Publisher: Ultimo Press for Hardie Grant
Review by Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Timing is everything, and I am pleased I read this novel after safely arriving in Perth on Australia’s magnificent transcontinental train, the Indian Pacific. Otherwise, my imagination – overstimulated by this novel – might have kept me awake at night…
Crime fiction author Joe Penvale and his twin sister Meredith (Meri) board the Orient Express in Paris. Joe’s writing life has been on pause while he has undergone intense lifesaving medical treatment and Meri hopes that this trip will inspire him to write again. And, after their first evening on the train, having dined with retired French policeman Napoleon Duplantier and Detective Inspector Abigay Williams and met some of their fellow passengers, Joe starts a new document. Could his muse have returned? Meri certainly hopes so.
But the very next morning, the cabin next to Meri and Joe has become a crime scene. While there is no body found, the cabin is bathed in blood. Hmm. A missing body, the threat of a Covid outbreak on board the train, and suddenly the journey of a lifetime becomes a nightmare. No one can get on or off the train. Joe and Meri, along with a group of other passengers with a background in the law or law enforcement, become involved in investigating the disappearance. And then, the steward guarding the crime scene is murdered. The body count continues, until there are five found dead. There is still no sign of the passenger in 16G, and some of the other passengers are very unhappy.
I enjoyed the way in which Ms Gentill built the tension while simultaneously managing a huge cast of potential suspects. Imagine being trapped on a train which contains both a murderer and the threat of a Covid outbreak? This novel is a splendid mix of red herrings, skillful twists, with some sly touches of humour added. I almost felt sorry for the ‘nosy Michael Blenkins’, and how could any parent name their child ‘Hugh Booby’?
No spoilers here, but I am delighted to report that I had my suspicions confirmed … eventually.