Death on the Night Train

Reverend Shaw Mysteries #4

by Hugh Morrison

October, 1931: an anonymous telegram summons the Reverend Lucian Shaw, country parson and former army chaplain, to the deathbed of his elderly uncle in the remote Scottish Highlands.

On the London to Inverness night train, Shaw chances to meet a private investigator who is later found murdered in his sleeping compartment. Realising there may be a connection with his dying uncle, Shaw is drawn into a deadly conspiracy reaching to the highest levels of the British establishment.

Can he warn the authorities of what he has discovered before he is silenced - permanently?

This 1930s mystery thriller is an affectionate tribute to Golden Age crime fiction and adventure stories such as those featuring Richard Hannay or Hugh ‘Bulldog’ Drummond.

The Reverend Shaw books in order A Third Class Murder, The King is Dead, The Wooden Witness, Death on the Night Train, Murder in Act Three and Murder at Evensong. The books are self-contained and do not need to be read in order.

Genres: Audiobook

250 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 3, 2022

Reviews

[Julian Worker · Rating 4 out of 5]

To me this is Hugh Morrison's homage to the tales of Richard Hannay by John Buchan, especially the 39 Steps.

I liked the book, there were a few coincidences and people arriving in the nick of time, but the story is a good one.

An anonymous telegram summons Reverend Lucian Shaw from his Suffolk village to the deathbed of his Uncle James in the Scottish Highlands. Rev Shaw catches the overnight sleeper train to Inverness from King's Cross and has a meal with a man called Moffat who winds up dead. The murderers are identified in the book and we have to find out why they did this. Rev Shaw arrives in his uncle's village called Inverbrodie to find that some people have moved in to 'look after' his uncle who is unwell.

Rev Shaw has his suspicions and tries to find out more which gets him into a few scrapes. His too trusting nature is taken advantage of by a local politician. People are shot and the reverend has to show his fitness levels by jumping through old windows, sprinting a few hundred yards, and bicycling up a steep slope to get out of trouble. His friends and associates come through for him in the end.

This is a good yarn and I look forward to reading another book by this author.

[Les Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well worth a read

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have become quite a fan of Hugh Morrison's Lucian Shaw series. Morrison has the ability to write as if he were among the authors living in the Golden Age of Mysteries. Many people can write books that are set during this time period, but Morrison is different. His writing mimics the authors of that time period more exactly, and I, for one, appreciate the effort. It shines through brilliantly.

In this particular mystery, Reverend Lucian Shaw receives a cryptic summons from his uncle in the Highlands to come quickly, as he doesn't have long to live. Shaw takes the overnight train from London to Inverness to get there as quickly as possible. During dinner, he chats briefly with another passenger, then goes to his sleeping compartment. In the morning, he takes the ride to his uncle's home offered to him by the local Justice of the Peace, who happens to be running in the next election for Parliament.
From there, he discovers strange goings-on at his uncle's home that do not make sense. The local minister offers him a place to stay, and Shaw begins to look further into what is happening to his uncle. A day or so later, it is discovered that his train companion has been murdered and the police want to speak to him! Shaw, of course, keeps digging into the situation, and things get more dangerous from there.

Rev. Lucian Shaw is very much a character drawn from the likes of GK Chrsterton's "Father Brown." He is wise and understands people. He believes there is hope but also recognizes that there is good and evil in the world. This is a man who lived through WWI and saw great atrocities. Yet, he believes in and trusts in God and does what he can to help others make good decisions. This is the kind of pastor or priest we would all like to have.

HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND

[Nuria Carreras · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Flying Caledonian began to pick up speed as it finally broke free of the gravitational pull of London, past wide, empty arterial roads and half-built housing estates. Soon it was racing through the desolate Hertfordshire farmlands, sparks flying from its cab as the fireman hurled another shovel-load of coal into the fire-box. Its whistle gave a long, piercing shriek as it raced across a lonely level crossing, where the small headlamp of a solitary bicycle glimmered, its rider waiting patiently for the enormous, deafening train to roar past."

Death on the night train, 2022
A reverend Shaw mystery 4
Hugh Morrison
Montpelier Publishing

Octubre,1931
El reverendo Shaw recibe en su tranquila parroquia de Lower Addenham un misterioso telegrama anónimo que le informa de la grave enfermedad de su tío, el coronel Shaw, residente en un apartado rincón de las Highlands escocesas.

Aunque reticente, Shaw decide tomar el tren nocturno y allí traba conocimiento con un investigador privado que resultará muerto durante el viaje.

Este no es el único sobresalto que le espera al reverendo. Cuando se dispone a visitar a su tío moribundo, una taciturna enfermera le impide el paso.
De nuevo, me lo he pasado muy bien leyendo las aventuras detectivescas del apacible reverendo Shaw, con todo el estilo y el ritmo de la mejor #goldenageofcrimefiction

#deathonthenighttrain #murderinactthree #areverendshawmystery #hughmorrison #britishnoir #murdermystery

[J.R Hartley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story! Had the perfect amount of suspense, intrigue, and drama throughout. Definitely on par with Agatha Christie and Dorothy L Sayers in terms of theme and era. The only criticisms I have are I felt it was bogged down with Scottish references which acted as filler thus seeming irrelevant to the integral storyline at times, this is also coupled with the author making a main character say something which seemed quite odd so I personally found it ultimately gave the game away to soon, which I only picked up on because I’m a massive Christie and Sayers fan. However overall it was an enjoyable read and will be for sure reading some more Reverend Shaw mysteries.

[DAVID NEWMAN · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm thoroughly enjoying the Reverend Shaw series, although it pays not to take the odd plot twist too seriously.
What reminds me of the fact that these books are written in the current era, however, are the occasional instances of "modern speak", such as someone planning to "meet with" someone or the reference in this book to a character "passing" rather than dying or passing away.
Not huge factors in themselves but they serve to reveal that the prose isn't contemporary with the period of the book.
Overall, however, each time I finish a book I'm looking forward to stsrting the next one!

[Mr Derek Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant.

A Brilliant story, fast paced and and trims in it too. I was glad it portrayed good triumphant over evil and greed. I will be looking out for another book the same author.

[Kim Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Obvious but still quite good

A good if rather obvious story. Obvious on all points actually, the plot, the perpetrators and therefore the ending! Still it passed a rather damp afternoon.

[Anna Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really a 3.5. It was my favorite in the series until about halfway. Then some things happened that made me less happy with it. I might try one more. I like Rev. Shaw, but the stories... I don't mind a bend of logic here and there, but there have been a few too many in these stories for me.

[MS M ADAMS · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the lovers of vintage crime

Set in the 1930’s the plot is complex and there is a lot of action and quite a bit of blood shed but no psychological drama just straightforward criminal intent.