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traceymc's review
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
annarella's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of the best historical true crime I've ever read. It's gripping, immersive and it made me travel in time.
The author is a talented storyteller and this well researched book was brilliant and gripping.
There're great descriptions of the historical background, the characters are well described and explained, tons of documents.
I loved what I read.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
The author is a talented storyteller and this well researched book was brilliant and gripping.
There're great descriptions of the historical background, the characters are well described and explained, tons of documents.
I loved what I read.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
melaniesreads's review against another edition
4.0
I often find that books based on truth can be a bit dry and too laden with facts but I was so intrigued by the locked room aspect I decided to give this one a read. I was pleasantly surprised that this read like a good historical crime fiction and had, not only a murder mystery but a good police procedural and trial too.
It started off with a bleakness of both time and place and I really felt I had stepped back in time to one of the worst periods of poverty so surely money would be the motive for murder. So why then is a vast amount of money left at the crime scene? With political upheaval and corporate fraud being widespread a railway firm would be at risk. Was George Little just unfortunate to be in the wrong place at the wrong time or caught up in something dangerous?
Being long before today’s techniques of crime solving could be applied they will have to rely on old fashioned and seemingly eccentric methods like phrenology instead. I found this absolutely fascinating and a bit way out there and was half expecting them to even consider conducting a seance.
One thing that doesn’t seem to have changed is the press and how they could reveal sensitive information but also treat it like it was salacious gossip. Without giving too much away it all seemed to hang on the claims of one woman and it is her own husband she is accusing.
This has obviously been meticulously researched as it shows in the sheer attention to every detail. Knowing this was about the murder of a real person I found that, for me at least, it became more about wanting justice than trying to work out the whodunnit. It seems unjust that the crime became famous while the victim was mostly forgotten and the epilogue was a stark reminder of that and his families subsequent treatment.
It started off with a bleakness of both time and place and I really felt I had stepped back in time to one of the worst periods of poverty so surely money would be the motive for murder. So why then is a vast amount of money left at the crime scene? With political upheaval and corporate fraud being widespread a railway firm would be at risk. Was George Little just unfortunate to be in the wrong place at the wrong time or caught up in something dangerous?
Being long before today’s techniques of crime solving could be applied they will have to rely on old fashioned and seemingly eccentric methods like phrenology instead. I found this absolutely fascinating and a bit way out there and was half expecting them to even consider conducting a seance.
One thing that doesn’t seem to have changed is the press and how they could reveal sensitive information but also treat it like it was salacious gossip. Without giving too much away it all seemed to hang on the claims of one woman and it is her own husband she is accusing.
This has obviously been meticulously researched as it shows in the sheer attention to every detail. Knowing this was about the murder of a real person I found that, for me at least, it became more about wanting justice than trying to work out the whodunnit. It seems unjust that the crime became famous while the victim was mostly forgotten and the epilogue was a stark reminder of that and his families subsequent treatment.
thebooktrail88's review against another edition
5.0
Discover the locations in the Dublin Railway Murder novel
A true Victorian crime brought to life in a historical novel? Yes please!
The true crime was a murder at the Broadstone railway terminal in Dublin. George Little, a clerk in a there, was brutally murdered at his desk in his locked office. This novel takes that story, and recreates it so we, as the reader can be at the centre of it all. It is quite the experience!
The author has really taken this subject and crafted it well from meticulous research. He expertly crafts the atmosphere and political situation at the time through records and facts from the real life case. It’s quite the mix and very compelling reading.
The setting is nicely evoked as we get a sense not just of the time, but the Irish political situation, the state of the railways and how people living in Dublin were at that time with regards to the police. Many people distrusted the police at the time it seems. The population of Dublin were suspicious of the absent English MP who governed them at the time. There was a financial crisis too and scams going on with officials so when the cashier George Little was murdered, this suggested was much more than an awful murder and crime. Nothing is going to be straight forward here and the intrigue is there from the start.
It’s all so awful that I was keen to remind myself that this actually happened. Imagine in the days before DNA and the techniques the police would use today how much more difficult this would all have been. There are so many hurdles to finding and then apprehending the perpetrator that it was almost unreliable. This was a unique case and the author has given us a brilliantly immersive journey into the past and a very interesting criminal investigation. I love these historical investigations and trials as with the benefit of hindsight you know how it would be viewed today. How they investigated with the constrictions of the past is just so fascinating.
As well as the trial and investigation however, I found this novel like a history book of the people and events of that time. Life in Dublin in 1856 was very different to life now but it was such a rush to go back there!
Highly recommended and please can we have this one TV?
losthitsu's review against another edition
4.0
Perhaps a bit too long to be a full five stars but it's so rare to see historical true crime written in a way that brings the story to life without maudlin sentimentality clouding the narrative.
lisarivers77's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyed this fascinating historical true crime mystery. A lot of vivid period detail, and very well written and researched. I was gripped from start to finish and will look out for more from this author.
beledit's review
4.0
The Dublin Railway Murder is well written, well researched and paints a very clear picture of the era and situation. I thought I was going to love it.
I didn't. I got bored and skimmed through it. If you're interested in the politics and history of the place and period, you will get a lot out of this book. I think it was just too much history and not enough 'story' for me.
If you're expecting something on the lines of Kate Summerscale, this isn't it. Summerscale's books immerse you in the characters as much as in the investigation, whereas Morris' work is the opposite.
I still give it 4 stars. It does what it sets out to do extremely well. It just doesn't do what I was hoping for.
I didn't. I got bored and skimmed through it. If you're interested in the politics and history of the place and period, you will get a lot out of this book. I think it was just too much history and not enough 'story' for me.
If you're expecting something on the lines of Kate Summerscale, this isn't it. Summerscale's books immerse you in the characters as much as in the investigation, whereas Morris' work is the opposite.
I still give it 4 stars. It does what it sets out to do extremely well. It just doesn't do what I was hoping for.
sataanaperkele's review
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5