The Highland Falcon Thief

May 1, 2020
Grades 4-7 Initially unhappy about joining Uncle Nat, a travel writer, for the last journey of the Highland Falcon, a famous English steam-powered train, 11-year-old Hal soon changes his mind. Their fellow travelers include a young royal couple, a dozen other passengers, and a stowaway: Lenny, the engineer's daughter. When a valuable brooch is stolen, Hal is falsely accused of theft. After the duchess' diamond necklace disappears, Lenny becomes a suspect. With Uncle Nat's support, Hal and Lenny team up as detectives, determined to prove their innocence by finding the culprit. With a limited cast of characters and a distinctive setting, this whodunit offers many clues and red herrings for readers to interpret, but few will solve the crime. Most will be content to enjoy Hal and Lenny's adventures. These involve espionage, a daring rescue, and a classic revelation scene, with the suspects gathered in the dining car, listening intently as the young sleuth reveals his crime-solving process and identifies the perpetrator. Illustrated with lively black-and-white drawings, this well-constructed, fast-paced mystery is the first volume in the Adventures on Trains series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)