Fergus Hume's sensational novel The Mystery of a Hansom Cab was Australia's original blockbuster and became an internationally bestselling crime novel. Set in the charming and deadly streets of Melbourne, this vivid and 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, Hume's tale has a central place in Australian literary history and, more importantly, it remains highly readable.