Watts & Whiskerton: Mischief on the Midnight Express
Meg McLaren
Piccadilly Press

Excitement is high as Watts and Whiskerton begin their trickiest case yet – their first solo assignment – accompanying the gold stolen from Watts senior’s important client back to its owner via the Midnight Express, reputedly the world’s most secure steam train.

Before long they are accosted by reporters but these are soon dealt with and the journey gets under way. The duo then check out their room, visit the vault to ensure all is in order and then proceed to meet some of the staff and guests who will be on the journey with them.

Everything seems as it should be until Watts and Pearl go to the dining car for their evening meal: suddenly the train comes to an unscheduled halt and they’re plunged into darkness. When the lights are back on it’s soon evident that the gold has gone missing. But how could a heavy load like that have been stolen from the vault?

Time for the two heroes to turn detective and begin searching for clues and questioning those on the train. Determined to discover the culprit and uncover the truth they surely are, but can this amazing team possibly uncover the truth and set things to rights: if not this first solo job will also be their last.

With its combination of words and illustrations, this is a fun mystery story for younger readers who are just starting to fly solo. I thoroughly recommend it.