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THE RAILWAY MYSTERIES - Complete Collection: 28 Titles in One Volume (Including The Thorpe Hazell Detective Tales & Other Thrilling Stories On and Off ... a Tight Fix, A Warning in Red and many more
This carefully crafted "THE RAILWAY MYSTERIES - Complete 28 Titles in One Volume (Including The Thorpe Hazell Detective Tales & Other Thrilling Stories On and Off the Rails)" is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents. Victor Lorenzo Whitechurch (1868-1933) was a Church of England clergyman and author. He is best known for his detective stories featuring Thorpe Hazell, the first amateur railway detective, whom the author intended to be as far from Sherlock Holmes as possible. Another Whitechurch's character was the spy Captain Ivan Koravitch. His stories were admired for their immaculate plotting and factual accuracy. Whitechurch was one of the first writers to submit his manuscripts to Scotland Yard for vetting as to police procedure. Table of Thrilling Stories of the Railway Peter Crane's Cigars The Tragedy on the London and Mid-Northern The Affair of the Corridor Express Sir Gilbert Murrell's Picture How the Bank Was Saved The Affair of the German Dispatch-Box How the Bishop Kept His Appointment The Adventure of the Pilot Engine The Stolen Necklace The Mystery of the Boat Express How the Express Was Saved A Case of Signaling Winning the Race The Strikers The Ruse That Succeeded Other Railway Stories A Perilous Ride The Slip Coach Mystery In the Rockhurst Tunnel The Convict's Revenge A Warning in Red A Jump for Freedom Special Working Instructions Pierre Cournet's Last Run Between Two Fires The Triumph of Seth P. Tucker A Policy of Silence In a Tight Fix The Romance of the "Southern Queen"
370 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 7, 2016
36 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
About the author
Victor L. Whitechurch
162 books17 followersVictor Lorenzo Whitechurch was born in 1868, was educated at Chichester Grammar School and Chichester Theological College and eventually became a canon of the Anglican Church, living and working for many years in the country rather than in towns and cities.
He held various positions as curate before he became vicar of St. Michael's, Blewbury in 1904. In 1913 he became Chaplain to the Bishop of Oxford, and an honorary canon of Christ Church and in 1918 he became Rural Dean of Aylesbury.
He began his writing career with religious works, as befitted his profession, and edited 'The Chronicle of St George' in 1891 before producing his own work 'The Course of Justice' in 1903. He wrote his first quasi-detective novel, also considered as a clerical romance, in 1904 when 'The Canon in Residence' was published and was later adapted for stage and radio.
He also contributed detective stories to the Strand Magazine, the Railway Magazine and Pearson's and Harmsworth's Magazines. Some of his railway stories were published as 'Thrilling Stories of the Railway' in 1912, 15 stories in all, nine of which feature his specialst in railway detection, Thorpe Hazell, a strict vegetarian.
After producing a variety of romantic novels, he returned to thrillers with 'The Templeton Case', 1924, and another collection of short stories on a railway and spy theme, 'The Adventures of Captain Ivan Koravitch' in 1925.
Two quite different books appeared from his pen in 1927, 'The Truth in Christ Jesus' and 'The Crime at Diana's Pool' before he devoted his final years almost solely to detective fiction, writing four further such novels between 1927 and 1932, the last of them 'Murder at the College' written after he had suffered a long and debilitating illness.
Although his thriller output was relatively low, 12 of his 27 books being of the genre, Jacques Barzun and Wendell Hertig Taylor in their splendid 'Catalogue of Crime' wrote of him, "He was the greatest improviser in the genre - all but one of his stories has distinct merit." Ellery Queen and Dorothy L Sayers meanwhile admired his books for their "immaculate plotting and factual accuracy" believing him to be "one of the first writers to submit his manuscripts to Scotland Yard for vetting as to police procedure."
He died in 1933.
Gerry Wolstenholme
May 2010
He held various positions as curate before he became vicar of St. Michael's, Blewbury in 1904. In 1913 he became Chaplain to the Bishop of Oxford, and an honorary canon of Christ Church and in 1918 he became Rural Dean of Aylesbury.
He began his writing career with religious works, as befitted his profession, and edited 'The Chronicle of St George' in 1891 before producing his own work 'The Course of Justice' in 1903. He wrote his first quasi-detective novel, also considered as a clerical romance, in 1904 when 'The Canon in Residence' was published and was later adapted for stage and radio.
He also contributed detective stories to the Strand Magazine, the Railway Magazine and Pearson's and Harmsworth's Magazines. Some of his railway stories were published as 'Thrilling Stories of the Railway' in 1912, 15 stories in all, nine of which feature his specialst in railway detection, Thorpe Hazell, a strict vegetarian.
After producing a variety of romantic novels, he returned to thrillers with 'The Templeton Case', 1924, and another collection of short stories on a railway and spy theme, 'The Adventures of Captain Ivan Koravitch' in 1925.
Two quite different books appeared from his pen in 1927, 'The Truth in Christ Jesus' and 'The Crime at Diana's Pool' before he devoted his final years almost solely to detective fiction, writing four further such novels between 1927 and 1932, the last of them 'Murder at the College' written after he had suffered a long and debilitating illness.
Although his thriller output was relatively low, 12 of his 27 books being of the genre, Jacques Barzun and Wendell Hertig Taylor in their splendid 'Catalogue of Crime' wrote of him, "He was the greatest improviser in the genre - all but one of his stories has distinct merit." Ellery Queen and Dorothy L Sayers meanwhile admired his books for their "immaculate plotting and factual accuracy" believing him to be "one of the first writers to submit his manuscripts to Scotland Yard for vetting as to police procedure."
He died in 1933.
Gerry Wolstenholme
May 2010
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 11, 2018
Ingenious mysteries of the old school that rely on carefully worked out puzzles based on the intricacies of the working of the Victorian railways. The stories featuring Thorpe Hazell are the most enjoyable, as Hazell, although very broadly sketched in, is an engagingly eccentric character with his fad diet and digestive exercises. Good professionally written potboilers from another era.
May 10, 2017
Decent book. Gives a good flavor of the Victorian times and intrigues.
May 10, 2020
A varied collection.
A reasonable mix of stories, but only of the usual railway faire. Useful to pass the time with,especially on a journey.
A reasonable mix of stories, but only of the usual railway faire. Useful to pass the time with,especially on a journey.
July 4, 2022
Found this book tedious and hard to read. Why use fictitious names for some tiwn and real names for others.
Couldn't finish it!
Couldn't finish it!
February 26, 2022
An excellent set of stories, recalling my younger days of train spotting in Yorkshire.
I remember the smell of the oil, the pollution and the noise. Senses which today are rarely experienced.
I remember the smell of the oil, the pollution and the noise. Senses which today are rarely experienced.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews