The Railway Detective cover art

The Railway Detective

The Railway Detective, Book 1

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 Months Free + £10 Audible voucher

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Get this deal
Offer ends on 5 July 2026 at 11:59 BST.
More purchase options

The Railway Detective

By: Edward Marston
Narrated by: Peter Walters
Get this deal

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Offer ends on 5 July 2026 at 11:59 BST. Cancel monthly.

Buy Now for £13.37

Buy Now for £13.37

The thrilling first case for the railway detective.

London, 1851. With the opening of the Great Exhibition at hand, interest in mounting in the engineering triumphs of the railways, but not everyone feels like celebrating....

In an audacious attack, the London to Birmingham mail train is robbed and derailed, causing many casualties. Planned with military precision, this crime proves a challenge to Detective Inspector Robert Colbeck, who fights to untangle a web of murder, blackmail and destruction.

As Colbeck closes in on the criminal masterminds, events take an unexpected turn when the beautiful Madeleine, daughter of the injured train driver, becomes a pawn in the criminals' game. With time running out, good and evil, new and old, battle against each other. But will the long arm of the law have speed on its side?

Full of historical detail, The Railway Detective is an action-packed dip into murky 1850s London.

©2009 Edward Marston (P)2021 Allison & Busby Ltd Crime Detective Fiction Historical Mystery Police Procedural Traditional Detectives Railroad England Exciting
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
All stars
Most relevant
I struggled with this story as it's so predictable. It plodding pace is as if a slow train is just rumbling along for the sake of it. The narrator has a talent to present the storyline in many different voices, however his storytelling I found less than engaging.

A predictable story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The story was good with some really interesting information about the railways and the Great Exhibition but the reaing was poor with emphasis on odd words.

Railway Detective book one

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Listen to 2nd story on my digital Library app, because I was intrigued by the fact it was about crimes happening in trains in the age of steam trains & I love steam trains.
I enjoyed that, but they didn't have the 1st book, so I got this on audible & it was worth it, I alway said I didn't what to read detective stories which I took had the adult version of a adventure stories I loved has A kid (like the Enid Blyton Adventure series), because I didn't want to read about Murder etc, then I found this series of books and I haven't looked back.
Though once I forgot this was set in Victorian times and got excited when he said about getting a steam train, trying to think what line he could be using & how come that's quicker than a cab, then I remembered I wasn't in my time & that cab is a horse drawn covered vehicle not a taxi & that all trains were steam 😂. Trouble is I keep picturing the steam trains of 20th century has that's that's what I many seen, so it's a bit of a eye opener with trains of the mid 19th century, so we a little further on than the rocket, though not much, which these audio books came with pictures 😂)

Never thought I'd enjoy a detective story,

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I really enjoy Edward Marston's other works and thought I would try an earlier story. I was not disappointed. A great detective story set in 1851, starting with a train robbery following the early Metropolitan police detective division in the investigation. The characters are well written with both a great detective and an excellent adversary. There are a few cliches with an officious superior, the dependable sergeant and plucky love interest but it works. Great stuff. Peter Walters does a good job with the narration.

Great detective story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
its OK, not a bad story sadly spoiled by bad narration. luckily looks like the rest are read by somebody else so might try the next one.

its ok

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews