Murder in Broadway

Inspector Vignoles Mysteries #10

by Stephen Done

THEY’RE OFF! DI Charles Vignoles and his British Railways Detective team are pitched in among the runners and riders for the 1955 Cheltenham Gold Cup, sprung from the starting gates all because a little girl loses a worthless jewel down the back of a railway carriage seat.

But others think this little sparkler is worth Murder In Broadway...

Just when you thought it was safe to go into Cheltenham Racecourse’s Royal Enclosure to study equestrian form with Her Majesty, a deadly duo stroll in with orders to retrieve this rock from a dodgy toff, their thirst for forensic cruelty unabated from the previous Vignoles investigation, Cold Steel Rail.

Faster than ‘The Cheltenham Flyer’ express, the action races back and forth across the country, as Vignoles grapples with not only a rising body count stretching from the Cotswolds to London’s East End, but the naked ambition of a brash new deputy forced upon him.

The mid-1950s are brought deftly to life as Stephen Done marshals his colourful cast of characters, when steam still powered the nation’s travel.

In spite of those chill, ill winds scything across the bleak Cotswold countryside, in racing terms Murder In Broadwayis a Gold Cup winner!

268 pages, Paperback

Published August 1, 2019

About the author

Museum curator, Liverpool F.C. fan and writer of Inspector Vignoles mysteries series.

Reviews

[Mrs B · Rating 2 out of 5]

This mystery might appeal to fans of steam railways, and those who enjoy old-fashioned chases round the countryside where “beaks” (police) try to catch criminals and “make them squeal.”

In this story the police in question are on the trail of a missing diamond, and after high-tailing it around the Cotswold railway system, eventually track down the heavies responsible.

Unfortunately as I am not a fan of this kind of thing, I found this all a bit hard-going.

[Liza McArdle · Rating 2 out of 5]

This really was not for me. I was swept up in a romance with the Cotswolds and thought buying a book set in the town I was in was a good idea. It was not! However I think a railroad lover/mystery reader might like this one. I found it hard to follow and it didn’t hold my attention. I enjoyed the scenes set in the famous Lygon Arms Hotel but that was about it.

[Suzanne Stephenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is not to like in Stephen Done's work..period feel .detective fiction and steam railways.