Review: The Excursion Train by Edward Marston

Title: The Excursion Train
Author(s): Edward Marston
ISBN#: 9780749082376
Genre(s): Historical fiction murder mystery
Edition Reviewed: Trade paperback
Illustrations: N/A
Page Count: 288
Part of a Series: Yes, book 2 of Inspector Robert Colbeck series

by Chriss Cornish published: May 5, 2010 No Comments

E is for Excursion Train, The

This Book Is About

London, 1852. On the shocking discovery of a passenger’s body on the Great Western Railway excursion train, Detective Inspector Robert Colbeck and his assistant, Sergeant Victor Leeming, are dispatched to the scene. Faced with what initially appears to be a motiveless murder, Colbeck is intrigued by the murder weapon – a noose. When it emerges that the victim had worked as a public executioner, Colbeck realizes that this must be intrinsically linked to the killer’s choice of weapon.

However, the further he delves into the case, the more mysterious it becomes. When a second man is strangled with a noose on the train, Colbeck knows that he must act quickly; can he catch the murderer before more lives are lost?

My Thoughts On This Book

Reading The Excursion Train is like watching a BBC police drama. It’s like watching Masterpiece theater. The writing was just that visual and cinematic; I practically saw the greasy smoke and heard the people talking in their cozy parlors and being interviewed in their grim kitchens.

This is definitely a wonderfully rendered gaslight mystery.

And, to double the reader’s pleasure, you also have trains. Each of the murders happen on the excursion train, a special train route run for special events and holidays. As the book opens, the new excursion train is loaded with sporting crowds going off to see an illegal boxing match between two local greats.

The author definitely did their research and knows their stuff. The Excursion Train is cinematic and well paced. You don’t so much read the book as watch the story unfold before your mind’s eye.