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Edward Marston

Author of The Railway Detective

160+ Works 10,232 Members 248 Reviews 16 Favorited

About the Author

Marston also wrote under the pseudonym The Amateur Angler.
Disambiguation Notice:

aka Conrad Allen, Martin Inigo, Keith Miles, A.E. Marston

Series

Works by Edward Marston

The Railway Detective (2004) 482 copies, 30 reviews
The Excursion Train (2005) 351 copies, 14 reviews
The Queen's Head (1988) 307 copies, 9 reviews
The Railway Viaduct (2006) 270 copies, 12 reviews
The Wolves of Savernake (1993) 266 copies, 5 reviews
Murder on the Lusitania (1999) 264 copies, 7 reviews
The Iron Horse (2007) 244 copies, 7 reviews
Murder on the Brighton Express (2008) 234 copies, 10 reviews
The Merry Devils (1989) 230 copies, 1 review
The Silver Locomotive Mystery (2009) 222 copies, 11 reviews
The Ravens of Blackwater (1994) 200 copies, 2 reviews
The Trip to Jerusalem (1990) 199 copies, 3 reviews
Railway to the Grave (2010) 189 copies, 7 reviews
The Roaring Boy (1996) 187 copies, 2 reviews
Blood on the Line (2011) 176 copies, 7 reviews
Dragons of Archenfield (1995) 176 copies, 2 reviews
A Bespoke Murder (2011) 163 copies, 5 reviews
Murder on the Mauretania (2000) 155 copies, 3 reviews
The Nine Giants (1991) 149 copies, 2 reviews
The Mad Courtesan (1992) 148 copies, 1 review
The Silent Woman (1994) 143 copies
The King's Evil (1999) 140 copies, 4 reviews
The Stationmaster's Farewell (2012) 138 copies, 4 reviews
A Ticket to Oblivion (2014) 130 copies, 6 reviews
Peril on the Royal Train (2013) 130 copies, 2 reviews
A Christmas Railway Mystery (2017) 128 copies, 4 reviews
Murder on the Minnesota (2002) 120 copies, 2 reviews
The Fair Maid of Bohemia (1997) 110 copies
The Frost Fair (2002) 109 copies, 3 reviews
The Hawks of Delamere (1998) 107 copies, 1 review
The Wildcats of Exeter (1998) 106 copies, 1 review
The Laughing Hangman (1996) 105 copies
The Owls of Gloucester (2000) 105 copies
The Parliament House (2006) 105 copies, 1 review
Murder on the Celtic (2007) 102 copies, 5 reviews
Timetable of Death (2015) 102 copies, 2 reviews
Murder on the Salsette (2005) 100 copies, 1 review
Murder on the Caronia (2003) 98 copies, 2 reviews
The Amorous Nightingale (2000) 98 copies, 2 reviews
Signal for Vengeance (2016) 98 copies, 2 reviews
Murder on the Marmora (2004) 98 copies, 4 reviews
The Painted Lady (2007) 96 copies, 3 reviews
The Vagabond Clown (2003) 96 copies
The Devil's Apprentice (2001) 94 copies, 1 review
Murder on the Oceanic (2006) 92 copies, 6 reviews
The Serpents of Harbledown (1996) 91 copies, 2 reviews
The Foxes of Warwick (1999) 91 copies, 1 review
Shadow of the Hangman (2015) 88 copies, 4 reviews
The Lions of the North (1996) 88 copies, 2 reviews
The Bawdy Basket (2002) 83 copies
