The Arctic Railway Assassin (Adventures on Trains, 6)

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This sixth instalment is another whistle-stop ride through snowy landscapes - perfect for the wintry season. There are reindeers and snow mobiles and gorgeous lights in the sky. And, of course, the mystery central to every book. The danger is much more personal this time, as Nat's identification of the assassin puts him in the crosshairs. This week I attended The Week Junior Book Awards. The Ice Children audio production was shortlisted for the Best Audiobook and although it didn’t win, we impressed the judges enough for them to award it one of only two Highly Commended badges given out that evening. I was overjoyed. I’m very proud of that Audible production.

Hal’s drawings continue to be essential in his crime-solving abilities. He uses them as time to think and as evidence of what he’s observed. Elisa Paganelli’s illustrations are a huge part of what makes this series so special. She has cleverly helped Hal to grow in maturity and skill with each book. The story is based in Switzerland and also features Hal's mum! There is the inevitable random friendship with another child on the train, but I think Hal may have finally met his match with this one.M. G. Leonard is a writer of books, poems and screenplays. She has a first-class honours degree in English literature and an MA in Shakespeare Studies from Kings College London. She works as a freelance Digital Media Producer for clients such as the National Theatre, and Harry Potter West End, and previously worked as a Senior Digital Producer at the National Theatre, the Royal Opera House and Shakespeare’s Globe. She spent her early career in the music industry running Setanta Records, an independent record label, and managing bands, most notably The Divine Comedy. After leaving the music industry, she trained as an actor, dabbling in directing and producing as well as performing, before deciding to write her stories down. Maya lives in Brighton with her husband and two sons. From here they continue their journey, but what is happening. Who is the man? Lars they decide is the man in Hal's drawing - he looks like The Shadow but he's not. There's also another family member involved. I loved how much their arrival let the book show how much Hal has grown in confidence since < a href = https://sifaelizabethreads.wordpress.... HIGHLAND FALCON THIEF, and how much Nat trusts and respects Hal's judgement. Hal is older than at the start, and has been through a lot, and it was nice for that to be realistically portrayed. The adults are still doing their best to protect Hal, as is the duty of care any adult has to a minor, but he's never belittled or babied. They've all grown across six books.

Hal meets Morti and finds out about a bit of a mystery surrounding her former husband who had been arrested two years before by secret service police and she'd destroyed all of his work. And yet all of a sudden mysterious things had started happening to her. However, they had plenty of time to talk as she was joining them on the train. This time the mystery involves an assassin, a weapon of unimaginable power, and a threat to the life of Harrison and and his Uncle Nat. Praise for the series: 'Like Murder on the Orient Express but better!' - Frank Cottrell-Boyce on The Highland Falcon Thief. 'A first class choo-choo-dunnit!' - David Solomons on Kidnap on the California Comet. 'A high-speed train journey worth catching . . .The best yet' - The Times on Murder on the Safari Star. 'This series just gets better and better' - Maz Evans on Danger at Dead Man's Pass. Every two years the library holds a festival of literary events for families and young people, bringing authors and illustrators from all over the world to Castle Blutenburg, the home of the library, and then taking them out on tour to meet readers all over Bavaria.When Nat tells Hal that Morti has just won the Nobel prize for her ground-breaking work, Hal’s curiosity is piqued. Meeting her in the bar of the hotel, he listens as she tells him about a series of odd things that have happened to her over the previous two months and decides to investigate to try to get to the bottom of things. But the following morning, before he has the chance to do so, Morti leaves early, explaining in a note that something has come up and including the keys to her cabin where Nat and Hal are to stay.