The mystery of a hansom cab

Fergus Hume’s sensational novel The Mystery of a Hansom Cab is Australia’s original blockbuster and international best-selling crime novel. First published in 1886, it was an overnight sensation, selling hundreds of thousands of copies around the world and being translated into eleven languages. Over a century later, Hansom Cab has lost none of its page-turning power. Set in the charming and deadly streets of Melbourne, this brilliantly plotted murder thriller tells the story of a crime committed by an unknown assassin. With its panoramic depiction of a bustling yet uneasy city, Hansom Cab has a central place in Australian literary history. Hansom Cab has been adapted for television and screened on ABCTV in October 2012. It is directed by Shawn Seet (Underbelly, All Saints, The Secret Life of Us) and stars Shane Jacobson, Anna McGahan, Helen Morse, Oliver Ackland and John Waters.