DEATH ON A BRANCH LINE

Andrew Martin (Faber and Faber £10.99)

I laughed out loud when I first saw the title of this book, as I took it to be a spoof. Actually, it is a serious crime novel, the fifth in a run about Detective Sergeant Jim Stringer of the York Railway Police, whom we first met in The Necropolis Railway.

The action happens over the course of a hot July weekend in 1911. It does take a while to get going, as it is not until chapter four that we reach the start of the story. Hugh Lambert has been convicted of patricide and is en route to his hanging when he is entrusted to Stringer's custody in York Station. A brief conversation convinces Stringer of Lambert's innocence.

Stringer had promised his suffragette wife, Lydia, a weekend jaunt to Scarborough. Instead they travel to the convict's home village of Adenwold, on the branch line. Once she gets over the loss of her Scarborough trip, Lydia delights in getting involved in the case. Her character is more interesting than Stringer's, who is a bit two-dimensional, with no psychological insights, even though the book is written from the detective's point of view.

The plot is well woven, with several convincing red herrings and a plausible denouement. It covers a broader canvas than the family quarrels, by bringing in the international tensions of the time, spies and secrets. The details and vocabulary appear to be well-researched and accurate, describing social gatherings at the big hall, or scenes at the village pub and in the surrounding woods and countryside, with equal conviction. The author's love of the steam era is evident, but the railway lore is not intrusive and does not slow the book.

The only jarring note for me was the use of the f-word and the c-word. Now I'm sure they did use those words back in 1911, but my current mental image of genteel Edwardian times does not include them.

Nevertheless, this is certainly an intriguing and entertaining book, which could easily be read in one sitting. Dare I say that I recommend it for a train journey?