Pack your bags and buy a ticket for a train ride! No need to leave your couch to enjoy the adventure. These rail-based reads are all you need. Here are 31 books that take place on trains or trains play a big part in the storyline. Enjoy!
Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline Historical Fiction • Available in Print, Audiobook, or eBook formats in the Clevnet Catalog, and Libby
- The author of Bird in Hand and The Way Life Should Be delivers her most ambitious and powerful novel to date: a captivating story of two very different women who build an unexpected friendship: a 91-year-old woman with a hidden past as an orphan-train rider and the teenage girl whose own troubled adolescence leads her to seek answers to questions no one has ever thought to ask.
Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting by Clare Pooley Contemporary Fiction • Available in Print, Digital Audiobook, or eBook formats in the Clevnet Catalog, and Libby
- Nobody ever talks to strangers on the train. It’s a rule. But what would happen if they did? From the New York Times and Globe and Mail bestselling author of The Authenticity Project, a heartwarming novel about unexpected friendships and the joy of connecting.
Night Fall by Nancy Mehl Christian Fiction/Mystery • Available in Print, Digital Audiobook, or eBook formats in the Clevnet Catalog, Libby, and Hoopla
- For any little boy or girl who hears the Train Man speak,
Who feels his rancid breath caress their pretty cheek,
Must close their eyes, pretend to sleep, and very softly pray,
Or else the evil Train Man may carry them away.
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins Thriller • Available in Print, Audiobook, Digital Audiobook, or eBook formats in the Clevnet Catalog, and Libby
- Rachel catches the same commuter train every morning. She knows it will wait at the same signal each time, overlooking a row of back gardens. She’s even started to feel like she knows the people who live in one of the houses. “Jess and Jason,” she calls them. Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. If only Rachel could be that happy. And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Now Rachel has a chance to become a part of the lives she’s only watched from afar. Now they’ll see; she’s much more than just the girl on the train…
Train Man by P.T. Duetermann Thriller • Available in Print format in the Clevnet Catalog
- On a dark night, a bridge is blown to smithereens, thunderously plunging a one-hundred-car-train deep into the Mississippi River. In Washington, the FBI scrambles–sending Assistant Director Hush Hanson and agent Carolyn Lang to investigate the deadly act of domestic terror.
Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger Thriller • Available in Print, Audiobook, Digital Audiobook, or eBook formats in the Clevnet Catalog, Libby, and Hoopla
- From master of suspense Lisa Unger comes a riveting thriller about a chance encounter that unravels a stunning web of lies.
Butch Cassidy: The Lost Years by William W. Johnstone Western • Available in Print or eBook formats in the Clevnet Catalog, Libby, and Hoopla
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On November 3, 1908, in the town of San Vicente, suspected of stealing a mining company payroll, Butch Cassidy was killed in a bloody shootout by the Bolivian Army. Or was he?
Wild Justice by Loren D. Estleman Western • Available in Print format in the Clevnet Catalog
- A riveting western novel starring beloved character Page Murdock from Spur Award-winning author Loren D. Estleman!
Peaces by Helen Oyeyemi Fantasy • Available in Print, digital audiobook, or eBook formats in the Clevnet Catalog and Libby
- A spellbinding tale from a star author, Peaces is about what it means to be seen by another person–whether it’s your lover or a stranger on a train–and what happens when things you thought were firmly in the past turn out to be right beside you.
The Lincoln Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill America’s 16th President – and Why It Failed by Brad Meltzer Nonfiction – History • Available in Print, Audiobook, Digital Audiobook, or eBook formats in the Clevnet Catalog, Libby, and Hoopla
- The bestselling team that brought you The First Conspiracy now turns their attention to the story of the secret society that tried to kill Abraham Lincoln and the undercover detectives who foiled their plans.
The Great Railroad Revolution: The History of Trains in America by Christian Wolmar Nonfiction – History
Available in Print or eBook formats in the Clevnet Catalog and Libby
- In The Great Railroad Revolution, renowned railroad expert Christian Wolmar tells the extraordinary story of the rise and the fall of the greatest of all American endeavors, and argues that the time has come for America to reclaim and celebrate its often-overlooked rail heritage.
The Gold Train by Robert Vaughan Western • Available in Print format in the Clevnet Catalog
- The train-top murder of one of his female operatives has thrust Matthew Faraday, the wily chief of Faraday Security Service, into the dark and twisting tunnel of another railroad mystery, and a coded message in the dead woman’s pocket is the only clue.
M-Theory by Tiffany Cates Mystery • Available in Print or eBook formats in the Clevnet Catalog and Hoopla
- In M-theory, Tiffany Cates threads America’s societal, spiritual, and moral tensions through the streets and elevated tracks of Chicago, creating a riveting thriller with an endearing love story at its beating heart. Meticulously layered, M-theory is as inventive and intelligent as it is entertaining and marks Tiffany Cates as a new and important voice in American fiction.
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston Romance LGBTQ • Available in Print, Audiobook, Digital Audiobook, or eBook formats in the Clevnet Catalog, Libby, and Hoopla
- From the New York Times bestselling author of Red, White & Royal Blue comes a new romantic comedy that will stop readers in their tracks…
Cover Your Tracks by Daco S. Auffenorde Thriller • Available in Print, digital audiobook, or eBook formats in the Clevnet Catalog and Hoopla
- Cover Your Tracks is a chilling story of love and hate, the devastating power of nature, and the will to survive.
The Man from the Train: The solving of the century-old serial killer mystery by Bill James; Rachel McCarthy James True Crime • Available in Print, audiobook, digital audiobook, or eBook formats in the Clevnet Catalog and Libby
- Riveting and immersive, with writing as sharp as the cold side of an axe, The Man from the Train paints a vivid, psychologically perceptive portrait of America at the dawn of the twentieth century, when crime was regarded as a local problem, and opportunistic private detectives exploited a dysfunctional judicial system. James shows how these cultural factors enabled such an unspeakable series of crimes to occur, and his groundbreaking approach to true crime will convince skeptics, amaze aficionados, and change the way we view criminal history.
The Last Train to Key West by Chanel Cleeton Historical Fiction • Available in Print, digital audiobook, or eBook formats in the Clevnet Catalog and Libby
- In 1935 three women are forever changed when one of the most powerful hurricanes in history barrels toward the Florida Keys in New York Times bestselling author Chanel Cleeton’s captivating new novel.
Bullet Train by Kotaro Isaka Thriller • Available in Print, Audiobook, Digital Audiobook, or eBook formats in the Clevnet Catalog, Libby, and Hoopla
- A dark, satirical thriller by the bestselling Japanese author, following the perilous train ride of five highly motivated assassins—soon to be a major film from Sony
The Body on the Train by Frances Brody Mystery • Available in Print, Audiobook, Digital Audiobook, or eBook formats in the Clevnet Catalog, Libby, and Hoopla
- In the darkness before dawn, a London railway porter discovers a man’s body as he unloads a special goods train from Yorkshire, all means of identification stripped away. Hitting a dead end, Scotland Yard call on indomitable sleuth Kate Shackleton, hoping her local Yorkshire knowledge and undoubted skills at winkling out information will produce the results they need.
The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie Mystery • Available in Print, Audiobook, Digital Audiobook, or eBook formats in the Clevnet Catalog, Libby, and Hoopla
Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie Mystery • Available in Print, Audiobook, Digital Audiobook, or eBook formats in the Clevnet Catalog, Libby, and Hoopla
The Rails to Love Romance Collection Christian Fiction • Available in Print or eBook formats in the Clevnet Catalog and Libby
- Outlaws on the Pueblo excursion / Diana Lesire Brandmeyer
The depot bride / Amanda Cabot
Last stop, Cordelia / Lisa Carter
Train to Eden / Ramona K. Cecil
Love on the rails / Lynn A. Coleman
The honeymoon express / Susanne Dietze
Just for Lucy / Kim Vogel Sawyer
My soul waits / Connie Stevens
World’s greatest love / Liz TolsmaJourney the Transcontinental Railroad along with nine unlikely couples who encounter all the dangers and disappointments of traveling the rails in the late 1800s. From sight-seeing excursions to transports toward new lives, from orphan trains to circus trains, can romances develop into blazing love in a world of cold, hard steel?
The Fragility of Bodies by Sergio Olguin Mystery • Available in Print, Digital Audiobook, or eBook formats in the Clevnet Catalog, Libby, and Hoopla
- When she hears about the suicide of a Buenos Aires train driver who has left a note confessing to four mortal ‘accidents’ on the train tracks, journalist Veronica Rosenthal decides to investigate. For the police the case is closed (suicide is suicide), for Veronica it is the beginning of a journey that takes her into an unfamiliar world of grinding poverty, crime-infested neighborhoods, and train drivers on commuter lines haunted by the memory of bodies hit at speed by their locomotives in the middle of the night. Aided by a train driver with whom she has a tumultuous and reckless affair, a junkie in rehab and two street kids willing to risk everything for a can of Coke, she uncovers a group of men involved in betting on working-class youngsters convinced to play Russian roulette by standing in front of fast-coming trains to see who endures the longest.
Love and Other Train Wrecks by Leah Konen YA Romance • Available in Print or eBook formats in the Clevnet Catalog and Hoopla
- A twenty-four-hour romance about two teens who meet — and perhaps change their minds about love — on a train ride to Upstate New York in the middle of a snowstorm.
Death on the Last Train by George Bellairs Mystery • Available in Print format in the Clevnet Catalog
- First published in 1948, Death on the Last Train is a Chief Inspector Littlejohn mystery full of false leads, dead ends and old-fashioned charm.
Murder on the Flying Scotsman by Carola Dunn Mystery • Available in Print, Audiobook, or Digital Audiobook, formats in the Clevnet Catalog, Libby, and Hoopla
- A family feud over a dying relative’s inheritance leads to murder aboard the famous train—the Flying Scotsman—in the latest mystery in Carola Dunn’s beloved Daisy Dalrymple series.
Night Train to Lisbon by Emily Grayson Romance • Available in Print or eBook formats in the Clevnet Catalog and Hoopla
- Night Train to Lisbon is a sensuous tale of the pursuit of love and passion against all odds, set in the 1930s when the world was on the brink of war and suspicion of loyalty, motivation, and intent — to both country and lover — was at flood tide.
The Great Train Robbery by Michael Crichton Historical Fiction • Available in Print or eBook formats in the Clevnet Catalog and Libby
- Lavish wealth and appalling poverty live side by side in Victorian London — and Edward Pierce easily navigates both worlds. Rich, handsome, and ingenious, he charms the city’s most prominent citizens even as he plots the crime of his century, the daring theft of a fortune in gold. But even Pierce could not predict the consequences of an extraordinary robbery that targets the pride of England’s industrial era: the mighty steam locomotive.
Based on remarkable fact, and alive with the gripping suspense, surprise, and authenticity that are his trademarks, Michael Crichton’s classic adventure is a breathtaking thrill-ride that races along tracks of steel at breakneck speed.
Blood on the Tracks: Railway Mysteries A collection of mystery short stories • Available in Print or eBook formats in the Clevnet Catalog and Hoopla
- Both train buffs and crime fans will delight in this selection of fifteen railway-themed mysteries, featuring some of the most popular authors of their day alongside less familiar names. This is a collection to beguile even the most wearisome commuter.
Mrs. Queen Take the Train by William Kuhn Humor • Available in Print, Audiobook, Digital Audiobook, or eBook formats in the Clevnet Catalog, Libby, and Hoopla
- An absolute delight of a debut novel by William Kuhn—author of Reading Jackie: Her Autobiography in Books—Mrs Queen Takes the Train wittily imagines the kerfuffle that transpires when a bored Queen Elizabeth strolls out of the palace in search of a little fun, leaving behind a desperate team of courtiers who must find the missing Windsor before a national scandal erupts. Reminiscent of Alan Bennett’s The Uncommon Reader, this lively, wonderfully inventive romp takes readers into the mind of the grand matriarch of Britain’s Royal Family, bringing us an endearing runaway Queen Elizabeth on the town—and leading us behind the Buckingham Palace walls and into the upstairs/downstairs spaces of England’s monarchy.
Vultures in the Sky by Todd Downing Mystery • Available in Print or eBook formats in the Clevnet Catalog and Hoopla
- A train speeding through the Mexican desert pulls out of a tunnel, and the passengers discover that murder was committed in the tunnel. It’s a classic situation: a closed carload of people, one of whom must be the killer, but all have something to hide. – The Mystery Lover’s Companion, Art Bourgeau