The Excursion Train by Edward Marston is an old fashioned detective story set in Victorian England. It has everything you might expect from such a tale: Cockney accents abound, officious Scotland Yard detectives dip their toe in the seedy underbelly of London, great big steam engines are the locations for nasty murders…It all has a warm familiarity to it and makes an easy read, but the characters and dialogue remain stifled and lack any real charisma. The central character, Detective Robert Colbeck (another Robert!), is described as a dandy type; handsome and well dressed. You would imagine him, then, to have luck with the ladies, and this he does, having secured the affections of Madeleine Andrews. But there’s not a hint of passion between the two young people: in fact, the passion lies in the world of the killers and those related to them; in other words, among the lower classes. Marston seems to highlight the class difference by keeping Colbeck’s emotions in check, thus ensuring us that he is a gentleman. Well, he may be a gentleman, but he’s a bore..by the end of the book, I was thinking, “Just kiss her already..!”

Back to the important stuff, however, and the mystery at hand is quite an intriguing one. A man named Jacob Guttridge is found dead on an excursion train scheduled to bring a crowd of Cockney troublemakers to a prizefight. His death, strangulation with a piece of wire, is gruesome and pointed…Guttridge was a hangman by trade and so had many enemies, particularly as he wasn’t the most precise of hangmen, often leaving the victims to hang mercilessly for minutes before they finally passed on. Guttridge’s death leads Colbeck on a trail through the town of Ashford, and other places, where he encounters more murders..and even an attempt on his own life.

The Excursion Train is a light read, and particularly suited if you like old fashioned settings, or…trains! Colbeck isn’t known as The Railway Detective for nothing. There’s a prequel to this book (The Railway Detective) and a sequel (The Railway Viaduct). After that I think Edward Marston ran out of train ideas…!

I had heard from a number of people that Angels and Demons (reviewed below) was a better book than The Da Vinci Code. It was hard to believe after the attention which Da Vinci had received. After reading both, though, I have to agree that Angels and Demons is the superior novel. Da Vinci has all the right ingredients for another spellbinding adventure, but the symbology facts and figures which moved the Angels story along so well simply stifle the Da Vinci plotline. Too much time is spent pondering over Mary Magdalene and holy grails. It’s not surprising that the book gained such publicity when controversial myths, such as that about Mary Magdalene, are brought to the fore. But while these tales are initially shocking, you soon begin wishing for some more action and less talk. Perhaps I’m being a little harsh here; it is a clever story which wraps up nicely at the end, but after the non-stop “I can’t put down the book” antics of Angels and Demons, The Da Vinci Code feels stilted and almost slow moving. The other major problem here is that the basic plot of Da Vinci is just a carbon copy of Demons and Angles. There’s nothing wrong with following a winning formula, particularly in a detective/mystery series, but the characters from Da Vinci are so alike, and follow such similar motivations that it’s almost disheartening. The albino monk, Silas, is reminiscent of the Angels’ killer, even if Silas is more worthy of sympathy. We have another desperate priest in the form of Bishop Aringarosa. Da Vinci’s Teabing, a highly intelligent British cripple replaces the highly intelligent wheelchair bound Kohler and Sophie is a watered down version of Vittoria. Although Teabing, cliched as he is, is an enjoyable character, the others are not so well thought out. One gets the impression that the characters only serve to push forward the plot. This, in fact, is one of the complaints that people had with regard to the film. Now, I can see that any film version of this would have had to take liberties with the script in order to secure decent memorable characters. The major exception is, of course, Robert Langdon. He is as likeable as ever, and I stick by my previous theory that he is, in fact, based on Dan Brown himself!

After all the furore about the Da Vinci Code a few years ago, I felt it was time to read it properly (I had attempted a few chapters before..) and see what the fuss was about. First, however, I turned my attention to Angels and Demons, this being the prequel to Da Vinci. A number of people had assured me it was actually a better book but having only just begun The DV Code, I cannot yet make comparisons..this I will say, however: the basic plots are quite similar so far, following a rather James Bond like adventure, although replacing the suave Bond with the more grounded Robert Langdon. I think I will write an Angels and Demon vs. Da Vinci Code post eventually but for now….Angels and Demons!

The major theme here is the ongoing conflict between religion and science with wizened scientists coming up against equally wizened cardinals, and Vatican City finding a new competitor in CERN (a giant physics lab in Switzerland which is well worth a google) in the fierce debate about creation. Brown does not paint a simple black and white scenario here, though, with many characters, such as the first victim, a priest who is also a physicist, pulling beliefs from both sides. Brown’s novel caused me to conclude that no matter what we believe in, the point is: we need to believe in something. This is emphasised by the fact that even the cold blooded killer of Demons and Angels holds strong beliefs, certain that his killings are for a greater cause.

Robert Langdon, all tweed jacket and Harvard intelligence, finds himself pulled from his bachelor pad and lecture halls, to investigate a murder at CERN, which then leads him on a whirwind chase around Rome and the Vatican. Brown amazes us, as much as Robert(!) with the high tech gadgetry of CERN and even of the Vatican. Toss in some crazy villans, an attractive younger woman and a few near impossible escape stunts and you have James Bond…professor style. Langdon unravels the mystery using his deep knowledge of symbology and art history, but this by no means dampens the spirit of adventure. Langdon himself has to be the most sympathetic character and he rings true, perhaps, because he is somewhat modelled on Dan Brown himself. It’s just a theory but Brown is a smart guy with an interest in art history and Langdon is a smart guy with an interest in art history….

Whether you read Dan Brown novels for excitement or education, however, you will find yourself picking up the most amazing facts, methodically researched by Brown, who is careful to state at the beginning of the novel that certain parts are, indeed, factual. The amazing setting of the Vatican is built up in our imaginations as Brown reels off one mind blowing fact after another. While the novel could simply be a vehicle which Brown uses to show off his insight into papal affairs, among other things, in this case, the facts and stats add to the story and move it along, allowing us to share Robert Langdon’s wonder and awe.