Kidnap on the California Comet

Check out my spoiler-free interview with authors M. G. Leonard and Sam Sedgman: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://youtu.be/UM60KFWBqfo">https://youtu.be/UM60KFWBqfo</a><br /><br />Another exciting mystery starring Harrison "Hal" Beck and his Uncle Nat, but this time we have gone stateside!! Hal and his uncle have travelled all the way to the United States of America to travel on the California Comet, but once again, Hal finds himself embroiled in a mystery, but this time involving a kidnapping.<br /><br />I loved the first book, The Highland Falcon Thief, so much for the atmosphere and setting, and the sequel amplifies it with this new, fresh and exciting setting! The descriptions of the outside views, the mountains and even the train itself transforms this into a real reading experience and I couldn't help but picture myself on the train with them. <br /><br />The writing was again engrossing and intriguing and I just had to know how the kidnapping unfolded and who was behind it. I wasn't supposed to read this right now but I picked it up just because I've been dying to read it since finishing the first book back in January, and before I knew it, I'd found myself at the end. <br /><br />A highly satisfying sequel with characters I have really grown to care for. I love the 'Adventures on Trains' series for its constant refreshing of the setting and I can never predict what's going to happen next with Hal and his Uncle Nat. One of my favourite middle grade mysteries series now, and it has me itching to go on a train again!

Highly addictive, fantastically written and beautifully illustrated. This series is filled with hijinks, travel, mystery and wonderful characters. It’s a truly delightful read for readers young and old and I loved every page.

Wow such an amazing sequel! There is so much action &amp; adventure packed into such a short trip! So good. We are back w/Hal &amp; Uncle Nat. This time they are traveling across America on the California Comet. This time there is a kidnapping to solve. We have some brand new friends for this trip as well. Marianne, &amp; siblings Hadley &amp; Mason. I absolutely loved the siblings. The girl is a magician &amp; the boy is a master w/voices &amp; impersonations. They help Hal, &amp; have the adventure of a lifetime together. Of course a whole new train of interesting characters too, all who become suspects. I’ve really grown so fond on Hal &amp; his Uncle, &amp; just love taking these journeys by train w/them, &amp; love seeing Hal work a case w/his drawings. It’s such a creative, fascinating idea. As an American, I loved seeing through Hal’s eyes how everything was so different to him, compared to where he’s from. From America itself, the feeling he got just being here, the food, &amp; they way things were named differently even. This was full of so much mystery, suspense, adventure, &amp; heart. I can’t wait to travel w/these 2 again, &amp; all the friends they make along the way. I need a ton more books w/them! Lol I highly recommend. Also, another gorgeous cover w/just the most beautiful illustrations throughout the book.?

?????????????<br><br>Another train mystery solved!! <br><br>The 2nd-book of my new favorite Middle Grade series didn't disappoint. It was everything I wanted and more!<br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1684973057ra/34286805.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>After his memorable trip on The Highland Falcon with his Uncle Nat, Hal Beck, is ready embark on another adventure. His Uncle, a travel journalist, is set to travel on the famous California Comet from Chicago to California and it just so happens, the trip coincides with a school break for Hal.<br><br>More than happy to have his nephew along for another trip, the two pack their bags and set off for the U.S. together; it will be Hal's first time.<br><br>At first, Hal is anxious about being homesick and out of place in a foreign country, but soon enough he has made new friends and finds himself embroiled in another mystery.<br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1684973057ra/34286806.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>In the first book, we had a thief aboard the train. Someone stealing objects of value from various passengers. In this installment, as the title would suggest, we have a kidnapping of a very wealthy young passenger, but how?<br><br>The kidnapped girl resided in her father's own private car and she had her own security guard. How did the kidnapper get past security?<br><br>Hal and his new friends, Mason and Hadley, are intrigued, but they also want to help. The girl could be in very serious danger. Together the trio work around the clock to try to solve the mystery.<br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1684973057ra/34286807.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>This was such a fun read. As with the first book, I became completely invested in this story quite early on. In fact, the first night I picked it up, I had to force myself to put it down so I could get some sleep.<br><br>Who knew a Middle Grade Mystery Adventure series set on trains would be my new favorite thing in the world!?<br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1626392409ra/31639558.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>The writing is great, the set-up and mystery are intriguing as heck and I love the characters. I also love the inclusion of Hal's drawings; seeing the world through his eyes and how they help him to puzzle out the mysteries. It's fantastic.<br><br>Also, I love Hal as a main character. He's always kind, brave, creative and has a genuine curiosity about everything that is so fun to read.<br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1684973057ra/34286808.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>I definitely recommend this series to anyone who enjoys Middle Grade Mystery stories. It's such a joy, pure entertainment. <br><br>I am super excited to continue on with the third book, which I will be starting very soon!

Actual rating: 3.5 stars! Another fun train adventure! Didn’t love this as much as the first one but still it was very entertaining and a quick read! ?

3.5 <br /><br />Just another cute and fast adventure, this one for me was more predictable than the first one but it was still enjoyable. <br /><br />Can't wait for the next book in this series

3.5 stars.<br /><br />A fun installment but I did guess early on a major part of the "plot twist" hense it losing half a star.

