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Olga Pushkin #3
Last Stop on the Murder Express
'Quirky and colourful' Times Crime Club
'An absolute delight' L C Tyler
'This intriguing but charming murder mystery is packed with psychological depth and wonderfully-drawn characters' Eleanor Ray
Literary fame beckons for Olga Pushkin, Railway Engineer (Second Class), when her self-help manual for hard-working women is published at last. In the meantime, however, Olga still has a household to support, a hedgehog to feed, and railway tracks to maintain from her tiny Siberian village of Roslazny, which has just become the target for Russian Railways budget cuts. Worse still, her beloved sergeant of police, Vassily Marushkin, has reunited with his long-lost wife Rozalina. And soon Rozalina is forcing Vassily to consider moving away...
Matters aren't helped when Olga's scheming superior, Boris Andreyev, forces her to babysit a special Romanov-themed murder mystery steam train doing the rounds of the local towns. Parked in a siding near Roslazny, the players deliver the first of several intended performances - only for a staged murder to become very real. Vassily starts a homicide investigation in conjunction with his boss, the mercurial Captain Zemsky, but both are baffled when another murder follows on the heels of the first.
Old-school Zemsky bans Olga from joining the investigation - but she soon makes vital discoveries that point towards something deeper and more worrying than the murders alone. Further afield, a rival author emerges to steal Olga's crown, while back in Roslazny Olga begins to suspect that Vassily's wife Rozalina might be hiding secrets of her own. With chaos striking Roslazny, can Olga solve the murders, save her literary career, and settle Rozalina's identity before she loses Vassily forever?
Praise for C J Farrington
'The book is an absolute delight, evocative equally of the frozen steppes, bad vodka and worse sausage, and full of larger than life characters. Olga Pushkin is an endearing protagonist, who is hopefully set for a series as long as the Trans Siberian Railway.' L C Tyler
'Written with a warmth that would thaw Siberia, this intriguing but charming murder mystery is packed with psychological depth and wonderfully-drawn characters. It also features the best hedgehog I've met in a novel.' Eleanor Ray
'An absolute delight' L C Tyler
'This intriguing but charming murder mystery is packed with psychological depth and wonderfully-drawn characters' Eleanor Ray
Literary fame beckons for Olga Pushkin, Railway Engineer (Second Class), when her self-help manual for hard-working women is published at last. In the meantime, however, Olga still has a household to support, a hedgehog to feed, and railway tracks to maintain from her tiny Siberian village of Roslazny, which has just become the target for Russian Railways budget cuts. Worse still, her beloved sergeant of police, Vassily Marushkin, has reunited with his long-lost wife Rozalina. And soon Rozalina is forcing Vassily to consider moving away...
Matters aren't helped when Olga's scheming superior, Boris Andreyev, forces her to babysit a special Romanov-themed murder mystery steam train doing the rounds of the local towns. Parked in a siding near Roslazny, the players deliver the first of several intended performances - only for a staged murder to become very real. Vassily starts a homicide investigation in conjunction with his boss, the mercurial Captain Zemsky, but both are baffled when another murder follows on the heels of the first.
Old-school Zemsky bans Olga from joining the investigation - but she soon makes vital discoveries that point towards something deeper and more worrying than the murders alone. Further afield, a rival author emerges to steal Olga's crown, while back in Roslazny Olga begins to suspect that Vassily's wife Rozalina might be hiding secrets of her own. With chaos striking Roslazny, can Olga solve the murders, save her literary career, and settle Rozalina's identity before she loses Vassily forever?
Praise for C J Farrington
'The book is an absolute delight, evocative equally of the frozen steppes, bad vodka and worse sausage, and full of larger than life characters. Olga Pushkin is an endearing protagonist, who is hopefully set for a series as long as the Trans Siberian Railway.' L C Tyler
'Written with a warmth that would thaw Siberia, this intriguing but charming murder mystery is packed with psychological depth and wonderfully-drawn characters. It also features the best hedgehog I've met in a novel.' Eleanor Ray
416 pages, Hardcover
Published March 26, 2024
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43 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 17, 2023
I did not enjoy this book as much as I had the previous two.
The mystery felt very unbelievable this time, and I’m still not sure what was hoped to be achieved by it anyway.
There were so many characters in it - at least 36 excluding Anna’s children - that I had to write them all down for reference. The end got a bit political too, which surprised me. I also felt that the final tying up of all the loose ends for the villagers seemed very rushed and too neat, too convenient.. E.g. Pasha and Fyodor meeting up with Sasha, and the next minute, they’d both moved away. I’m guessing that this book ends the series because of this (and the title).
And again, I have marked it down one star because of all those Russian words creeping in. Why? They’re not needed and interrupted the flow while I tried to work out what each meant.
The mystery felt very unbelievable this time, and I’m still not sure what was hoped to be achieved by it anyway.
There were so many characters in it - at least 36 excluding Anna’s children - that I had to write them all down for reference. The end got a bit political too, which surprised me. I also felt that the final tying up of all the loose ends for the villagers seemed very rushed and too neat, too convenient.. E.g. Pasha and Fyodor meeting up with Sasha, and the next minute, they’d both moved away. I’m guessing that this book ends the series because of this (and the title).
And again, I have marked it down one star because of all those Russian words creeping in. Why? They’re not needed and interrupted the flow while I tried to work out what each meant.
October 27, 2023
A charming third book following the exploits of railway worker and hopeful author Olga Pushkin. These books are decidedly quirky but very satisfying and make for interesting reading. It helps if you have read the whole series as then the scene is set and you truly get the feel for Olgas life and living situation.
January 7, 2024
I think the low-ish ratings of this book may reflect expectations that don’t quite align with the project of the book itself. I suspect, though I could be completely wrong, that readers are acclimated to mysteries, set in the UK or US, which reflect the history and land of western countries. That isn’t this book. This book is set in Siberia and in the tension of the present. That is it’s great strength but is also quite new for most folks and new can be challenging.
The Last Stop on the Murder Express is incredibly evocative of a place and people who are deeply imprinted by an environment very different than one with which I am familiar. I took many semesters of Russian/Soviet history at university and this book centered me back in that despite being set in the present. Every detail reflected the tone and press of both that history and modern politics. That sepia background made the book absolutely fascinating. The main character was muted color and just right for the setting. I loved the way the author weaves in the railway and the mystery seemed to be both tight and twisty. This is my first book by C. J. Farmington but it will definitely not be my last. I’m going to buy the backlist right away, read them, and anxiously await new books.
The Last Stop on the Murder Express is incredibly evocative of a place and people who are deeply imprinted by an environment very different than one with which I am familiar. I took many semesters of Russian/Soviet history at university and this book centered me back in that despite being set in the present. Every detail reflected the tone and press of both that history and modern politics. That sepia background made the book absolutely fascinating. The main character was muted color and just right for the setting. I loved the way the author weaves in the railway and the mystery seemed to be both tight and twisty. This is my first book by C. J. Farmington but it will definitely not be my last. I’m going to buy the backlist right away, read them, and anxiously await new books.
October 27, 2023
I would like to thank Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for an advance copy of Last Stop on the Murder Express, the third novel to feature Railway Engineer (second class) Olga Pushkin, set in the fictional Siberian village of Roslazny.
Olga is press ganged into helping out at a traveling actor’s performance aboard a steam train. They are currently on a tour of Siberian towns performing a murder mystery and have reached a siding in Roslazny, where their first performance ends in the real life murder of one of the actors, who dies on stage. Olga joins forces with Sergeant Vassily Marushkin to solve the murder.
I enjoyed Last Stop on the Murder Express, which takes a whimsical look at village life in modern day Russia and offers a good mystery as well. I liked it better than the previous novel as it seems more focused and less chaotic, but perhaps that’s due to my familiarity with the characters and the set up. As an aside I would recommend reading the novels in order as there are plenty of references to the previous novels and I don’t think that the author is particularly clear on past events.
