I had heard about this adventure on train series and when I heard it made a top prize, I wanted to get my hands on it. This is the third in the series and yet it did not seem to spoil it for me in any way. The book works well as a standalone, as each book sums up the previous adventures and
The gist:
Hal and his uncle love travelling and have solved many cases on their travels. So when Hal is excited to learn they are off to South Africa during the February half term holidays. It begins well at first, meeting their fellow passengers and the exotic experience of a rail safari. However, when one of the passengers is found dead in a compartment, it is upto Hal to find out not only what happened but also the how.
My review:
The story flows smoothly and the illustrations are amazing. The rail safari is so beautifully described that it felt like I was on one, enjoying the sights with the other passengers watching the train roll by from scenery.
For a train mystery like this, a diverse set of characters are crucial and the Leonard and Sedgman do a good job of introducing characters from different backgrounds. You can see the similarity between this and the Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express but the similarity ends there. From then on , the story takes a path of its own.
The twists and turns are just like the way the train moves, with a similar jerky, jumping feeling as the plot touches upon various characters and their motives.
The book is meant for children and yet looking at how he story is constructed, adults will enjoy reading it too! It is layered well enough to interest the adults and also the children, the main character is after all a 12 year old.
Well deserves the award it received. I will be keeping an eye out for more for sure!
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