Robert Colbeck is an Inspector in the Detective Department of the Metropolitan Police, still very much in its infancy. A former barrister, Colbeck abandoned his career as a result of a personal tragedy and turned his attention to catching villains. A dandy in the prosaic world of law enforcement, he has an abrasive relationship with his boss, former soldier, Superintendent Tallis. Though he could never bring himself to like Colbeck, the Superintendent recognises his rare gifts as a detective and approves of his unflagging tenacity. All of Colbeck's cases are connected in some way with the railways, the defining phenomena of Victorian England.

THE RAILWAY DETECTIVE

1851. The London to Birmingham mail train is stopped and derailed, injuring the driver badly. Inspector Colbeck is faced with the first crime of its kind, a daring and well-organised train robbery that rocks the railway company, the postal service, the Royal Mint and the bank to which the substantial amount of gold coin was being sent. With the Great Exhibition in the offing, interest is mounting in the engineering triumphs of the railways but it seems that they have dangerous enemies. Colbeck's investigation makes good progress but is thrown off course by the kidnap of Madeleine Andrews, the beautiful daughter of the injured train driver and a young woman for whom Colbeck has more than a passing affection. His commitment is intensified.

"A thoroughly enjoyable mid-Victorian romp."
Observer

"An intriguing dip into murky, mid-1850's London, full of twists and memorable characters, and a mystery that will surprise you at every turn."
Crime Time

"The atmosphere of mid-19th-century London is potent, and a series of unforgettable characters emerges in a detective story with a difference."
The Good Book Guide

"Colbeck proves to be every bit as motivated as the thieves, giving this tale a dimension of cracking suspense."
The Good Book Guide

Purchase online

Amazon UK: Hardcover 261 pages. Published by Allison & Busby, Feb 2004.

Amazon UK: Paperback 288 pages. Published by Allison & Busby, Jan 2005.

Amazon USA: Hardcover 320 pages. Published by Allison & Busby, Mar 2004.

Amazon USA: Paperback 288 pages. Published by Allison & Busby, Jan 2005.

THE EXCURSION TRAIN

An excursion train carries rowdy passengers to an illegal prize fight in Berkshire. As the crowd surges from the train, a murder victim is left behind. Inspector Robert Colbeck discovers that the dead man was a cobbler, living under an assumed name because he worked part-time as a public executioner. His work on the scaffold has made him countless enemies but a recent bungled execution in Kent gives Colbeck the break that he needs. Based in Ashford, a railway town, Colbeck and his assistant, Sergeant Victor Leeming, have to solve the crime for which an innocent man was wrongly executed before they can catch the hangman's killer.

Purchase online

Amazon UK: Hardcover 288 pages. Published by Allison & Busby, Jan 2005.

Amazon UK: Paperback 288 pages. Published by Allison & Busby, June 2006.

Amazon UK: Large Print Hardcover 362 pages. Published by Magna, Oct 2005.

Amazon USA: Hardcover 288 pages. Published by Allison & Busby, June 2005.

Amazon USA: Paperback 288 pages. Published by Allison & Busby, Sept 2006.

THE RAILWAY VIADUCT

The third outing for Inspector Robert Colbeck propels him into a complex case that takes him to France. A man is stabbed to death then hurled over the Sankey Viaduct from a moving train. When he discovers that the victim is a French engineer, Colbeck and his assistant, Sergeant Victor Leeming, travel to France where the British contractor, Thomas Brassey, is building a railway between Mantes and Caen. The project is plagued by vandalism and the detectives have to solve the crimes on French soil before they can pick up the trail to the villains back in England who perpetrated them. When he involves his beloved, Madeleine Andrews, in the murder inquiry, Colbeck learns once again how valuable a contribution a woman can make. He is also given an insight into the wild humour, violence and squalor of the camp inhabited by Irish navvies.

Purchase online

Amazon UK: Hardcover 288 pages. Published by Allison & Busby, June 2006.

Amazon USA: Hardcover 288 pages. Published by Allison & Busby, Sept 2006.

REVIEWS

"A cops and robbers tale with a dimension of crackling suspense."
- Good Book Guide

"Marston takes this important period of history and makes it his own."
- Reviewing the Evidence

"Marston's excellent new historical series features a Victorian detective with attitude. Strongly recommended."
- Library Journal

THE IRON HORSE

The fourth outing of the Railway Detective is based around the Derby of 1854. When a porter unloads luggage from the roof of a train in Crewe, he drops a trunk on to a lady’s hatbox and breaks the strap. As the hatbox opens, a human head rolls out. It is the beginning of a case that takes Inspector Robert Colbeck to Ireland, where one of the favourites for the Derby is being trained, and sets him off on a trawl through the nobility, crooks and undesirables who live off horseracing.

Overcoming his dislike of train travel, Sergeant Victor Leeming is eager to be involved because he hopes he may pick up valuable tips about the Derby itself. The detectives follow a tortuous route through the London underworld and soon discover that they have more than one serious crime to solve. Their efforts are hampered by the fact that there is a spy in Scotland Yard who is warning one of their suspects about their movements. The action builds to a climax at Epsom where the Derby brings the three fancied horses together and unleashes further crimes. Colbeck and Leeming – aided by Madeleine Andrews, who gains information that only a woman could glean - have to work at full stretch to bring the villains to book.

Purchase online

Amazon UK: Hardcover 288 pages. Published by Allison & Busby, July 2007.

Amazon USA: Hardcover 288 pages. Published by Allison & Busby, Sept 2007.

REVIEWS

"This is how history mysteries should be: fine storytelling, marvellous characters reminiscent of the great authors of the mid-Victorian period, and a sneaky mystery, too."
- Sherlock Holmes Magazine

MURDER ON THE BRIGHTON EXPRESS

1854. The fifth novel in the Railway Detective series confronts Robert Colbeck with his most difficult assignment to date. Travelling at top speed, the Brighton express comes off the line and collides with an oncoming ballast train. The official view is that the disaster is a result of driver error but Colbeck believes that the crash was deliberately engineered. In the course of his investigations, he encounters a whole range of problems. One of the survivors of the crash is being stalked by a killer. In order to solve the accumulating crimes, Colbeck has to protect the victim and put his own life - quite literally - on the line.

Purchase online

Amazon UK: Hardcover 288 pages. Published by Allison & Busby, June 2008.

Amazon USA: Hardcover 288 pages. Published by Allison & Busby, August 2008.

REVIEWS

"Marston continues to produce historical crime writing of the first order, replete with authentic period detail, a vivid cast of characters and a plot that makes for compulsive reading."
- Good Book Guide