Death on a Branch Line (Jim Stringer Steam Detective)
Andrew Martin
Death on a Branch Line (Jim Stringer Steam Detective)
It's the sweltering summer of 1911, and one Friday evening a special train rolls into York station. It carries a young aristocrat recently found guilty of murdering his father in the sleepy village of Adenwold. He is briefly entrusted into the custody of railway detective Jim Stringer, and he warns of another murder likely to happen in the same village - that of his brother, a reclusive intellectual. Jim and his wife Lydia take the train along the near deserted branch line to Adenwold. Here they encounter a host of likely suspects and the intended victim, as Jim has one weekend in which to stop a murder and unravel a conspiracy of international dimensions.
3.8 out of 5 based on 3 reviews
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Omniscore:
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| Classification |
Fiction |
| Genre |
Crime, Thrillers & Mystery |
| Format |
Hardback |
| Pages |
272 |
| RRP |
£10.99 |
| Date of Publication |
June 2008 |
| ISBN |
978-0571229673 |
| Publisher |
Faber & Faber |
| |
It's the sweltering summer of 1911, and one Friday evening a special train rolls into York station. It carries a young aristocrat recently found guilty of murdering his father in the sleepy village of Adenwold. He is briefly entrusted into the custody of railway detective Jim Stringer, and he warns of another murder likely to happen in the same village - that of his brother, a reclusive intellectual. Jim and his wife Lydia take the train along the near deserted branch line to Adenwold. Here they encounter a host of likely suspects and the intended victim, as Jim has one weekend in which to stop a murder and unravel a conspiracy of international dimensions.
Reviews
The Guardian
Laura Wilson
“The Childers/Buchan-type stuff is not as successful as the rest of the plot and feels somewhat under-engineered, but the period detail is wonderful, the resourceful Stringer and the strong-minded Lydia are appealing characters, and the story builds up a good head of steam early on and rattles along nicely to a satisfying conclusion.”
12/07/2008
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The Sunday Times
Joan Smith
“This is an eccentric and engaging novel, even if you don't share Martin's passionate interest in steam trains.”
20/07/2008
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The Daily Telegraph
Susanna Yager
“This book is particularly interesting because it concentrates on the personalities of Jim and his strong-willed wife. She is a feminist, ambitious for them both, and always ready with an argument. Her involvement in Jim's investigation enhances the rather slight plot.”
29/06/2008
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