The Iron Horse by Edward Marston

What the cover says:
"Derby Day at Epsom Downs. A multitude of people crows to watch the races: dukes and dustmen, bishops and beggars, privileged ladies and prostitutes. The gamut of Victorian society and a hotbed for crime abd crooks of all kinds.
With the country a-flutter in the run-up to this national occasion, events reach a fever pitch when a disembodied head is discovered on a passenger train at Crewe; the first in a murky course of events that takes in murder, fraud and race-fixing. Detective Inspector Colbeck and his assistant are assigned to the case and are soon snarled up in a web of skulduggery stretching across the country. Soon, they are forced to ask themselves: just how much is someone prepared to hazard in order to win?"

I've written before about the style of The Railway Detective books, and this is no different. An intriguing storyline - I thought I'd guessed the identity of the criminal but was only half correct, and had to wait to the very end to find out. Splendid stuff from Marston once again.

9/10

The Railway Detective by Edward Marston

What the cover says:
London, 1851. With the opening of the Great Exhibition at hand, interest is 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.

This is a beautiful period piece, written in a style perfectly suiting the era in which it is set. The heroes are heroic and the villains truly villainous, exactly as you would wish for. The plot bowls along merrily and is relatively straightforward without being dull. I look forward to reading another "Detective Inspector Colbeck mystery". All in all, a real delight.

9.5/10