Synopses & Reviews
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.
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 novel . . . an utterly compelling did-he-do-it." --The Sunday Times
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"An enthralling account of a real life mystery . . . Her well-told tal -- The Independent
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"Kate Colquhoun is a fine, robust writer who makes the most of its every twist and turn." --The Mail on Sunday
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"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
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"Enthralling. . . . A fascinatingly quirky portrait of the underside of mid-Victorian London. I found it unputdownable." -- Miranda Seymour, The Telegraph
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"The weight of evidence is in the balance to the very end. . . . Mesmerizing." --The Guardian
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"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
Synopsis
In July 1864, Thomas Briggs was traveling home after visiting his niece and her husband for dinner.
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.