The novel is told entirely from Olga’s point of view, so it is a mishmash of everything that is going on in her life, from her heartbreak at the reappearance of Vassily’s long lost wife, Rozalina, to her issues with her corrupt boss who is threatening to make her redundant, via a potential plagiarism issue with her first novel. This is on top of trying to solve multiple murders, because the killer isn’t taking a one and done approach. It’s all go and all seen through Olga’s rather idiosyncratic lens.
It is quite a wordy novel with Olga animadverting on the human condition and hankering after a what if past, but if the reader gets past this it offers an intriguing mystery. Why are actors being killed and how do Olga and Vassily solve apparently motiveless murders? That is the meat and bones of the investigation, a deep dive into the suspects and an examination of opportunity. I found it interesting, but was less enthusiastic about the solution, which seems muddled and not exactly credible. Still, the journey to that point had me turning the pages quickly. Far more satisfactory is the karma meted out to the less salubrious characters. I do look to see nasty people get their comeuppance and this novel has that in spades.
Last Stop on the Murder Express is a good read that I can recommend.
Olga is press ganged into helping out at a traveling actor’s performance aboard a steam train. They are currently on a tour of Siberian towns performing a murder mystery and have reached a siding in Roslazny, where their first performance ends in the real life murder of one of the actors, who dies on stage. Olga joins forces with Sergeant Vassily Marushkin to solve the murder.
I enjoyed Last Stop on the Murder Express, which takes a whimsical look at village life in modern day Russia and offers a good mystery as well. I liked it better than the previous novel as it seems more focused and less chaotic, but perhaps that’s due to my familiarity with the characters and the set up. As an aside I would recommend reading the novels in order as there are plenty of references to the previous novels and I don’t think that the author is particularly clear on past events.
The novel is told entirely from Olga’s point of view, so it is a mishmash of everything that is going on in her life, from her heartbreak at the reappearance of Vassily’s long lost wife, Rozalina, to her issues with her corrupt boss who is threatening to make her redundant, via a potential plagiarism issue with her first novel. This is on top of trying to solve multiple murders, because the killer isn’t taking a one and done approach. It’s all go and all seen through Olga’s rather idiosyncratic lens.
It is quite a wordy novel with Olga animadverting on the human condition and hankering after a what if past, but if the reader gets past this it offers an intriguing mystery. Why are actors being killed and how do Olga and Vassily solve apparently motiveless murders? That is the meat and bones of the investigation, a deep dive into the suspects and an examination of opportunity. I found it interesting, but was less enthusiastic about the solution, which seems muddled and not exactly credible. Still, the journey to that point had me turning the pages quickly. Far more satisfactory is the karma meted out to the less salubrious characters. I do look to see nasty people get their comeuppance and this novel has that in spades.
Last Stop on the Murder Express is a good read that I can recommend.
January 21, 2024
I read another story featuring Olga Pushkin, the first in this series, and it worked like this time: I felt a bit confused and bored at the beginning but the plot slowly grew on me and I couldn't wait to read another story when I turn the last page.
I'm not able to say if the style of writing is tongue in cheeck or a serious way to write like classic Russian author. There's plenty of characters, there's melancholy but there's always a twisyt and entertaining mystery that kept me guessing.
The background and the characters are interesting and well done.
I love this series and hope to read another story soon
Highly recommended even if you have to be patient and follow the rythm
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
I'm not able to say if the style of writing is tongue in cheeck or a serious way to write like classic Russian author. There's plenty of characters, there's melancholy but there's always a twisyt and entertaining mystery that kept me guessing.
The background and the characters are interesting and well done.
I love this series and hope to read another story soon
Highly recommended even if you have to be patient and follow the rythm
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
April 18, 2024
Of the 3 books in this series, this one is my least favourite, unfortunately. Again, we are visiting Olga Pushkin and Co. as they try to solve a series of railway based murders.
