Danger at Dead Man’s Pass by M.G. Leonard & Sam Sedgman

Hal and Uncle Nat are going to Berlin. A man’s been frightened to death in a train tunnel, and they’ve been invited to investigate - undercover.

Fourth in the Adventures on Trains series.

There are bats, witches, codes, folklore, wartime secrets, an ancient curse, and references to Goethe’s Faust and Kästner’s Emil and the Detectives. The chapters are short and by the start of chapter two, the adventure is well underway.

This time he had a case to solve before he’d even got on a train. p.18

Can Hal unravel the mystery before the deadly curse strikes again?

In the first three books, the trains themselves are among the chief delights: creating dynamic, dangerous, and unusual settings for Hal’s investigations. In Danger at Dead Man’s Pass, the investigation unfolds in a castle. There’s more of a Cluedo vibe: locked rooms, hidden keys, and detailed floor plans.

An enjoyable excursion, but I missed the trains and the sense of high-speed action which was so distinctive in the earlier books.

WHAT TO READ NEXT

Peril on the Atlantic by A.M. Howell

The Forbidden Atlas by Sam Sedgman