Loco Motive
A Bed and Breakfast Mystery

By Mary Daheim

        In Mary Daheim’s latest Bed and Breakfast book, the B&B takes a back seat for the most part; although the initial action is fast and furious, it all takes place at Hillside Manor. TV and movie daredevil Wee Willie Weevil defies guest rules and regulations and literally takes a flying leap off the roof. He breaks some bones and is transported to the hospital. This seems like the perfect time for Judith to join her cousin, Renie, on a cross-country train trip to meet their husbands in Boston for a stress-relieving vacation.

Unfortunately, Wee Willie Weevil and his questionable entourage end up on the same train. You just know trouble will follow and havoc will be wreaked. Daheim always does a great job setting up unlikely situations, and interesting and often comedic characters.

I enjoy the series very much. I’ve read every single book and hope that there will be more. I am, however, conflicted in my assessment of this particular story. While the concept itself is good, the waters were muddied by too many characters, most of whom had confusing nicknames. There were times when I found myself shaking my head and nearly thinking that Judith and Renie were about to enter the dreaded TSTL (too stupid to live) category that befalls many a woman sleuth who just has to open the door to the room where she fears the killer lurks.

There were some great characters, though, as well. Train passenger Emily, a two year old troublemaker, is precious in her own rotten way. Assorted other passengers sparked my interest but then were not developed fully and questions were left unanswered. I found the plot and clues and plethora of people hard to follow, and ultimately was left disappointed.

As I mentioned above, I do hope for more books in this series. While I wouldn’t recommend this as a starting point for reading the B&B Mysteries, if you are already a fan, you won’t want to miss it because it is always fun to keep up with Judith and Renie.