The Seventh Train

The Seventh Train is the second novel from author Jackie Carreira.

It's a novelisation of her successful and award-winning play of the same name.

Elizabeth has decided to organise a railway trip . The fact that a passenger had decided to hurl themselves in front of a train, thus delaying Elizabeth's journey and of all other travellers that February Day, was perhaps a sign of things to come.

She was travelling alone. But unknown to her she was not travelling alone, or rather not as alone as she thought she was.

There was the woman selling coffee in the buffet who just loved to pigeonhole her customers, the found book that Elizabeth was trying to read, the train driver who had driven the train that a rather polite young man had stepped in front of, the young man had died, instantly. His problems were over, but the problems of the train driver were only just beginning.

On her journey she meets a wide variety of people, some who seem to be harmless, some who appear to be utterly barking mad. But as any seasoned rail traveller can tell you, it's not always easy to tell them apart and some of the apparently harmless ones are really troublesome.

And there are some people who seem intent on committing the ultimate rail travelling sin, trying to make other passengers think.

And what, exactly, is a seventh trainer? Is Elizabeth one of these? Does she want to be? Or not?

It's a quirky novel that contains humour, yet also some genuine pathos, too.

But who, exactly, was ms Mabel Heep?

It's published by Matador at £8.99. Maybe you should take it on your next train journey?