Loco Motive

Bed-and-Breakfast Mysteries #25

by Mary Daheim

“Daheim writes with wit, wisdom, and a big heart. I love her books.”
—Carolyn Hart

 

Another deft and daffy Bed-and-Breakfast mystery from the indomitable Mary Daheim—“The reigning Queen of the Cozies” (Portland Oregonian)—Loco Motive races full speed ahead with mystery and hilarity, as B&B hostess and amateur sleuth Judith McMonigal Flynn and her cousin Renie find their train ride to Boston has been derailed by murder most foul.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, American, Murder Mystery, Contemporary

320 pages, Hardcover

First published August 27, 2010

About the author

Mary Rene Richardson Daheim was an American writer of romance and mystery novels.

Reviews

[Thomas Bruso · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this fun, comforting series and how Daheim writes and concocts a wacky adventure for cousins Renie and Judith. But this outing was not my favorite. It took four chapters to get the story moving, but even when the two women board the Empire Builder for Boston, the plot meanders into a jumbled, confusing, off-the-rail territory.

The murder does not occur until chapter seven, which prompts Judith to investigate after becoming the main suspect.

As much as I enjoyed the cast of characters and all their outlandish quirks--and there are plenty of characters to introduce--not everyone involved in the story is needed. I wish the action onboard the Empire Builder came earlier and that all the secondary characters, who were not related to the plot, were left out of the story.

There is no resolution (the killer's identity is never revealed!), which added to the unsatisfying conclusion, and the epilogue is unnecessary.

That all said, after 25 books and two mystery series, it isn't easy to keep a series fresh and unique.

[Krista · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just to clarify, I would like to start out saying that this is the first book in this entire series that I ventured upon reading. I only read it because I had to select a few books from the library's list to qualify for their Summer reading program.

To start out, I didn't really like the main character. I suppose it is nice that she was different, but I hardly think she needed to be such a neurotic liar. I mean really, if you family shows up unexpectedly, I don't see what the issue is to tell them that you have a trip planned in a few days. But I suppose the author had to put that in because she needed to add to the page count, so hey, why not add pages and pages of her fretting over how she was going to tell them about her trip. *sarcasm*

Also, at the end of the story, she basically handed the suspect over to the authorities and took off, leaving them to figure it out. It was just odd and unrealistic. The only thing is had going for it was that the mystery was interesting. The main reason I continued reading, besides the requirement, was to find out what happened to the train attendant who disappeared, but they never explained why that happened and what he knew that caused his disappearance in the first place.

Anyway, I guess I'm just ranting. I'm looking forward to reading a really good mystery soon, after this disappointment.

[Nancy H · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not like this story nearly as much as I have others in this series. It almost seems like the author is trying to have the main characters, the two cousins, be too cute with their comments and observations to one another, often when there is something serious occurring around them at a time when no one would be rattling off non sequiturs in their normal conversation. What this does to the plot is to make the cousins seem shallow and not into what is happening with the murders or kidnappings or whatever serious thing is happening. I noticed that tendency in the last book I read in the series, but it seems even more pronounced and distacting in this one. I really do enjoy the series, so I am hoping that the distracting conversational tidbits will be lessened in the next one.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This entry in the series finds Judith ready for a break and Renie about to embark on a trip to Boston with her husband. A quick change of plans means the husbands fly and the gals take the train...for days. A scenic trip, to be sure. And when Judith is involved, you know there'll be a dead body. A few too many coincidences. How many people from her B&B show up? Left me a bit incredulous. A daredevil had been staying at the B&B right before she left, and when he dared to jump out of her second story window after she asked him not to, he crashed and got hurt and left the B&B via ambulance, while his assistant threatened Judith with a lawsuit. That same daredevil and his entourage end up on the train, where he dies, supposedly from injuries incurred at the B&B. A mysterious couple who stayed one night at the B&B at the same time also show up on the train a few towns later. A couple of teenagers who stopped by the B&B but were sent next door for the rental also showed up on the train. The train setting should have been perfect, but I felt there was too much going on and there were too many coincidences to be plausible here.

