The Dublin Railway Murder is a dramatisation of the real-life murder of George Little at the Broadstone railway terminus in Dublin in the 1850s. The book tells the story of the murder of the cashier of the railways. Highlighting the mystery surrounding the killing of George Little in his locked office. Then the investigation by the police that followed.

Thomas Morris amazingly recalls Victorian Ireland. Providing insights into both the historical context and everyday life in the city. I especially liked his historical insights into the Irish and British relationship at this time.

The start of this book is amazing, the first chapter is especially great, with its description of Ireland. However, it does get a little boring in the middle, the sections that focus on the actual investigations. Once they had a suspect the book once again picks up.

“The Dublin Railway Murder” is a fascinating account of the true locked-room murder of George Little in Dublin, 1856. One of the first murders in Ireland to truly grip public interest, as the investigations and subsequent trials were played out in the press, the details of this mysterious crime are every bit as intriguing today as they would have been then.

Although meticulously researched and rich with detail, this book is anything but dry. The author uses real interviews and statements from the time to narrate the tale in the players’ own words, giving the text a real sense of time and place and bringing something fresh and vital to the nonfiction account. I loved this way of blending historical fiction and true crime and was captivated right the way through the book. I would certainly read more by this author.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the arc to review.

This book is absolutely fascinating.

The setting is brilliant and being based in true crime makes it a real attention grabber.

I loved all the details around the the railway and the station, it makes for a very rich reading experience.

The case of the Railway murder in Ireland. A look at the murder and the court case that followed.

This was an interesting look at the case though it can seem a little detail heavy at times. It covers the case well and even talks about the various lives of those involved. I do feel like George Little and his family got a little lost in the story as there's not much about them. it focuses more on the suspects. Its a fairly well known case so I was curious to see what had happened. The ending finishes the story off well and attempts to explain what happened to all involved or at least as far as possible. A good true crime but found some sections dragged on a little too much for me.

I am very grateful to NetGalley and Random House UK, Vintage, for the advanced reader copy in return for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Morris' book, which skilfully illuminated the brutal, locked room murder of George Little, set alongside a detailed insight into the Victorian culture and society in Dublin in the mid-19th century.

Based on extensive forensic archive research, Thomas Morris created an expert reconstruction of a once-famous murder mystery that contains as many twists and turns, shocks and surprises and false leads that the very best crime fiction can offer. The outcome may also not be what you might expect.

Morris' writing is vivid and compelling, and he sets out the story in a convincing fashion.

At times, I found the pace a little slow, though that, I imagine, reflected well the speed of the original investigation. In addition, the crime that occurred when Ireland was gradually recovering from the Great Famine made the murder and its aftermath for those directly impacted that more poignant.

I highly recommend this book.

I mean yeah, if you're into true crime this book might be something for you. I'm not so I wasn't particulary investenrd in it.
This book is very very well-researched but also very fact-heavy, which is both a good thing and a bad thing. You learn A LOT about Victorian Dublin, but sometimes it draws your attention away from the story.
I feel like this book woyld have been a great novel, because as a true crime it's a bit dry and emotionless.

If I had to rate this book solely based on my enjoyment, I would have given it 2 stars, but since it's true crime, I am giving it one more star because I can tell the author did their research and they did it well.
A bit too well, in my opinion, because the whole book was a huge info dump; let's be honest: we were all here for the murder, not to learn about the Irish railway system in the 1800s or the exact amount of money each suspect earned. I mean, it's interesting, but 400 pages for a single murder would have been a lot even without all this info, which I will be forgetting very shortly.
The structure was linear, clear and pretty easy to follow (aside from the aforementioned info dump, which distracted me a bit from the actual story), but there was something off: the book is mostly told as a crime novel would be and it reads like fiction, but sometimes the author intervened to clarify things about the time period, interrupting the flow. I would have preferred if they kept their additions to the notes, because if you decide to write true crime to read like a mystery, you must follow through with your intentions.
In general, it was a nice book about a pretty much unknown mystery (I love true crime and never heard about this particular case), but being a "basic" murder it became a bit boring after a few chapters.
The pictures and documents inside were a nice addition, would recommend if you don't mind your true crime mixed with very precise historical details which are not necessarily useful for the understanding of the crime per se.
Thanks so much to the publisher and Netgalley for the e-ARC.