When a travelling play comes to town, one actor after another meets a grisly end, and the other members of the troupe are the obvious suspects in the killings. Whilst this is ongoing, Olga must also deal with issues relating to her book, her family, and her love of the local police officer, Vassily, whose missing wife has just returned.
I feel that the ending to this one was really rushed, particularly the storylines of Pasha, Fyodor, and Rozalina. I suspect this may be the final book in the Olga series.
When a travelling play comes to town, one actor after another meets a grisly end, and the other members of the troupe are the obvious suspects in the killings. Whilst this is ongoing, Olga must also deal with issues relating to her book, her family, and her love of the local police officer, Vassily, whose missing wife has just returned.
I feel that the ending to this one was really rushed, particularly the storylines of Pasha, Fyodor, and Rozalina. I suspect this may be the final book in the Olga series.
November 6, 2023
Olga Pushkin is a railway engineer she is waiting her self help book being published .
Olga is forced to look after a murder mystery steam train which is travelling to local towns .
On one of the stops at a siding near Roslazny a murder becomes all too real
Olga decides to investigate to find the murderer as the bodies begin pile up.
The book is very quirky and not what I expected .
I haven’t read the previous books in this series and this book wasn’t for me.
Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group.
Olga is forced to look after a murder mystery steam train which is travelling to local towns .
On one of the stops at a siding near Roslazny a murder becomes all too real
Olga decides to investigate to find the murderer as the bodies begin pile up.
The book is very quirky and not what I expected .
I haven’t read the previous books in this series and this book wasn’t for me.
Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group.
December 31, 2025
I hate to be the only person to give a 1 star review for this book, but I really didn’t enjoy this at all. Now a lot of my issues with this are likely because I didn’t check if it was the first book in the series, so there were a lot of references to past cases and I found it incredibly difficult to keep all the characters and their relationships straight in my head. But I also found that I didn’t really care. I ended up skimming the story just to see who the murderers were and it was fairly predictable.
November 3, 2023
Olga Pushkin is an engineer second class on the Siberian railway. Her meagre wages are supporting family, friends and her pet hedgehog. Her self help book has finally been published. A murder mystery acting group stage plays on the train. There is a murder. Can Olga reveal the killer.? Not having read the previous two books in the series didn’t help. Overall, I failed to engage with the story.Thank you to Netgalleyand the Little Brown Book Group for the ARC
October 17, 2023
Thanks to Netgalley & the publishers for the ARC! I've been stuck at 7% in this book for a few days now, and unfortunately, I don't think I'm going to be finishing it. I'll keep it on the backburner in case I want to pick it up at a later date.
January 1, 2024
Would be author Olga Pushkin is a railway engineer in Siberia. One day a travelling theatre company come to town, as the bodies pile up can Olga solve the identity of the murderer and get to the bottom as to why her self-help book seems to have been published by someone else?
December 19, 2023
I found this book almost impossible to follow. There were far too many characters with complicated names that I couldn't keep track of it at all. In the end, I had to give up.
December 31, 2023
This is the only book I have read in the series. I don’t think you need to read the others. There is enough background information to let you know enough.
Good to borrow from the library.
Good to borrow from the library.
December 22, 2023
Olga and Dmitri (her hedgehog) are back in this cozy mystery. Still pining for the married Vassily, she again finds herself working with him to solve the mystery of a murdered actor.
Boris has her now looking after a murder mystery train ( how fun does that sound?). The train is the stage used by actors to perform their plays. But then one of the actors is murdered and Olga is determined to solve the case.
I enjoy these mysteries set in a cold winter setting and look forward to the next book in the series.
Boris has her now looking after a murder mystery train ( how fun does that sound?). The train is the stage used by actors to perform their plays. But then one of the actors is murdered and Olga is determined to solve the case.
I enjoy these mysteries set in a cold winter setting and look forward to the next book in the series.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews