The Somme Stations
Mar 2011 · Jim Stringer Book 7 · Faber & Faber
star
2 reviews
Ebook
200
Pages
Tools
info
family_home
Eligible
info
About this ebook
WINNER OF THE ELLIS PETERS AWARD
'Superb.' Lancashire Evening Post
'Richly satisfying.' Sunday Telegraph
On the first day of the Somme enlisted railwayman Jim Stringer lies trapped in a shell hole, smoking cigarette after cigarette under the bullets and the blazing sun. He calculates his chances of survival - even before they departed for France, a member of Jim's unit had been found dead.
During the stand-off that follows, Jim and his comrades must operate by night the vitally important trains carrying munitions to the Front, through a ghostly landscape of shattered trees where high explosive and shrapnel shells rain down. Close co-operation and trust are vital. Yet proof piles up of an enemy within, and as a ferocious military policeman pursues his investigation into the original killing, the finger of accusation begins to point towards Jim himself . . .
'The real achievement of The Somme Stations is the bravura picture the reader is given of men in war - a war receding in time as the last participants die, but which Martin subtly allows to stand in for all conflicts.' Barry Forshaw, Independent
Praise for the Jim Stringer series:
'Breathe in the heady mixture of smoke, oil and steam - and the odd spot of real ale - and feel the crunch of cinders beneath your feet... you're in historic railway territory again.' Manchester Evening News
'Finely honed crime novels with plotting as precise as a Swiss watch.' Daily Express
'This series is, er, really building up a head of steam.' Observer
Readers love Jim Stringer, railway detective:
'It's hard to envisage anyone not warming to Jim Stringer.' Independent
'An unlikely sleuth - ingenuous, naive and a little anxious - but an endearing narrator, a solid bloke who'd be good company over a pint of stout down the pub.' Telegraph
'The best sleuth that 200 years of the railways have ever produced.' Independent on Sunday
'Superb.' Lancashire Evening Post
'Richly satisfying.' Sunday Telegraph
On the first day of the Somme enlisted railwayman Jim Stringer lies trapped in a shell hole, smoking cigarette after cigarette under the bullets and the blazing sun. He calculates his chances of survival - even before they departed for France, a member of Jim's unit had been found dead.
During the stand-off that follows, Jim and his comrades must operate by night the vitally important trains carrying munitions to the Front, through a ghostly landscape of shattered trees where high explosive and shrapnel shells rain down. Close co-operation and trust are vital. Yet proof piles up of an enemy within, and as a ferocious military policeman pursues his investigation into the original killing, the finger of accusation begins to point towards Jim himself . . .
'The real achievement of The Somme Stations is the bravura picture the reader is given of men in war - a war receding in time as the last participants die, but which Martin subtly allows to stand in for all conflicts.' Barry Forshaw, Independent
Praise for the Jim Stringer series:
'Breathe in the heady mixture of smoke, oil and steam - and the odd spot of real ale - and feel the crunch of cinders beneath your feet... you're in historic railway territory again.' Manchester Evening News
'Finely honed crime novels with plotting as precise as a Swiss watch.' Daily Express
'This series is, er, really building up a head of steam.' Observer
Readers love Jim Stringer, railway detective:
'It's hard to envisage anyone not warming to Jim Stringer.' Independent
'An unlikely sleuth - ingenuous, naive and a little anxious - but an endearing narrator, a solid bloke who'd be good company over a pint of stout down the pub.' Telegraph
'The best sleuth that 200 years of the railways have ever produced.' Independent on Sunday
WINNER OF THE ELLIS PETERS AWARD
'Superb.' Lancashire Evening Post
'Richly satisfying.' Sunday Telegraph
On the first day of the Somme enlisted railwayman Jim Stringer lies trapped in a shell hole, smoking cigarette after cigarette under the bullets and the blazing sun. He calculates his cha...
Discover more
Ratings and reviews
2 reviews
Kelvin West
- Flag inappropriate
June 1, 2013
About the author
Andrew Martin is a journalist and novelist. The Somme Stations is the seventh book in his much-loved 'Jim Stringer' series which began with The Necropolis Railway in 2002 . The third and fourth books in the series, Murder at Deviation Junction and Death on a Branch Line, were shortlisted for the Ellis Peters Historical Crime Award and, in 2008, Andrew Martin was shortlisted for the CWA Dagger in the Library Award.
Andrew Martin is a journalist and novelist. The Somme Stations is the seventh book in his much-loved 'Jim Stringer' series which began with The Necropolis Railway in 2002 . The third and fourth books in the series, Murder at Deviation Junction and Death on a Branch Line, were shortlisted for the ...
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
