The Railway Detective Collection: The Railway Detective, The Excursion Train, The Railway Viaduct

The Railway Detective #1-3

by Edward Marston

Three thrilling cases for The Railway Detective. With the Great Exhibition in the offing, interest is mounting in the icon of modern technological achievement: the railways. But this triumph of Victorian engineering has a darker side too, as these sinews of empire offer new opportunities for hidden crime and quick escape, vast destruction and dark double-dealings. Detective Inspector Robert Colbeck is the Railway Detective. When a train is robbed or a passenger killed, Colbeck and his trusty sergeant Victor Leeming must take to the rails and use their expert knowledge of crime and railways to untangle webs of murder, blackmail and destruction.

Genres: Historical Mystery, Detective

468 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 30, 2011

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

A pseudonym used by Keith Miles
AKA A.E. Marston

Keith Miles (born 1940) is an English author, who writes under his own name and also historical fiction and mystery novels under the pseudonym Edward Marston. He is known for his mysteries set in the world of Elizabethan theatre. He has also written a series of novels based on events in the Domesday Book, a series of The Railway Detective and a series of The Home Front Detective.


Series contributed to:
. Malice Domestic
. Crime Through Time
. Perfectly Criminal

Reviews

[Anne Patkau · Rating 5 out of 5]

1 Read 2,3 I like people and stories in series. Marston style is clear, concise, weaves cross-Europe plot against new RR. DI Rob encourages Mad to sell art, trains her, kisses. He and Sgt suffer attacks. Huge Irish ex-cop infiltrates gang. Typos: 8.9 that he IS than he 4.25 if .... more typos

[Rain Blackmoore · Rating 4 out of 5]

August 2017: The Railway Detective (#1)
Read the first out of three, keeping the other ones for later. An enjoyable read, although I remember reading another novel in this series that I liked a lot more (can't remember the title, though!).

10 February 2018: The Excursion Train (#2)
I liked this one. Good character descriptions, and Colbeck doesn't just guess the solution like in the first novel.

I mentioned in my updates that I disliked that Marston had used the threat of rape in two novels in a row. Although I still feel that it was an unnecessary plot device in the first novel (I think the story would have been better *without* it), it made a lot more sense in the second one.

Overall the characters and the plot were more developed than in the previous novel. Even Superintendant Tallis gets to shine, which is nice! Also great to see Madeleine do a bit of sleuthing on the side.

[ShanDizzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this series! I've already purchased#4!! Inspector Colbeck & Madaleine are adorable. Too, I like that he takes a cerebral, out-of-the-box approach when solving a case, much to the consternation of his superior. In my opinion, it's more refined than Clive Cussler's Isaac Bell.

[Royal Morse · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the fist three books in the series. A easy read which holds your interest . Great mysteries along with a budding romance.

[Eva Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

The omnibus contains the first three books in the series. I am looking forward to reading the others. It's a look back in time when the railways were changing the world.