The Rome Express

Description

Set in an era when train travel was a privilege of the wealthy few, Arthur Griffiths’ The Rome Express features the exciting story of a murder on a luxury train and the ensuing investigation with most of the characters coming from higher classes.

The murder that the story revolves around takes place very early on in the book – after only a few pages, the reader is presented with the mysterious death of one of the passengers on the express train bound from Rome to Paris – the victim is a gentleman who seems to have been beaten and stabbed to death in his sleeping compartment sometime during the journey.

The case is investigated by professionals of the French police and by a self-proclaimed investigator called General Collingham who distinguishes himself by his extraordinary, sharp spirit of observation and his ability to take action when he deems it necessary. The investigation is made even more complicated by the involvement of a beautiful countess, a passenger of the train who is also engaged in a budding love affair with the General, but the mystery becomes solved eventually, as can be expected, after numerous detours and misinterpreted clues. Driven by the wish to clear the name of his sweetheart, it is the General who actually solves the case and practically hands over the solution to the official French investigators, teaching them a lesson in a very elegant way.

The Rome Express might remind readers of another mystery plot that takes place on a train: Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express. There is no evidence that Christie read Griffiths’ book, but she might have, given that The Rome Express was first published in 1890, more than forty years before Christie’s masterpiece and it enjoyed huge popularity when it came out. Anyway, one thing is sure: The Rome Express is a great and well-written murder mystery that makes a quick and entertaining read.
[amz_corss_sell asin=”1776661648″]