The Repentant Rake (2001) 80 copies, 2 reviews
The Circus Train Conspiracy (2017) 79 copies, 5 reviews
The Princess of Denmark (2006) 77 copies, 1 review
Five Dead Canaries (2013) 76 copies, 2 reviews
The Stallions of Woodstock (1998) 76 copies, 1 review
The Elephants of Norwich (2000) 74 copies
The Wanton Angel (1999) 71 copies
Soldier of Fortune (2008) 70 copies, 3 reviews
Fear on the Phantom Special (2019) 69 copies, 1 review
An Instrument of Slaughter (2012) 69 copies, 1 review
The Counterfeit Crank (2004) 68 copies
Marco Polo (1982) 67 copies
The Malevolent Comedy (2005) 66 copies, 1 review
Points of Danger (2018) 64 copies, 3 reviews
Deeds of Darkness (2014) 61 copies
Steps to the Gallows (2016) 60 copies, 1 review
Drums of War (2009) 59 copies, 2 reviews
Tragedy on the Branch Line (2021) 52 copies, 2 reviews
Fire and Sword (2009) 52 copies, 1 review
Dance of Death (2015) 49 copies
The Railway Detective's Christmas Case (2022) 48 copies, 1 review
Under Attack (2017) 47 copies, 1 review
Fugitive from the Grave (2018) 44 copies, 1 review
Death at the Terminus (2023) 41 copies
Murder in Perspective (1997) 40 copies, 1 review
Under Siege (2010) 39 copies, 1 review
A Date with the Executioner (2017) 37 copies, 1 review
The Enemy Within (2016) 36 copies
Murder in Transit (2024) 35 copies, 1 review
The Unseen Hand (2019) 33 copies
Saint's Rest (1999) 32 copies
A Very Murdering Battle (2011) 31 copies, 1 review
Bullet Hole (1986) 31 copies, 1 review
Rage of the Assassin (2020) 24 copies
Double Eagle (1987) 24 copies
Orders to Kill (2021) 19 copies
Saratoga (2005) 19 copies
Bermuda Grass (2002) 16 copies
Valley Forge (2006) 14 copies, 1 review
Murder, Ancient and Modern (2005) 12 copies
Green Murder (1990) 11 copies
Danger of Defeat (2023) 11 copies, 1 review
Boys from the Blackstuff [novel] (1983) 10 copies, 2 reviews
The Warrior Kings (1978) 9 copies, 2 reviews
The Devil's Crown (2017) 8 copies
Honolulu Play-Off (2004) 7 copies
Dragon's Teeth (1973) 7 copies
We'll Meet Again (1982) 6 copies
Arabian Adventure (1979) 6 copies
Flames (1995) 4 copies
Flagstick (1991) 4 copies
Wraak! 3 copies
Ambridge Summer (Archers of Ambridge) (1975) 3 copies, 1 review
Snowstorm (1988) 3 copies
Mountjoy Memoirs (1985) 3 copies
Günter Grass (1975) 3 copies
Old Bag Dad 2 copies
New Blood (1995) 2 copies
Virus 2 copies
Spoils of War (1980) 2 copies
Overdose 2 copies
Coventry Mystery Plays (1981) 2 copies
Coma (1997) 2 copies
Fever (1995) 2 copies
The honourable member (1986) 2 copies
Hogmanay Homicide (2008) 2 copies
Days in clover (1892) 2 copies
Bev (1989) 1 copy
Breaks (1983) 1 copy
Blind Eyes 1 copy
Melanie (1988) 1 copy
Tariq (1989) 1 copy
Seabird (Knight Books) (1987) 1 copy
Emergency (1995) 1 copy
Target (1995) 1 copy
Bon Voyage 1 copy
Skip 1 copy

