Tragedy on the Branch Line

The Railway Detective #19

by Edward Marston

When Bernard Pomeroy finds a letter slipped under his door in the early hours, he flies into a panic. After dashing off a short note to his friend, he hands it to the porter at Corpus Christi College before hastening on to the railway station and boarding a train leaving Cambridge. However, shortly after disembarking at his destination, the undergraduate lies dead on the platform.

Inspector Colbeck and Sergeant Leeming are summoned by the Master of the college to investigate Pomeroy's untimely demise. With the Boat Race on the horizon, the president of the Cambridge Boat Club believes their Oxford rivals responsible for the death of their cox, who had been heralded in the press for his talent. Yet it seems Pomeroy had ruffled many feathers during his short time at the university.

With academic disputes, sporting rivalry and a clandestine romance in play, the Railway Detective will have to disentangle the many threads of Pomeroy's life in order to answer the truth about his death.

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

351 pages, Paperback

First published April 22, 2021

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

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was an easy going read but feel the series isnt as good as it used to be though

[Diane · Rating 2 out of 5]

What has happened to this series from Edward Marston? I used to enjoy the Railway Detective novels, but ever since Robert Colbeck married Madeline Andrews, the books have become increasingly less interesting as detective novels and more of a soap opera. While the two were courting there seemed to be a reason for the side stories featuring Madeline and her father, but since their marriage, these side-issues, which now feature Madeline and friend Lydia Quayle rather than Madeline and her father, have no relevance at all and are just an unnecessary distraction. In this book I sighed heavily with frustration each time the scene cut back to Madeline, and her story. Indeed, the mystery seemed to take up only a fraction of the book, the rest being given over to either Madeline's tale of angst, or her father's - both extraneous material that detracted from the original detective storyline.

I like my detective stories to be just that, detective stories, but with Edward Marston one does need to contend with a smattering of romance, which is usually fairly light and reasonably well-integrated, so as not to detract from the main story. However, this budding romance between Lydia Quayle and Alan Hinton is firstly, totally gratuitous, and is progressing at so slow a pace that one dispairs of them ever getting together and getting this unnecessary storyline over, done and out of the books completely.

I listened to the story on audiobook and in addition to all the extraneous pap, the narrator seemed to have given some of the characters completely different voices which, of course, made them in to totally different characters. Madeline had gone from a simple, reasonably well spoken (considering her background) young woman, to a blousy, cockney barmaid overnight, and her new voice jarred every time I heard it. Alan Hinton also changed from again, a respectable sounding, enthusiastic constable to what sounded to me like the village idiot. Why this change in personality for these characters, because that is what changing the voices does, it changes the core of the character's personality?

Finally, a strange note of social insecurity that was never there before seems to have crept in. Madeline Colbeck, having accepted Robert Colbeck as an equal during their courting days seemingly without any feelings of inferiority despite her only being a train driver's daughter and he a middle-class Oxford graduate and ex-barrister, suddenly seemed to have developed feelings of inadequacy regarding the class she has elevated herself to. This made no sense at all, because such feelings, if Madeline was ever capable of them, should surely have come while she was on the way up, not when she had reached the summit and was thriving well.

I hope Marston can get these books back on track because if not, this will be the last of this series that I will be reading. I have already given up on the Home Front books because of the increasing prevalence of extraneous storylines - to wit, Alice Marmion's romance with Joe Keedy, and Paul Marmion's disappearance. A detective story is a detective story, and a romance is a completely different kind of book, with a very different readership, and ne'er the twain shall meet.

[Martin Hollands · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like the characters in the 'Railway Detective' series of novels and in this episode they continued to develop a little.

I started to read the book after having my second Covid jab this morning and read it cover to cover, stopping only for a light luncheon and then dinner.

It is light enough to read through and take breaks but compelling enough to make you want to pick it back up soon afterwards. The story was well paced and developed nicely throughout even if my initial thoughts proved to be unfounded on how certain key characters would fit into the storyline.

