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polyhy_14's review against another edition
4.0
While there are times when the language of the era was rather flowery it was still a rattling good mystery and plenty of delightful gems of wit thrown in as well.
shuchipt's review against another edition
3.0
Said to be the novel that inspired Sir Doyle’s Sherlock and outsold him, this is a mystery novel rich in references and witty quips. While spoon feeding the mystery and revealing almost everything but the identity of the murderer in the first few chapters was a bold move, it seems to have paid off as we get time to delve into complex interpersonal relationships, the social culture of Melbourne in the 19th cen., and form ties to the people the murder affects rather than the detective.
jennifer_c_s's review against another edition
4.0
‘The best-selling crime novel of the nineteenth century.’
‘Truth is said to be stranger than fiction, and certainly the extraordinary murder which took place in Melbourne on Thursday night, or rather Friday morning, goes a long way towards verifying this saying.’
Melbourne, 18--. An unknown man is found dead in a hansom cab late one night. How did he die? Earlier, this man and another unknown man had hailed a hansom cab and had asked to be taken to St Kilda. The unknown man changed his mind and walked away. Then the man appeared to change his mind again, and got into the hansom cab. Part way through the journey he asks the cab driver to stop, gets out, and heads back to the city. A little further on, the cab driver, trying to establish exactly which address he is to attend, discovers the dead body of the man in the back of his cab.
The police first need to identify the victim. Once they do, they then move quite quickly to arrest
and charge a man with his murder. But do they have the right man? Eventually, gentle reader, after a number of twists and turns, the truth will be ascertained.
And what interesting twists and turns they prove to be. The novel is peopled with interesting characters, including the dreadful Mother Guttersnipe, and the busy Mrs Sampson. We have a number of potential heroes and actual villains, and just when I thought I’d worked it out, yet another possibility appeared. Plenty of old-fashioned detecting here.
This novel was first published in 1886, and has not been out of print since. It predates Arthur Conan Doyle’s ‘A Study in Scarlet’ by one year, and was an overnight sensation when it was originally published. Although some aspects are dated, this novel is still well worth reading today.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
‘Truth is said to be stranger than fiction, and certainly the extraordinary murder which took place in Melbourne on Thursday night, or rather Friday morning, goes a long way towards verifying this saying.’
Melbourne, 18--. An unknown man is found dead in a hansom cab late one night. How did he die? Earlier, this man and another unknown man had hailed a hansom cab and had asked to be taken to St Kilda. The unknown man changed his mind and walked away. Then the man appeared to change his mind again, and got into the hansom cab. Part way through the journey he asks the cab driver to stop, gets out, and heads back to the city. A little further on, the cab driver, trying to establish exactly which address he is to attend, discovers the dead body of the man in the back of his cab.
The police first need to identify the victim. Once they do, they then move quite quickly to arrest
and charge a man with his murder. But do they have the right man? Eventually, gentle reader, after a number of twists and turns, the truth will be ascertained.
And what interesting twists and turns they prove to be. The novel is peopled with interesting characters, including the dreadful Mother Guttersnipe, and the busy Mrs Sampson. We have a number of potential heroes and actual villains, and just when I thought I’d worked it out, yet another possibility appeared. Plenty of old-fashioned detecting here.
This novel was first published in 1886, and has not been out of print since. It predates Arthur Conan Doyle’s ‘A Study in Scarlet’ by one year, and was an overnight sensation when it was originally published. Although some aspects are dated, this novel is still well worth reading today.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
kat__z8's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Infidelity, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, and Murder
I was willing to overlook the offhand racist and slightly sexist remarks if the mystery was good, especially considering that this book was written in the 19th century. Alas, the story was long and dragging, the murder mystery was not that gripping, and the characters unremarkable.justmevictoria's review against another edition
4.0
Originally published on My Books Are Me - www.mybooksareme.weebly.com
As someone who doesn't really read crime mysteries, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, especially since it was required university reading for my Australian Literature course.
A body is found murdered in a Hansom Cab, and police soon discover that it's a man named Oliver Whyte. But now the real question is, who on earth is the killer and why was he killed? Through some investigation, detective Mr. Gorby believes it to be Brian Fitzgerald, a man who is said to have despised Whyte for wanting to marry his lover, Madge Frettlby. After a lengthy investigation into the evidence, both for and against, it is determined that Brian is innocent, and that someone is trying to frame him - but who did want Whyte dead, and what secret do the papers stolen from Whyte's pocket reveal?
