Fourth in the series. I missed the third in this series but it doesn't seem to matter, although obviously I've missed a job change. Jim Stringer is still the same slightly odd individual as before, but he's happily married and he has a son. I didn't feel quite the same sense of being in another world this time - the previous novels have been stuffed full of esoteric language and the minutia of Victorian railways. Stringer is now a railway detective, and so a lot of the mysterious workings of the engines and tracks are not needed. Still a good sense of place and lots of foreboding atmosphere. It's the middle of winter in this story and you can feel the chill. I actually felt more concerned at times for Stringer's young son Harry, with his continuing cough and fever, than I did for Stringer himself. Not sure that's a good thing in terms of the story though. Loved the description of the ironworks. I really, really liked the motive once it was unveiled. No spoilers but I was like, yeah, that's humans for you. I didn't like Stringer's unhappiness with his job. I wasn't sure why the boring bits of his job were so soul-crushing to him...if he were going to do his own thing why not get those out of the way and then go investigate? Maybe that was part of the previous book? And it seemed odd how he managed to get in good graces with the boss. But all in all, while I thought the pacing bogged down just a bit in places, it's still a very interesting setting, some odd characters, and a good puzzle.

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