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The Mystery of a Hansom Cab by Fergus Hume

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The story itself is a mix of crime, investigations, courtroom drama, melodrama, and elements of sensation fiction, complete with dark secrets from the past. The novel begins with a report from the Argus o The bottom line is that I really liked this book -- another ahhhhh read in my history-of-mystery project for The novel begins with a report from the Argus on "Saturday, the 28th of July, " telling its readers of an "extraordinary murder" that occurred in a most unlikely place -- a hansom cab: Indeed, from the nature of the crime itself, the place where it was committed, and the fact that the assassin has escaped without leaving a trace behind him, it would seem as though the case itself had been taken bodily out of one of Gaboriau's novels, and that his famous detective Lecoq would only be able to unravel it.

True, there are detectives: At the same time, others are also doing their own bit of detection in this story, so to limit it by giving it the label of detective fiction isn't exactly right. It also delivers some pretty strong commentary and criticism on society of the time, which is, I think, one of the reasons I enjoyed it so much. The book is also notable for its view of contemporary Melbourne -- it takes the reader through the city streets, from the gentility of the city's gentlemen's clubs down into its darker dens of vice.

Add to that the elements of sensation fiction which I love and the characterizations; putting aside the melodrama, it all made for a couple of days of reading pleasure. It also really messes with reader expectations in a very big way. Malcolm Royston, a cabman, was driving in Collins Street East, Melbourne at 1am on the 27th July when he was hailed by a gentleman who appeared to be supporting another man, presumably under the influence of too much liquor.

But suddenly the good Samaritan appeared to recognise the Malcolm Royston, a cabman, was driving in Collins Street East, Melbourne at 1am on the 27th July when he was hailed by a gentleman who appeared to be supporting another man, presumably under the influence of too much liquor.

But suddenly the good Samaritan appeared to recognise the drunken man, and allowing him to slump to the ground, rushed off in disgust. Rousing him with difficulty Royston finally managed to make out that the man wanted to go to St Kilda — after navigating him into his cab, which turned out to be a bit of a struggle, he was about to drive off when the original man returned. He declared he would see the drunk home after all and entered the cab, seating himself next to the gentleman — Royston then proceeded to head for St Kilda. But a little later Royston found himself heading to the Police Station — the following investigation had the police convinced they had found their murderer; the ease of the arrest thrilled the investigative officer, Mr Gorby, immensely.

What would he find? How would the lives of the participating players of this drama be affected? What an entertaining mystery! Written back in the s it covers everything needed for a good mystery, with a number of characters, eccentric and otherwise. It was a little tedious to read at times, but I suppose that might have to do with the time it was written. Magda was kind enough to send me a long list of excellent authors, including Fergus Hume.

Unable to get his plays even looked at — much less staged — he instead turned out his first mystery, The Mystery of the Hansom Cab , in The novel begins in colonial Australia with a cabbie picking up two gentlemen in evening dress, one of whom was falling-down drunk. How can the authorities track down the accompanying gentleman, who must surely be the murderer? Kilsip, has very different ideas. As with any good 19th century mystery, more evidence will emerge that leads Mr. Gorby to reopen the case, and the two rivals will vie — along with the defense attorney Duncan Calton — to be the one to bring the true murderer to justice.

King , or P. The Mystery of the Hansom Cab provides readers with a taste of an Australian classic, indeed, one that predates the Australian federation by 15 years. View all 4 comments. Dec 02, George K. Hume was born in England, but migrated to Australia — living in Melbourne. This was his first mystery, and became a huge bestseller. He went on to write about one-hundred additional mysteries, but most of them have been forgotten.

This first novel is still read, and not just by Australians. The Hansom cab, named after its inventor, an English architect named Joseph Hansom, was still fairly new. It was popular because of its small size, a size that could fit well within growing cities traffic. The story line in this book tells of two men who get into a cab, but only one gets out. The one left was later discovered by the driver to be dead.

He had been murdered by means of chloroform. There were no other witnesses. This novel, even after so many years, still reads well. Many of the tricks of the writing trade were used in its production so that it still seems fresh. It is well worth a read by the serious mystery fan. A fun mystery - parts were a little predictable but that didn't interfere with my enjoyment. Hume managed to keep me wondering about who the culprit was right to the end.

Fergus Hume was born in England in His family emigrated to Australia, where he became a barrister and aspired to be a writer. His early efforts were met with complete disinterest, and so, unwilling to admit defeat, he asked a local bookseller what type of book was most popular.

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The answer was detective novels, and so Hume bought and studied all of the works of the popular crime writer Emile Gaboriau that the bookstore had to offer. That first book though was his only success. And it was a huge success; quite probably the best-selling detective story of the eighteenth century. Other books of the period may have stood the test of time better, may speak for their times more eloquently; other authors may have left a greater body of work; but this book has much to hold the interest.

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The book opens with a newspaper account of a murder. A drunken man had been put into a cab by another man, who instructed the driver to take him home. And when the driver stopped to ask his fare for directions not long afterwards, his passenger was dead, suffocated with a chloroform soaked handkerchief bearing the initials OW.

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Mr Gorby, the police detective at the head of the investigation, was very capable, and he was quick to establish that the dead man was Oliver Whyte, a newcomer to Melbourne society. It was interesting that Whyte had been courting Madge Frettlby, who was the only child of Mark Frettlby, one of the richest men in the city. Whyte and Fitzgerald were, understandably, on very bad terms.

