The Mystery of a Hansom Cab
By Fergus Hume
- Release Date: 1886-12-31
- Genre: Police Procedural
Description
An Apple Books Classic edition.
We’ve all heard of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes. But what about the novel that inspired Doyle-and outsold him? Fergus Hume’s <i>The Mystery of a Hansom Cab</i> made him the bestselling crime writer of the 19th century.
The story opens in the dead of night in Victorian-era Melbourne. A man pulls up to a police station and tells them he’s shuttling the body of a murder victim inside his hansom cab. And although he’s laid eyes on the man he believes to be the murderer, the driver can offer no concrete leads.
Hume’s novel is as famous for its plot as it is for its depiction of Melbourne’s class divides at the time. With its portraits of grimy, impoverished neighbourhoods alongside scenes of high-society opulence, The Mystery of a Hansom Cab is an absorbing historical mystery.
Reviews
Kept me guessing until the end!
5By macmarmieStory had enough detail and unexpected angles that I was surprised at the end.macmarmieCompares favorably with Conan Doyle
4By Left Coast BobAlmost like a blend of Conan Doyle and Jane Austen. I enjoyed it.Decent Little Mystery Book.
4By Rastus P. KumquatIt was a relatively easy read mystery book. Wasn’t too hard to follow. A bit winded at times. Otherwise was a fun read for me. Hope others can also enjoy this read.Historical Mystery
3By PaladinplaceThough somewhat predictable, the plot contains twists, and turns to keep the reader interested.Very good read
5By Goodman+The story moves along quickly, dialogue between the characters lends well to the pace. The chapters of the book are short making the progress of the story easy to read. There are a lot of misspellings in this version of the book.Say
5By sirFlickkaIt’s coolly😭The Mystery of a Hansom Cab
4By MxpklGotta love the classics.Family secrets
5By CubanosoThis early mystery is a historical document of life in Melbourne at the end of the 19th century. Gorby, the detective who opens the novel disappears one third of the way in the text. There’s humor and a few red herrings. Great book.Fabulous story
5By MsphytSo glad I read this story, it was worth it. Very interesting, period in history and the early days of Australia- I knew nothing about this author but mystery from authors of past are always welcome in my book lists!The mystery of the Hansom cab.
4By CP MooConsidering the time of writing, I thought it was quite good.Great story
5By Steve j mI truly enjoyed the intrigue and twists and turns in the well thought out story. A page turner.Too long
4By FufubabyThe plot was great but there was too much unnecessary narrative.The Mystery of a Hansom Cab
5By TRockTbExcellent murder mysteryA good read
5By cobra429wIt seemed real. I couldn’t put it down.Meh
2By Tygerlili70Victorin, patronizing misogyny full of heavy-handed literary references wrapped around a mediocre plot. Skip this and go directly to anything by Conan Doyle.The mystery of the Hansom Cab
5By Grandma Fox 85First page of the book looked like a loser but kept on reading. Turned out to be one heck of a good book. The Author made me think about my decision to quit reading and I was thrilled with the ending. Thanks for both the book and the author. Another old lady who loves a good book.Great Read!
5By Skyman401Frustrated, because I had the culprit, though not the motive, figured out from the beginning, but the great thing about this book is that it keeps you continually guessing until the very end. Can’t say much more about it other than that I highly recommend it to any mystery lover. 📔Good book.
5By Terry Weber-RodriguezVery entertaining. I enjoyed the peek into the early days of Australia. I wish, in many ways, we enjoyed reading and conversation as was carried on before modern entertainment.Thoroughly enjoyable
5By ReadtheclassicsThe novel was fun to read. And yes, don’t let the digital version distract you with its many errors.
