Synopses & Reviews
In July 1864, Thomas Briggs was traveling home after visiting his niece and her husband for dinner. He boarded a first-class carriage on the 9:45 pm Hackney service of the North London railway. A short time later, two bank clerks entered the compartment and noticed blood pooled in the seat cushions and smeared all over the floor and windows. But there was no sign of Thomas Briggs. All that remained was his ivory-knobbed walking stick, his empty leather bag, and a bloodstained hat that, strangely, did not belong to Mr. Briggs. The race to identify the killer and catch him as he fled on a boat to America was eagerly followed by the public on both sides of the Atlantic. The investigation and subsequent trial became a fixture in New York newspapers--and a frequent distraction from the Civil War that ravaged the nation. In , acclaimed writer Kate Colquhoun tells the gripping tale of a crime that shocked an era.
Review
"The author's suspenseful writing style and clear prose make the tale easy to read . . . Colquhoun expertly places the murder within the larger context of British, Continental European and American history . . . Colquhoun successfully balances suspense with historical accuracy." --Kirkus
Review
"Deploying her skill as a historian, Colquhoun turns a single curious murder case into a fascinatingly quirky portrait of the underside of mid- Victorian London. I found it unputdownable." --Daily Telegraph
Review
"A thrilling book, which reads at times like a good Victorian novelŠan utterly compelling did-he-do-it." --Sunday Times
Review
"An enthralling account of a real life mystery . . . Her well-told tale would stand up in court--unlike much of the evidence in the case." -- The Independent
Review
"Kate Colquhoun is a fine, robust writer who makes the most of its every twist and turn." --The Mail on Sunday
Review
"The re-telling of this true story pits justice against baying-for-blood hysteria in a sensationally episodic tale that is every bit as compelling as it must have been when it happened." --Easy Living
Review
"Enthralling. . . . A fascinatingly quirky portrait of the underside of mid-Victorian London. I found it unputdownable." -- Miranda Seymour, The Telegraph
Review
"The weight of evidence is in the balance to the very end. . . . Mesmerizing." --The Guardian
Review
"Journalist Colquhoun has crafted a marvelously suspenseful account of the investigation, a trans-Atlantic manhunt, and the ensuing trial. This is an intriguing story about emerging forensics and also an engaging social history, focusing on how a spectacular crime, the first on a British railroad, riveted public attention." --Booklist
Review
"More than a well-spun tale of searching for justice amid hype, Murder in the First-Class Carriage reveals the underside of Victorian life, where interest in the macabre flourished alongside the propriety modern readers may expect. Fans of true crime and the general reader alike will appreciate Colquhuon’s talent for enlivening facts with everyday moments. The story is especially noteworthy for its balance between the case itself and the atmospheric, gas-lit city in which it occurred." --Foreword Reviews
Review
"Ms. Colquhoun’s meticulously researched true-crime account, first published in England, is a tick-tock of the arrest and trial of a German tailor following a chase across the Atlantic…its final revelation is a showstopper." --New York Times
Review
"A suspenseful, well-paced account of a baffling mystery." --Washington Post
Review
"Colquhoun's work is an exquisite cautionary tale, as valuable today as it is telling of then." --
Salon "A suspenseful, well-paced account of a baffling mystery." --Washington Post
"Ms. Colquhoun's meticulously researched true-crime account, first published in England, is a tick-tock of the arrest and trial of a German tailor following a chase across the Atlantic…its final revelation is a showstopper." --New York Times
"Colquhoun's narrative will appeal to British, rail, and legal historians. She does an excellent job of describing the case and the times. Highly recommended." --Library Journal
Synopsis
In July 1864, Thomas Briggs was traveling home after visiting his niece and her husband for dinner. He boarded a first-class carriage on the 9:45 pm Hackney service of the North London railway. At Hackney, two bank clerks discovered blood in the seat cushions as well as on the floor, windows, and sides of the carriage. A bloodstained hat was found on the seat along with a broken link from a watch chain. The race to identify the killer and catch him as he fled on a boat to America was eagerly followed by the public on both sides of the Atlantic. Kate Colquhoun tells a gripping tale of a crime that shocked the era.
Synopsis
Did a small, neat, mild-mannered, Dickens-reading tailor commit the first railway murder in history --a crime that shocked both America and Britain?
About the Author
Kate Colquhoun is the author of Murder in the First-Class Carriage. Her previous works have been nominated for the Duff Cooper Prize, the Samuel Johnson Prize and the CWA Gold Dagger Award. She writes regularly for numerous publications, including the Daily Telegraph and The Guardian. She lives in London.