Peril on the Royal Train (15/7/24-18/7/24)
This is the tenth book in the Railway Detective series set in the 1850s. After two or three strong entries in the series, I didn't enjoy this one quite as much. A goods train is derailed at a remote spot in Scotland by a pile of rocks on the line hidden round a bend. There is the usual list of potential suspects, including some sabbatarians determined to stop trains running on a Sunday and even, briefly, a shepherd upset at trains running over his lambs. The plot thickens though and about half way through it becomes apparent that this crash, appalling though it is, is a dress rehearsal by unknown suspects for an audacious attack on the train taking Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and their family for their summer holiday at Balmoral. As usual, the main characters simultaneously amuse and irritate with their perennial mannerisms and idiosyncrasies, but I have come to love Tallis and Leeming. ( )

★ ★ 1/2

So far I am hating this..... I dislike his wife & her father (very, very trite & whiny conversations).

Detective Leeming is getting on my nerves... always bitching about leaving his wife & having to travel (which happens to be his freaking job). He should have gotten use to it by now, or just shut the hell up & quit already.

I also thoroughly dislike several of the other Inspectors/Detectives on the case. The continual jealousy & thwarting of Colbeck's investigation gets very old for me, I'm tired of the constant back-stabbing & hatefulness, it has ruined the series for me so I've finished w/ the series.

I did, however, like the conclusion and the basic story:

A young shepherd has lost a few sheep to the Caledonia and hates the railway for "murdering" innocent animals.

A bit later the Engineer & Fireman of the Caledonia are discussing what it is when one goes into a marriage with the brake man fast asleep when the Caledonia rounds a bend and into a huge pile of rocks, thus overturning the train & ending the life of all three men upon it. This was no accident and sets the plot for the story.....

One of the securest "Chubb" safes in all the world, in the home of a politically well connected peer has been burgled, only to have some money taken and all the jewelry & other valuables left behind.

The burglar is later found murdered in his own home and his Chubb safe is found to be completely empty, which leads Inspector Colbeck back to the original burglary in order to reinspect the safe's contents, where he finds secret plans of the Queen & the Royal Family's trip to Balmoral.

At most every turn the efforts of Inspector Colbeck are thwarted by the jealousy & stupidity of other men in power...... and thankfully two get their comeuppance.

There are no lack of people/groups that want the Railway stopped including the young shepherd, who turns out to be a good & reliable source of information and sets Inspector Colbeck on to the trail of the guilty party. There is the churchy people who sabotage the railway and want it to stop running on Sundays & a disgruntled group of political reactionaries.

The story was a 5 all the whining & pettiness lowered the rating to a 2.5 ( )