The Mystery of a Hansom Cab
About this audiobook
A new edition of the classic work of nineteenth century mystery fiction, The Mystery of a Hansom Cab, by Fergus Hume (1859-1932). Originally published in 1886, and set in Victorian-era Melbourne, Australia, The Mystery of a Hansom Cab is the story of a mysterious body discovered in a hansom cab.
The ensuing homicide investigation, led by our protagonist Detective Gorby, draws us into the long buried secrets of the rich and influential Frettlby family and the class struggles that divide the rich and poor in Victorian-era Melbourne, Australia. A lively and engaging novel, The Mystery of a Hansom Cab is still a sensational read for lovers of mysteries stories, and is also a must-read for fans of the genre as a pivotal example of the evolution of the genre from sensationalist crime literature to complex detective thrillers.
The Mystery of a Hansom Cab was Australia's first international bestselling novel and remains one of the bestselling detective novels of the 19th century. Published one year prior to Arthur Conan Doyle's A Study In Scarlet, it was ground-breaking and genre-defining, and in fact old-sold this first of Doyle's Sherlock Holmes novels.
About the author
Fergus Hume (1859-1932) was a prolific English-Australian novelist, best remembered for his novel The Mystery of a Hansom Cab -- the most sensationally popular and best-selling crime and detective novel of the Victorian-era. Born in England, Hume spent his childhood in New Zealand before starting his career as a barrister's clerk, and eventually a popular author of plays and fiction, in Melbourne, Australia.
