading experience.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is based around the main character of Jim Stringer, who is sent to Baghdad to investigate treason, whilst also working on the railways. When he arrives he finds that his only contact is already dead, there are dangers and enemies everywhere and on top of that he doesn’t really like the heat!
I think this book would most likely appeal to men and especially those with an interest in railways. Having said that I read this as a female with no particular interest in railways and found it an enjoyable read. The railway detail was not too much and the story fairly fast paced, once it gets going.
I would recommend.

[Martin Hollands · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another of the Inspector Stringer novels and I found it interesting and informative reading. Given the amount of coverage we have had looking back at the various World Wars I was interested to see how it fitted in with my knowedge and understanding of the events that occurred over in France and Belgium in the early years of WW1.

This is a well crafted and enthralling story that takes historical fact and interweaves into the fabric a series of crimes and mysteries that keep you engaged. The characters develop nicely and whilst you think you know where it is heading, you are never quite certain and that makes it quite compelling.

[Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

Second of the books in the Jim Stringer series I have tried to read (first one was The Blackpool Highflyer). On the plus side I finished this one (last one I stopped after 100 pages as could not get into it). It seemed to have less details of the railway in it and more of the thriller, but still not enough of the later and I still dont like the voice of the main character. Not a book I therefore enjoyed and I won't be reading any more of this series.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jim Stringer is never going to go down as one of the great detectives. Things tend to happen around him and he succeeds almost despite himself.

The joy of this series, however, is in the historical detail. Martin brilliantly evokes the time and place of the early 20th century with the occasional sly poke at the present day.

It's also interesting to read a book set in the first world war that isn't about the Western Front.

[Fraser Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another wryly amusing and exciting addition to the series. Stringer such an unlikely and likeable hero, he gets results by luck as much as judgement, his descriptions of the world around him hilarious. The war in the Iraq desert far removed from the Edwardian world of York station setting of the early books.

[Brian Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good murder mystery story -- the real killer is only revealed at the very end. Lots of red herring characters too. Interesting back story about the British in Mesopotamia (now Iraq) in WW1. There's not as much focus on railway lore as in previous books in the series, but railways are still the mainstay of Jim Stringer's role.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was nearly devastated. At first I could not see another Jim Stringer book to read. However a new one was published last year. I love these books. This one was not quite so grim as the last two, but very topical with Isis pushing close to Baghdad and bringing the disastrous state of affairs back to our news reporting, which it should never have left.

[Peter Lees · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is quite quirky and took me a while to get into it. The characters seem somehow to be out of place and not believable, or should I say, very 'British'. Once I had settled in to the story, however, I became hooked. The story has many twists and turns making it both a great adventure and solid mystery. I look forward to reading more of this author.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

felt wasn't as good as the previous book in the series that the author had lost his way abit still enjoyed the read and also felt the ending was a bit rushed and was a bit slow getting going this time round

[carelessdestiny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best one so far - the ending is spectacularly devious, the personalities are intriguing and the detective is very sexy in an understated un-James-Bond like way. The descriptions of steam locomotive mechanics are a bit nerdy but it's only a minor glitch.

[Lynne - The Book Squirrel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't inspire me at all, it was dull, the characters just had no personality - just did not do anything for me at all.