This was a very enjoyable read, even though I did end up listening to a majority of it via audiobook. I really enjoyed the two opening chapters, the first of which is the newspaper article regarding the event, and the second the evidence report. It was a creative way to introduce the main event of the story, enabling the rest of the book to focus on the mystery of the murderer. By using this way of storytelling, Hume was able to persuade the reader to believe that each of the suspects were the murderer, which I really enjoyed. I definitely didn't see the final result coming, but it all fitted into the story.
The story gave such a great insight into Australian and Melbournian life during the late 1800s, and I could picture the events unfolding in the city. During the few chapters, it felt like the story was based off a true crime, even though no such event had occurred. Hume did an excellent job at pulling the reader into 19th century Melbourne, showing the wealth of the upper-class and the poverty of the back-alley slums.
It's really interesting to see that this book was the bestselling crime novel of the nineteenth century, and not Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. I hadn't heard of this book prior to having to study it for university and I'm really glad that I have read it. It's a great piece of Australian literature.
Overall, I highly recommend this book, especially to those who enjoy crime fiction and novels set in Australia. It's such a great mystery novel and you'll be unsure as to who the murderer was for the majority of the story.
As someone who doesn't really read crime mysteries, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, especially since it was required university reading for my Australian Literature course.
A body is found murdered in a Hansom Cab, and police soon discover that it's a man named Oliver Whyte. But now the real question is, who on earth is the killer and why was he killed? Through some investigation, detective Mr. Gorby believes it to be Brian Fitzgerald, a man who is said to have despised Whyte for wanting to marry his lover, Madge Frettlby. After a lengthy investigation into the evidence, both for and against, it is determined that Brian is innocent, and that someone is trying to frame him - but who did want Whyte dead, and what secret do the papers stolen from Whyte's pocket reveal?
This was a very enjoyable read, even though I did end up listening to a majority of it via audiobook. I really enjoyed the two opening chapters, the first of which is the newspaper article regarding the event, and the second the evidence report. It was a creative way to introduce the main event of the story, enabling the rest of the book to focus on the mystery of the murderer. By using this way of storytelling, Hume was able to persuade the reader to believe that each of the suspects were the murderer, which I really enjoyed. I definitely didn't see the final result coming, but it all fitted into the story.
The story gave such a great insight into Australian and Melbournian life during the late 1800s, and I could picture the events unfolding in the city. During the few chapters, it felt like the story was based off a true crime, even though no such event had occurred. Hume did an excellent job at pulling the reader into 19th century Melbourne, showing the wealth of the upper-class and the poverty of the back-alley slums.
It's really interesting to see that this book was the bestselling crime novel of the nineteenth century, and not Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. I hadn't heard of this book prior to having to study it for university and I'm really glad that I have read it. It's a great piece of Australian literature.
Overall, I highly recommend this book, especially to those who enjoy crime fiction and novels set in Australia. It's such a great mystery novel and you'll be unsure as to who the murderer was for the majority of the story.
bookkiana's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
bev_reads_mysteries's review against another edition
3.0
Malcolm Royston, Melbourne cabman, is shocked to find that his drunken passenger has been murdered--poisoned with a chloroform-soaked handkerchief while the cabbie drove through the night unawares. According to his story, the man (very much alive, but also very drunk) was bundled towards his cab by a gentleman in a light-colored coat and felt hat (drawn low over the face). The gentleman claimed not to know the drunk and was merely playing good Samaritan to send him home. But when the man slumps to the ground and the gentleman gets a good look at his face, he says "You!" and walks off. He then returns hastily, saying he had changed his mind, and rides about half-way to the St. Kilda. At this point, he stopped the cab, said the man refused to have him travel the rest of the way, gave the cabbie vague directions and a half-sovereign, and walked off into the night. When Royston later stops the cab to get more precise directions, he finds his fare huddled in a corner with handkerchief across his face...dead.
And so begins the Hansom Cab mystery. The dead man has nothing about his person to identify him. The cabbie can give no distinct description of the gentleman in the light-colored coat. And with just a few meagre pointers, police detective Samuel Gorby must try and find out who the dead man was, why he was killed, and who that killer is. This all leads to a falsely accused hero, a loyal heroine, a dramatic trial with an eleventh hour witness to save the day, a dark family secret, blackmail, a search through the seedy slums of Melbourne, and a startling confession. And then Gorby isn't even the detective who solves the case. Our hero's lawyer Calton and a second detective, Kilsip, are the ones who bring the truth to light.
