The Mystery of a Hansom Cab

Description

This is the book that made Fergus Hume famous, and inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to create one of the most famous detective novel characters of all time: Sherlock Holmes. Although not considered Hume’s best work, since it was his first novel ever written, The Mystery of the Hansom Cab became a bestselling novel soon after it was penned. In fact, it remained considered for a long time as the best mystery novel of the Victorian era.

Hume began to explore the mystery genre when he acquired a set of novels written by the then famous Émile Gaboriau, whose works were well-known in Australia. Hume became inspired, and decided to write his own mystery novel. The result was The Mystery of the Hansom Cab.

The story itself seems simple at first: two gentlemen take the same cab, and after the first one leaves the cab, the driver soon finds that the second gentleman was dead, with no papers or identification found on his person. The detective in charge of the case initially believed it to be clear: find the first gentleman, and you have your murderer. Subsequent investigation, however, has shown that things are not as simple as they seem. Unfolding one layer after another of unexpected developments that revealed a more sinister outlook that anyone – even the keenest of readers – could have foreseen, the narrative of the story will lead you into uncharted waters, where the full extent of the mystery involved will soon reveal itself.

Hume’s novel has received outstanding reviews from critics throughout the past 140 years, and continues to be viewed as one of the most well-written and well-designed works of mystery fiction, placed right at the top with literary works such as those of Jane Austen, Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie later on. For anyone interested in a true brain-teaser, as well as an historic work of literary genius, The Mystery of the Hansom Cab is definitely an excellent choice.
[amz_corss_sell asin=”1775429059″]