Author · 1859–1932
Fergus Hume
Murder, hidden identities, and family secrets at Victorian production speed.
Fergus Hume was an English-born novelist and playwright who grew up in New Zealand. After training as a lawyer, he moved to Melbourne, Australia, where he began his literary career before settling in England in 1888.
Hume achieved international fame with his first detective novel, The Mystery of a Hansom Cab, published in 1886. Set in Melbourne, the book became one of the great publishing successes of Victorian crime fiction and helped establish the city as a memorable setting for mystery literature.
Following this success, Hume became an exceptionally prolific writer, producing around 140 novels, most of them mysteries involving murders, concealed identities, family secrets, valuable objects, and complicated investigations. His works include Madame Midas, Hagar of the Pawn-Shop, The Silent House in Pimlico, The Bishop’s Secret, and The Green Mummy.
Although none of his later books matched the popularity of his debut, Hume continued writing until the end of his life. His large body of work and talent for intricate plots give him an important place in the early development of popular detective fiction.
The hansom cab still rolls in 2026
Fergus Hume wrote The Mystery of a Hansom Cab in Melbourne, and it became one of the great publishing successes of Victorian crime fiction. He followed it with a steady stream of novels of murders, concealed identities, and family secrets. Read him today for Victorian detection with a different address — tightly plotted, fast-moving, and far from Baker Street.
