MJ Cross, Orion

This psychological thriller begins with shades of The Lady Vanishes. Jenny Bowen gets on the Caledonian sleeper from London to Scotland. While boarding she sees a woman with a young girl getting into the cabin that is the next but one to hers. When she gets up the next morning she finds the woman lying dead with a needle in her arm. The journey is halted and the police are called. When Jenny enquires to the whereabouts of the child, no child is found. What’s more, there is no record of the girl, nor is there any CCTV footage of her getting on the train in the first place. When suspicions are cast on Jenny’s claim, what’s a doughty heroine to do? Begin her own investigations, of course. Needless to say, she’s soon caught up in a real web of intrigue. The evil-doers are straight out of central casting but the author keeps the pace up and this tall tale more or less on the tracks.