Kidnap on the California Comet - MG Leonard and Sam Sedgman

After the excitement of his adventures on the Highland Falcon Thief, Harrison Beck can't wait for the opportunity to go on another amazing train journey. So when his Uncle Nat invites him aboard the California Comet, the iconic three day train journey from Chicago to San Francisco, he leaps at the chance to travel. But when the daughter of billionaire entrepreneur August Reza goes missing en route, Hal finds himself with another mystery to solve. Can he uncover the kidnapper before the journey's end?

Kidnap on the California Comet is the second instalment of the Adventures on Trains series written by the wonderful M.G. Leonard and Sam Sedgman. The first book, The Highland Falcon Thief was a delightful mystery involving a jewel thief (read my review here) and introduced us to Hal, our main train sleuth and his transport-loving-journalist-uncle Nat. I absolutely loved The Highland Falcon Thief and as with all series was apprehensive that this wouldn't be as great but the duo have created a story that pulls you in just as much (if not more?) than the first and holds its own within the series. 

Once more the book centres around Hal and Uncle Nat off on a locomotive adventure - this time to America on the California Comet taking it's famous journey between Chicago and San Francisco. Between competing with jet lag, making new American friends and battling homesickness Hal finds himself again embroiled in the middle of a mystery when wealthy train carriage owner, August Reza's daughter, Marianne, is kidnapped.  

Just like in the first Adventures on Trains, Hal immediately jumps into detective mode and once again his musings are recorded via his sketchbook. Elisa Paganelli provides the illustrations in the book again and I love how Hal is described drawing a scene only for you to turn the page and the scene be brought to life right in front of you. Her illustrations really do help to bring the story alive through Hal's eyes. 

Hal is again joined by companions. This time he befriends two American children also travelling, Mason and Hadley - the former a talented impressionist who loves mimicking Hal's accent and the latter an impressive magician who teaches Hal a trick or two along the way. Together they make a formidable detective team and I enjoyed the friendship between them which came across as genuine and representative of children's friendships on holiday. 

 

Marianne Reza's disappearance is yet another complicated mystery for Hal to solve and one with many twists and turns that you never expect. I love picking up the clues at the same time as Hal and despite all the evidence being there I still never manage to solve the case before he ultimately cracks it! 

Kidnap on the California Comet is fast-paced and action-packed and I was hooked from the start, reading the whole thing in one sitting (something that doesn't happen that often). It's the perfect second book and I'm eagerly anticipating the return of Hal's adventures in Murder on the Safari Star. 

A head-scratching train mystery filled with action and deception.