Overall a nice story, we;ll written and that enabled my mind to trans-locate to the University Cities of that time period.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable historical mystery. I’ve really warmed to this series over time, the railway settings are original and well researched and the characters are likeable and interesting - my favourite being grumpy Sergeant Leeming.

Here Colbeck and Leeming are sent to Cambridge, as the cox of the Cambridge Boat Race crew has been found dead at a nearby station. The University setting gives plenty of potential for interesting storylines - Oxford and Cambridge rivalry, different rowing club personalities, jealousy and resentment among fellow students and professors - and the author also manages to add in smatterings of the history of European nationalism and immigration, as well as a rather intriguing development in Colbeck’s domestic environment.

This was probably my favourite of the series so far, so I’m giving it 4*.

[Stephen Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another brilliant addition to the series

This is another brilliantly written and thought out addition to a great series. The plot is one of mystery and suspense, and characters who are crafted with great determination to prevail over evil. A wonderful read for anybody who loves a thriller that is based on the early methods of detection.

[A.A.Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story line

The plot was brilliant. Did skip the Caleb and his daughter parts as they were mind numbing pathetic. But I guess like all writers he needed other characters but for me I think Caleb and his daughter too mundane for our highly intellectual hero. Twist at the end was good and totally unexpected.

[geoff Bridgman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant Read

Having read the whole series ,an not disappointed with this story ,and the twists and turns. I would like to have seen Bullen get some more recongnition.

[Catherine Pinkett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review coming soon

[Brian Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a detective novel set in 1863 in Victorian England. Scotland Yard Inspector Robert Colbeck, a.k.a. "The Railway Detective", investigates the suspicious death of a Cambridge undergraduate. Bernard Pomeroy is a healthy young man and a rising star of the Cambridge Boat Club. He's due to play a leading role in an upcoming competition between teams from Cambridge and Oxford. Missing from a morning practice session, his body turns up on the platform at the railway station in Bury St. Edmunds, a short distance away from Cambridge. Colbeck is called into the case at the request of the college head and he is soon onsite at Bury St. Edmunds. With Colbeck's intelligence, diligence and plenty of assistance from his Sergeant Leeming, the identity of the killer is ultimately revealed.

This is a light whodunit and # 19 in The Railway Detective series. It's an example of fine storytelling with a steady pace which makes for a pleasurable read. It's a good work of historic fiction, the author presents authentic background to the story demonstrating a knowledge of the time in which the story is set. The characters are mostly well-drawn, for example, there's the hardworking railway policeman at Bury St. Edmunds contrasted with the pompous stationmaster. There are several similar examples. The recurring cast of characters from previous books is present, each with a contribution to the storytelling in varying degrees. There's even a cameo appearance by Lord Palmerston, the then British Prime Minister.

As to the plot, there's major use of a red herring to keep readers' attention occupied up to the reveal. It's not a fair play solution and therefore is open to criticism on that score. Some may also say the plots of the books are formulaic, but even if true the stories are interesting and engaging.

This is one of the better books in the series and therefore it is recommended, even for a newcomer to the series.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one wasn’t as good as I’d hoped. The mystery was good but there wasn’t much action at all on the railway. I’m a rail enthusiast and that’s one of the reasons I like this series so much.

Edward Marston always gets his facts correct (and this book is no different in that aspect) but I wish the trains had been more involved. The victim dies on the station platform and that’s really all of the railway that’s involved.

I quite liked the Railway policeman who helped out and his character was well written. I didn’t mind the side story about Madeline and her father either but I wish there had been a little more action in apprehending the suspect at the end.

I did like that fact that Marston tells us who won the Boat Race in 1863 at the very end of the book. That was a nice rich. Overall I’d say 7/10 which becomes 3.5 on here.

[Rodney Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Readable as ever - another book to come? Caleb alone? Lydia’s love life?

Intriguing storyline as ever - many developments in relationships to come? Hinton to be promoted and friendship with Lydia to blossom?

[S E WADE · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poor ending

Wonder if the author is getting past his best, then ending was swift and not as detailed as in previous novels, maybe Colbeck and or Marston have passed their sell by dates, realise that he is now in his 80’s

[Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I read a whodunnit most of the pleasure is in trying to work out who did it. However, in this novel there wasn't a chance as all was revealed in final few pages. Red herrings abounded, in fact red herrings took over the entire novel! Not my cup of tea.

