‘The Corpse on the Bristol Train’ by Edward Marston

Published by Allison & Busby,
22 October 2026.
ISBN: 978-0-74903306-4 (HB)

In 1868 the railways have expanded to connect the cities of Britain and unite much of the kingdom. When the last train of the day from Paddington to Bristol finishes its journey, a railway policeman checks the train and discovers a beautiful young woman sitting in a first-class carriage, eyes closed, looking very serene. For a moment he thinks she is asleep but then he realises that she is dead. The route is part of the Great Western Railway, which has a reputation to maintain and exercises a great deal of influence, this means that when they demand that the case is handled by Detective Inspector Robert Colbeck, his superior, Superintendent Tallis, orders him and his sergeant to head to Bristol without delay. Colbeck is popularly known as the Railway Detective because his most successful and famous cases have been linked to the railways. Colbeck loves the railways and is very knowledgeable about them, unlike his assistant, Detective Sergeant Leeming, who enjoys working with Colbeck but very much dislikes the amount of rail travel this entails. 

Colbeck has dealt with many violent and complex crimes connected with the railways, but it is soon evident that this investigation could be one of his most challenging, mainly because there is no means of identifying the young woman. Her appearance and clothing indicate that she had elegant tastes and was able to afford good quality clothes, but a postmortem examination reveals that despite her outstanding beauty she had been very ill and would have died within the next few months. The doctors examining her body believe she had been poisoned but struggle to identify the substance. Soon witnesses come forward who inform the investigators that the young woman had been travelling with a man, who was well-dressed and appeared respectable, and was many years older than the dead woman. One witness gained the impression that the man was the young woman’s father, another insisted that they appeared to be husband and wife, but both accounts agree that he treated her with respect and tenderness, and she seemed to be happy in his company. This presents the detectives with another conundrum: now they must discover not only the dead woman’s identity and why she was travelling to Bristol, but also the means of her death and why the man who was escorting her had abandoned her corpse on the train and calmly walked away, so composed that he even raised his hat to the stationmaster as he left the station. 

In the meantime, back in London, Colbeck’s wife, Madeleine, misses her husband while he is away investigating crime, but she has a full and happy life of her own. As well as devoting time to her young daughter and dealing with visits from her opinionated father, Madeleine is an artist who specialises in painting pictures of trains. This is an unusual subject for a Victorian female artist, but she had learned to love trains from her father who had spent most of his working life as a train driver. In fact, Madeleine first met Colbeck when he investigated a railway crime in which her father was attacked. Colbeck and Madeleine share a passion for railways, and he encourages her to develop her artistic talent. Now Madeleine has been offered the most exciting commission of her artistic life. A wealthy and cultured man asks her to paint a picture of Euston Station in the evening when it is quiet and full of shadows, and she is excited by the challenge. 

Life is not going as well for Superintendent Edward Tallis: after dedicating a lifetime to service in the army and the police force, Tallis’ health is failing and he is finding it hard to concentrate and stay awake. He has to confront the dreary prospect of retirement, but he is determined to carry on until he has participated in the successful conclusion of the final case of his career. Although Tallis can sometimes be more of a burden than a help when he tries to take over investigations, Colbeck respects the Superintendent and will do everything he can to enable him to be the arresting officer, so that they can gain justice for the beautiful young woman whose corpse was abandoned on the Bristol Train. 

The Corpse on the Bristol Train is the twenty-fifth full length novel that features the Railway Detective. It is also the culmination of this bestselling series. The central characters are all very human and their flaws and challenges make them relatable and engaging. The plot is cleverly crafted and forms a satisfying conclusion to an outstanding series that I wholeheartedly recommend.
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Reviewer: Carol Westron 

Edward Marston (A pseudonym used by Keith Miles) was born and brought up in South Wales. A full-time writer for over thirty years, he has worked in radio, film, television and the theatre and is a former chairman of the Crime Writers' Association. Prolific and highly successful, he is equally at home writing children's books or literary criticism, plays or biographies.

www.edwardmarston.com 

Carol Westron is a Golden Age expert who has written many articles on the subject and given papers at several conferences. She is the author of several series: contemporary detective stories and police procedurals, comedy crime and Victorian Murder Mysteries. Her most recent publications are Paddling in the Dead Sea and Delivering Lazarus, books 2 and 3 of the Galmouth Mysteries, the series which began with The Fragility of Poppies. Her most recent books is The Apples of Sodom. 

www.carolwestron.com