Shadows on the Train.

Anne Hutchings is a public-school teacher and librarian in Ajax,
Ontario.

Lively, energetic, and sassy Dinah Galloway is in top voice in Shadows on the Train, the fifth in Melanie Jackson’s popular mystery series. Dinah is about to embark on a train trip from Vancouver to Toronto to appear on a TV talent show. Before she can leave, a somewhat unsavory acquaintance of her late father, Ardle McBean, shows up, intent on retrieving the $80,000 fortune Dinah’s father had been keeping for him.

Dinah’s search through her father’s effects turns up nothing but an unsealed stamped envelope. Surely this can’t be the priceless treasure—or can it?

The plot thickens as, setting off on her journey, Dinah encounters a number of suspicious characters on the train and experiences several unsettling events. The mystery deepens when fellow passengers start disappearing. Young sleuths will enjoy trying the crack the code along with Dinah and her friends, Pantelli and Talbot, and solve the mystery.

With non-stop action and believable characters, each with his own distinctive personality, Shadows on the Train has enough twists and turns of the plot to keep even the most reluctant reader turning the pages right to the end. Sometimes poignant, often humorous, never dull, Shadows on the Train will appeal to junior grade readers. Highly recommended.