[Laura Daly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Victorian Railway series with good characters but the ending was a huge disappointment. Also the side story about Maddys Dad was so pointless and weak. An easy read but the ending was just such a letdown.

[John Hardy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have not been a fan of historical fiction, but I've resolved to try new genres this year, so I held my breath, I closed my eyes, I read this book. (apologies to The Searchers) Perhaps I should not have started with #19 of a series, but having read it, it seems to be a stand-alone. I found myself drawn into the story from the start. A young student of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, is murdered. He was a popular young man, skilled rower, brilliant amateur thespian, very handsome ... Backtrack to the "popular" bit. He displaced last year's cox of the rowing team, who now hates him. He won the role of Hamlet, hence relegating a passionate potential actor to a minor role. Need I say more?
He collapsed and died on the platform of a railway station, so Inspector Colbeck of Scotland Yard is called in (he is known as The Railway Detective). Together with his sidekick, Sgt. Leeming, he conducts an investigation, given that foul play is suspected.
These events are set in 1863, so I wondered how realistic the prose and dialogue would be. Although no expert on the subject, I came to the conclusion "not much". The flow of dialogue seems too modern, and there's little evidence of the idioms of that time. There seems to be some excessive familiarity between certain characters, as with use of christian names, which was not common back then, particularly between the sexes when courting.
As to general relationships, the class system is very evident, and there is plenty of heavy-handed bullying by the more powerful characters. To combat this impression, I noted that certain characters have been endowed with commendable courage and moral fortitude to enable them to survive, and even triumph over, said bullies.
This book ran on to 350 pages, but I suppose one must realise that investigations would be much slower in the 19th century. I must say, I think the Railway Detective series may have run its course. I suspect that he may soon be called in to investigate the murder of someone who once owned a train set. The solution of this mystery doesn't have much to do with railways.
Anyone interested in the annual Boat Race between Cambridge and Oxford will be attracted to the plot.
Investigative procedures are obviously ancient, relying heavily on interviewing, examination of evidence, and limited forensic medicinal skills.
I really took my time over this review, because I am conflicted. On the one hand, I did just enjoy reading this mystery. Yes, there were some negative feelings as well, but were they due to the historical setting? Were they due to being annoyed by certain characters?
This is quite decently written and an absorbing mystery, so I decided to rate it 3.8. I'm planning to sample more of this series to see how I feel about it.

[Gerry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately this series has completely gone off track; the early ones were excellent, the storyline running seamlessly through the novel but these are very different with so many sub-plots unrelated to the main theme continually interrupting the flow of the storyline. Damn it all, the book is intended as a detective story not a series of romantic interludes that add almost nothing to the plot.

I have felt this to a lesser degree for the last couple of railway detectives I have read but this one goes so far that I doubt that I will bother reading any further titles because they have got less like a full-blown detective/mystery storyline so that it becomes difficult to remember what the main theme of the story is and who the suspects involved are.

Be that as it may, the main theme of this title is drama surrounding the Oxford v Cambridge boat race and begins with Bernard Pomeroy the Cambridge cox getting a mysterious message delivered to his rooms at Corpus Christi College. It causes him to forego a meeting with his friend Nicholas Thorpe from King's, give a written message to the porter for his friend and dash off to the railway station to get a ticket for Bury St Edmunds.

But on pushing through the crowd to board the train he feels a sharp pain in his neck and on the journey he began to feel drowsy. And on arrival at Bury St Edmunds he staggered off the train and eventually collapsed on the platform when a stranger knelt down to check on him before dashing off, mentioning to the porter, 'He's dead.'

