A Metropolitan Murder:

Inspector Webb #1

by Lee Jackson

The last train of the night pulls into the gas-lit platform of Baker Street underground station. A young woman is found strangled, her body abandoned in a second-class carriage. The brutal 'Railway Murder' brings Inspector Decimus Webb to the newly-formed Metropolitan Line on a bleak winter's night. His investigation leads him through the slums of Victorian London to the Holborn Refuge, a home for 'fallen women', and to Clara White, a respectable servant. But Clara has her own tragic and shameful history. As her past is revealed, Inspector Webb must decide whether she is merely a victim of circumstance, or a prime suspect. Only then can he unearth a dark secret, hidden in the depths of underground London. Lee Jackson's second novel brilliantly recreates the sights, sounds and smells of Victorian London, taking readers on a suspense-filled journey through its criminal underworld.

Genres: Crime, Fiction, Victorian, Mystery, Historical, Historical Fiction, London

304 pages, Paperback

First published May 19, 2004

Reviews

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recap: A young girl is found dead on the new Metropolitan line while the prime suspect Henry Cotton, runs off into the night. Her murderer is connected to Cotton via a series of coincidences.

Review: I enjoy a murder mystery when I have no idea whodunnit and I had no idea. It was an unexpected surprise. The book is rich in detail, obviously well researched and the characters feel genuine. It's London with smog and gin and dirt and filth, exactly as it should be back then. There's a gritty realism to everything. A fast paced read with a satisfying outcome.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was gifted to me by my sister, who thought it looked like my sort of thing. It was a charming little Victorian mystery, and I felt the author brought Victorian London to life vividly. I would probably be interested in reading some more books by this author.

[Luke · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the first example of historical crime fiction I've read, I wasn't sure whether I'd like or be interested in the genre. After what was a quick and relatively easy read, I'm pleased to say I enjoyed this novel.

After what seemed to be a fairly slow start, I ended up feeling intrigued to find out what had happened and, what was happening, about half way through. I felt sympathy and empathy for the character of Clara, which helped me get a little emotionally invested.

Very easy to read, though still created a sense of the environment and streetscape of Victorian London, A Metropolitan Murder was, while not brilliant, very worth the time and effort.

[Kirsty McCracken · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so much better than I was expecting, and so much darker. I wished there had been a little more on the personalities of the characters, just a few more little details, and that would have pushed it up to a 5* read for me.

[Damien G · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good historical crime mystery. It might not be a demanding read,but it is a book that would pass the time on a long train journey.

[Sheila · Rating 1 out of 5]

No entiendo como un libro de misterio puede ir TAN lento. Realmente el caso es de lo que menos se habla en este libro. Se introducen a un millón de personajes que suponemos deben ser relevantes para el caso porque si no no tendría sentido que el narrador los focalizase, y el que menos importa es literalmente el inspector que le da nombre a la saga (Inspector Decimus Webb). Ninguno de los personajes se deja querer, son todos bastante pedantes o de muy dudosa moral. Además, de lo que se alarga todo siguiendo la perspectiva de tantos personajes el libro se hace eterno y, realmente, no parece que te acerques a ningún tipo de conclusión con respecto a la muerte entorno a la que gira la historia. Le pongo 1⭐, porque, si lo pienso, no hay nada de este libro que me haya gustado o entretenido. De hecho, estuvo a punto de ponerme en un parón lector importante y perdí el interés por cualquier otra lectura... Simplemente me alegro que se haya acabado.

[ℳatthieu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Londres en 1864, c'est le tout début du métro dans lequel le meurtre d'une jeune femme a été commis.
L'époque victorienne est plutôt bien documentée : c'est sale, miséreux, dépravé et sordide (un tout empreint de pathétisme je trouve). Beaucoup de petits chapitres forment le récit sans grand style (c'est peut être la traduction française). Les indications pour l'enquête sont données au compte goutte. On ne peux pas trouver l'assassin avant les dix dernières pages. Je trouve que les aventures de Phibbs traînent un peu en longueur (j'ai trouvé l'épilogue carrément bizarre).

Lecture agréable, sans plus.

[Dancall · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good racy thriller, set in 1864, in the early days of the Metropolitan Line, the world’s first underground railway line. A quick read - I read it in sittings - with lots of historical colour, small time criminals and philanthropic wealthy types. Not dashing out to buy the other books in this series, but it was entertaining.

[Wildfire · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love detective novels and the Victorian era, so I had high hopes for this book. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to them. You get very little insight into the detective, and I didn't feel much of an atmosphere of mystery. Furthermore, I didn't find the characters all that compelling. The language, however, was good and fitting for the setting.

