A very enjoyable twist on a locked room style mystery thriller.

The writing is quite descriptive and the background of the characters eventually comes to the fore as the story concludes.

A perfect book to while away a wet winter afternoon with alongside coffee and crumpets.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC which was very much appreciated.

Stephanie Steel delivers a masterful blend of suspense and intrigue in The Train from Platform 2. From the first page, this novel grips readers with its compelling narrative and keeps them guessing until the very end.

Steel’s ability to weave a mystery is truly commendable. The story is packed with moments that challenge readers to piece together clues and test their theories about the identity of the murderer. Just when you think you’ve figured it out, the author skillfully redirects your suspicions, demonstrating her talent for misdirection and suspense.

The ending was particularly impactful—unexpected and deeply satisfying. While I didn’t anticipate the conclusion, it was a testament to Steel’s storytelling prowess that the resolution felt both surprising and well-earned.

Overall, The Train from Platform 2 is an engaging and thought-provoking read. Fans of the mystery genre will appreciate its clever twists and intricate plot, while its emotional depth ensures it resonates beyond the final page. A highly recommended read for anyone who enjoys a well-crafted whodunit.

I love an isolated thriller setting thriller and a book where 90% takes place inside one train carriage trapped between stations on the London Underground ticks every box.

When a blackout stops a train full of strangers between stations and the driver isn't able to be contacted the night begins to unravel.

I loved that every character had secrets and they were not what I expected at all. I found this thriller to be really atmospheric and I was gripped from the beginning.

The main character Jess is an ex police officer which made the investigation parts of the story much more believable.

I would recommend this book for any thriller lovers especially those who enjoy an isolated setting.

A suspenseful story set on a train and spanning over one day. Trapped passengers and a dead driver. Who committed the crime?

A late night train comes to a halt between stations on the London Underground and with loss of power the eight passengers in the front carriage are plunged into darkness. Long tense minutes follow as they wait for the emergency lighting to kick in and when it does one of them, former police officer Jess makes her way to the drivers cab at the front of the train only to find him slumped over the controls brutally murdered with stab wounds to his neck.

As the minutes turn into hours and they're still waiting to be rescued, piece by piece individual back stories come out and former police officer Jess finds herself questioning and doubting as she looks for a lead as to who the murderer could be.

I found this novel easy to get into, it was tense, uneasy and the impenetrable darkness along with a good dose of my own overactive imagination had me hooked from the opening pages. The characters kept it interesting, the plot intrigued and the red herrings threw me off course.

My thanks to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this novel, all opinions expressed are my own.

Seriously you can’t go wrong with a book set in a tube where it stops mid tunnel and strangers are then ‘locked in together’ whilst murder happens as the lights go out….anyone ever been on a tube will immediately feel the panic and tension of that and imagine ways they would be getting out

8 strangers, all with secrets, ideals, passions and things to hide ……one of the them is an ex detective

It’s reading at it’s best to meet them and then see them meet each other and be a part of this whodunit as the lights flicker on and iff again, it’s getting hotter and staler, rats are abundant and someone is trying to kill folk

This is a crime debut and a fine one

Immerse yourself in that tube with those 8 and see if you can guess the guilty one

I didn’t

Brilliant Read

This was ok … I thought the premise was a bit far fetched and didn’t work out the murderer at all. I thought the characters were a bit one-dimensional and couldn’t really believe the back stories I was being introduced to. I don’t think that this will be a particularly memorable read.

A really good, trapped together mystery. I was literally on the edge of my seat throughout. Lots of dark characters and crazy twists. Loved it xx

I get a feeling I might be a tad anxious on the Bakerloo line to Baker Street in future.
Something that came to mind was that the doors are locked from the driver's side on tube trains these days. How did anyone get into the cab to murder the driver? And what happened to the rest of the passengers on the train? Surely there were some. Not everyone could have just travelled in the first carriage.
The main premise of the novel was good however I felt it dragged until about halfway. Sadly, it just didn't live up to my expectations.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC of the book.

