Terror on the Train

Dorothy Martin #27

by Jeanne M. Dams

Dorothy Martin is travelling from England to Canada for a wedding, but her journey takes a dark twist when a man falls from the train.

Dorothy Martin and her husband, retired chief constable Alan Nesbitt, are leaving England behind to attend a wedding on Vancouver Island, Canada. Opting for the scenic route, the pair board the Empire Builder sleeper train from Chicago to Seattle. But the journey takes a terrifying turn when Dorothy witnesses a person falling from the train.

The body of a man is quickly found on the route, and Dorothy feels compelled to investigate. Who was he? Was he alive or dead when he fell? Could his fate be linked to a confrontation on the train? As Dorothy and Alan unravel the secrets surrounding the dead man, they uncover disturbingly dark truths . . .

This twisty, engaging mystery featuring an Anglophile sleuth is perfect for fans of M.C. Beaton and Faith Martin.

Genres: Mystery

222 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 2, 2025

About the author

Jeanne M. Dams lives in South Bend, Indiana. The Body in the Transept, which introduced Dorothy Martin, won the Agatha Award for Best First Novel. Dams is also the author of Green Grow the Victims and other Hilda Johansson mysteries published by Walker & Company.

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Terror on the Train is the 27th book in the cozy mystery series starring American born British ex-pat Dorothy Martin and her British husband Alan, a retired DCI. The books are a quick read and author Jeanne Dams does a wonderful job filling the books with facts and travel information on her physical settings. In Terror on the Train we join Dorothy and Alan on an Amtrak sleeper train from Chicago to Seattle then on to Victoria BC. I feel the plot in this book was rather thin but if you love reading cozy mysteries you will probably overlook it. There are many things to enjoy about this series but one thing that I find increasingly irritating is the author's frequent references to Dorothy's age and infirmaries. As Dorothy and Alan retired from their jobs only 5-10 years ago how old can they be? Dorothy talks as if they are one step away from a nursing home. I've read the series from the beginning, maybe this was always the case and it's just more irritating to me now.
Again, I feel this book will appeal to readers of cozy mysteries.

[Gerri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another in the Dorothy Martin series. This ones follows them to Vancouver Island, Canada for the wedding of the daughter of their friends from a previous mystery encounter they solved together. On their cross country journey through the U.S. on route to their destination, they take the Empire Builder sleeper train. And of course during this journey there’s a murder that they get involved solving. They meet people in the train and connect with them later in the book as Dorothy and Alan work to solve this murder that they think is going to fall through the cracks of the system due to the circumstances.

This was a pleasant mystery. I’ve read several of this series. The author does a great job of making you feel as if you know this happy and very inquisitive couple and those whom they meet along the way. This one took a few too many detours and a bit more time getting to the truth about the murder than I would have preferred. But it was a pleasant trip regardless.
#TerrorOnTheTrain. #NetGalley

[Vintagebooklvr · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars. Reading another Dorothy Martin book is like visiting old friends--though Dorothy and Alan are complaining more about their age than I remember before. If you have read the series before you pretty much know what to expect, though here it is minus the usual supporting characters because Dorothy and Alan are on a trip to attend a wedding in Vancouver. They are taking a train from Chicago to Seattle and Dorothy sees a person fall from the train. Suspecting more than just an accident, she is determined to investigate.

Though this is called Terror on the Train there aren't any scary moments. In fact, there are a lot of descriptions that you could call this part travelogue. It may be a bit thin on plot in places it is still enjoyable.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

[J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dorothy and Alan are heading to a wedding across the pond in Victoria, Canada, but hate the idea of flying all the way. They book a sleeper car on a cross-country Amtrak train and look forward to a leisurely trip. Of course, the first night, they both see a body falling from the train and become totally involved in the investigation. The mystery is mixed in with the wedding prep and sight-seeing, so the plot does move slowly and the only incentive to investigate is their own desire to solve the murder. It’s fun to see an older couple traveling and being active, though at a slower pace. There really was no terror on the train, more of a puzzle. It is a relaxing cozy read.
Thanks to Severn House and NetGalley for the ARC.

