Kirkus
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A train trip across the U.S. pulls a married pair of sleuths into another case of murder. Retired English chief constable Alan Nesbitt and his American wife, Dorothy Martin, who’ve stumbled into a number of murders on their travels, are invited to the wedding of the daughter of retired Mountie John McKenzie and his wife, Amy, on Vancouver Island. They fly to Chicago, take the train to Seattle, and the ferry to the island. Amtrak is nowhere as nice as British or European railways, but their sleeper room is adequate, and their steward has an amusing Salvador Dalí mustache. Their dinner companions are Janet and her sister, Helen, who carries Rosa, a Chihuahua in a sling, a service dog who warns Helen of blood sugar problems arising from her diabetes. Dinner is interrupted by a rude individual, apparently a crew member, who insists that Rosa can’t be there. The food is good enough, but the view in April is boring…until they see a man falling from the train. The exterior door should have been locked, and the sleuths believe someone pushed him. It’s hard to get anyone interested in investigating, so Alan and Dorothy decide to get John McKenzie to help them do something. The dead man is finally identified as a disgraced wannabe veterinarian who killed a lot of animals and was hated by many people. While enjoying their visit, Alan and Dorothy continue to hunt for clues and suspects in the death of a man no one will mourn. A convoluted case of possible murder mixes well with plentiful information on the beauties of the Pacific Northwest. Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.