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I enjoy the circumstances Judith and Renie find themselves in, and get themselves out of, this book was a bit of a disappointment for me. It seems to me that the last few books have started with Judith being stressed or tired and needing a break from the B&B, and her being more and more short-tempered and snappish. And Renie has become more silly, bordering on ridiculous at times.

Also, this book has an abundance of moving parts - SO many people to keep track of, many of whom are not who they present themselves to be, which rather creates even more people to track. There were also some people and events that felt like they were unnecessary.

I'm glad this was not my first encounter with the Bed-and-Breakfast Mysteries. Here's hoping Judith finally gets the R&R she needs to she can keep running the B&B!

[E Goldberg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Normally I enjoy books in this series (Bed-and-Breakfast mystery). This one though was truly incomprehensible. Too many characters, too many subplots, too many red herrings. Finished it though :P

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

#25 in the series. While this isn't my favorite series, I have to say that the writing improved as the series matures.

In this one, Renie and Judith take a train trip (Renie doesn't like to fly, requiring copious quantities of alcohol to cope). Naturally, there are mysteries to be solved on the train. Not only that, a former daredevil has stayed at Judith's B&B and has broken some bones during a stunt. Guess who Judith runs into on the train.....yup.

I like Daheim's Alpine series, but haven't been terribly fond of this one. The banter between Judith and Renie is annoying, irritating, and just plain exhausting. For some reason it wasn't terrible in this entry in the series. The mysteries were interesting. And the dialog about train travel makes me want to hop on a train.

But I also felt that the final relationship between the murder victim and the passengers on the train was overly complex. I actually got confused. And there was an incident (with a lawsuit) that was never resolved. Was it just forgotten in the book editing?

[Susan Rowland · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like realistic humorous characters you can get to know over a series, look no further than the worlds of Mary Daheim. Her Bed and Breakfast mysteries, in particular, show the world of hard work and a generous heart from heroine Judith, and the wonderful, sorely trying Renie. Here they seem to escape the extraordinarly murder prone B & B for a cross country train trip. Fans of Christie's Orient Express know how that goes...!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read most all of this series to this point. They're fun and usually keep me from putting all the pieces of the mystery together early. I tend to rate them a bit lower than this because Judith's mother, Gertrude, is just so stinkin' mean, but most of this book took place away from the BnB (as do a few others in the series) so I enjoyed it rather more. Reading it on a plane, it had me seriously considering train travel next time too.

[Samantha Jeffree · Rating 3 out of 5]

I agree with others when I say I don't like writing negative reviews but I still don't know who the bad guy was in this book because I skipped the end. I loved the writing style but got confused by so many characters.
This is the first in this series I've read but will definitely give another one in the series a go because I liked the characters.

[Skyler Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not terribly written but did have the tendency to meander for a horrifically long time. It seems as though the author didn’t know how long people would want to read about the most assinine of details in this old bag’s life. And she is an old bag, so beware some mild boomerisms. If that’s your thing and you don’t mind the lack of direction, go for it!

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great train mystery

OK. I admit I a train lover from way back. This isn’t Murder on the Orient Express. Much more modern and more convoluted, but I envy Judith and Renie their trip across America by train.
A fun mystery, with a lot of shenanigans.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the Bed and Breakfast series. You would think a Trip on a train would be relaxing but when Judith and her cousin go anywhere you know trouble will follow. Many twists and turns and unexpected stops for the train.

[Margaret Ann Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Mary's books, but this one was a strange one.
Too many characters and name changes to follow.
Never knew who was on who's side.
But I will continue to read her books.
Hope the next one is better.

[Vickie Garner · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just not my style. I prefer fast paced stories with alot of action and twists

[Paschalis]

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[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did enjoy the totally old-school 'murder on a train' aspect to this story.

[Nicolle Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's was very predictable. Not a fan of the writing style

[Bertina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a Train Lover - This was a Great laugh Out Loud read

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

On a cross-country train ride, the cousins find a murder, what else?

[Genesis Rivas-Ponce · Rating 3 out of 5]

super detailed, which was a good and bad thing. some of the folks got mixed up, and towards the end, the solved mystery seemed rushed.