[Daria · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Terror on the Train" will appeal to fans of cozy mysteries and readers who enjoy mysteries set on trains, especially people who are already familiar with the series. The plot and the rationale behind the murder of one of the travelers on the train are rather thin, and there is never really a good justification for Dorothy and Alan's excessive efforts to solve the crime. But their relationship is charming, and returning to their lives (this is the 27th book in the series) is a pleasure, although long-time readers may miss the recurring characters from their usual residence in England. Thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for the eARC.

[Bee · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF at about the halfway mark.

I enjoy a gently paced novel if I’m invested in the story and characters, but the cripplingly slow pace of this one and lengthy descriptions of plot unrelated to the mystery made it too lackluster for me. This was my first introduction to the series but I don’t think that was my issue with the book at all. I got a feel for the main characters within the first chapter, but the problem was that nothing much happened after that. If you’re expecting shades of Murder on the Orient Express because of the setting, premise, and title, you will be disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

[Emy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dorothy Martin and her husband, Alan Nesbitt, are traveling from England to a wedding in Canada, taking a sleeper train from Chicago to Seattle. Their trip turns alarming when Dorothy sees someone fall from the train, leading them to investigate the man's mysterious death and uncover dark truths.
An interesting cozy mystery/ travel blog. This was a different kind of cozy mystery. There did not appear to be much suspense as the investigating couple carried out their investigation predominantly by phone. The remaining part of the book was the travel descriptions of the sites that they were visiting, interesting but not what I expected reading a murder mystery.

[Celeste · Rating 3 out of 5]

-Spoiler alert-

I won’t say what the ending was, only that it was a massive disappointment. It felt as though the author just became weary and decided to end the story in the least satisfying way possible.

I’ve been reading this series since the beginning. Dorothy and Alan were 60+ in 1995, when the first of the series was published. Which is fine! Poetic license and suspension of disbelief is par for the course for cozy mysteries. But now that I’m 60+ myself, they just seem tiresome, and the logical pretzel twists the reader is asked to make for the sake of advancing the story just didn’t seem worth it in the end.

Not the author’s best work.

[Catherine Davis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually enjoy the Dorothy Martin series but was horribly disappointed in this book. The plot is terribly weak. There is no logical justification for Dorothy and Alan to get involved in the crime, there are no facts to support their suppositions and they keep telling the reader that, the conclusion is not accordance with Alan's reputation as a man of the law, and the book reads more like a travelogue of the western US than a mystery story. The elderly tropes (naps, sore feet, crankiness, cats) and the Christian moral messages, which are only mildly annoying in Dams' previous books, seem overdone here.

[Sue Hampshire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Awesome Dorothy Martin Mystery!

I have been a fan of Jeanne M. Dams’ Dorothy Martin mysteries since her first book. This one entails transportation of planes, trains, ferries, and cars - and how a sudden death of a despicable man is solved by Dorothy and her affable husband.

[Belle · Rating 1 out of 5]

From the cover and blurb, I had thought this book would take place solely on the train. Unfortunately, it doesn't. We only get a couple of chapters at the start. I was so disappointed.

It is also very slow and bland. I love senior citizen characters, but they unfortunately couldn't hold my attention. This felt more like a travel blog, not a murder mystery.

[Mary · Rating 1 out of 5]

No Terror…just Nosy Dorothy

Bid to do over nothing and immature reactions! Dorothy was at her immature best. There was no big mystery or a reason to investigate. Boring at best , convoluted at its best and made main characters look like buffoons.
Ugh… I’m done w Dams books. They’re poorly written written and don’t hold anybody’s interest.

[Mate Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like spending a long day (or 2) with old friends

Not my favorite, but quite well conceived and laid out. Always happy to spend some time with Alan and Dorothy and, I suppose, whoever died to bring us all together.

[Sandy Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointed

Not as good as this author usually writes, her earlier are much much better. I like the books set in England much more

[Rita Josephson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read all of the Dorothy Martin books. They are excellent! You should read them in order, if possible.