And it transpired that there were suspicious circumstances and the death taking place on the platform, Inspector Robert Colbeck and his colleague Sergeant Victor Leeming are called in to investigate. And investigate they do but, as usual, there are plenty of suspects and plenty of blind alleys to go up. But at the end of the day, while a variety of extraneous sub-plots take place, Colbeck triumphs and, rather hurriedly at the end, reveals the culprit and the reasons for the action.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another one in the Railway Detective Series and we saw Colbeck and Leeming both dealing with investigating a crime in the midst of the Cambridge-Oxford boat race. Leeming feels out of place, Colbeck fits in perfectly and Hinton carries on dealing with everything that gets thrown at him.

The mystery itself was a good one, as the victim was one with many friends and enemies. I would sympathise with the victim and then I would wince at something nasty he had done. I got a very well-rounded picture of the murder victim and that led me to be guessing about his killer right up to the end. I did find the killer came a little out of the blue, there were only a few clues throughout the book, but I did find the mystery and the reason behind it suitably tragic.

The side plot about Madeline and her father did interest me quite a bit, but that is because I always enjoy conflict of this sort between family members who love each other. I found it resolved itself very quickly however and I would have liked if the romance between Caleb and Elsie had been built up a little more in between the books so there was more of a sense of loss at the end. That said, there was definitely a little more plot with Madeline this time and isn't just many scenes of her teasing Lydia about Alan Hinton and Caleb Andrews complaining about Colbeck being gone.

A good addition to the series. 4 stars!

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't the kind of book I'd usually read but i picked it up as a blind buy and I quite enjoyed it for the most part. It was easy to read and I liked the characters well enough.
I was a little confused at the end though and I was left feeling there was something I missed regarding one character the detective was looking into as a suspect. I wasn't quite sure when they were mentioned as a suspect rather than just someone the victim knew. It seemed to happen suddenly that they going after this person for the murder and not for general questioning. (I had a quick look back to see if I could see anything I had missed but couldn't find what I was looking for).
This is the first of this series I read but I found it didn't effect it too much. The relationships between the characters are well explained throughout.
I'd give it 3.5 for my confusion at finishing it but before that I would have given it 4 so I'm rounding up.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable enough story, but not quite as good as some of the other Railway Detective books. Inspector Robert Colbeck and Sergeant Victor Leeming are called on to investigate the murder of a Cambridge undergraduate, who is also the cox of the University Boat that year.
The young man is poisoned and dies on the station at Bury St. Edmunds. After a lengthy investigation, the men from Scotland Yard solve the crime and are able to arrest the perpetrators.
While the main plot was quite good, I felt that there was a bit too much of a side story about Madeline Colbeck and her father, Caleb Andrews. Father and daughter have always been close, but the rift between them and Caleb's friendship with a widow called Elsie didn't really have much bearing on the the main plot.

[Steven Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Robert Pomeroy, a young undergraduate at Corpus Christi College, finds a letter slipped under his door in the early hours of a rainy day, he flies into a panic. Hastily readying himself and dashing off a few lines for the porter to summon his friend Nicholas Thorpe, he hurries to the railway station. But he doesn't reach his destination alive.
Inspector Colbeck and Sergeant Leeming are called upon to investigate this tragedy on the railway. It soon becomes apparent that Cambridge's hopes of success in the forthcoming Boat Race rested on Pomeroy's shoulders. With academic disputes, romantic interests and a sporting rivalry with Oxford in play, the Railway Detective will have his work cut out to disentangle the threads of Pomeroy's life in order to answer the truth of his death.

[GBL · Rating 4 out of 5]

The death of the cox of the Cambridge Boat team brings Colbeck and Leeming to the university town of Cambridge.

Bernard Pomeroy is a star of Cambridge University with a glittering career ahead of him. However, his life is cut short as he is poisoned and dies on the platform of Bury St Edmunds station. As ever there are a number of suspects but it becomes clear that his Italian background holds the key to his death.

Marston continues to develop the central characters of Colbeck and Leeming in each of the Railway Detective novels and again here in No 19, there is much to enjoy as we see the detectives use their skills to hunt down the killers.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great offering in this series - this time with the backdrop of the Oxford/Cambridge boat race. The promising young Cox for the Cambridge team rushes off to catch a train early one morning and soon after drops dead on the platform? How did he die and who had reason to kill this popular young man? Colbeck and Leeming are soon hot on the trail, dividing their time between the two university towns. As has become the pattern for this story there is also a parallel story of Madeleine and her father and the slow growing romance between Lydia and Alan. This is a enjoyable crime series with an interesting cast of characters - I look forward to the next one.

