Murder in the first-class carriage : the first Victorian railway killing

 by Kate Colkuhoun.  Colquhoun recounts the investigation and solution of the Victorian era's ultimate locked-room mystery. On July 9, 1864, a man's black hat, a cane, a black leather bag, a link from a watch chain, and copious amounts of blood were found in a private compartment of the North London Railway train. The compartments were separated, isolated, and locked. Side windows were barred with heavy brass rods. At some point, investigators concluded, a man had been bludgeoned to death in this compartment between Hackney and North London, but no screams had been heard at any point. The body of the elderly banker who had booked the compartment had been disposed of on the tracks. Journalist Colquhoun has crafted a marvelously suspenseful account of the investigation, a trans-Atlantic manhunt, and the ensuing trial. This is an intriguing story about emerging forensics and also an engaging social history, focusing on how a spectacular crime, the first on a British railroad, riveted public attention. --Booklist (Check Catalog)