He was convinced that he had his man. Fitzgerald pleaded innocence, but herefused to provide an alibi for the time of the murder. He had one, but he would not use it because he knew that to do so would cause irreparable damage. It was fortunate that his lawyer, Mr Calton believed him, and prepared to investigate. Another police detective, Mr Kilslip, was convinced that his old rival, Mr Gorby, had got things wrong; and so the two men set out to uncover the truth.

They came to understand why Fitzgerald wanted to keep a secret that he wished he had never been told, a terrible secret, with roots in England and Australia, involving some of the highest and some of the lowest of Melbourne society ….. The plot rattled along nicely, from crime, to investigation, to trial, to aftermath. And as it did that it shifted from crime story to sensation story. Hume did better with the former than the latter, and though I enjoyed most of the journey in the end I could see how things were going to play out and ready for the journey to be over.

But I had found much to appreciate along the way: I admired the professionalism of the police and lawyers, and I was pleased that they all proved to be capable. I liked that there was some moral ambiguity in the way the story played out. And I found it easy to believe in these people, to believe in their world, and to enjoy spending time there.

A hint of misogyny was disappointing, but Madge did develop into a credible heroine — albeit a woman of her time — after a shaky start, and this was a story about plot much more than characters. The characters did their job but no more. Fergus Hume is nowhere near their class, but he has left the world a rather nice period entertainment, pitched at a very interesting point in the evolution of crime fiction.

Sep 10, Dfordoom rated it liked it Shelves: If asked to name the bestselling mystery novel of the 19th century, most people would probably suggest something by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, possibly The Hound of the Baskervilles. Hume was born in England but brought up in New Zealand, and was living in Australia when he wrote the book. The book is set in Melbourne. He went on to write a further crime novels. The book opens with a cabby disco If asked to name the bestselling mystery novel of the 19th century, most people would probably suggest something by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, possibly The Hound of the Baskervilles.

The book opens with a cabby discovering a dead man, identity unknown, in his hansom cab. There are dreadful family secrets.

The Mystery of a Hansom Cab

There are surprise witnesses. There is a convoluted plot involving some unlikely coincidences. The final resolution is suspiciously neat. One interesting feature is that both the detectives involved in the case are police detectives rather than amateur sleuths, and both police officers are shown to be intelligent and efficient, and very professional.

The Mystery of a Hansom Cab was immensely influential at the time, and was a worldwide bestseller.

Conan Doyle is known to have read it. Just saying, if the author's foreword includes spoilers to the solution of the mystery, it really oughta be an afterword. Aside from that, about 2. The mystery was of average complexity, the characters and storytelling style pretty melodramatic I got an ironic chuckle out of the fact that The Leavenworth Case was mentioned and referred to as "light" reading, when I'd rate The Mystery of a Hansom Cab rather lighter.

Probably the most fun aspect was the setting of Victorian-era Australia, Just saying, if the author's foreword includes spoilers to the solution of the mystery, it really oughta be an afterword. Probably the most fun aspect was the setting of Victorian-era Australia, as I've read almost nothing else set there and the descriptions of the time and place were all fresh to me. As a mystery I must admit it is a bit slight and the identity of the killer is given away very early in the piece, but for this reader its main charm lies in its depiction of my own home town, Melbourne, Australia, where the novel was written and set.

The novel takes us to the moneyed salons of The Melbourne Club, the elegance of The Block, the slums of Little Bourke Street, the sweet sea air of St Kilda and the sweltering heat of a Victorian rural station, all of which are evoked with the authenticity that can only be attained by an eye-witness. After qualifying as a lawyer, he left New Zealand for the most dynamic city of the colonies at the time, Marvellous Melbourne.

A Concise History of Australia notes that the book became an "international bestseller". Whether travelling by road, rail or river the unpretending little volume was ever present in some companion's or stranger's hands. Rzepka and Lee Horsley's A Companion to Crime Fiction called The Mystery of a Hansom Cab "The most spectacular reimagining of the sensation novel , and a crucial point in the genre's transformation into detective fiction".

The Mystery of a Hansom Cab "did more than any book to give the outside world a picture of Melbourne of the late s". Like a rich plum in our vintage mystery pudding we include the whole novel in this collection. A parody edition, titled The Mystery of a Wheelbarrow , is attributed to a W. In , the book was again adapted into a film with a screenplay by Eliot Stannard. Bramble, James Dale, and Arthur Walcott.

A remake of the version of the film was produced in , in Australia. Another film version was released in Michael Rodger adapted the story as a stage play in and a radio promotion in by Queensland Performing Arts Trust. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The Mystery of a Hansom Cab London edition The Mystery of a Hansom Cab. Criminal justice portal Literature portal Novels portal. A Companion to Australian Literature since A Companion to Crime Fiction.

As it progressed, I felt more and more uncomfortable and acutely embarrassed that overseas viewers might think that we're actually proud of material such as this.

It's hard to understand how such a talented group of Australian actors could put their names to such amateurish rubbish. Enjoy a night in with these popular movies available to stream now with Prime Video. Start your free trial. Find showtimes, watch trailers, browse photos, track your Watchlist and rate your favorite movies and TV shows on your phone or tablet! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Full Cast and Crew.

A man is murdered in 19th century Melbourne. The investigation uncovers a trail of secrets and scandal. Glen Dolman , Fergus Hume novel. The TV series I've watched. Share this Rating Title: Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Edit Cast Cast overview, first billed only: