The latest in Andrew Martin's much-loved 'Jim Stringer, Steam Detective' series.

'Andrew Martin has recreated an extraordinarily convincing world . . . Terrific.' Daily Telegraph

December, 1909. A train hits a snowdrift in the frozen Cleveland Hills. In the process of clearing the line a body is discovered, and so begins a dangerous case for struggling railway detective Jim Stringer, a case which will take him from the Highlands to Fleet Street to the mighty blast furnaces of Ironopolis.

Jim's faltering career hangs on whether he can solve the murder, but before long Jim finds himself fighting not just for his job, but also for his life . . .

'A wonderful evocation of Edwardian Britain . . . Tough, scary and funny, this is a novel for anyone who loves a page-turning detective story.' Independent on Sunday

'Stringer is at the heart of a series of historical crime novels that shows no sign of running out of steam.' Sunday Times