[Sean Harding · Rating 3 out of 5]

First in the Inspector Webb period series, like what appears to be the time setting for Jackson's books it is set in Victorian era London.
Average crime fare, with some good parts, but overall pretty forgettable.

[Neil Lacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy read, good inital start but I found it difficult to follow throughout. Too many characters and situations not relevant to the story. Did paint a good picture of the era. Felt the last chapter brought it back together a little but as I was not engaged throughout it didn't really mean much.

[Christine Schmidt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, I'd read another in this series. Well-plotted, with authentic characters especially the annoying but sincere (clueless) Henry Cotton (Phipps).

[DebbieG · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this period piece set in Victorian London. The narrator, Joe Dunlop, was great. He brought the characters alive for me. Will look for others that he has narrated.

[Hana Thomson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Written more like a movie script.

[neen · Rating 3 out of 5]

this has a slightly slow start but picked up quite quickly! if you’re into murder mysteries, it’s worth a read (some parts of it made my stomach churn though)

[Rain Blackmoore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, the blurb is a bit vague and really doesn't stick to the book. At no point did I feel that Clara was a suspect, for example.
It's a crime story, but the crime takes second place to the exploration of the seedy parts of London through the "journalistic research" led by Cotton aka Phibbs.

I liked Clara well enough, and pitied Lizzie, but it took me a while to find characters I'd care for. Decimus Webb, the Inspector, is a caricature. As for Phibbs, he's a pretentious prick. Basically, the men in this novel are either asexual (Webb), or perverts (pretty much everyone else).

Written in third-person omniscient (done well), as would be expected with a novel written in the Victorian style. The style feels a bit forced at times, but is overall entertaining. I would have preferred the writing to be more modern, with a few colourful words for mood, but that's just my preference.
Good setting, great vocabulary.

Some parts were confusing. Talking heads or vague descriptions, as if the narrator was afraid of describing the horrible events he alludes to (although it works very well for one particular scene, with the 13-year old girl... it's chilling.) Some scenes were so short I felt thrown in and out of them at the narrator's whim.

A good bit I just noticed:
Bill, who's mentioned on the first page, turns out to be an important character later in the book. Nice detail.

[Graculus · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think it would be fair to say I've read a lot of historical detective fiction in my time, set in all time periods, and can completely understand why the Victorian era is still so fascinating for authors even now.

In A Metropolitan Murder, the body of a former streetwalker is found strangled in the final carriage of the last train of the day on the newly-opened Metropolitan line. Inspector Decimus Webb, a singularly unsympathetic character who I disliked from my first dealings with him, is brought in to investigate.

I think I got about a quarter of the way into this book before I decided that actually I didn't care who or why. All the characters seemed sanctimonious and unpleasant so it was impossible to summon up the necessary enthusiasm to finish A Metropolitan Murder. The series continues with The Welfare of the Dead, but sadly we'll be parting ways...

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

The funky cover makes this book look more Steampunk than it is. It's actually a fairly straightforward crime thriller that just happens to be set in Victorian times. A bit lazily written - lots of foggy mornings, cliched East End "tarts with a heart" and a hero who seems utterly mysetrious and turns out to be nothing more than a wet blanket as soon as a he sees a pretty face. Still, very easy reading. Kept me entertained for a Sunday afternoon!

[K.V. Witten · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love stories set in the Victorian era and must admit that this story invokes the setting beautifully. My problem was in the story itself - the identity of the murderer simply didn't make sense to me. They story starts out with the discovery of a dead girl's body on a train. But I don't understand why the murderer killed her. And the reaction of the young man who found her body seems highly unlikely. Maybe I'm just missing something but it didn't make a lot of sense to me.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was set in 1863 - a girl was found murdered on the Metropolitan Line Railroad in London, the world's first underground RR. A writer finds her and runs away, did he do it? Complex story and some suspects with devious reasons.

[K. Veeken · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Metropolitan Murder by Lee Jackson. It is an amazing book. I really liked the writing style. You see the story from different sides. Which is a good thing. If you like to read murder stories then you should read this one.

[Jenna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Enjoyed the mysteries series featuring the "Railway Detective" so I thought I would give this one a try.

[Gerry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Atmospheric, yes, but a slow-moving and sometimes difficult to follow plot makes this novel slightly disappointing.

[Suzi Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Very different author technique re telling the story and yet it made Victorian London seem even more real.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice historical fiction mystery. Good detail. It doesn't make you long for the "good old days".

[JenniferB · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, but the seedy side of Victorian London. His second novel.

[Joostr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leuk voor de tijdsbeschrijving en de couleur locale. Ook voor de inspecteur op een hoge bi. Maar de plot is minder interessant.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wasn't as good as the previous book London dust but still a fantastic read.