This unlikely first literary attempt by a young law clerk in Australia, published in Melbourne, became the best-selling mystery novel of the 19th century, better even than Sherlock Holmes.In the dead of night, on a dark, lonely street in Melbourne, a cabby discovers that his drunken passenger has been murdered--suffocated with a chloroform saturated handkerchief. The murderer, his motive, even the identity of the victim are unknown."THE MYSTERY OF A HANSOM CAB has been virtually forgotten, which itself is a mystery, for the book is ingeniously plotted, fast-paced and engrossing. Its characters are memorable and the atmosphere of Melbourne richly evoked." (B-O-T Editorial Review Board)