The Railway Viaduct

The Railway Detective #3

by Edward Marston

As a train speeds over the Sankey Viaduct, the dead body of a man is hurled into the canal below. Inspector Robert Colbeck and Sergeant Victor Leeming take charge of their most complex and difficult case yet. Hampered by the fact that the corpse has nothing on him to indicate his identity, they are baffled until a young woman comes forward to explain that the murder victim, Gaston Chabal, is an engineer, working on a major rail link in France.

As the case takes on an international dimension, problems accumulate. The detectives wonder if the murder is connected to a series of vicious attacks on the rail link that is being built by British navvies under the direction of a British construction engineer. Colbeck and Leeming have to survive personal danger, resistance from the French government, broadsides from their Superintendent, and many other setbacks before they solve the crime.

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Historical, British Literature

319 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

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

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the gradual building of the story and the final intense showdown! It was very well done and I look forward to further entries in this series.

[Adrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lunchtime Listen March 2025

Another excellent episode in the ongoing saga of Det Ch Inspector Colbeck and all the people around him (Loyal Victor, doting Madeline and grumpy Supt Tallis).

In this episode the railway Detective is called in when a man is thrown from a train as it passes over the viaduct between Manchester and Liverpool. Given the delay in calling Colbeck in, can he find enough clues to keep the investigation moving and Tallis off his back. When he tells Tallis he will need to travel to France, Tallis almost blows a gasket.

Excellently narrated and as ever a wonderful story full of poignant moments as well as great descriptions of the time period.

[Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Heavens to Murgatroyd...I grudgingly give this book two stars rather than one, simply based on the fact that as a murder mystery it does have that push and pull that compels one to keep turning the pages. Other than that, though, this really was the most incredible tosh. The author appears to be unfamiliar with the period in question (1850s England), its manners, its social hierarchies and customs, and its forms of speech. Three examples will suffice: director's wives did not invite train driver's daughters to their rooms in luxury hotels because they seemed charming and needed someone to talk to; respectable young women did not ride unchaperoned with their beaus around town in hansom cabs at night if they valued their reputation at all; and people did not refer to others (especially strangers) by first names. Mr Marston also delivers some of the most awkward and least believable dialogue I think I've ever read. Much of the dialogue takes the form of poorly disguised attempts to keep the reader up to date with the plot (with characters taking the time to painfully slowly explain to one another what had just happened and why, even though both parties were present) and the rest of it seems designed to enlighten assumedly ignorant readers of historical facts that surely in normal company must rather be considered common knowledge. I also spotted a handful of flagrant grammatical errors, the responsibility for which can possibly be laid at the door of the editor rather than the writer, but it nevertheless contributes to lowering the overall tone and quality of the work even further.
I won't be rushing to read any of Mr Marston's 30 other published titles.

[Danni The Girl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't realise there was a series of these books and I haven't read them in order, but no matter they still make sense.
This is the second book I have read by Edward Marston, I didn't enjoy it as much as The Excursion Train but I did still enjoy the read. Inspector Colbeck is an interesting man and I enjoy reading him as he is an intriguing character compared to the rest.
I was excited when I started this as it is a murder mystery but then as the story went on into its sub plot, I lost a bit of interest and I didn't really see how Colbeck linked everything up, it all seemed a bit far fetched for me, it didn't add up for me. There didn't really seem to be too much of a mystery and it didn't leave me sitting here guessing either.
I think it was sweet that Colbeck lets his "friend" Madeleine help him with his investigations and I remember in the last book, she seemed of some use, but I felt in this story, he didn't really need her and he could have got the information without her, it just didn't sit right with me.
The ending however, I didn't actually see it coming, and was a shocking surprise for me.
I will continue to read these books as they are good reads.

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won't pretend these books are anything but light escapism, but as such they hit a sweet spot. The era is familiar, a few decades earlier than the famous cases of Sherlock Holmes. The focus on murders related to the burgeoning railway system brings into focus settings that are usually just passing mentions in Doyle's stories. The writing in these books is sometimes plodding but the plots are good, solid mystery fare and this one is especially entertaining with its long, convoluted trail across two nations.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

in the mould of holmes and watson are colbeck and leeming enjoyable victorian style crime book

[Rachael Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this a pretty good read. It was well researched and the author obviously has a lot of knowledge about railways in the Victorian days. I liked the banter between the characters too and the relationship between Colbeck and Leeming works well. I enjoyed the dialogue and some parts of it are really funny. However, it dragged a bit in the middle and the Irish stereotypes were a bit off putting to read. I'm sure the English labourers were just as bad with drinking and fighting etc. If I was Irish I'd probably have been offended. However, the ending redeemed things a bit - I enjoyed reading the villain's pov and wished we'd had more of it. I'd be interested in reading more books by this author.

