Murder on the Flying Scotsman
By Carola Dunn

     The next assignment for Daisy Dalrymple is to write about a stately home near Edinburgh, so she sets off aboard the Flying Scotsman. Unfortunately, not only does she discover Alex Fletcher's daughter Belinda who is running away from home, but also aboard the train is a whole warring family off to visit a dying relation. Each of them thinks that they have a claim to the old skinflint's money, so when the chief beneficiary is found dead in his carriage it looks like foul play. Luckily Daisy is on hand to sort it all out and look after Belinda who found the body and now seems to be in danger.

     This fourth adventure for Daisy isn't about a country house murder, and it isn't even set in London but aboard a train. I applaud the author's decision to make every book in the series different, yet keep the framework of classic era mysteries. This is a real puzzle whodunit, with death kept at a distance and plenty of colorful characters to suspect. An absorbingly tangled plot, a fine period ambience, and plenty of red herrings make this book a real page-turner. Carola Dunn doesn't need a whole string of murders to make the story lively, and this tale has more fizz than a glass of champagne. All rather delightful.