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A Dangerous Train of Thought
The Val & Arbie Mysteries (Book 3)
- Author
- Faith Martin
- Narrator
- John Hopkins
- Publisher
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Publish Date
- 15 January 2026
- Run Time
- 7 hours 59 minutes
- Format
- x-book®
What to expect
'Hugely entertaining with an ingenious solution! I loved it!' