This mystery was a great read and perfect for the cosy Christmas feel. With a slice of Sherlock Holmes influence I think this book was well written and had a lot of twist and turns a fun read. Thank you for my eArc netgally and the publishers

this in the latest of the railway detective series is a return to how the series was in the past but maybe the time for the series is coming to the close as events in the latest book. the usual red herrings kept you entertained.

Inspector Robert Colbeck and Sergeant Victor Leeming investigate murder connected to the Railways in the 1860’s. A work’s outing to Great Malvern will end in death and the local gentry Lady Foley wants Scotland Yard to solve it before fear has a chance to spread. The Victorian setting in the Midlands gives you a sense of these hard times mixed with the future of forward thinking industrialists who are starting to want change for their workers.
The two main characters come across as very personable. I particularly liked the way the story reflected how their work impacts on their private lives. An old fashioned murder mystery this will keep you happy on a wet winter afternoon.
Thank you NetGalley and (publisher Allison & Busby) for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley and Allison & Busby. I really wanted to like this book given that I am huge fan of who dunnit books. This book in particular I felt was dragged. The first 20% of the book goes by fast, the excursion and the train coming to a complete stop and the works manager is shot. After that you get introduced to so many characters which could have been scaled down, and from there on you just don't get where the story is going. I personally felt the story was lacking a good twist. The author did try to engage a reader, but this book is just not for me because I am huge Agatha Christie fan and I felt by the end of the book, the story could have been better.

The Railway Detective’s Christmas Case is a fun mystery that is written in a style that harkens back to the iconic Sherlock Holmes mysteries. With two intrepid detectives and cast of colorful characters at the center, the setting of a train ride in Victorian England at Christmas time sets the stage for a rollicking whodunit mystery fans will delight in.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Allison and Busby through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

I read some of The Railway Detective books a few years ago for my book club, and I enjoyed them, so I was pleased to be approved to read and review this one.

This was a very entertaining Christmas-themed mystery, and it had the kind of cosiness that I typically enjoy about books that are set in this period. It was enjoyable and relaxing to read. I think it would be an enjoyable festive read for anyone who is already familiar with the series.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for my opportunity to read and review this.

December 1864. As a cold winter wind scours the Worcestershire countryside, an excursion train comes through a tunnel in the Malvern Hills to be confronted by a blockage on the line ahead. The driver manages to slow the train down so that the impact is minimised, but the passengers are alarmed. The first person to alight is Cyril Hubbleday, the man in charge of the excursion to the delightful spa town of Great Malvern. He walks to the front of the locomotive and as he is talking to the driver, fireman and guard, Hubbleday is shot dead by a sniper. Christmas is coming all too soon and Inspector Robert Colbeck and Sergeant Victor Leeming are under pressure to solve the case quickly. However, with a number of disputes and enemies in the shadows behind the seasonal excursion and the investigation hampered by heavy snow, the hunt for a cold-blooded killer is far from straightforward. This is 12th in the series with Colbeck and Leeming but could read as a stand-alone. This is tightly plotted and the attention to historical detail is impressive. If you enjoy any of the Golden Age of mystery books, you will love this. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

I did enjoy this story and I liked the workings out, how the detectives decided where to concentrate their efforts. Inspector Colbeck and his sidekick, Leeming are the complete opposites in manner and dress but they seem to work as a team. This takes place mainly in Great Malvern and Birmingham and the differences between the two places are stressed. The reader gets a little glimpse of what it was like for the family when Colbeck was away working. This was an entertaining read. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

An easy read with plenty of suspects as the victim wasn't a very nice man which leads to lots of red herrings. The mystery was good and kept my interest throughout even though I haven't read most of the previous books I didn't feel this held me back although I might have taken to the character's more if I knew more of their history. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60468557-the-railway-detective-s-christmas-case

I would like to thank Netgalley and Allison & Busby for an advance copy of The Railway Detective’s Christmas Case, the twentieth novel to feature Inspector Colbeck of Scotland Yard, set in December 1864.

An excursion train is stopped in the Malvern Hills by a blockage on the line. When works manager and excursion organiser Cyril Hubblesday gets down to investigate he is shot by a sniper. With Christmas coming Colbeck and his partner, Sergeant Leeming know that they have to solve the case to get home for Christmas.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Railway Detective’s Christmas Case, which is an easy read with plenty of suspects and some unexpected violence. I have not read many novels in this series (and don’t have much memory of them) so I was pleased to renew my acquaintance with the famed Railway Detective in such an agreeable way.

The plot is ostensibly straightforward- find the killer of a well respected man, but Cyril Hubblesday was not a pleasant man, so suspects come pouring out of the woodwork, and the murder suggests premeditation, so attention gets focused on the Black Country where he lived and worked. The novel held my interest throughout and called me back when I put it down as Colbeck and Leeming work their way through the various suspects, conjecture and chase down clues. I was, however, disappointed by the conclusion which either leaves a thread dangling or has the flimsiest motive I have seen in a long time. Still, the journey to get there was great.

I’m divided on the historical detail. The physical side and some of the attitudes seem authentic, but the dialogue seems more modern than in keeping with the times. I, personally, have no issue with this as it makes the novel more inviting and easier to read, especially Leeming’s occasional dumb insolence which made me laugh.