A few thoughts:
For as much as I heard about this being a run-away best-seller in the 19th Century (outselling Sherlock Holmes at the time) and as long as it had been, first, on my "To Be Found" list and, second when found, on my "To Be Read" stacks, you'd think this would be a much more interesting book. If for no other reason than because it had such early influence. It is, I agree, very interesting in its portrayal of Melbourne and the outlying stations in Australia--very atmospheric and great detail. It also has some memorable characters such as Mother Guttersnipe. However, much is made of the fact that the detective has an "unknown" corpse on his hands. Like this is a really BIG thing in the book. And yet--it takes Gorby (who quite frankly is no great shakes as a detective) 26 pages (and only four of them spent in actual detecting) out of 254 to discover the identity of the dead man.
And, even though Gorby completely misses it and latches onto the obvious [wrong] suspect, as soon as a certain character was introduced to us I was certain we'd just met the murderer. I didn't know the motive yet, but I was sure. There is an effort to distract the reader with a rather interesting red herring, but I stuck with my first thought and was rewarded in the end by being correct.
Hume uses a lot of Victorian melodrama which is entertaining in and of itself and the writing is quite good and typical for the period. As a novel it is enjoyable--just not the knock-out early mystery that I'd anticipated. ★★★ and 1/4.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting portions of review. Thanks.
And so begins the Hansom Cab mystery. The dead man has nothing about his person to identify him. The cabbie can give no distinct description of the gentleman in the light-colored coat. And with just a few meagre pointers, police detective Samuel Gorby must try and find out who the dead man was, why he was killed, and who that killer is. This all leads to a falsely accused hero, a loyal heroine, a dramatic trial with an eleventh hour witness to save the day, a dark family secret, blackmail, a search through the seedy slums of Melbourne, and a startling confession. And then Gorby isn't even the detective who solves the case. Our hero's lawyer Calton and a second detective, Kilsip, are the ones who bring the truth to light.
A few thoughts:
For as much as I heard about this being a run-away best-seller in the 19th Century (outselling Sherlock Holmes at the time) and as long as it had been, first, on my "To Be Found" list and, second when found, on my "To Be Read" stacks, you'd think this would be a much more interesting book. If for no other reason than because it had such early influence. It is, I agree, very interesting in its portrayal of Melbourne and the outlying stations in Australia--very atmospheric and great detail. It also has some memorable characters such as Mother Guttersnipe. However, much is made of the fact that the detective has an "unknown" corpse on his hands. Like this is a really BIG thing in the book. And yet--it takes Gorby (who quite frankly is no great shakes as a detective) 26 pages (and only four of them spent in actual detecting) out of 254 to discover the identity of the dead man.
And, even though Gorby completely misses it and latches onto the obvious [wrong] suspect, as soon as a certain character was introduced to us I was certain we'd just met the murderer. I didn't know the motive yet, but I was sure. There is an effort to distract the reader with a rather interesting red herring, but I stuck with my first thought and was rewarded in the end by being correct.
Hume uses a lot of Victorian melodrama which is entertaining in and of itself and the writing is quite good and typical for the period. As a novel it is enjoyable--just not the knock-out early mystery that I'd anticipated. ★★★ and 1/4.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting portions of review. Thanks.
justasking27's review against another edition
3.0
Not sure I understand why it was the most popular mystery of its time, but then again I've read a lot of books that were probably influenced strongly by this book so I am likely jaded.
ssejig's review against another edition
3.0
Again, this is a book that I will send it to as a radio play cum podcast. It's a product if it's time, being very sexist, but it's a really good story. I think I guessed the murderer pretty darn fast but that's because this is a story that has been used again and again since this book was written.
A drunk man is picked up one night by a hansom cab. He is held up by a man who doesn't seem to recognize the drunkard at first but once he does is astonished. The two get into the hansom cab but only one comes out a lot. At first, the identity of the drunkard who was killed, the man who gets in with him, and the reason for murder are all shrouded in mystery.
A drunk man is picked up one night by a hansom cab. He is held up by a man who doesn't seem to recognize the drunkard at first but once he does is astonished. The two get into the hansom cab but only one comes out a lot. At first, the identity of the drunkard who was killed, the man who gets in with him, and the reason for murder are all shrouded in mystery.