MURDER IN FIRST CLASS

SYNOPSIS

All aboard a train bound for… murder.

1934. Kitty Underhay is looking forward to a week of long lunches and wedding planning with her husband-to-be, Captain Matthew Bryant. But the plan is derailed when he is called on to collect a former comrade-in-arms, arriving on the 15:50 from Paddington. As the train bearing Simon Travers pulls up to the platform, a piercing scream rises over the screech of its brakes. Travers is dead in his seat, a dagger in his heart.

Who gave this defenceless man a one-way ticket to the next life? And why? And could Matt’s close connection put him at risk? Only a few individuals had access to Travers’s compartment, and Kitty must find out which of these seemingly benign passengers is in fact a cross-country killer.

But when Kitty’s prime suspect, the travelling salesman with no merchandise, is found murdered, she is stumped. Until she makes the connection between the two victims and realises that this murderer has an even more deadly destination in mind. Can she stop them before they strike again? Or will Kitty’s own next stop be the graveyard?

Title: Murder in first class

Author: Helena Dixon

Series: Miss Underhay Mysteries #8

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication date: February 11, 2022

Helena Dixon was born and continues to live in the Black Country. Married to the same man for over thirty years she has three daughters, a cactus called Spike, a crazy cockapoo and a tank of tropical fish. Helena was the RNA winner of the Romance Prize in 2007 and Love Story of the Year 2010.

Social Media

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/NellDixon

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REVIEW

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

All aboard! Book 8 in the Miss Underhay Murder Mysteries Series and still as enjoyable as the first one. In fact, I would dare say it was one of the installments I enjoyed the most!

The locked room mystery vibes and the fact that the murder takes place on a steam train, are inevitable reminiscent of Murder on the Orient Express, one of my favorites mysteries ever.

Newly engaged, Kitty and Matthew, go to the train station to meet the witness from a jewelry theft, but when the train arrives, he’s dead and only one of the other six passengers in the first class compartment could have committed the crime.

The murder mystery was quite the puzzle! It’s always so much fun trying to solve an apparent impossible crime. The cast of suspects was pretty diverse and this time around I did not guess the culprit, which is always a plus!

It’s also so nice to be witness to Kitty and Matthew’s evolving relationship. They make such a cute couple and such a great pair of investigators. I love how Matthew encourages Kitty in their investigations and doesn’t try to put a brake to her sleuthing. I’m curious to see if this will still be the case once they’re married. I also like how Kitty has helped Matthew to overcome some of his past traumas without putting any pressure on him.

Kitty’s backstory has also taken a huge step forward but, when everything seemed to have reached its conclusion, an unexpected delivery will threaten to derail their wedding plans.

If you like cozy historical mysteries with a great leading sleuth, you have to read this whole series ASAP!

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.