Sleight of hand, disguises, and coded messages make irresistible elements in this middle-grade railway mystery.

Kidnap on the California Comet is the second book in the Adventures on Trains series by MG Leonard and Sam Sedgman. Harrison Beck, now twelve-years-old, travels with Uncle Nathaniel from Chicago to California on a double-decker Superliner. But even before boarding, Hal senses something is amiss. He’s developing a detective’s nose for drama.

Dread, like a cold mist, settled on Hal’s chest. He didn’t know what Ryan was trying to tell him, but something bad was happening on the California Comet. (54)

Among Hal’s fellow passengers are a billionaire tech whizz, a spy, a wrestler, an off-duty police officer, one of Uncle Nat’s rival reporters, and a bearded dragon. There’s also a girl who loves Tintin comics and the trouble starts with her.

Hal is an artist, and swiftly captures scenes on paper. These sketches prove invaluable as the mystery deepens, and sharp-eyed readers may find clues within them.

Hal dropped to his knees, ripping his sketchbook from his pocket and slamming it down on to the tarmac, scrabbling for a clean page. (89)

Hal is not the only artist aboard. Hadley is a magician, and her brother Mason a mimic. As the trip derails into secrets and mystery, the trio become firm friends and their individual skills help crack the case.

Short chapters keep the story flying, and the action pops from the page. Let’s take a magnifying glass to page 88. Verbs in the final four paragraphs include: explode, sprint, struggle, drag, thrash, slam, race, squeal, lurch. Pow! Pow! Exhilarating stuff.

As with the previous book, The Highland Falcon Thief, the world of trains is the chief delight. (Hoppers! Helpers!) Railway enthusiast Uncle Nat is the source of many details, and supplementary information on train travel in the United States is included at the end. Uncle Nat and Hal also discuss travel topics: how travel changes a person, jet lag, timezones, and homesickness.

A blast from first whistle to last, Kidnap on the California Comet rockets along its tracks with magic, red herrings, and shady suspects galore. It is the second in the series, and is followed by Murder on the Safari Star.

The books are illustrated by Italian creative designer Elisa Paganelli.

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