Samenvatting:<br />Alex vond het avontuur met zijn oom Ben op de Hooglandenexpres zo ontzettend tof, dat hij graag een tweede keer met oom Ben mee wil. Zo gezegd, zo gedaan. Alex mag een reis maken in de California Comet. Dit is een iconische treinreis van Chicago naar San Francisco. Met deze trein reizen ook miljonair August Reza en zijn dochter mee.<br /><br />Net zoals in deel één weet Alex snel vrienden te maken. Samen hebben ze veel plezier in de trein en Alex leert hoe toveren werkt. Alex leert ook de dochter van de miljonair kennen, maar haar gedrag is soms een beetje vreemd.<br /><br />Op een gegeven moment verdwijnt de dochter van de miljonair, ze is waarschijnlijk ontvoert. Ondanks dat haar gedrag een beetje gek was, besluit Alex om op de zaak te duiken. Samen met zijn nieuwe vrienden gaan ze op onderzoek uit en proberen ze te achterhalen wie de dochter van de miljonair ontvoert heeft. Wanneer er steeds een tand teruggevonden wordt, begint de spanning op te lopen. Zullen Alex en zijn vrienden deze zaak op kunnen lossen? <br /><br />--<br /><br />Deel twee is net zo heerlijk als deel één. De beschrijvingen zijn weer detailrijk, de vriendschappen weer hartverwarmend en het verhaal is weer spannend.<br /><br />De opbouw van het verhaal is weer leuk gedaan. Alex begint met een rustige treinreis en heeft er dit keer ook echt zin in. Zijn tekenblok is mee, maar zijn game toestel heeft hij thuis gelaten, hij wil namelijk zoveel mogelijk genieten van de treinreis zelf.<br /><br />Wanneer de dochter van de miljonair wordt ontvoert kan hij echter niet anders dan zich bemoeien met de zaak. Aangezien Alex heel gauw beelden kan vastleggen op papier, ziet hij dingen die anderen over het hoofd zien. Hierdoor heeft hij sneller door hoe de vork in de steel zit. Echter is hij maar een kind en wordt hij dus niet geloofd door de volwassenen. De frustraties die dit opleveren zijn heel overtuigend en komen realistisch over.<br /><br />In het verhaal komt ook naar voren hoe onbedacht kinderen zijn van gevaar en dat maakt het verhaal ook een stuk realistischer. Naast dat ze zich bezig houden met de zaak, zijn er ook veel 'kinderproblemen' waar ze tegenaan lopen. Zo zijn ze bijvoorbeeld niet eerlijk tegenover oom Ben, omdat zij verwachten dat hij boos zal worden.<br /><br />De schrijfstijl van M.G. Leonard en Sam Sedgman is net zoals in deel één erg fijn. De opbouw is prettig, de zinnen lopen soepel in elkaar over en het leest 'als een trein'. Het verhaal wordt daarnaast steeds spannender. De ontknoping van het verhaal vond ik origineel bedacht en erg leuk gedaan.<br /><br />M.G Leonard kennen we van haar debuut in 2016 met "Keverjongen". Voordat ze begon met schrijven, studeerde ze Engelse literatuur. Naast dat ze boeken schrijft, is ze werkzaam als producent voor het Engelse Nationaal Theater. Sam Sedgman woont in Loden en heeft met "De Juwelendief" zijn eerste award-winning serie te pakken. Naast zijn schrijverswerk is hij een digital producer, ook voor het Engelse Nationaal Theater.<br /><br />De illustraties in het verhaal, die zogenaamd door Alex zelf worden getekend, zijn ontworpen door Elisa Paganelli. De tekeningen zijn in het zwart-wit en geven de indruk dat het inderdaad zelf gemaakte tekeningen zijn, wat in dit verhaal erg belangrijk is. De details die erin voorkomen, zoals wanneer de trein getekend is, zijn erg mooi gedaan.<br /><br />Het verhaal is uitstekend vertaald door Marce Noordenbos, de originele titel is Kidnap on the California Comet.

This story was a good continuation of the Adventures On Trains series, but for me didn't quite have the impact that the first book, Highland Falcon Thief, did. I felt that the first book was very clever, it had strong Agatha Christie mystery vibes and I loved Lenny, who made the story interesting and fun.<br /><br />But Lenny was not in the California Comet story, adding in siblings Mason and Hadley instead, who I felt were more of a vehicle to listen to Hal and help him solve the mystery, rather than being interesting characters in their own right. <br /><br />Unfortunately, this mystery was also too easy to solve and I did wait for the majority of the story to be proven right. The potential culprits this time, seemed to come and go too quickly to add anything to the story or be memorable, and while I loved the descriptions of the Highland Falcon, I can't remember much of anything about this train.<br /><br />I'm hoping this series picks up better in the next book and offers a more entertaining mystery with better characters, because while this was very readable, I can't see myself rushing to re-read it any time soon.

4.5 stars<br /><br />Such an amazing sequel to <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/46223272.The_Highland_Falcon_Thief" title="The Highland Falcon Thief by M.G. Leonard" rel="noopener">The Highland Falcon Thief</a>! The only reason why it's not getting a full-on five stars is because I <i>sort of</i> guessed the ending. Not everything about it, but some of it.<br /><br />I cannot wait to read the next book in the series!