Shrewsbury, 1866. At the Station Hotel, staff struggle in vain to rouse Mr Julian Lockyer who requested an early wake-up call to catch a train. When they force open the door, they are horrified to discover a bloodied corpse in the bed, a knife still in the dead man's hand.

Inspector Robert Colbeck, the Railway Detective, is dispatched to investigate and soon begins to question whether this is really a case of suicide. For why would a man reaching the pinnacle of his career, about to be named the Chairman of the Great Western Railway, choose to take his own life? And why was his trip to Shrewsbury a secret from his family?

Colbeck and Sergeant Leeming must probe deeply into Lockyer's life and lies to find the answers and to catch the killer.

A classically told crime series with historical background and railway focus used to great effect Marston made the Top 50 Most Borrowed Adult Author list in the most recent PLR figures Over a million copies of the series sold to date in the UK trade alone - Marston is on track to continue as one of A&B's bestselling authors The TV rights to the Railway Detective series have been sold