Midnight Train (by Sally Quilford)

(Amazon UK link)

I have a large collection of Kindle books by Sally Quilford, most of them downloaded free when she made them available as a special offer. I usually read at least one when I’m travelling. This time I decided that ‘Midnight Train’ looked interesting; I acquired it eight years ago but had not previously read it. Apparently it was originally published as a magazine pocket novel.

I had no idea what to expect, as the author writes in a variety of genres. I quickly discovered that this was a romantic thriller. Sally Quilford has a gift of characterisation, and for a while I could barely put the book down. More than once I was reminded of some of the contemporary novels of Jane Aiken Hodge or Mary Stewart, both of whom also used this genre. 

There are two main characters. Angela is a former actress, in her forties, whose agent is trying to persuade her to reprise a role she played in her twenties. She doesn’t want to, but finds it hard to say no. She’s also stressed when she discovers that her ex-husband’s new wife is pregnant. Evidently there’s some history there, but we don’t learn exactly what is involved until towards the end of the book. 

Mike is the other main character. He’s in his fifties, a vicar who has recently gone through a very stressful time. Again, we don’t learn all the details until much later, although there are sufficient hints that his eventual revelation does not come as any surprise. He’s feeling exhausted, with a lot of demands, and decides that he needs a break. He is widowed with a son at university. 

Both Mike and Angela decide to take a trip on the ‘Midnight Train’, a journey across parts of Europe ending in the fictional country of Cariastan. There are sufficient hints to let the reader know that they may not return, that the trip is doomed… 

Much of the story takes place on the train. Mike and Angela meet when it’s discovered that they had both misunderstood their bookings, and after initial misunderstandings they decide to make the best of it. Mike doesn’t want to admit that he’s a minister, despite the fact that Angela mentions her father being a retired Vicar. He feels that his profession can get in the way of friendships or other relationships - and he feels very attracted to Angela. 

However they have little chance to develop a relationship, as a dangerous plot is gradually revealed, involving extreme danger to everyone on the train. They have no idea who they can trust - if anyone. Other characters include two young men who work as staff, Cal and Will, and a small boy called Solomon who’s with an impatient woman called Patty. Then there’s Ambroise, a Frenchman… and an elderly couple from Mike’s church who decided to join the tour at the last minute, to keep an eye on him. 

The underlying story involves complex politics, greed and scandals, and I admit to skimming a little over some of the detail. I expect some of this would seem unrealistic to people more knowledgeable than I am. But I had no trouble accepting a fictional oil-rich microstate that was formerly part of the USSR. I didn’t like the violence and deaths that occurred, but they’re not unusual in this genre, and are done without any gratuitous detail. 

I hoped that there would be an eventual positive resolution to what was a very tense book in places - but wasn’t at all sure how this could happen. I thought the climax of the story was cleverly handled, and I loved the way that Angela shows herself to be a strong, independent woman with many unusual skills. 

The writing is mostly very good, the action well-paced, the characters believable. Having said that, there are a few proofing errors. There’s also a slight confusion in that someone, with similarities to a child, apparently his grandfather, turns out to be not a blood relation at all. I kept expecting a new revelation, but the mistake is never explored - nor is it explained, or even mentioned later in the book.

But on the whole I liked this book very much. I would recommend it to anyone who likes the romantic thriller genre, and who would like a quick, light read. Available in large print paperback, and still inexpensive for the Kindle. 

Review copyright 2024 Sue's Book Reviews