Associated Works

The Mammoth Book of New Historical Whodunits (1993) — Contributor — 155 copies, 1 review
The Best British Mysteries 2005 (2005) — Contributor — 141 copies, 3 reviews
Crime Through Time: Original Tales of Historical Mystery (1997) — Contributor — 137 copies, 2 reviews
The Mammoth Book of Locked-Room Mysteries and Impossible Crimes (2000) — Contributor — 135 copies, 1 review
The Mammoth Book of Roaring Twenties Whodunnits (2004) — Contributor — 130 copies, 3 reviews
Past Poisons (2005) — Contributor — 118 copies, 3 reviews
Much Ado About Murder (2002) — Contributor — 103 copies, 1 review
Malice Domestic 06: An Anthology of Original Mystery Stories (1997) — Contributor — 101 copies, 3 reviews
The Mammoth Book of Jacobean Whodunnits (2006) — Contributor — 86 copies
The Best British Mysteries (2003) — Contributor — 84 copies
Shakespearean Detectives (1998) — Introduction — 84 copies, 1 review
Crime Through Time II (1998) — Contributor — 81 copies, 1 review
Murder Most Medieval: Noble Tales of Ignoble Demises (2001) — Contributor — 78 copies, 2 reviews
Royal Whodunnits (1999) — Contributor — 74 copies
The Mammoth Book of Dickensian Whodunnits (2007) — Contributor — 71 copies, 1 review
The Best British Mysteries 2006 (2005) — Contributor — 68 copies, 1 review
The Mammoth Book of Best British Mysteries (2008) — Contributor — 65 copies, 1 review
Murder Through the Ages (2000) — Contributor — 57 copies, 1 review
The Mammoth Book of Comic Crime (2002) — Contributor — 48 copies
Death by Horoscope (2001) — Contributor — 40 copies, 2 reviews
The Sunken Sailor (2004) — Contributor — 33 copies, 2 reviews
The Mammoth Book of Best British Crime 7 (2010) — Contributor — 32 copies, 2 reviews
The Mammoth Book of Best British Crime 8 (2011) — Contributor — 28 copies, 2 reviews
The Best British Mysteries 4 (2006) — Contributor — 25 copies, 1 review
The Mammoth Book of Best British Crime 10 (2013) — Contributor — 22 copies
Royal Crimes (1994) — Contributor — 18 copies
Green for Danger (2003) — Contributor — 18 copies
The Mammoth Book of Best British Crime 11 (2014) — Contributor — 16 copies
AZ Murder Goes Artful (2000) — Contributor — 10 copies
Crime on the Move (2005) — Contributor — 6 copies
Perfectly Criminal 3 : Past Crimes (1998) — Contributor — 6 copies
Missing Persons (1999) — Contributor — 4 copies
Limited Options | Bullet Hole | Presumed Dead (1987) — Contributor — 1 copy

Tagged

16th century (57) 19th century (80) British (84) crime (330) crime fiction (124) detective (85) detective fiction (65) ebook (105) Elizabethan (60) England (231) fiction (954) historical (207) historical fiction (545) historical mystery (319) Kindle (68) medieval (77) murder (63) mysteries (103) mystery (1,037) Nicholas Bracewell (92) novel (79) paperback (99) Railroads (174) Railway Detective (103) read (76) Robert Colbeck (57) series (98) theatre (97) to-read (434) Victorian (84)

Common Knowledge

Legal name
Miles, Keith
Other names
Inigo, Martin
Allen, Conrad
Marston, A. E.
Garland, David
Mountjoy, Christopher
Marston, Edward
Birthdate
1940
Gender
male
Education
University of Oxford (Modern History)
Occupations
novelist
Organizations
Crime Writers Association
Relationships
Cutler, Judith (wife)
Short biography
Keith Miles, aka Edward Marston and Martin Inigo, came from Wales to read Modern History at Oxford. He has been a university lecturer, radio, television, and theatre dramatist, and in addition to writing has worked as an actor, director, and dramatist. He is the author of two mystery series, one Elizabethan in background, the other revolving around the Domesday census of 1086 A.D., and has written mysteries with golf and sports backgrounds under his real name as well as Murder in Prespective, 1997. His Elizabethan novel, The Roaring Boy, was a 1996 Edgar Allan Poe Award nominee for Best Novel. The author is a well known host and raconteur at mystery events and is the 1997 Chairman of the Crime Writers Association. When not travelling or fulfilling speaking engagements, he lives in rural isolation in Kent.
Nationality
UK
Birthplace
Wales, UK
Places of residence
Wales, UK
Kent, England, UK
Disambiguation notice
aka Conrad Allen, Martin Inigo, Keith Miles, A.E. Marston
Associated Place (for map)
UK