[Malcolm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marston’s prolific approach to writing – he currently has three (or perhaps four) continuing series underway – should raise the threat of a write by numbers style where work is repetitive and predictable. It is to his credit that this is not the case – and even more so (or perhaps because) each of his series has different settings: medieval England, London during World War One, Restoration England and mid-19th century England of the railways. Even though he follows, not slavishly, the genre codes of the police procedural in each case, although, of course, with the officer-hero pushing at the limits of the police procedure (or in the case Robert Colbeck, The Railway Detective, in at the beginning as those procedures are being developed) each case takes on its own flavour, nuances and styles.

In this engaging foray into the world of railway design and construction we have undercover work, greed and suspicion, nationalism and xenophobia, and an outing to France. As so often happens in this genre, a single small act spirals out to become a major ‘conspiracy’, where a network of the great and not-so-great is managed and controlled by one behind the scenes but who is unable to control all, allowing the investigator – in this case Colbeck, who for the most part manages to not have that mysterious insight allowing a deus ex machina kind of solution so often favoured of authors of not-quite-fitting the procedural type (or anything overly influenced by anything to do with Sherlock Holmes). To a large degree, Colbeck solves crimes by dogged determination and investigation, some luck and good advice from those with expertise. He does, of course, bring insight by virtue of some degree of encyclopaedic knowledge of new technology (there is something of the train geek about him), but more often than not it is keen social observation and a healthy dose of bush psychology.

Here Irish navvies, the English aristocracy, systemic inertia and inspirational engineering weave together to construct for Colbeck a perplexing case of murder on the Sankey Viaduct (between Liverpool and Manchester), where the victim turns out to have been more than a little duplicitous, but much less skulduggerous than most everyone else he was involved with. In the course of the investigation, Colbeck and his loyal Sergeant Lemming find themselves in danger, attacked and beaten as the perpetrators of conspiracy feel hemmed in a constrained: there are moments of desperation (the downside of a series such as this is that we can be almost certain that all the central characters survive whatever danger they face) all giving a sense of excitement. It is frustrating that unlike earlier iterations of the series, Colbeck’s romantic interest Madeleine – an engine driver’s daughter – is shunted aside to a much more passive role than usual.

It is both a delight and a weakness in a series such as this that despite avoiding the worst excesses of generic codes, the rules of a series must apply. Even so,The Railway Detective remains worth a visit to allow me to idle away a day – as I will keep doing.

[Johnny · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Railway Viaduct is a tale of sabotage. The clues regarding the death of an upcoming French engineer who is visiting England on a fact-finding mission end up leading Inspector Colbeck to France. In France of the Victorian Era, British engineers and contractors built many of the rail lines for the French rail system. In view of past enmity between the continent and the isles, there is some question as to whether this murder will become an international incident. Inspector Colbeck isn’t known as the “Railway Detective” (not coincidentally, the title of the mystery series as well) for nothing. And, of course, the affected railway company wants such a distinguished detective to solve the case.

The Railway Viaduct contains all the familiar features associated with the series: a) Superintendent Tallis’ recalcitrance concerning Colbeck’s methodology and impatience with any delay in solving the case, b) Madeline’s willingness to help Colbeck, as well as using her art to help the detective break out of his box, c) Victor Leeming’s unfortunate foray into undercover work (a rather consistent theme it’s starting to look like, d) the comic relief from Madeline’s conversations with her sometimes busybody, sometimes wise father, and e) the significant but controversial (perhaps, “gray area”) use of former policeman, ever scoundrel—Mulryne much to, pardon the rhyme, Tallis’ chagrin.