Geore Little worked for the Midland great Western railway company as a cashier. Handling cash, gold and silver in a period of time when Ireland had experienced a famine, and a large percentage of the country were living in poverty. In November 1856 George Little was Murdered at the Broadstone railway terminus. He was found in his office, in a pool of his own blood, his throat slit and his head savagely bashed in. Police initially assumed that George had taken his own life, the only plausible explanation as his office had been locked from the inside. This theory was quickly dismissed, and so ensued one of the greatest murder enquiries in Victorian Dublin.
An excellent, well written book,. Written with respect to George Littles memory, while still being an intriguing page turner

I really enjoy true crime and I can't deny that this was great. I loved it and would highly recommend it to anyone who also enjoys true crime

I absolutely loved this book, it was enthralling from the start and I was dissapointed when it finished, I would definitely recommend this book, one of the best I have read this year

A very well researched Victorian murder mystery telling the true story of the event, set in Dublin, great read.

In 1856 George Little, a cashier for the Midland Great Western Railway Company in Dublin, an honest and reliable employee, was found brutally murdered in his office with his throat cut and the door locked from the inside. A real-life locked-room mystery. This meticulously researched and well-written book explores the murder in great detail, with the investigations and consequent trial transcripts are quoted in full. It’s an intriguing and compelling story. Not only do we learn all about the murder but the book also sheds light on the economic and social conditions prevailing in Dublin at the time, making this a work of social history as well as a mystery tale. An added bonus was meeting Mr Whicher again – although this time he doesn’t do so well in solving the crime. Occasionally I found the level of detail a bit overwhelming but overall this is a fascinating account of a still unsolved murder.

A novel based on a real life story that was a sensation in 1856. Thomas Morris has used extensive research of the Irish National Archives, police and court documents and newspaper archives to piece together what is a very readable story. Some true life stories can read like a litany of facts and figures, but here Thomas has painted a gloriously detailed picture of what it must have been like to be involved in a murder investigation in these Victorian times.
For chief investigator Augustus Guy there were no scene of crime experts or even fingerprint evidence available at the time, investigations were based on interviews with suspects and witnesses only.
The book gives the reader a great understanding of what policing and court life was like in mid 19th century Ireland. A fascinating and entertaining read.

I don’t usually read true crime, but I am so glad I decided to read this book. I found it absolutely fascinating and really enjoyed it. The book is expertly written and I can’t fault it. A lot of research has gone into this book and it has been very well put together. I definitely recommend. Thank you #net galley

A narrative based on a true crime that was never solved? The description of The Dublin Railway Murder had me hooked and, along with the stunning green cover, I thought I was onto a winner. However, the outer layer proved more exciting than the content inside for me.

The lock-in murder of George Little opens the novel, laying the foundations for the case and trial to follow. The historical setting always appeals to me as a crime becomes a lot more difficult to solve - especially one that suggests no one could have gotten in or out of the room without some difficulty. Part One's content was most interesting to try and work out who in that tiny room could have murdered Mr Little.

Then, from here on out, the content of the narrative began to feel a little muddied to me. It's like the novel didn't know what it wanted to be - dipping in and out of past and present tense, quoting newspapers and then jumping into speech, clunky stops and starts between the chapters that didn't feel like they flowed well. This constant tug of war between submersion in the story and then the scattering of present knowledge and facts felt like a war between a literary novel and a non-fiction. When sold as a true crime novel, I wanted it to feel like I was reading a story, not a non-fiction. Admittedly, the factual information was interesting, and I wondered whether form choices could have aided this; a newspaper clipping, a legal document, a piece of evidence actually shown in the pages rather than a character asserting the information in an imagined conversation. It would have made evidence feel more exciting to be handed it on the page at the same time as the characters!

