Murder Aboard the Flying Scotsman

 Murder Aboard the Flying Scotsman (2018) by Lee Strauss

Ginger (formerly Lady Gold) and her new husband Basil Reed are off on their honeymoon.They're headed to Scotland aboard the recently christened Flying Scotsman, a high-speed steam engine train. On the way, they plan to drop off Ginger's sister-in-law Felicia for a visit with a friend. Then they'll be able to concentrate on each other and the Scottish countryside. Well...maybe.

Except Ginger and her inspector husband can't seem to get away from mysteries. Midway on the trip, Burgess, the head guard, comes to their carriage and asks Basil for his assistance. It seems that something very nasty has been discovered in the Royal Train car. One of the mailbags just picked up in the previous town does not contain mail but the severed head of an elderly man. When the head is identified as belonging to a wealthy textile businessman from York, Reed is asked to assist the local police. Of course, Ginger can't resist helping the inquiries as well--especially when an elderly widow dressed all in black disappears from the train as well. And then to add another wrinkle, a singer discovers that her heirloom jewelry has been stolen and imitations left in their place.

The only people on the train who had access to both the mail and the jewelry were first class passengers. And as Basil, Ginger, and Inspector Sullivan of the York police investigate, they find that several of those passengers were tied in some way to all three mysterious events. Is it possible that the crimes are related? When they also discover that the businessman had a skeleton in his closet, it looks like they may have found the missing link. But the person who has planned this train adventure is desperate and won't mind killing again if necessary, will Ginger and Basil figure it all out before one of them gets hurt?

This is probably my favorite fun & cozy historical mystery series at the moment. I love Ginger and all of her supporting characters (well--mostly; Felicia can wear a bit thin at times). The settings are always good and Strauss generally provides enough clues that these qualify as fair play mysteries. This one is a little more procedural in nature--clues aren't dropped for us to pick up and figure out so much as we we find them as Ginger does and we immediately know what she makes of them. But the adventure of the train mysteries and the character development are interesting enough that I didn't miss the puzzle plot element as much as I might have. ★★★ and 1/2.

First line: "I feel like a gooseberry," Felicia Gold whimpered.

Last line: "I'm sure it's evening somewhere in the world."

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Deaths = 2 (one stabbed; one natural)