A European prince has been placed in the care of Mycroft Holmes to get home safely. After narrowly escaping one assassination attempt, it is decided that while two decoys fan out, the prince, holmes and Guthrie will quietly take the fastest luxury train from London to Edinburgh. Once onboard, the danger is as strong as ever and when a passenger is murdered, Holmes must determine if it is happenchance or something more sinister.

By book three, I really shouldn't be surprised at an active Mycroft Holmes, but it really does. It was also disconcerting when he said his brother would be able to make more of some details than he would! Not an admission I would expect from acknowledged more intelligent Holmes brother.

The plot was intriguing. For the majority of the narrative, the characters are confined to the interior of the train. Once the first murder occurs on the train, there is an air of tension. Who is the killer? Is he a member of the mysterious and dangerous Brotherhood? the train is behind schedule. Will this be to their benefit or detriment? This keeps the pace fast.

Guthrie manages to get himself into a major scrape and there is a very "James Bone"esque sequence of him trying to get back on the train. It was a little tiresome to have him insist he has no interest in Miss Gatsby, so it was a relief to have him finally admit he is attracted to the Golden Lodge agent.

Overall, this was a nice addition to the series. i would recommend it to readers who have read the first two and enjoyed them. This is not a series to jump into the middle. ( )

hb