Eighteen passengers. Seven stops. One killer.
In the early hours of Christmas Eve, the sleeper train to the Highlands is derailed, along with the festive plans of its travellers. With the train stuck in snow in the middle of nowhere, a killer stalks its carriages, picking off passengers one by one. Those who sleep on the sleeper train may never wake again.
Can former Met detective Roz Parker find the killer before they kill again?
All aboard for . . . Murder on the Christmas Express.

I enjoyed this book, but not for any of the reasons that the title and the cover suggest.

‘Murder On The Christmas Express‘ looks and sounds like cute festive fun, doesn’t it? A cosy Christmas twist on Agatha Christie, with snow and trains and a whodunnit puzzle with maybe a little Christmas cheer? If that’s what you’re looking for, pick another book.

Yes, this is a murder mystery on Christmas Eve on a sleeper train from London to Fort William in the Scottish Highlands. Yes, there is a snow storm, and the murder has a locked room mystery feel to it, and it’s ‘being investigated by a retired-from-the-Met-yesterday, former DI. 

BUT…

…there’s nothing cosy about this story. At its heart lies not a fascinating puzzle for the little grey cells to work on, but the physical and mental damage caused to women by abusive men.

If this book came with trigger warnings, it would have to include:

• Emotional Abuse
• Physical Abuse
• Sexual Assault, including Rape.
• Sexual Harassment
• Stalking

None of that sounds like festive fun or a cosy Christmas crime story, does it?

So, having torn off the Christmas wrapping, what’s in the box?

• A strong, cleverly told mystery that kept me guessing right to the end of the book.
• A relatable detective, well-positioned by her personal experience to understand the damage rape does and with family traumas of her own to distract her.
• A rich suspect pool of well-drawn characters
• A charismatic, instantly dislikable, violent, misanthropic, angry, physically large man for all of us to hate.
• A young TikTok influencer, who is livestreaming her journey to Scotland with her companion, who, of course, is the detestable, abusive male.
• A focus on the damage rape does to women and how they are failed and silenced by our legal system.

I recommend this if you’re looking for a satisfyingly twisty murder mystery that takes an unblinking look at the impact of rape and our tolerance of rapists. 

I listened to the audiobook version narrated by Sophie Roberts. Click on the YouTube link below to hear a sample of her narration.