At first, it seems like the plot of The Railway Viaduct is going to be a doppelgänger to the plot where a wealthy landowner waged war against the railway line which had traversed his property. Yet, it turns out that the rationale behind the murder and subsequent sabotage is more “patriotic” in nature. Said “patriotism” may well be as misplaced as that of the jingoists prior to both world wars or the jejune “America: Love it or Leave It” sentiments of the 1960s, but it is very effective in driving the plot. And, with Madeline’s blockbusting painting, this “patriotism” offers Colbeck the vital clue on which the solution rests. The plot proved to be a page-turner in its own right and serves as a worthy successor to the series. I enjoyed it almost as much as the Oscar Wilde mysteries I reviewed earlier.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a solid pick-me-up read – easy to get through with an engaging enough plot and enough uniqueness to mark it out from other historical crime books I've read. While not the greatest work of fiction ever written, it was enjoyable.

That said, as a historical story it fell short for me. There was very little to actually mark what period it was outside of incredibly specific and grating xenophobia and how undeveloped the railway was. The plot couldn't have existed outside of a time period where 'naavvies' were employed, or the Irish were so just considered cheap labourers, but at the same time it could have been anywhere between the 1800s and the 1920s. Every now and then someone would mention their tail coats and I'd remember that it was supposed to be Victorian.

The representation of the Irish characters made me grit my teeth, too. Reduced to brawling drinkers – even the former policeman! – they had very little character, which, combined with the narrator's terrible accents in the audiobook, made them into caricatures. Is this accurate to the English opinion at the time? Yes. I just don't see why they had to be described that way when the main POV wasn't the English detective.

[Kate Millin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whilst I find the historical interjections interesting they are also a little stilted and don't always help the story. The story, however, is well though out and interesting. It was a good read, and I am looking forward to reading others in the series.

As a train speeds over the Sankey Viaduct, the dead body of a man is hurled into the canal below. Inspector Robert Colbeck and Sergeant Victor Leeming take charge of their most complex and difficult case yet. Hampered by the fact that the corpse has nothing on him to indicate his identity, they are baffled until a young woman comes forward to explain that the murder victim, Gaston Chabal, is an engineer, working on a major rail link in France. As the case takes on an international dimension, problems accumulate. The detectives wonder if the murder is connected to a series of vicious attacks on the rail link that is being built by British navvies under the direction of a British construction engineer. Colbeck and Leeming have to survive personal danger, resistance from the French government, broadsides from their Superintendent, and many other setbacks before they solve the crime

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

A man is thrown from a moving train as it crosses a viaduct, and an artist captures the moment. This is the exciting start of the latest case for Robert Colbeck. The third in the Railway destective sereies sees Robert Colbeck spending part of his investigation in France, among the railway engineers, while his trusty sergeant Victor Leeming tries to infiltrate a violent group of Irish navvies that are suspected of sabotage. Me meet Madeline Andrews and her father again, although they don't play such a big role, it' nice to have non police characters that reaccur in each book - how long I wonder before she is Mrs Colbeck? Although not my favourite in the series, this was enojoyable escapism after a much heavier read (Iris Murdoch).

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoy these books for the historical detail, and what they tell me about the development of the rail system and the impact that had upon the times. Personally I found the plot in this book far fetched, but I never feel that's very fair criticism of fiction. Perhaps that is more a function of history, the way people acted in the past can seem very alien to today.

[Sonali V · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so bored with this book. This is the first Edward Marston I have read and I dont want to read another. The facts about the railway itself and the politics surrounding it was interesting. The characters have been presented vividly, they come across as real people. The conversations however were inane and repetitive. i skipped parts of the book and still got the most relevant bits.

[Madhulika Liddle · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is 1852, and England rules Europe when it comes to railways. Not only does the country have its own impressive network of railway lines, Englishmen are making inroads all across the continent too, winning contracts to lay railway lines everywhere. One such man is Thomas Brassey, in charge of creating some of the most important rail routes in France.

But, across the Channel, one day between Liverpool and Manchester, a train crossing the spectacular Sankey Viaduct becomes the scene of a crime: a man is stabbed in the back and flung off, down into the canal below the viaduct. Inspector Robert Colbeck of Scotland Yard, the ‘Railway Detective’, is put on the case and is soon convinced that the murderer chose that particular spot for a very good reason. As the mystery grows deeper, as more secrets about the dead man emerge, Colbeck and his worthy sergeant, Leeming, find themselves travelling to France to get to the root of the problem.