[Cali Behr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recently did a re-read on this one. I give this one three stars because I prefer the books where Judith and Renie go somewhere and I love the train journey descriptions. Having said that, sometimes Judith really gets on my nerves. Why can’t she work up the guts to tell the kids about her trip? Since Kristin tells her she is a doormat, Judith just seems to be proving her right. And, no dear author, she doesn’t let Kristin know that she isn’t a doormat. She is a coward who all but slinks away, totally avoiding a discussion. Sheesh. And what a stick in the mud she can be. I think Renie and Bill, with Oscar and Clarence, et al, are fun and whimsical. I actually like Renie better than Judith as Judith is usually just way too serious. She’s a “people person” but that seems to translate into being nosy while disregarding anything about other people that she isn’t interested in. Judith likes to talk and wants to be listened to, but she doesn’t really reciprocate (see below).

And for someone who is supposed to be patient, the continually snaps at Renie, orders her around and, when Renie is talking about something that interests her, Judith makes a smart ass remark and/or tells her to shut up. I may be in the minority here, but being told to shut up is just rude. I don’t care how close you are. Please, be quiet; could we talk about this later; etc. Much nicer. Even “please hush.” Instead it’s “shut up!” or “shut up, Judith snapped”. Gertrude is ornery but we understand why – she was heartbroken when her husband died at a young age and putting on a hardened front is how she deals with that and her declining health. I know all about Judith’s first marriage but no one made her stay (I am Catholic and the Church understands leaving an abusive relationship – it’s re-marriage without an annulment that is the issue). Plus, once she has the hip replacement she is constantly whining about not being able to bend, walk the length of a train car, etc. Sorry, but I know plenty of people who have had hip replacements over the years and none of them had the ongoing issues Judith has. She needs to see another doctor. I’ve seen a lot of negative reviews on this issue and have to wonder that the author was thinking with this continuing plot line.

And then we come to the denouement where it all just falls apart. There’s just too much to explain and wind up and it’s too complicated. It’s like the author simply didn’t know how to wind up all the plot lines she had started. It’s crazy and zany but not in a funny way.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Judith didn't really want to let Wee Willie Weevil stay at her Bed and Breakfast to begin with, but she did it as a favor to a dear friend of her son's. She will regret that decision forever after he makes not one, but two daring jumps off her building...one of which didn't end so well. Judith then decides, after situations make it the best choice, to go with her cousin Renie to Boston via train. That too, is a decision she wishes she would not have agreed to. It's bad enough that Wee Willie Weevil is on the train with his nasty lady friend, but then he turns up dead and Judith is the main suspect because of him getting hurt at her B&B. Being an amateur sleuth, can Judith figure out what is really going on on this train? Who really killed Willie and wants Judith to take the fall? Can she find out before she is in major trouble with the law or with the real killer?

I have never read a book from this series and this book was not the first book in the series either, but it was easily a good stand alone book. I was not confused at any point or feeling like I had to go back to read the other books to figure out what was going on. It did seem a bit slow going in the beginning, but it had a purpose of setting the scene so to speak. Once it got rolling along though, boy did it roll along at a high speed! I don't know what moved faster, the book or the train in the book! It was one thing after another and one mystery after another up until the end. The writing was great, easy to comprehend, and flowed like the water of a river. The characters were very well developed and had great personalities all their own. This book had adventure, mystery, drama, and humor. I just loved Judith's cousin Renie!! She made things absolutely hilarious! I was kept guessing right up until the end with an ending that really hit the mystery home. I loved this book and will definitely keep this author in mind for reading more of her work. I think reading some more of this series is also a pretty safe bet that I will do. If you like mystery and mayhem this is the book for you and that it is a female sleuth made it all the more intriguing and interesting for me. Great book!

4/5 Stars!