Members

Reviews

265 reviews
This is the eighth novel in the Railway Detective series set in the mid 19th century. Somewhat to my surprise, this has actually been my favourite of the series so far. This one concerned a Bonny and Clyde type couple on the run after they brutally kill two policemen so that the man, Jeremy Oxley, can escape custody. They are clever and cunning and elude their pursuers for a long time, but our heroes Inspector Colbeck and Sergeant Leeming of course close in on them eventually after a show more dramatic chase across the Atlantic and a stand off in New York. Colbeck's superior Inspector Tallis comes across as more human and rounded here too, as a mistake he makes costs the life of one of his men at the hands of the killers, and causes him to question, at least temporarily, his role and approach. I really enjoyed this story and the recurring characters' ongoing traits that I initially found annoying I now find rather endearing. At the end it also looks like Colbeck may at last marry his sweetheart Madeleine Andrews. There will be a shorter gap before I read book 9. show less
Edward Marston provided me with another page turner, the first book that I have read in less than two days for a very long time. Right from the word go I was drawn into the scheming world of Horse Racing to which Inspector Colbeck is led by a very macabre discovery at Crewe Station. Colbeck is an intriguing detective with some rather unusual methods, ably assisted by Sergeant Leeming, who hates travelling by train, but who is a very thorough policeman, although it does seem that he is the show more one who is on the receiving end of any rough stuff! Madeleine Andrew, becoming ever closer to Colbeck, is also invaluable in the solving of the crime(s).
Marston has also created a thoroughly detestable Senior Officer in Superintendent Edward Tallis, whose jaundiced view of society makes him very difficult to work for, and he is probably very jealous of Colbeck’s continued success, putting obstacles in his way at every opportunity. The Horse Racing protagonists are also well developed, each of them unpleasant in his own way, each distrusting of the others, and each getting their comeuppance by the time the crimes have been solved.
I think that I knew who the murderer was when he was first introduced into the story, but I was never quite sure until nearer the end.
A good read, must acquire the next one!
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Yorkshire 1855. Colonel Aubrey Tarleton takes his own life by walking along a railway track near his home directly into the path of an oncoming train. He is a good friend of Superintendent Tallis of Scotland Yard, and pinned to Tarleton's chest is a note asking that Tallis be notified of his death.
Tarleton and Tallis were army friends and Tallis refuses to believe that his friend has committed suicide, although the previous day he had received a letter from Tartleton.

Goodbye, dear friend. show more Though her body has not yet been found, I know in my heart that she is dead and have neither the strength nor the will to carry on without her. I go to join her in heaven.

Tallis is determined to get to the bottom of events and takes with him to Yorkshire his Scotland Yard team, the famous "Railway Detective" Inspector Robert Colbeck, and his assistant Sergeant Victor Leeming.

This is the third in the railway detective series that I have read by Edward Marston, a pseudonym of Keith Miles. Like the others RAILWAY TO THE GRAVE gives a strong impression of authentic historical setting. I like my historical crime fiction to not just feel like crime fiction transplanted to another time period, but to also reveal something about the period in which it has been set. Marston manages to not only write a strong police procedural, but to tell us something about society of the 1850s, industrial England in which the story is set.
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½
This is the fifth instalment in the Captain Daniel Rawson series and once again we see our hero undertaking dangerous missions behind enemy lines but unfortunately his character development seems to have come to a complete halt.

Now I'm all for 'boys own stories' but quite frankly the title of this book seems a complete misnomer. Whilst the text runs along at a reasonably good pace and it is an easy read there is also a lot of repetition of previous books and the author seems to have given show more up totally on the idea of writing action scenes. A large portion of this book deals with Daniel in Amsterdam trying to catch thieves who have stolen a tapestry intended for his Commander-in-Chief, Lord Marlborough, from his love interest's father's workshop whereas the battle of Malplaquet, one of the bloodiest that ever occurred in Europe, is all wrapped up in 10 or so pages. All a little disappointing.

Once again Marston gives a decent background into a War and period that I know little but this is not enough to raise it above the ordinary.
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Statistics

Works
160
Also by
35
Members
10,232
Popularity
#2,320
Rating
½ 3.5
Reviews
248
ISBNs
880
Languages
6
Favorited
16

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