The Arctic Railway Assassin - MG Leonard & Sam Sedgman

Hal and his Uncle Nat are back for their sixth adventure, and this time they are heading to the Arctic just before Christmas aboard a night train to see the Northern Lights.  

Hal meets up with his uncle in Stockholm where Nat has seen his friend, Morti, receive her Nobel Prize.  However, it quickly becomes apparent that things aren't quite right when Morti explains that her possessions keep disappearing.  When she explains that her prize winning discovery of sound vibrations that can cure cancer, can also be used to kill a person instantly, Hal and Nat agree to help her out.  However, the next morning, she has left a note to say that she has had to go and will meet them at her cabin.  Uncle Nat and Hal continue with their journey but, as their train leaves Stockholm, they realise that they are being followed.  As they near the Arctic Circle, it's up to Hal and Uncle Nat to discover who is following them and why.  And with the possibility that Uncle Nat's past has come back to haunt him, it's up to Hal to step-up and take the lead.

I am a big fan of the Adventures on Trains series, so I was thrilled when an early copy appeared on NetGalley.  I couldn't resist jumping back on board with Hal and Nat to become completely engrossed in another adventure.  As Hal gets older, it's great to see him playing a more independent role in the investigations, but I loved the contrast between his maturity and his treatment by people such as the airline attendant - I can imagine a lot of 13 year olds will sympathise with him. 

Once again, woven into the mystery are the descriptions of the country they are travelling through and I always look forward to reading these as they really help to set the scene for me.  As ever, Hal's illustrations prove pivotal to the investigations and I always love to spend time studying the detail in each one.  Hat's off to Elisa Paganelli for these - they make the best accompaniment to the story; as does the map at the beginning.  I do love a book map.

News of me reading The Arctic Railway Assassin spread round school on Friday and there was much excitement at the thought of another book for the children to get stuck in to.  The only problem they had is that they are going to have to wait until the 13th October to read it!.