Book Review: Murder on the Christmas Express by Alexandra Benedict

Retired DI Roz Parker is desperate to make the last train to Fort William before snow shuts down the rail lines entirely. Her only child Heather has gone into premature labor, and Roz is trying to make up for a lifetime of strained relations by making it to her daughter’s bedside in time. Luckily, Roz’s train to Scotland has not been canceled due to weather conditions. Even more agreeably, her former co-workers splurged to get her a sleeper berth, a luxury she’s looking forward to with the overnight trip.

She’s somewhat surprised to discover that she’s sharing first class with minor celebrities. Meg Forth broke into the limelight by winning a televised singing competition, and it parlayed her fame into a thriving career as an influencer. With her on the trip is her handsome reality star boyfriend, Grant McVey. It doesn’t take long for Roz to see the cracks in their relationship, despite Meg’s best efforts at pretending that everything is perfect:

He stopped and turned to [Meg]. His eyes had no softness in them. “You should get your face on. There may be press when we get near the platform.”

 

Which meant there definitely would be photographers, and that he’d called them. Their relationship with the press was circular–photos of them looking happy, photos of them in crisis, photos of Meg looking sad and fatter, photos of Meg happy and thin again in her “new body.”

 

“I’ve already got enough makeup on, I think.”

 

“I’d trowel on some more.” He kissed her face and held her chin. Looking deep into her eyes, he whispered, “I know how you don’t like to look old.”

 

Meg felt like a Coke can crushed under his feet.

Always watchful for abusive situations, Roz can’t help being on alert, even though her retirement was both well-earned and timely given how frustrated she’s become with trying to solve other people’s problems for them. She has to keep reminding herself not to get involved as a parade of eccentric characters crosses her path in first class, even before the delays and drinking and partying begins. It’s thus a mixed blessing that the news from her daughter’s household is looking increasingly serious, as she learns from the brief updates Heather’s partner Ellie is able to send to her.

But when the train crashes and a dead body is found in one of the cars, Roz knows she has to put her detective shoes back on and take charge. It isn’t just to placate her innate sense of justice. The longer it takes for the murderer to be apprehended, the longer it will take for her to hurdle all the obstacles standing in the way of being reunited with her daughter. But what can even one detective do as the body count rises and the tangled relationships between the passengers finally come to shocking light?

Roz is fortunate in having at least a few allies among the crew. As she commiserates with a steward who’s taken a fatherly interest in Meg:

Silence held them together again. “I should’ve done more last night, when they were arguing,” he said. “Or gone after her when she ran out before the crash. I thought about it.”

 

“Then decided it wasn’t your business?”

 

He nodded.

 

“We all should have done more, but none of us could have. Not without her consent.” Roz hoped she was speaking the truth. Because she could have done more, but only if she had dragged Meg away from Grant, Meg’s will again being ignored. “Some people who have been abused feel they don’t deserve to get help.”

There is a lot of talk about sexual abuse and domestic violence in this locked room murder mystery, more so than one would usually expect from the genre. It’s all thoughtfully handled but still very heavy going, especially as the sorrowful truth is revealed. Lightening the mood are the games Alexandra Benedict inserts into the proceedings, from quizzes sparked by a university team traveling alongside Roz to anagrams hidden in each chapter. There’s also a recipe for the yummy Christmas Tablet Roz uses to feed her fellow passengers as they’re all recovering from the crash.

Overall, however, Murder on the Christmas Express is a book willing to tackle some very heavy subjects as a guilt-stricken mother tries to solve a series of murders so she can be home in time for Christmas. It’s not the most lighthearted read but is certainly worthwhile.