The Dublin Railway Murder: The sensational true story of a Victorian murder mystery

Description

An astonishing real-life murder mystery set in Victorian Dublin. This meticulously researched true-crime tale is perfect for fans of The Five by Hallie Rubenhold. A thrilling and perplexing investigation of a true Victorian crime at Dublin railway station. Dublin, November 1856- George Little, the chief cashier of the Broadstone railway terminus, is found dead, lying in a pool of blood beneath his desk. He has been savagely beaten, his head almost severed; there is no sign of a murder weapon, and the office door is locked, apparently from the inside. Thousands of pounds in gold and silver are left untouched at the scene of the crime. Augustus Guy, Ireland's most experienced detective, teams up with Dublin's leading lawyer to investigate the murder. But the mystery defies all explanation, and two celebrated sleuths sent by Scotland Yard soon return to London, baffled. Five suspects are arrested then released, with every step of the salacious case followed by the press, clamouring for answers. But then a local woman comes forward, claiming to know the murderer...

Thomas Morris is a writer and historian. His first book, The Matter of the Heart, a critically-acclaimed history of heart surgery, was published in 2017 and won an RSL Jerwood Award for non-fiction. His second, The Mystery of the Exploding Teeth, was chosen by Mental Floss as one of the best books of 2018. He was previously a BBC radio producer for 18 years, and his freelance journalism has appeared in publications including The Times, The Lancet and the TLS.

This meticulous non-fiction account of a once-famous murder mystery has all the shocks and surprises of the best crime fiction * The Times Crime Club * The plot of this real-life murder mystery had as many twists and turns as an Agatha Christie whodunit * Daily Mail * In The Dublin Railway Murder, Thomas Morris unpacks this baffling case with the taut, just-the-facts spareness of the best police procedurals...[He] deftly peppers the narrative with historical context...An intriguing and compelling true crime whodunit as well. * Irish Times * As compelling a read as any fiction thriller * i * Written like a whodunit and wearing its vast research into Victorian Dublin ever so lightly, Thomas Morris's wholly factual murder mystery is easily one of the most entertaining page-turners I've read this year. It's a compelling, evocative, thrilling must-read, and proof, if further proof is ever required, that fact is often so much stranger - not to mention more entertaining - than fiction * Sunday Independent * Illuminates a fascinating Victorian culture and society. And, most importantly for the silent man at the centre of this story, Morris's painstaking investigation of this perplexing crime and its far-reaching consequences ensures that George Little is no longer forgotten. * Irish Independent * The Dublin Railway Murder is a true-crime masterclass: meticulous, vivid and as compelling as any thriller...beautifully reconstructs mid-19th century Dublin, while never easing up on the pace. Brilliantly done throughout. * Philip Gray, author of TWO STORM WOOD * If, like me, you love everything Kate Summerscale writes, you'll lap up this compelling murder mystery...Morris draws us beautifully into his expert reconstruction of this baffling case. * The Bookseller *