Enjoyed the leisurely pace of most of the book - then felt a bit rushed at the end when the change of pace caught me up and I had to sit up late and finish the book just to see what happened. Then found it hard to sleep because Jim Stringer's internal and external life is so vivid. I have a feeling the books are getting darker and edgier as war looms, although my other (better) half reminds me that all the books are pretty dark. ( )

Enjoyed the leisurely pace of most of the book - then felt a bit rushed at the end when the change of pace caught me up and I had to sit up late and finish the book just to see what happened. Then found it hard to sleep because Jim Stringer's internal and external life is so vivid. I have a feeling the books are getting darker and edgier as war looms, although my other (better) half reminds me that all the books are pretty dark. ( )

This is the second Andrew Martin novel I've read featuring railway detective Jim Stringer. It was an easy and light read, though I did get a bit confused with the fact that the author jumped back and forward between 2 different time periods/settings that involved the main character. ( )

Number 6 in the Jim Stringer series. Jim's wife is pushing him to leave the Railway Police Force and to move into becoming a solicitor, but the Chief has one last job for him. A railway man has disappeared from a lodging house in Scarborough, and is presumed dead. Jim is sent to Scarborough posing as an engine man along with Tommy Nugent, a fellow member of the Chief's shooting club.

Paradise, the lodging house, is an odd place. It is run by the beautiful, but strange Miss Rickerby and her brother, Adam, who is not the full shilling. There are two other lodgers, Vaughan and Fielding, both of whom seem keen to befriend Stringer. All of them are under suspicion.

Martin uses a different technique to drive the plot forward, the narrative is split between Stringer trying to uncover the truth and him coming to on a boat under guard. So we have two mysteries, the disappearance of the railway man, who the captain of the boat is and why he is so interested in Stringer's deductions. It works well, keeping up the tension and suspense, also we get a look at a different kind of machine from the era, a steamboat.

I enjoyed this, and look forward to the next installment, The Somme Station, which I received through the Early Reviewers Programme. ( )

As with the rest of the series, this book is good for period atmosphere. None of the railway detective series is particularly fast moving, but this one seemed a bit slower than most, although it picks up towards the end. It employs the medium of flashbacks, which is quite confusing at the beginning, although it gets clearer towards the end. It also portrays a bit of inner turmoil in good old Jim Stringer; not sure whether that comes over well or not. All in all a good ending, but it took some work to get there. ( )