The Railway Detective’s Christmas Case is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

It's 1864, and Appleby, the owner of a factory for train cars in the Black Country is giving his employees and their families a Christmas trip to the Malvern Hills by train. However, the train comes to a stop before it reaches the station in Malvern. There are sleeper cars across the tracks! Cyril Hubbleday, the works manager jumps off the train to see what's going on, but a shot is heard, and Hubbleday falls to the ground dead with blood streaming down his face. Scotland Yard is called in by Lady Emily Foley, and Superintendent Edward Tallis, Railway Detective Robert Colbeck, and Victor Leeming are sent. The employees and families are taken to Appleby's estate for gifts, children's activities, and an excellent meal.

Meanwhile, Colbeck's wife Madeleine and their daughter Helena are hoping he can solve the case and be home before Christmas. The murdered man was disliked by many of the employees. He had fired several for rather picky reasons. There are thus, many suspects which have to be looked at, including the man Hubbleday's daughter had wanted to marry. When Detective Constable Hinton comes to help interview employees, he is warned off the first night, and then attacked the second night and beaten so badly he had to go home to recover. Soon, another body is found; this one has been beheaded, and was most likely someone who had helped with the murder. There are several suspects. Hubbleday was very strict, and was not liked by most of the employees and Hubbleday's daughter was in love with a man her father wouldn't let her marry.

Will the police figure out the murderer before Christmas so that Inspector Colberg can go home to his family? Will Superintendent Tallis decide to retire in the Malverns? This is a good mystery with interesting characters.

This is the first of the railway series I have read and found I really enjoyed it and would like to read more of them
An easy and quick read but enjoyable just the same, some lovely characters and storyline was good

1864. On a works excursion from Appleby's company in Oldbury to the Malvern Hills, the train is confronted by sleepers across the line. On exiting his carriage, works manager Cyril Hubbleday is shot dead. Inspector Colbeck, Sergeant Leeming with Superintendent Tallis are sent to investigate. But what is the motive.
An entertaining historical mystery though I didn't really take to the main characters. It can easily be read as a standalone story.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Inspector Robert Colbeck and Sergeant Victor Leeming travel far from home to investigate a murder by sniper fire on the Malvern Railway line. There are plenty of suspects, twists and red herrings, making this an enjoyable entry in this long-running series.

This is the first of the series I have read. It's an easy read - I read it in a day mostly sitting at an airport on my way back from holiday. The reason for the murder was very flimsy and despite the number of characters it was easy to spot the culprit. I did find the short consecutive paragraphs jumping from one character to another annoying. Overall it was an enjoyable read but I wonder if Marston is running out of plots.
This is an honest review of a complementary ARC.

Although this latest entry in the series featuring railway detective Robert Colbeck, Sergeant Leeming and Superintendent Tallis is very easy reading, it does not offer much of a puzzle for the dedicated mystery fan. Nor is it particularly Christmassy, despite the decorating of the Colbeck Christmas tree, the heavy snow towards the end, and the constant moaning of the Inspector's father-in-law about his possible absence from home during the festivities. Meanwhile up in Great Malvern, there is little to be festive about. Two murders, one slightly gruesome, take up the time of the transport 'tecs.

There are lots of interviews, lots of suspects, lots of suspicious activity and few clues for the reader. But the writing is flat, and the plot, episodic, rather as if it had been written with television in mind-the Malvern Hills, the spa town, and Lady Foley's mansion contrasting with the bleak Black Country industrial landscape, the toiling workers and the teeming back streets.

I enjoyed the series a lot at first, but this was, to me, simply a nod to the seemingly-bottomless market for Christmas-themed detection, and not a very enthralling one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers, Allison & Busby, for the digital review copy.

I haven't read any of the other books in this series but quite enjoyed this one. It has all the mystery and intrigue I would expect and was quite easy to read.

My father was a huge railway and train fan and I love Christmas so that is what drew me to this book. I love the era, the setting and the mystery. There is a crime that has to be solved and so there is plenty of mystery and intrigue involved in the solving of this case.

Well paced, easy to read and now I have to see if I can find some of the previous books in the series to read!

A Gruesome Murder…
The twentieth addition to this very enjoyable and well written series finds Inspector Colbeck and Sergeant Leeming under huge pressure to solve a perplexing case. December of 1864 has brought with it a blisteringly chilly wind, disruption to the Malvern Railway lines and, ultimately, a gruesome murder. Nothing will be straightforward as the crime solvers battle against the odds, not to mention a looming Christmas, to solve this case. Another worthy instalment with a well crafted cast of characters, a solid mystery at heart and an intriguing plot peppered with twists and red herrings.

The Railway Detective series is very long running and consistently delivers very readable and enjoyable Murder stories set against a background of the early steam railways and with the latest one author Edward Marston delivers once again.

The Railway Detective’s Christmas Case sees Colbeck and Leeming together with their boss Tallis investigating a murder far from home with not only time pressure to find the murderer but to get back to London and home before Christmas.

The story moves along at a good pace and there are a number of twists and turns together with the obligatory red herring or three.

Another recommended read from this series

This was a light, fun, bit gorier than expected read. It took a bit of getting used to paragraphs in the same chapter jumping about to other characters but overall the story flowed well with not too many characters that I got confused. Unusually for me I worked out who did it as soon as they appeared on the story as it was so obvious. Overall an interesting story with believable characters and not so Christmassy that reading it in summer would be wrong.

Thank you to Netgalley the author and publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review