Derby Day at Epsom Downs and a multitude of people crowd to watch the races: dukes and dustmen, bishops and beggars, privileged ladies and prostitutes. The gamut of Victorian society, though, is also a hotbed for crime and crooks of all kinds. With the country a-flutter in the run-up to this national occasion, events reach fever pitch when a disembodied head is discovered on a passenger train at Crewe; the first in a murky course of events that takes in murder, fraud and race-fixing. Detective Robert Colbeck and his assistant are assigned to the case and are soon snarled up in a web of skulduggery stretching across the country. Soon, however, they are forced to ask themselves: just what is someone prepared to do in order to win? Edward Marston was born and brought up in South Wales. A full-time writer for over thirty years, he has worked in radio, film, television and the theatre. He is a former Chairman of the Crime Writers' Association. The Iron Horse is the fourth title in the Inspector Colbeck series.Sam Dastor's theatrical experiences include a season at the National Theatre under Olivier in Volpone and in Zeffirelli's Much Ado about Nothing. His West End credits include Melon, Hidden Laughter and Cell Mates, and he has also made over 1,000 plays and readings for radio. Among his many TV appearances are I, Claudius,Fortunes of War and Spooks, while his films include The Life and Death of Peter Sellers.