Novels set on trains Archives

Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting

by Clare Pooley

Regular commuters tend to keep to themselves, even if they see the same people on the train every day. 57-year-old magazine advice columnist Iona sees nothing wrong with this. She and her dog Lulu take the train without talking to anyone and it suits them well. Until one day a fellow commuter almost chokes on a grape and is rescued by another commuter who happens to be a nurse. It forms a bond for the train car, as the eclectic inhabitants learn talking to strangers just might be worth it after all.

Murder on the Orient Express

by Agatha Christie

It was supposed to be the perfect crime. But an avalanche stops the Orient Express in its tracks just before a passenger is found murdered in his berth, foiling the perpetrator's getaway, and trapping 13 potential suspects—each with an airtight alibi—in the train car with Inspector Hercule Poirot. If you've seen the movie, take note: Branagh changes Christie's ending. Hot tip: Dan Stevens's audio narration is fantastic.

The Last Train to Key West

by Chanel Cleeton

In this standalone novel from the author of Next Year in Havana, three women’s lives become entangled over the course of Labor Day weekend, 1935, when the storm of the century slams into Key West. The story is told from three perspectives, that of three different women who seem to share little in common, but whose lives are about to intersect in ways no one could foresee. Helen is a Key West native, poor and pregnant, fleeing her abusive husband. Mirta is Cuban, newly married to a man she barely knows, and just beginning her honeymoon. And Elizabeth, who’s come south on a dangerous search for a long-lost loved one. A captivating novel about a little-known historical event.

One Last Stop

by Casey McQuiston

A twenty-something overcomes the impossible to find love and the family she longs for in this feel-good novel inspired by Kate & Leopold. Adrift and lonely, 23-year-old August moved to New York City with hopes of leaving the past behind and building a new life. To her great surprise, things start going well. She bumps into Jane (literally) on the Q line, developing a serious crush on the beautiful girl with the retro punk rock look. August is terrified she’ll never see Jane again, but then she does—on the Q line. It turns out Jane is always on the Q line, and if August and Jane are to get their happy ending, Jane needs to figure out how to get her unstuck—with the help of her friends, of course. Delightfully frothy and feel-good.

Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect

This meta locked-room mystery is a lot of fun, especially for readers who enjoy characters breaking the fourth wall. When the Australian Mystery Writers’ Society invites debut author Ernest Cunningham to their crime-writing festival aboard a famous luxury train, he’s only hoping to mingle with peers and get some inspiration for his second book. But then, one of the attendees is murdered and it’s time for the rest of the authors to put their detective hats on. If anyone can solve a crime, it should be mystery writers. Except…that means mystery writers also know how to commit a crime.

The Underground Railroad

by Colson Whitehead

From the publisher: "Cora is a slave on a cotton plantation in Georgia. Life is hell for all the slaves, but especially bad for Cora; an outcast even among her fellow Africans, she is coming into womanhood-where even greater pain awaits. When Caesar, a recent arrival from Virginia, tells her about the Underground Railroad, they decide to take a terrifying risk and escape. Matters do not go as planned-Cora kills a young white boy who tries to capture her. Though they manage to find a station and head north, they are being hunted."

Novels set on trains

Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting

Murder on the Orient Express

The Last Train to Key West

One Last Stop

Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect

The Underground Railroad

Find your next read with:

100 Book recommendations
for every mood

Novels set on trains

Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting

Murder on the Orient Express

The Last Train to Key West

One Last Stop

Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect

The Underground Railroad

summer reading starts May 16th

Find your next read with:

100 Book recommendations for every mood

100 Book recommendations
for every mood