I am not overly keen on "one room" thrillers and if I had realised this was that type of book I probably wouldn't have read it. Saying that I didn't guess the killer and they're was alot to keep you guessing and second guessing in the plot. Thank you netgalley for the advance copy

I found this book fantastic! It was a brilliant crime thriller set in the London Underground. It has the right amount of suspense, with little bits of back story that had me suspecting everybody on board the train, some more than others and but the end, when the killer was revealed, I was wrong & the motives were not as clear as I'd thought when pointing the finger at other members stuck underground. It was a little slow to start, but once it got into it, it was brilliant.
Fantastic read!

such a good book! it is so fast paced, and it was definitely keeping me on the edge of my seat. They are trapped, there is a killer in he area you are trapped in! There was a lot of thrill and tense feelings, it was a fast read!!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

This is a locked room mystery, but the room in this instance is the end carriage of a tube train that is stuck underground in one of the tunnels.

I have mixed feelings - I liked the idea of it: a group of strangers on a train, knowing that one of them has committed murder, but not knowing who it is, or how or why. But I had a *lot* of unanswered questions. The story requires you to just commit to the situation, and suspend disbelief in quite a bit way. The two questions that just kept spinning in my head were:

* How does Jess (and the murderer) get into the driver's cabin - I'm fairly sure they are locked?

* The book mentions that the next carriage along is empty, but what about the rest of the train? If I was on a tube that had screamed to a halt with no sign of anyone coming, I wouldn't have walked through to other carriages to see if anyone knew what was going on. It was the last tube home, so there really must have been other people on board. What are they doing for all those hours?

I felt the book had good pacing to begin with, slowing in the middle before ramping up again towards the end. I didn't guess what had happened (and I'm not entirely sure I bought into murder number 1), but I still found it a very readable story, and I wanted to know what was going on with all these people.

I am a thriller girl at heart. When I say this book hasn’t left my mind I mean it. Even when I woke up at 3am 🤪

This story follows Jess a ex police DI and a group of other people who are on a train home from London. Who don’t know each other. The power goes out and the train comes to a stop. Once the train lights come back on the driver is discovered dead but who did it? (I won’t share anymore as don’t want to be a spoiler!)

This was a fast paced book, with multiple characters pov which kept me so engaged. I couldn’t put it down. I just had to know what would happen next. I love how the group of characters were all relatable and it felt like such a real situation!

Definitely go add this to your TBR!!

I am grateful to Stephanie Steel, Avon Books UK, and Netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of this title. Read on readers for my review.

Stephanie Steel was not messing about when she launched into this novel. The book starts on the train platform awaiting the last train home. As the cover and the blurb will have you believe, after a few stops (a mere few pages in), we have a halted train, an eclectic group of strangers in a carriage, and we are plunged into pitched darkness. As time elapses but movement remains stifled, DI Jess goes in search for answers only to find a dead driver. With no one between the driver and her carriage, the killer must be amongst them. But who took advantage of the darkness and snuck two carriages down, and back, without being seen? In this who-dunnit mystery, it’s every man (and woman) for themselves as they try to deduce who amongst them is the danger before they fall prey to a grizzly end.

I am not usually one to pick a cozy mystery set in a confined space but knowing there was a main cast of six and that they are all together had me intrigued. How on earth is Steel going to neatly sew up this plot? And what breadcrumbs is she going to throw me to follow?

I got into this book from the start. Living in London and knowing exactly where they are and being able to envision the platform, the carriage, down to those seats that are placed way too close for a rush hour commute, as well as being able to see each and every one of the motley crew in my mind’s eye helped. I was immediately sucked into the book and living the nightmare with the characters and as such, I just wanted to keep the pages turning and get the hell off that train before I was sliced and diced, left to take my final breath of polluted air (that leaves you with a sooty nose) on a stinking tube train.

I loved the description of the various characters on the train. There is the lonely student that has been abandoned by friends, the loved-up couple, the drunkard illegally sipping at his can of lager, the sensible professional, all characters that are not out of place at this time of night. This gave the book a real sense of authenticity and created such a positive relationship between the reader and the narrator. As the story progresses, the book diverts a little from the story to focus on each of the characters in turn by giving them their own mini segment within a chapter. It was a wonderful way to weave in more backstory for each of the suspects and learn a little about who they are and what made them tick. It was also a terrific way to, again, strengthen the relationship between the reader and the narrator because it becomes apparent the narrator is reporting the mystery in real time and so we are all learning what happened at the same time.

For a book that spent most of its time held captive on a train, submerged in darkness, it was a really interesting read. Aside from the couple, everyone is a stranger to the next person but when the lights go out and the knives are out, I loved witnessing the forming of bonds as they all started to align themselves with certain characters based on where they are sitting and who they have felt most comfortable talking to during the experience. It’s giving Cluedo/murder mystery hotel vibes.

All in all, I recommend this book to adults who enjoy thrillers and mysteries. The book will have you second guessing who the killer is as and when new information is revealed shedding a new light on something you thought you already had sussed out. The pace ebbs and flows in terms of the action but there is not a dull moment in the book and Steel makes fabulous use of time and space to create a novel of perfect length. I cannot wait to read what she delivers up next, but for now, this is a book to add to the top of your TBR list. I am not sure about your powers of deduction, but I felt like a lost Hansel or Gretal reading this book, i.e., someone or something came along and gobbled up the breadcrumbs destroying my trail. I was satisfied that the book did not end with my predictions and gave me an ‘aha’ moment. I did kick myself for not getting it though because the evidence is all there for you to analyze.

It had a great premise for me which immediately grabbed my interest.
However, I did not feel it lived up to my expectations.
Jess, a former det who has been away from her job for over a year, boards the London Underground
after a night out with her girlfriend and expects a routine, quick ride home.
However, shortly after departing from the station, the train comes to a screeching halt with a total loss
of power and all emergency alarms and lights activate,
The mall group riding it begins to worry as no contact from the conductor comes over with any type
of instructions or explanations. Jess takes it upon herself to go into the engineer's cab and check out
the situation, only to find him dead on the floor from stab wounds and all the wires cut under the piloting
panel.
With no way to contact anyone above and in near complete darkness, Jess takes it upon herself to start investigating
The story is told through the thoughts of the entire small group as well as from Jess's insights and the reading is awkward,
at best,
More mayhem and murder follow as the night digs in, and Jess becomes desperate to discover who the murderer among them is.
While working to solve the mystery, Jess also confronts her own current life situation as a home-based Mom while trying to deal with
her still shrilling police work siren.
Ok mystery with not so strong characters.

The Train from Platform 2 by Stephanie Steel is a highly recommended locked-room mystery set in London on an incapacitated underground tube train.

Former Detective Inspector Jessica (Jess) Hirsch is stuck on the London Underground train after the power goes out along with the lights leaving the train incapacitated and in darkness. Jess takes charge and goes to see what is happening with the driver. It is then she finds him dead, stabbed, and the wires cut in the cabin. The car behind them is empty of passengers, so Jess knows that one of the people she's with in their car is a killer and her investigative experience kicks in. Stuck with her are teenagers Chloe and Liam, tough Carling drinker Scott, exhausted business man Saul, anxious red-head Amelia , uni-student protestor Isa, and American influencer Jenna.

This is a classic, deliberate locked-room mystery with a small cast of characters and almost everyone of them is a suspect to some degree or another right up to the end. Don't expect a fast-paced thriller, but do expect the tension to rise gradually as they all know one of them is a killer. When the emergency lights go out and they are relying on cell phone lights, for those who still have power, the atmosphere closes in and becomes more claustrophobic.

Jess is a great character and her investigative instincts are strong. As Jess questions her fellow passengers, she can tell that several are lying or holding something back. The narrative unfolds through the point-of-view of all the characters, with the exception of Liam.

The Train from Platform 2 is a well-plotted, well executed locked room mystery. Thanks to HarperCollins for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

I loved the tension from the get go and getting stuck in an underground train is one of my.worst nightmares. Add in a murderer amongst the passengers and that's a page turner right there!
I just wish the pacing was a bit more even, as I found the middle to be lagging. Loved the final reveal.

This is a gripping, heart-pounding thriller which I really enjoyed... I am not much of a thriller reader but I couldn't put this book now. The former Detective Jess gets a late-night train, expecting to get home, however it came to an halt where the passengers were in complete darkness!

I love this kind of misteries, even when most of it happens inside a train.It was full of suspense and tension, it kept me guessing all the time. I'm going to read more books from Stephanie Steel for sure.