My first Hillary Greene book having really enjoyed the Jenny Starling, Monica Noble books. This book was a bit different to the others. I didn't really click with the characters musing "will the police know..." on a regular basis. It was a bit long winded and too much time spent on very unrealistic fight scenes.
Having said that, I did enjoy the book and if you found it in the library on holiday you'd happily read it by the pool

This is the latest in the Hillary Greene series but works just fine as a stand alone. I had read one previous book and looked forward to reading more of the series. In this one Hillary is retired although working part time as a consultant for the Thames Valley police department. She’s decided to take a long overdue holiday and combine it with a bit of business as we learn what else Hillary has been up to since retiring.

She heads to Wales where she stays in a small inn and meets the six other guests. They get acquainted at the inn and decide to go on a day trip together which involves a steam engine. The setting is lovely but murder is just around the corner for one of the guests and Hillary’s trip mates are suspects. Of course Hillary can’t stay out of this investigation and it’s believable how she gets pulled in. The mystery is good, there’s some humor as well. But there’s more to than just solving a murder. And the suspense begins to build towards the last quarter of the book. It was a fun read and just the right amount of suspects to keep track of without becoming confusing. The character of Hillary is well written as an intelligent, humble person with a sense of humor and also spunky. This is a very enjoyable addition to the series and would be enjoyable to a variety of readers, whether new to the series or not.
#murderonthetrain/netgalley

This is an enjoyable murder mystery which was easy to read. The descriptive scesetting was great. I'm highly likely to seek out more of the series as a light, easy holiday read.
Thanks to Netgalley.

Another wonderfully readable crime novel from Faith Martin. This one is a variation of a locked room mystery and very good it is too. Trouble follows Hillary Green even when she tries to take a holiday and when a murder occurs, she takes the inexperienced SIO under her wing and helps him solve the case. I love the easy way Ms Martin weaves characters and plot together to make a really good whodunnit.

Hilary Crane is a retired detective who has decided to go for her first holiday in ages to Wales, also to promote her newly published debut crime novel in the bookish town of Hay-on-Wye.

But on a tourist expedition with a group of people who are staying at the same bed and breakfast as she is, Hilary is shocked to discover one of their number dead at the end of the scenic train ride they have undertaken.

Worse, it is clear the elderly woman was murdered, and that the culprit must therefore have been someone in the train carriage with her!

When the Welsh police decide to draw on Hilary's expertise, she is secretly quite happy about it. And, of course she ends up being the one to figure it all out.

I think I must be an outlier in that I did not particularly enjoy this story. There was something a little annoying about Hilary's privately judgemental asides, and her tendency towards smugness. It's a pity, because I really wanted to like this book. Anyway, I have no doubt it will appeal to any number of readers, and I will leave it at that. It gets 2.5 stars.

Thanks to Joffe Books, NetGalley, and Faith Martin for the opportunity to delightful chance to read Murder on the Train. I have always enjoyed reading about taking trips on a train and who doesn’t love a great mystery? Well, Faith Martin makes this a trip that you won’t forget when six passengers in a locked carriage go up the mountain but arrive at the top with one person dead and yet no one can explain how they didn’t notice. Former Detective Hilary Greene is on a two week vacation before her book goes on sale and she is in the second carriage. When she checks on the dead passenger she finds that she has been stabbed by something very thin and she has the local police called in.
What follows is a case ideal for fans of Agatha Christie and M. C. Beaton because how does one person get killed in a carriage and no one notices? And what secrets did the victim have that might have been the cause of her death? Was she an innocent victim or was she up to no good? The answers will surprise you!

Murder on the Train very much read like a heavily Agatha Christie inspired mystery, with slightly quirkier and modernized writing.

Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for the eARC of this book, the 21st in the DI Hillary Greene series by Faith Martin.

Hillary has been retired for a few years but was asked back to the Thames Valley police force as a cold case consultant. She's been very successful and in this book, she's taking a little vacation from the job. Hillary's an avid reader and has penned a mystery book. Her editor suggested a trip to the Welsh town, Hay on Wye known world wide for it's book shops, to promote her novel. She's staying at a small guest hotel and finds herself roped into taking a mountain train trip with the other 6 guests. They won't all fit in the one car so Hillary opts for the another carriage. Upon arriving at the summit, elderly Imogen remains in her seat. Hillary decides to check on her, only to discover her dead of a barely visible stab wound. The police are called. In view of Hillary's successful track record, DI Jones and his superiors ask Hillary to join them in bringing the murderer to justice.

The book can easily be read as a stand-alone, but it's such an excellent, well written, police procedural series that I highly recommend reading them all. 4 out of 5 stars.

Something of an old style 'who done it' from Faith Martin this time around. Perhaps not as gripping as her previous work, but nevertheless it is still an enjoyable read.

I have read books by this author before but not in this series. It was ok. It was relatively fast paced but I found that I didn’t connect with any of the characters and this resulted in me not really caring who had done it.

This is the first book I have read by this author, but it won’t be the last. A very enjoyable Agatha Christie type novel. The two main characters work well together to solve not only the murder but capture a drug dealer as well. An unexpected ending.