Otherwise, I found the result of the trial and the aftermath again more interesting. The fall out of the verdict and how this effected the characters was unexpected and a lot more intriguing, especially when reaching the epilogue. Here it was clear how much research and knowledge had gone into this project - I wanted more of this side of the writing!

Overall, I certainly feel like this book has huge potential, but it just wasn't executed in the way I anticipated. However, I do think the narrative content is a truly interesting story that will appeal to lots of readers (just ones that aren't like me!).

Dublin 1856 and at the Broadstone terminus money is flooding in from the fairs along the line. Clerk George Little is meticulous and honest, even with over a thousand pounds in gold and silver in his keeping. However someone is less honest and William is found in a pool of blood, bludgeoned and his throat cut, with stacks of money missing. Unfortunately the combined minds of Irish and English detectives fail to apprehend the killer until a woman claims it is her husband.
The is a great true story about a sensation in Ireland. It is interesting to think of Dublin as being a city with little violent crime but that then throws these events into sharp focus. As much about the way the public respond to the scandal as it it is about the solving, this is a solid and superior tale.

In November 1886, George Little, the head cashier at Broadstone railway terminus is found lying beneath his desk in a pool of blood. The door to his office is locked from the inside and there’s no sign of the key. What unfolds is one of Ireland’s most infamous murder mysteries.

Years ago, I remember reading about this case while studying history at university. Morris has brought this case to life by his meticulous research and in-depth scrutiny of all the components of George Little’s murder.

The book is divided into 5 sections, focusing on all aspects of the case. Morris clearly spend a lot of time meticulously analysing the murder and provides the reader with a very detailed account. The inclusion of portraits, artistic reconstructions of the scene of the murder and original documents really adds to the story. I also loved how Morris has given us a real insight into the social context of the times. It’s a fascinating snapshot of Victorian Ireland.

The Dublin Railway Murder would be a great addition to the reading list of any true crime enthusiast. If you are a fan of true crime and like to see the case through from start to finish, this will be of interest to you. It’s an intense read but a fascinating insight into one of Ireland’s greatest murder mysteries.

If you enjoyed The Five by Hallie Rubenhold, you will like this book.

The Dublin Railway Murder is out now. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. 4 ⭐️

So this is a strange one for me, it is undoubtedly very well researched, but oh boy is the author going to make sure we know about it. The start of the book, setting out the crime is actually quite pacy but it feels like it all gets a bit bogged down in the minutiae of the investigation. There are also so many people to keep track of and that doesn’t help. I think I was expecting a bit more of a conclusion at the end, but maybe that’s me being over optimistic about what can be achieved in a book about a 150 plus year old Murder. A solid read, but not as good as say The Five.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book
The book is a retelling of the murder of George Little in a locked railway room in Dublin in the 1850s. The author's research is outstanding and the detail provided immense. That said I didn't find it boring although maybe some details could have been omitted to improve the pace.. Certainly very well written. If you have an interest in true crime this book will be right up your street. You can read a lot of the information online yourself so the ending is not going to be a surprise but the author also highlights the economic, political and social aspects at the time which are having a knock on effect to people's attitudes today and that is truly fascinating

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Vintage and Thomas Morris for my arc of The Dublin Railway Murder in exchange for an honest review.

Out now!

An entertaining and fascinating true story written in the style of fiction, The Dublin Railway Murder is one for any true crime fan.

The story is that of George Little, cashier of the Broadstone Railway Terminus in Dublin and his sensational murder. A locked door mystery that baffled police of the time, who arrested many but convicted none.

The story explores the murder itself but also includes fascinating titbits about the time and surroundings. Touching on everything from the famine, emigration, phrenology and even Jane Austen!

I enjoyed this book more than I expected. It was written almost like a fictional account which made it a much easier read than most none fiction works. I enjoyed learning about the different aspects of the time and place especially the legal rules at the time such as the fact that suspects could not be questioned by the police or offer defence at their own trial. Overall, I would recommend this book.