The Blackpool Highflyer

Publishers Weekly

Set in 1905, Martin's second Jim Stringer mystery (after 2004's The Necropolis Railway) starts slowly but builds a head of steam like the monster locomotive Jim stokes for "Lanky," the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. A passenger dies when a huge grindstone on the tracks derails a train carrying the owner of Hind's Mill on an excursion to seaside Blackpool. Jim begins to suspect class warfare when a young socialist distributes tracts in Jim's hometown of Halifax, urging workers to shun holidays organized by mill owners. A fallen tree on another rail line further suggests conspiracy, as does the disappearance of smartly dressed Clive, the engine driver on Jim's next run. Lanky management's paltry £5 reward hardly seems likely to garner much information, so newlywed Jim turns to comely Lydia, a mill clerk he simply calls "the wife," for much needed help. Getting used to Jim's chatty Cockney narration takes time, but as the suspense rises, readers will be captivated. (July)

Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

Kirkus Reviews

"Brisk and atmospheric."

Publishers Weekly

"Readers will be captivated."

M.C. Beaton

"The historical research is so good and the atmosphere of England in 1905 so well captured you would think that the author had lived there.  A simply marvelous read."

Library Journal

When an excursion to the English coast goes awry, train conductor Stringer and wife go detecting full speed ahead in the second of this Edwardian series. Martin lives in London. Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

When his train is nearly derailed, a young Yorkshire railwayman once more turns sleuth. Since his previous escapade (The Necropolis Railway, 2007), engine cleaner Jim Stringer has gotten closer to his lifelong dream of driving a train. As fireman aboard The Blackpool Highflyer, he gets to ride alongside rugged driver Clive Carter. In 1905, trains like the Highflyer are growing in importance as modes of transportation, even for the working class. During a trip from Halifax to Blackpool, the train suffers what the press calls a "narrow escape" after someone places a large stone on the track. Clive is heralded as a hero for averting total disaster, but a young woman named Margaret Dyson is killed and her son orphaned in the suspicious accident. Jim is well aware that Clive was driving too fast. So when the train goes on an unforeseen hiatus, Jim, driven by guilt as well as curiosity, decides to investigate. His wife, faithful and intuitive, provides moral and corporal support and a nightly sounding board. Jim's probe provides Martin an excuse to pack the narrative with historical color, as well as a plethora of train lore. Jim encounters radical socialists itching to incite factory hands to an uprising and the possibly corrupt owners who exploit them. Is the death of the 99-year-old chairman of Hind's Mill due to natural causes or a link to the alleged crime?Brisk and atmospheric, the middle volume of a proposed trilogy.