MURDER IN THE FIRST-CLASS CARRIAGE : THE FIRST VICTORIAN RAILWAY KILLING
by Kate Colquhoun

British trains during the 1860s were nothing like their American counterparts. The Victorian trains were comprised of carriages and each one of them were divided into separate box-like compartments. There were doors on both sides that opened onto the station platform but no corridor or door was between them. So, if a passenger had an emergency or needed to call somebody for assistance, they were out of luck.
Thomas Briggs would become that one unlucky man and for him, it would be fatal.
Briggs boarded the North London railway on a first-class carriage at 9:45 pm. Soon afterward, two bank clerks entered this same compartment but Briggs was not there. What was discovered, instead, was blood on the cushions, floor and windows. A walking stick, an empty leather bag and a broken watch chain were left. The most conspicuous object was a hat which was not the kind that Briggs normally wore.
In due time, the hunt for the killer began. The police force used their best detectives and were able to figure out the identity of the murderer from different witnesses and by offering rewards to help solve the crime. They found out where he lived and were ready to arrest him but the killer had taken off to America where a sister of his lived. Now the chase was on for the inspectors to take a ship, themselves, and try to nab the fugitive as his prospective ship landed at the ports of New York. They would be successful and would bring him back to Britain for a trial.
This crime caused quite a sensation and shocked the world at that time. People would eagerly read the newspapers, every day, as the event unfolded.
Kate Colquhoun has written quite a suspenseful book and it's very hard to put down. How she describes the case, the characters involved, (there's a complete list at the end), the railway system, and the use of capital punishment makes for mesmerizing reading.
It's definitely a quirky tale and if you like true-to-life mysteries, this one is quite a winner.
Highly recommended.