[Robert Hepple · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in 2021, 'Tragedy on the Branch Line' is another in the hugely popular 'Railway Detective' series of mystery novels set in mid-19th century Britain and featuring Inspector Robert Colbeck of Scotland Yard. This tale skips between the university towns of Oxford and Cambridge with Marston's usual mix of terrifically eccentric characters. To be fair, the plot does require the detectives to be obtusely slow in following up some obvious lines of enquiry, whilst back in London Colbeck's wife is also involved in a mystery with no point except to involve her in the book somewhere. An enjoyable read.

[Helen Birkbeck · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story; the regular characters seem more mature and the relationships interesting as ever (though I do wish Caleb Andrews would sort himself out!). The plot was involving and twisting and I wasn't at all sure who had done it and why. As I studied in Cambridge and know the station well, I really liked that aspect of the story.

I'm not sure whether to envy Madeleine or feel sorry for her, and I still don't know why Helen Rose is now Helena...! A bit of proofreading would have ironed out the few errors in the text.

[Mystic Miraflores · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the reason for the murder was rather weak. Too much time and pages were spent on Maddy and Lydia, who are rather boring. Maddy thinks an old woman is spying on her or stalking her. Who does she go to for advice? Lydia! Good God woman, you have a police inspector as a husband! Why not tell him? The most interesting part was how Caleb was almost duped. The characters of Colbeck and Leeming remain strong though. Other reviewers have remarked on the possibility of the author losing his abilities to write very good books anymore. I’m afraid I might have to agree.

[Patricia O'Brien · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't read anything before by this clearly prolific author and I wonder if this was perhaps not the best one to have started with. The writing is simple and the Victorian setting for the Railway Detective has wide appeal with characters, though stereotypical, nonetheless well drawn. I did find the sideshow of the detective's wife quite distracting from the mystery and I ended up skipping those sections.
There was a lot to like about the book, except the ending which fell flat for me. It was a mystery, but not really a classic whodunnit and somewhat disappointing as a result.

[Derek Carson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t know what I was thinking… but I picked up book#19 in a the series. However, I got the general idea of the main players. In terms of British murder mysteries… it was o.k. The ending, or revealing of the who-dun-it, was a little underwhelming. Nothing brilliant or creative on how inspector got to his conclusion. I am not a fan of any murder mystery books where the suspects are constantly interrogated. I can see why this might appeal to a certain reader that enjoys books about the Victorian era. Just not my cup of tea.

[Alan Swift · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this up in the Oxfam shop as his name kept cropping up as a good crime writer. He is certainly prolific and he creates a good atmosphere and decent characterisation of the two main detectives. I enjoyed the setting and a sound historical feel. At the conclusion my overall view was that it is formulaic and I realised fairly early in the book that the investigation centred on some elements but didn't follow up an obvious thread. Decent holiday style read that was "comfort" reading that kept my interest but didn't challenge the grey matter unduly!!

[Kate Wardle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in a day whilst on a holiday and it was an enjoyable read. Having read all the other railway detective books I knew what I was in for and this did not disappoint. A young man is killed and the killer or killers must be found. As usual the back stories of Colbeck’s wife and father-in-law added some colour to the mystery. The reveal at the end was a little far-fetched but I am enjoying the addition of new regular characters.

[Thekirkiepirate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another entertaining, if rather undemanding novel in this long running series, featuring the Railway Detectie and his sidekick, Victor Leeming.

This one is set primarily in Cambridge and the university Boa Race features prominently. There is not so much about Colbeck's boss, Tallis in this one, which is a bit of a disappointment. However, unlike many crime novelists, he manages to incorporate Colbeck's wife into the narrative well. Often the spouse of a detactive comes over in an unappealing manner, but this is not the case with Edward Marston.

It will be interesting to see where he goes with this character. My view is that the series has just about run its race now.