|
[ Home ]
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
In 1953, Jill McLeod works as a Zephyrette on the California Zephyr. The position of hostess and tour guide usually involves pointing out scenic landmarks and handing out bandages to children who take a spill. But her job takes a turn when she finds a passenger dead in one of the train compartments.
At first, Kevin Randall is thought to have died of heart failure or an overdose of digitalis. Although he was only 31, Randall was known to have a heart condition and carry the medication. The accountant, however, had been heard arguing earlier in the trip. McLeod's suspicions are really aroused, though, on another trip, when she sees strange lights, feels a chill, and hears four strange taps in the same compartment where Randall died—roomette four. A porter on the same train tells McLeod he has seen the same—and that the roomette must be haunted by Randall.
McLeod pairs up with the dead man's fiancée, Margaret Vennor, and with Grace "Tidsy" Tisdale, who used to work in government service and is "a woman of opinions who wasn't afraid to share them." The three women begin to investigate and come up with a plan to flush out the killers—a plan that might put McLeod in danger.
The details of train travel, especially on the Zephyr, which ran from Oakland to Chicago, are wonderfully researched. The descriptions of sleeper cars, observation domes, and even the lounge cars make one want to hop aboard a train. The author, though, is so heavy on historical details that it sometimes feels as if all her research was crammed into the book. Consequently, the book is heavy on history but light on plotting. Still, if you enjoy a light mystery with a bit of woo-woo thrown in, this might be the book to take on your next trip—train or otherwise.
§ Lourdes Venard is an independent editor who divides her time between New York and Maui.
Reviewed by Lourdes Venard, March 2018
[ Top ]
QUICK SEARCH:
Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
[ Home ]
| 
