The Mystery of a Hansom Cab

The Mystery of a Hansom Cab, published in 1886, was the first novel by Fergus Hume. It begins with a sensational murder, as the body of a dead man is discovered in a hansom cab by the driver. Set in Melbourne, Australia, it presents an engaging story of crime and detection, with several unexpected twists and turns. It also gives a clear and interesting portrait of the colonial city at the peak of its 19th Century prosperity following a gold rush, a time when it was known as “Marvellous Melbourne.” The novel contrasts the comfortable lives of the rich and well-connected of the colony with the misery of those living in the noisome slums in the back-streets of the city.

        <p>The novel, originally published in serial form in a local newspaper, achieved some initial local success when it was first released in book form, but the author then sold the rights to a British company.</p>
        <p>After warm initial reviews in England <i>The Mystery of a Hansom Cab</i> became not merely a best-seller but what today we would call a “blockbuster” in the United Kingdom, its English-speaking colonies and the United States. It was the best-selling mystery novel of the Victorian era, and apparently was part of the inspiration for Conan Doyle to begin writing his Sherlock Holmes stories.</p>
        <p>Fergus Hume eventually left Australia and returned to England. Though little-known today, after the success of <i>The Mystery of a Hansom Cab</i> Hume went on to write more than a hundred additional novels in the crime genre, as well as several plays.</p>