Coincidentally enough, I’d read another novel of an unknown person murdered in a train and flung out from it, just a few weeks back: Agatha Christie’s 4.50 From Paddington. Even as I read The Railway Viaduct, I couldn’t help but notice the difference between the two books. Not, naturally, between the two plots and their themes, but in the way the detective arrives at the conclusion and how the story plays out.

While it’s probably unfair to compare Marston to Christie, the fact is that this story isn’t as seamlessly put together as one would have liked. The plot meanders a bit, and there is, especially in the beginning, some very superfluous stuff about the Liverpudlian policemen. The details about Praine and his hopeless love for his boss’s daughter sounded interesting—and went nowhere. Something similar happened with three important characters who appear in the first scene of the book, and vanish thereafter. The mystery of where the dead man’s shoes and jacket went, too, got resolved so quickly that it made little sense to have a mystery surround it in the first place. The middle of the book, with all the plotting and events happening at Brassey’s camp in France, also got a big saggy and draggy.

Where The Railway Viaduct scored, as far as I was concerned, was in its depiction of the railways in the 1850s. There was plenty here I hadn’t known before, so I enjoyed learning about it. And the climax, with its revelation of who was behind the crime and why, was well executed.

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clearly I am really an 80 year old man in engineers overalls trapped inside someone else’s body, but I love learning about the Industrial Revolution this way.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed it. A good read got me hooked to the series, the ending was quite a surprise

[Rabspur · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third in the series i have read regarding the Railway Detective and just as good as the first two fast moving and easy to read, i look forward to number four.

[The Honest Book Reviewer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The third novel in The Railway Detective series is a solid read. It's not exceptional, and actually slips in standard a little from book two, which I thought a big improvement from book one.

In this novel, despite the story taking us again to different locations, and therefore adding that little bit of extra interest and excitement, the author once more gave us the culprits too early in the piece. I didn't mind it as much as when it happened in book one, but it irritated me a little. This time, it felt more like the unfolding scenes in a movie or TV series, where the viewer knows the villain, but the hero doesn't. So, it did work better this time around.

There also seems to be a repetition of happenings in this novel; things that happened in books one or two happen again, only the setting has changed. I won't describe all of them, just to say that once again Leeming is asking too many questions and is violently attacked. This happened in book two as well. Only this time, he's given sick leave and we see a return of Brendan Mulryne, the Irish former police officer who now works odd jobs. He's a bit of a lout, but he is always written in a good light and makes for some excitement in the story.

Having much of this set in France allows the author to explore the relationships between England and France in the 1850s, which if this novel is to be believed, is quite strained. The historical feel of this novel is once again excellent, and I am enjoying this series.

[Olivermagnus · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Railway Viaduct starts off with an artist painting a ground's eye view of the Sankey Viaduct when a train passes over it and a man's body falls from a car into the water. Railway Detective Robert Colbeck is tasked to solve the murder. His investigations take him and his crew of quirky co-workers across the channel to France, where a British entrepreneur is expanding that country's rail lines, and employing a huge crew of Irish migrant workers to do so. As Colbeck gets closer to the solution, he discovers that the fate of the man on the train is linked to much larger matters.

Meanwhile, maverick Irish police officer Brendan Mulryne must prove himself to a haughty, distrusting superior and, in his free time, Colbeck pursues his relationship with Madeleine Andrews by asking her to help him get closer to one of the suspects. But as he pursues the viaduct murderer, he also courts increasing danger.

This is the third book in the Victorian era Railway Detective series. The characters are well written and interesting. I enjoy reading historical mysteries set in the Victorian period. I've learned quite a bit about trains as well. I definitely plan to read the other books in this enjoyable series.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this one average and significantly less memorable than the previous book, but I can’t quite put my finger on why.

Perhaps it’s because much of the mystery took Colbeck across to France, down a seemingly-tenuous line of inquiry? Or perhaps it’s because we never quite return to the same level of ghoulish tension as we had briefly at the beginning, when a man’s body tumbles through the air into the river at the viaduct, in front of several horrified witnesses? Or maybe it’s the rather limp ending, where the culprit was allowed to resolve everything on his own terms.

Colbeck takes a beating from the press this time, which didn’t help, and the Superintendent seemed more obnoxious and abusive than ever. I confess myself heartily sick of that incompetent bully of a boss.

