This book is based on a true event murder in Dublin city in 1856. George Little, chief cashier at Broadstone railway terminus is found dead in a pool of blood; in a locked room with no key. The author focused on the investigation through to the aftermath of the trial, based on an expanse of case materials. The book is well written albeit choc-a-bloc of detail, people and facts that I felt could have been omitted and ultimately would have kept the story moving along at a better pace. A good book for those interested in Victorian era crime, but a heavier read than other accounts, such as The Suspicions of Mr Whicher.

I received this copy from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

A fascinating insight into the murder of a cashier working at Dublins railway terminus known as Broadstone back in the mid 1800s. The story of the killing of George Little is based on factual notes taken during the whole murder enquiry and is related effectively and according to the time.
We hear from the detectives involved in the seven month search to find the killer plus the various magistrates, government ministers and lawyers. I did feel that the story did weigh itself down a little at times with the frustrations involved but having said that once we heard from James Spollin and his family the tension was hoisted up a notch and I was firmly hooked! A very different way of telling a fascinating, historical tale!

DNF @ 37%

This book is a mixture of fact and fiction which I struggled with. It would start with what seems like a fictional story and then there would be chapters with facts from the case. It also felt very long winded and the story went on forever - I think there is too much fact-telling than necessary.

Not for me unfortunately.

Thank you to the publisher for giving my the opportunity to read this book.

This is an absolutely brilliant mix of fact and fiction. Set in Dublin in 1856, it’s the story of the murder of George Little, a cashier at the railway station. He’s found with his throat cut in a licked room, surrounded by piles of money. Initially it’s believed he committed suicide, but as the enquiry unfolds, it becomes clear that he was killed. But by whom and why?

The story is presented as a thrilling murder mystery; but the facts and much of the legal aspects are, in fact real and taken from records. The research is meticulous and rather than becoming bogged down in a detailed and dull factual account, Thomas Morris has created a narrative that kept me gripped from start to finish. It’s very clever and the more so because it’s true. The difficulties of the time are explored, including religion, poverty, absentee English landlords, mistrust of the judicial process and the sensational reporting of the crime.

Really enjoyed this tale, very different and my thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

I have very mixed opinions on this one! whilst it included all the genres and topics i love; history, thrillers, mystery, crime i did find it really hard to digest at times. And whilst the explanation of the terminology was helpful it did make the book feel a lot longer and more tedious. I loved how this was based on a true story & the historical fiction elements of it. I would still recommend this, but only when you’re in the mood for a long-winded type of book, it’s certainly not a quick read.

An incredibly detailed account of the murder of George Little in Dublin in the 1850s and the subsequent investigations.

There were too many characters and I lost interest to be honest.

If you like true crime books, it's for you

An interesting historical narrative of the 1856 Dublin railway murder.
Very well written, reads like a crime thriller.

Normally I love novels like this but for some reason I couldn’t get into it.The synopsis was well written and had me excited for get cracking but it was a slog to the plot twist and then once that happened I was left a little deflated. Was that really it? Just that.

Whilst I appreciate the amount of research the author put into the writing of this book I am afraid it was not for me and I did not finish it.

I found the number of people involved confusing and it was rather like reading a newspaper account of the murder. I know it was a true case and I had hoped to enjoy reading it.

I would like to thank NetGalley for the ARC for which I have given my honest and unbiased review .

Based upon a true story set in Dublin 1856 about a chief cashier, George Little who diligently worked at Broadstone railway terminus who was found dead laying in a pool of blood behind a locked door ! No its not mid-summers murders or peaky blinders, it really happened; a case that confounded both police, citizens of Dublin and workers at the terminus. Great historical research based on copious information, put together to create an easy to follow narrative. I really enjoyed the peaking into the social world of the rich and lowly, the quirks of policing, odd characters, inept investigation techniques sprinkled with the usual coronation type scandals, lying, cover ups and misdirection. Good follow up on where our main characters of the story ended up and dialogue on the investigation. Kept me reading right to the end and no skipping sections. Thank you Netgalley and the publishers Random House UK for allowing me to review this book.

An entertaining enough read, the pace of it giving ample sense of the frustration which must have followed this case in real time.

It highlights quite starkly the way victims (and their families) of serious crimes are often plainly forgotten in light of a public obsession with a trial to entertain them. Sobering reminder that's still happening today.

Dublin, Ireland, November 1856, and George Little, chief cashier at Broadstone railway terminus is found dead, a truly vicious attack that left him lying in a large pool of blood. Forcible entry had to be used by railway staff, as the door had been locked, apparently from the inside.

What made this locked room murder mystery even more intriguing is, that it’s a true story.

Cashier George Little handled large amounts of money during the course of his working week, but initially it was thought that no money had gone missing, however, further investigations revealed that in fact, hundreds of pounds had gone, which at least gave police a motive for the murder. However, with literally hundreds of interviews to be carried out, leading to dozens of suspects, this wasn’t going to be a walk in the park.

Thomas Morris brings the Victorian period vividly to life, and in particular the workings of a busy rail terminal, with its hundreds of passengers and staff, and using archived documents he has carried out extensive research, that would appeal to those interested in true crime and social history. The only negative I have, is that there were so many characters, that it made it difficult to keep up at times. Still enjoyed it though. (less)

The research and the detail of this book are amazing. Notes from the police investigation, the trial and every piece of paper to ddo with the murder seem to have been iincluded. A lot to read - and absorb - my head was in a whirl before I got more than a quarter of the way through. The police officer in charge was removed from the case, people were arrested and let go until they thought they'd get a guilty verdict with James Spollin The trial was a farce, a woman who wanted rid of her husband seems to have schooled her children to say things that would make him appear guilty, but it was all circumstantial and the children's stories kept on changing. Spollin never seems to recover from it all - not surprisingly.