Wales, unpleasant-suspect, closed-circle-mystery, England, retired-cop, local-law-enforcement, tourist-town, tourists, small-town, small-business, drugs-issues, crime-fiction, suspense, secrets, entitled-attitude, unputdownable, consultant, writers, vacation*****

Hillary has been retired for a bit, did a stint in hospital, is publishing a crime fiction, expects that she is on a relatively quiet vacation sightseeing and staying at the local hotel. What she gets is finding the body of one of her fellow travelers, coerced into helping the local DI, and really getting into the middle of the muddle. Riveting, twisty, and witty!
As usual, the story does stand-alone quite nicely.
Not an unbiased review as I really enjoy the Hillary Greene series!
I requested and received a free temporary uncorrected proof copy from Joffe Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

Another fabulous murder mystery from Faith Martin's Hillary Greene series. This could also be read as a stand alone.
If you love a bit of up to date Agatha Christie your going to love this.
Well written characters and a great storyline.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

Hilary wrote a mystery book several years before and it is now being published. She decides to take a vacation in Hay on wye in Wales to browse the book stores and and possibly get some interest in he book. She is staying in a small guest house with only six other guests. And then Hillary finds that her best laid plans need a lot of alteration. At dinner all those staying at the guest house agree to go on a train trip to the mountains the next day. They arrive at the train station, and find there are only 6 seats per room, so Hillary leaves the others and goes to another car. When they get off the train, Hillary notes that the older woman, Imogen, has not gotten off the train. When Hillary checks the train car, she finds Imogen dead, and tells a uniformed man to call the police. When DI Ian Jones arrives at the train, he already knows about her past work and is ready for her help. They are all taken to the police station, and Hillary is then taken to the hotel where Judith the hotel owner tells her the police have asked her to pack a change of clothes for everyone but her.

The guests are returned the hotel, and Hillary continues to work with DI Jones. The question is which of the other five guests is the murderer, the wealthy American or his spoiled daughter who is getting drugs from an illegal seller in town, or the Irishman who had been a jockey, or Barry who didn't have much to say to anyone, or the three times divorced Canadian woman. Hillary talks with Ian daily as well as finding out more about the other guests. Soon there is a problem with Jessica's drug supplier who doesn't want anyone to get in the way of his sales. Hillary manages to get herself into more than one dangerous position, but together, Ian and Hillary finally close the case.

This is a great addition to the series. I thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for the ARC so that I could read it before publication.

Best Laid Plans..
The twenty first outing in the DI Hillary Greene series of mysteries finds our enigmatic protagonist taking a short sojourn to Hay-on-Wye - bookshop bound and clutching advance copies of her newly published crime novel. Needless to say things will not proceed without a hitch and a murder on a train throws all best laid plans awry. With an appealing combination of a locked room type mystery, a well imagined setting, a cast of eclectic characters and a swiftly moving plot laced with humour and sharp asides, this was a one sit read for this reader with possibly the most enjoyable instalment yet in this long running and well written series.

I’m always so excited to see a new book out by Faith Martin, but especially a Hillary Greene book. I’ve read them all and I’m a huge fan! While I enjoyed this one in the series, it wasn’t my favorite. It takes Hillary out of her usual setting and finally taking a holiday. I missed the rest of the usual cast of characters to be honest. This book is still great, and definitely keeps you guessing. The setting is nice, makes me want to visit the area, especially the bookstores. Can’t wait for the next book.

I always look forward to another book in Faith Martin's Hillary Greene series, but Murder on the Train is not one of her best. Hillary is on holiday in Hay-on-Wye, staying in a small hotel with a few other guests. One day, they all decide to take a journey on a steam train, and one of them does not survive. Hillary is co-opted into the investigation. This should make for a good plot but, because she is half in and half out, it just doesn't work for me.

Another installment in Faith Martin's Hillary Green series. On this outing Hillary leaves her canal boat and the familiarity of the Thames department to go on vacation in Wales. A vacation which quickly becomes a busman's holiday when she is asked to support the local detective with the murder investigation of a fellow guest at the inn where she is staying. The cast of characters would make Agatha Christie proud as would the ingenious murder.
This series installment can stand alone, making it a good introduction to the series.

I love Faith Martin books, and this one in the series starring Hilary Greene who used to be a detective didn't let me down. Very good and kept me enthralled to the last pages. She booked into a hotel in Hay on Wye in Wales to have a holiday and visit local bookshops to promote a crime book she had written. She joined other guests at the hotel on a journey on a steam train through the Cambrian mountains when she discovers a dead body. The novel keeps the reader guessing until the final pages.

This is the 21st in the Hillary Greene mystery series. I have read about half of them. This book would work as a standalone.

Former DI Hillary Greene, now retired, has been hired by Thames Valley police as a consultant for cold cases. She lives on a narrowboat and drives a car she has tagged, “Puff the Tragic Wagon”, which gives you some insight into her character!
Hillary has also written a mystery book which is about to be published. To help promote it, she takes a holiday trip to a quaint town in Wales that is known for its bookstores. While staying at a charming inn, she embarks with six fellow guests on a nostalgic and picturesque steam train trip. When one of the group is murdered while sitting on the train, Hillary becomes involved in the investigation.

This is an Agatha Christiesque locked room mystery which the author acknowledges through Hillary’s narrative. Faith Martin writes absorbing British police procedurals and this one is no exception. The story is engrossing and entertaining with good character development. Hillary is a strong, capable individual and I really enjoy the humor expressed in Martin’s writing.

I recommend this series for fans of British police procedurals with an engaging protagonist.