Murder on the Brighton Express (Railway Detective): The bestselling Victorian mystery series: 5

I have all 20 of the series and enjoy reading on holiday while relaxing . Well written and although the main character is the same the plots are familiar . Helps me solve the mysteries before the big reveal at the end. 📚📚📚📚📚😂😂😂♥️

This is the fifth novel in the author's Railway Detective series set in the mid-19th century in the early and exciting period of initial expansion of the railways. Like all the others, this is a good page turner, though the dialogue sometimes feels a bit stilted. Inspector Colbeck's sidekick Sergeant Leeming seemed more intelligent in this one, and less of a slightly thick underling. Colbeck's boss Superintendent Tallis was a bit less relentlessly overbearing as well. The plot centred around a crash between the London Victoria to Brighton express and a goods train, resulting in a number of deaths and serious injuries, including to some of the great and good of Brighton society. Colbeck swiftly realises the crash was the cause of criminal activity and not negligence on behalf of the well respected driver of the express train, but meets with official resistance. A number of the injured survivors present reasons for being unpopular enough with people to merit being a target for murder, but the eventual target and the brain behind the crash are unexpected. I felt this was slightly above some of the others in the series, though the basic idea of taking murderous revenge on an individual by causing a train crash, in which there is no guarantee of their death, just seemed too implausible.

It flowed and kept me interested to the end.Not a story you could guess the main culprit,but all was revealed.This series Railway Detective have been enjoyable not very taxing,I have three on the go on two different Fire tablets 7-8 the latter having the Blue light tab for night reading to relax eyes and mind which works for me,the other is in book form.All in all these Fire tablets are a great enjoyment addition to armchair reading.

A verse from the book Proverbs (29:6) that sums up this book nicely... I enjoy these books, having read several either from Amazon or other sources, they are well researched and you can picture what is taking place in your minds eye. The story line has parallel crimes going on throwing some red herrings along the way, but Colbeck sees the picture (literally) and is able to turn the table on his thinking to solve the crime. Some great characters, all very believable, with of course the on-going romance of the inspector and the railwaymans daughter... all part of what makes these books.

I'd like to have given this book more stars, but it is one of the less strong offerings in the series. I have the rest in prospect now, but am getting a bit Colbeck weary, so will go onto something different for a while - probably a Jim Stringer, as I think that too much Colbeck at once is showing up a fundamental weakness that these stories are somewhat formulaic. I am not sure about the "twists" in the final few chapters, and I feel that some of the key characters could have been introduced sooner - it would not have spoiled the narrative one iota to do so, and I for one would have enjoyed the read more as a result.All in all, not the best to date, but not bad enough to put me off reading the rest of the series.

Good quality hard book, written by Edward Marston always a pleasure to read. The characters, and crimes committed are always worth following as described in their own time period. There is always a certain naivety in the Inspector Colbeck stories which is very endearing and adds to that time in history when people's living conditions were very different from today.

An interesting book one of a series

Another winner.Colbeck, Leeming and Tallis are heroes.The series is just right for a good old fashioned read.I will give it a rest for a bit then catch up on another adventure.