The Necropolis Railway - Rated 
It's a wonder Jim keeps his job with all the distractions his has. An enjoyable nove. Thank you Andrew.
Nothing to really get steamed up about - Rated 
A slow-paced atmospheric thriller, which takes the reader back to that golden era of the steam railways. Those interested in trains, in particular stream, will be in heaven, as the author clearly has an in-depth knowledge of the subject, and describes it in captivating detail throughout. That's not to say that non-rail enthusiasts will hate it - quite a bit of language and terms went straight over my head, but it still enabled me to build up a good picture as to what it must have been like working the railways in Edwardian London. As for the plot itself, well, it's not the best murder mystery you're ever likely to read, but it's not bad either. I wasn't completely disappointed with this book, but it's not one which left a lasting impression either.
Steam with a twist - Rated
I decided to buy this book, after I had watched Mr Martin narratting a TV program about the steam age. At first, the book was slow and quite heavy going in places, but once all the background information was over and done with, the book turned out to be exciting and very easy to read. Unexpected twists and turns provided several dead bodies and with an unusual ending, this is another good murder mystery book.
For Fans of the Railway, This is a Must - Rated
I think I would have gotten much more out of this novel if I had understood how steam railways work. I simply didn't understand the terminology and thus I think I missed quite a lot in the telling.
The murder mystery was a good one, and I didn't see the answer coming until the protagonist did, which is always a good thing. I hate "mysteries" where I can see the answer 100 pages in advance. That didn't happen here. However, Stringer isn't a superior sleuth; he just has fortunate accidents.
I didn't understand the need for the female character in this story, either. It seemed she was just placed there because "that's what you do." She was one-dimensional and quite bland. The other characters are a bit more compelling and I would have liked to have heard more from them. Martin's descriptions of Edwardian London are spot on, and since I am very familiar with the Waterloo/Lower Marsh area that he describes, it was great fun to spot the locations that still exist today.
All in all, I'm glad I read Necropolis Railway, but I don't think I got as much out of it as a railroad buff would. I picked it up because the idea of a train that runs only to a cemetery sounded creepy in a fun way, and I was interested in that concept. I think I'll pick up other books that talk about Necropolis and Brookwood Cemetery, and I'll probably get a better understanding from those.
Needs to build more steam ... - Rated
As a historical novel, I can't fault Andrew Martin for his skilled recreation of a by-gone age. He easily transports you back to the turn of the last century, helping you experience the hussle and bustle, the casual deprivation, the customs and the language of the age. He has clearly put a lot of research into how trains were run during this time and with his character of Arthur Hunt he hints at the growing social disaffection and the rise of the socialists.
In particular, I have to commend his use of slang in the dialogue - although some of it looks out of place given the way we speak today, it does have an authenticity to it that helps you believe in the story. It's ironic though that this great strength should also be one of the weaknesses in the book because in using authentic language and terminology I sometimes felt a little loss as to what was going on. This was particularly the case in the sections describing the operation of the trains and the structure of the railyard. A glossary would have really helped me out in this regard so I had something to flip to if I felt myself getting confused.
The other issue I had is that whilst the book is billed as an exciting mystery, the execution is a little ... understated. In particular, although Martin strives hard to show Stringer as being in fear for his life, I didn't believe that he ever was, even towards the end. In fact, there seemed to be no urgency to his predicament - Stringer drifts from episode to episode and in the one scene that should be genuinely chilling, you know that he's going to get out okay without too much difficulty.
As a character, Stringer is well handled. He's naive, enthusiastic about the railway and I could buy into his not being alert to the dangers of being too honest. However, I found the romance element with his landlady to be a little frustrating - again, it's down to the way he drifts into it, but I just couldn't believe it. Nor could I believe the interlude with the whore house - even allowing for the fact that Stringer has been drinking, it seems somewhat out of character for him.
Rowland Smith is being set up as a recurring villain but he's someone I'm not sure really works. There's no sense of his being a criminal mastermind because there's simply not enough of him on the page to get hold of. I also thought that his motivation was somewhat convoluted, strained to fit the plot rather than fitting it naturally.
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