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• Loved this book,it was a mystery and a bit of history as well,I learned a few things about the first world war that I didn't know about and as I had a great uncle who died on the Somme who was also a member of the Northumberland Fusiliers it brought it home to me what it must have been like for the people serving in this war.

  5.00 out of 5

  shirley8

• I approached this book with anticipation, loving both detective stories and history, and was thrilled to see it opened in Ilkley, a place where I used to live, and know well. I was extremely disconcerted to see that Ilkley had been moved from Wharfedale to Swaledale! However, after that faux pas it improved enormously. It is the story of a close knit, and very diverse, group of men thrown together in trying circumstances, joining up together to 'do their bit' for the war effort. The characters are well drawn, and consistent. The story of the original murder is overshadowed by the work being done by the men in wartime France, to it's advantage. When the denouement does finally come it is a complete surprise, and, if I am being honest, a little contrived. I am not really in a position to comment on how accurate the research was, not having heard of the railways set up to transport ammunition to the front, but it felt right. The way death became almost unimportant, and the way 'news' of the fighting was filtered for those at home seemed genuine. The first person narrative made it personal, and I enjoyed the way Jim's wife was so keen for him to be commissioned! Whether he was or not - read the book and find out!

  4.00 out of 5

  unittj

• Having read widely on the First World War and had the advantage of some limited discussions with my Father who was with the King's Regiment in France from 1915 until early 1919, I approached this book with eager anticipation.Initially I found the style of writing rather confusing, but as I got into the story, I found the language, pace and story telling kept my interest. Clearly the research has been very thorough and detailed. Although this is a fictional tale, it has all the impact of a biographical work. The story of trains that ran right up to the front lines is an interesting addition to the various details of the conflict.To say that I enjoyed the book is not quite right. Stories about this war can never be enjoyable because the events were so terrible, but I found it an interesting story which left little to the imagination, although I doubt whether I am able to imagine the absolute horror of the life that the soldiers had to endure.For anyone interested in the history of that time, this is worth reading.

  4.00 out of 5

  robertgriffen

• Not another novel about the Great War! you might say. Yes. It does have mud, horses, men and machines sunk deep in the mud. And bodies, gas and tanks. But this one is very different.The story starts in York Station in 1914 shortly before the war begins, which provides us with introductions to the characters we will be following through the rest of the book. Nice move, I thought. Once war breaks out, the drivers, firemen, porters, office clerks, signalmen, and policemen hesitate to join up because of their responsibilities to keep the trains running. Then their way to join up is cleared through the creation of a railway ‘pals’ battalion. When Det Sgt Jim Stringer joins up, he knows nearly everybody in the battalion. And their domestic histories and police records.After initial training they are sent to build a railway the length of Spurn Head. Once the line is completed, they unload ships at the far end of the point. One night, thanks to the kindness of an officer, they all get blind drunk. Next morning, a man who was sent up to join them the evening before is found drowned beside the track. An MP investigates and is convinced that one of the company has murdered him. Only he can’t work out who it is. After some time he suspects Jim Stringer, but he can’t prove anything. Shortly afterwards they go to France and forget about the murdered man and the investigation. They are shocked by their experiences when they are employed as trench diggers. Soon after, when an officer discovers that they are all railwaymen, they are redeployed to build and operate narrow-gauge railways supplying ammunition to artillery batteries. Supplies are brought in to them on standard gauge railways. They unload and store the supplies until they are needed. Part of their work is laying narrow-gauge (2 foot) lines to the batteries. These change every few days as the military situation changes.At one point, Stringer and a fireman are driving their engine and train towards a battery. The signalman indicates that it is safe to progress. Hardly have they moved forward than a German shell lands more or less on top of them. The fireman is killed and Jim Stringer is badly wounded by shrapnel. He is found holding a German rifle which he reached when he was blown up. The fireman was killed by a German bullet. The MP again investigates the accident and decides that Stringer is a murderer. It turns out, however, that the signalman had disobeyed instructions from further up the line. He should not have allowed them to progress. The signalman is the older brother of a pair of twins in the battalion who only talk to each other. When Jim is in hospital in Yorkshire he slowly recovers from his wounds. The MP comes to visit him and arranges to meet him on the moors. Before the MP can shoot Jim, he is shot by the older brother of the twins.This is a really good read which is difficult to put down.

  4.00 out of 5

  PeterClack

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