I'd have preferred a little judicious editing rather than the whole transcript. It was just too long.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I read a free advance review copy of the book. This review is voluntary, hoonest and my own opinion.

This is a true to life murder mystery, that happened in 1856.
George Little, the chief cashier, was murdered but in a seemingly locked room. This was one of Dublin's first murders for 30 years. 

The author writes straight from the transcriptions  and interviews that were carried out at the time. So you can see the whole's in people's account's and 

I can appreciate the amount of research the author has put into this book and it was interesting  to see how crime was investigated back then, however it was not for me, I felt it dragged on a bit and it was a bit too formal.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me a digital copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.

Fascinating, in-depth and so well written, a really interesting account of a notorious murder I hadn’t heard of. I thought the bit after the trial was as interesting as the investigation and search for the suspect.

A great book for true crime readers! Recovering from the potato famine, railway station cashier George Little was murdered in 1856. This is a violent crime which was not normal in Dublin. There were many interviews before the police investigation started but until the wife of the railway worker accused him of the murder things when things became less of a mess. Murder weapons were found which seems to have been from the manuscript of the time. The court trial was my favourite part of the book it was fun.

This is an analysis of a true historic crime of 1856: the time, place, politics and press reporting and the key characters who were seemingly involved. Morris has used both the extensive press reports of the time and the official documents of the investigation as this increasingly toxic Irish political situation could not be easily resolved. His ability to meld both facts and awareness of the people themselves make this a riveting read, with the added dimension of raising awareness of the complexities of a police investigation in Dublin where the powers that be were deeply distrusted by much of the Catholic and working class community, remembering that Ireland itself was “governed” by a largely absentee English MP with his own political agenda.
The murder took place at the Broadstone Railway terminus Dublin. This, with it it’s adjoining canal and rail workshops, was a hub of hundreds of employees and even more travellers. There was already a strong culture of pilfering stores and equipment here at Broadstone. But these new railways were becoming the centre of increasing press scrutiny in response to a number of international financial speculations and scams, so the murder of George Little, the Company’s recently appointed chief cashier, in the “locked room” of his office led to a major furore as first the scale of the theft that accompanied this death became clear and then the police seemed unable to catch the criminal involved.
Morris details the investigation that started belatedly when first the body was finally discovered nearly 24 hours after his killing and then it was realised his cut throat was not the first suggested suicide but a brutal murder. In the days before controlled crime scenes, modern investigative techniques, or proper forensic support and with Company and political intrusion, this was never going to be an easy case to solve, but Morris takes the reader through the process then and the difficulties. Various people are suspected, interviewed and cleared until months later the possible murderer is reported by his wife. However at that time a wife was not allowed give evidence against her spouse in court so a trial – demanded by the press and the situation - was always going to be difficult.
The trial is fully reported here and the defendant was found not guilty. Another bizarre tale then starts to unroll as he tries “to raise the passage money to emigrate” – first by public performances in Dublin and then later in England. In the latter place he meets a notorious phrenologist – who convinced of his guilt – is interested in models of his skull to support his hypothesis of a distinct and measureable “murderer’s” skull. But through this one can see a man who is descending into serious psychosis before finally “disappearing” from the historic record.
This is a deeply detailed book – and it is one of the important suites of crime reports that show so much more about the crime itself but also the social and economic backgrounds of all the people and places involved. Because the political and policing issues are so complex it can be a read that requires deep concentration at times – not least because so many people are involved in the place of the crime and a not inconsiderable number are lying to the police to hide vagaries of their own behaviours. But it turns out to be a real eye-opener around so many aspects of life in Dublin in the 1850s. But at the heart of it are people trying to live their normal lives (not always easy) who can be seen to emerge in increasing clarity, so it is well worth the read.

It's 1856 in Ireland, the mail train has been visiting various stations to collect revenue and tickets to be taken to the head office. There is more money than usual as the annual Mullingar Fair has recently been held.

George Little has risen slowly through the ranks to reach the position of cashier with the Midland Great Western Railway Company, he is a conscientious man who supports his mother, an aunt, and his widowed sister.

I'm in two minds about this book, on the one hand, I can appreciate the research that went into it, but on the other hand, I'm not sure it actually makes a story, but rather a textbook?

It was an interesting read to see how crimes were investigated but it was quite a dry read with no real conclusion, speculation definitely. The phrenology section was quirky, to say the least.

No-one can fault the thorough research that has gone into this. However, i do think this would read better as a case study as it felt too formal and factual to immerse into the story.

Commendable research and detail, but very dry: may not work for more lightweight readers like me!

Whilst I absolutely appreciate Morris' desire to only work from the (extensive, absolutely extensive) records of the shocking Dublin crime, the investigation by the Dubli Metropolitan Police, and the jusdicial process itself, this does lead to overwhelm.

The - I can't call them 'cast of characters' - its not remotely that kind of book - and I wanted it to incorporate that kind of giving flesh to bones - the list of Municipal Employees, persons interviewed by the Police, the hierarchy within the police, where that dovetailed with Westminster civil servants, Parliamentarians etc, and the detail of everyone in the judicial process, just led to this reader glazing over.

I expected this would be a book similar to Kate Summerscale's The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, which perhaps has spawned imitators,. Summerscale enlivened fact with a sense of imagination, dramatic and literary skill, so that names and factual detail become 'real' to the reader. Historical writing CAN be like this, without sacrificing fact to fiction.

I'm sure students of criminal investigation, and the history of this, and the judicial process, in the eighteenth century will appreciate, more than I did, tne simple laying out of a stack of facts.