[Marilyn Fontane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loco Motive was my first (and probably last) Mary Daheim book. Not that it wasn't fun; it was in fact a fast, exciting read. I chose it because of the train connection, and was not disappointed there. Two cousins take a train cross country from somewhere on the Pacific coast to meet their husbands in Boston. Most of the action takes place on the train, although it starts with an "accident" at a B&B owned by Judith, one of the cousins. It is the same train that the accident victim and a widely assorted group of accompanying fans, friends, family, and fiends take. During the trip, which is whimsically described in detail, both a crew member of the train and one of the Wee Willie Weevil (movie icon and victim of the "accident" at the B&B) followers is murdered. Apparently Judith and Renie, her cousin, often solve murders in this series, so they set about learning as much as they can about all the passengers on the train--most of whom have some connection to Wee Willie. To complicate matters (and keep the readers guessing) nearly all of the relevant passengers are in disguise of some sort. Various other "accidents" happen, small kids steal important props like cameras, the train collides with a truck load of beets at a farm road crossing and is delayed, making everyone reevaluate their plans, etc. etc. Many of the situations are quite funny, but the number of travelers, the number of aliases for those travelers, the number of planned and unplanned mishaps, makes for a confusing story. A good idea would be to have a notebook handy and jot down who everyone is as you go along. In the end, of course, all is explained, but by this time the reader has probably confused a couple of the characters and consequently is still in the dark about exactly what happened. The train descriptions are fun, most of the action is likewise. Some of the characters are boring and mainly just get in the way, but some are vividly drawn. Definitely a mixed bag. Entertaining, but other books are more so.

[Judy Iliff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Judith needs a break. Renie doesn't like to fly. Bill has a conference to attend in Boston, and Joe needs to do some investigation for a client. Renie hates to fly, so she and Judith will take an Amtrak's east, and Bill and Joe will fly. As always happens, Judith ends up involved in what appears to be a murder.

While I love Daheim's books, I think her bed-and-breakfast series is getting a little bothersome. Actually, it's Renie who is getting bothersome. Half the time she acts like a spoiled child. I don't remember her having this personality at the start of the series. Oh the other hand, I did like this book better than the previous one.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hesitate to write this review because I don't like to be critical of one of my favorite authors, but what happened with this book? It just isn't up to her usual standards and I quit reading it about 80 pages before the end. The plot was disjointed; the supporting characters vague and undeveloped; even the main characters were not interesting this time around. I realized part way through that I wasn't even enjoying this book and didn't really care how it ended. Anyway, since I've really liked all of Mary's other books in both the B & B series and the Alpine series, I'll continue reading the next ones. Hopefully, they'll be back to par.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Judith Flynn is afraid that the guests at her bed-and-breakfast are driving her crazy. When she has the chance to take a cross-country train trip, from Seattle to Boston, with her cousin Renie, it sounds like the perfect escape. But then she finds that some of the same people are on the train--and one of them is dying. I always enjoy this series, but sometimes Daheim's plots are a bit confusing. This one seems reasonable until close to the end, when you need a diagram to keep the relationships straight.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wee Willie Weevil falls off the roof of Judith McMonigle Flynn's B&B and the whole situation is just too much so Judith agrees to go across country with her cousin on the Empire Builder to Chicago. As we naturally expect there is a death on the train among the group of odd passengers and yada, yada. I rather, sort of enjoyed it and thought MS Daheim had done her homework with the trains so I gave it to my husband, but neglected to tell him to skip the early antics and go straight to the trains. He didn't get past the early antics. Well, I think she did a pretty good job.

[Lollyletsgo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Mary Daheim! This one was alot of fun, I would have given it 5 stars but I couldn't keep track of all the distant relatives Weevil or otherwise. I mean within the series Judith has Renie, of course, but a host of neighbors who assist her, in this one its just Renie and Judith to try to figure this one out. Which gets me to the cast this time around, and trying to figure out who was a possible suspect- okay, so in a murder mystery I always think ANYone could be the culprit. ;]

I agree that train travel is the way to go, just to see the vast country we live.

[Loretta · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Bed-and-Breakfast mystery starring Judith McMonigle Flynn who is innkeeper of the Hillside Manor B&B. However, she is only there for the first few chapters as she decides to take a cross-country Amtrak train rain with her irrepressible cousin Renie-which is her nickname for Selena-to Boston, Mass. to join their husbands. It is the events that occur at Judith's B&B prior to their train departure that cause the action-packed, sometimes hillarious, sometimes somber, and deadly events to fill the first leg of this train journey with mayhem.