I did enjoy the return of Brendan Mulryne and the growing romance between Colbeck and Madeleine, so it’s not all downhill, but I hope book 4 will be more like book 2 than this one.

[Irene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series of books Inspector Robert Colbeck as the enthusiastic train detective is a character that I find believeable and as there is no bad language to contend with its refreshing. He is ably assisted by his sergeant Leeming who is not a train lover, I also like the way the series develops his relationship with Madeleine Andrews again its a series I would recommend to readers who like the period of the early steam trains

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another good story involving the Railway Detective and his side kick, Leeming. I love the way Edward Marston develops each story, and how Inspector Colbeck manages to outwit Superintendent Tallis, persuading the senior officer to sanction what the detectives have often already done, or are about to do.

[Tony Johnston · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm going to file this under "light Victorian escapism"... An easily readable yarn, with Inspector Colbeck and Segeant Leeming undertaking diligent detective duties in England and France. Eventually they are able to track down the bad guys behind the plot to stop the construction of a large railway extension.

[Chris Howland · Rating 4 out of 5]

The railway detective series of novels are an "easy read", but highly entertaining nevertheless.

The cast of characters has been rounded out such that we know much more about them, and this novel is better for this.

Looking forward to number 4!

[Paul · Rating 1 out of 5]

Marston's Railway series is a simple set of unchallenging mysteries. Unfortunately this one was awful. I may not read another one after this.

[Joe Santoro · Rating 4 out of 5]

It doesn't bode super well for the series that in this, just the 3rd book, there is already a clear plot formula. This book goes back to the method of the first book, where the reader is treated to scenes of the criminals plotting, rather than figuring out the case with the detective.

It think with this series that works better, since really the fun part is not who the criminal is but how the detective is going to manage to use the rail system to solve it. As with the previous two books, we have the grumpy superintendent maligning methods that of course work eventually, a female witness that gives the excuse to get the detective's lady love involved a bit, and of course a train ride to apprehend the criminal in the nick of time (though the ending here was definitely a surprise)

That said, it's hard not to like train based historical mysteries... it might be a formula but it's a GOOD formula. I noted that the next book has a connection to horse racing too, which puts me in mind of Dick Francis, who somehow wrote like a million mysteries about a very narrow topic, but yet any of the ones I read will all good.

[James Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another gritty and absorbing historical crime novel from the excellent pen of Edward Marston, The Railway Detective series is so, so good.
Inspector Colbeck and Sergeant Leeming have a murder to investigate when a man was thrown from a railway carriage whilst crossing the Sankey Viaduct and ended up in the canal below. The man had no identification on him but it was detected that he was French and a railway engineer. Colbeck and Leeming head to France where a new railway is being built by an Englishman, a great engineer, who employs many Irish navvies, some of these navvies are causing problems and disruption and somehow Colbeck links this to the murder. Before long they realise that they are in peril and it might even need a stroke of luck in finding their elusive murderer.
I really like the author, his different series span centuries and are always clever and intriguing, fast paced and keep you turning the page. Another excellent 4/5

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

When a man is thrown from a train crossing over the Sankey Viaduct, the railway company insist on Inspector Colbeck, the Railway Detective, taking on the case. His investigation takes him from London to Liverpool, and across the Channel to France where a new rail line is being built and some disconcerting accidents have been delaying progress.

This was an entertaining read, with an excellent beginning that captures the imagination. The historical background is interesting, although it isn’t always smoothly integrated into the plot, and I quickly warmed to Colbeck and his assistant Leeming. The main issue for me was the way a key suspect was suddenly introduced midway through the story so that the element of mystery was lost and the book became more of a gentle thriller.

This is a pleasant undemanding series which I like to dip into when looking for a quick fun mystery read.

[Peter Talbot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cheeky, workmanlike, well crafted tripe by a very efficient joiner of words. Worth a day's respite from rational thought. The Railway Inspector series is fun, with just a touch of de rigeur ribaldry to appease the juvenile male in us all. Marston is prolific, but rarely misses in plot and does not get long-winded. His characters don't usually shine much, and their perceived motivations can be a bit thin, but the period details and action sequences are well researched and deftly presented.

Marston's many period detections are a practical course in successful popular crime fiction writing.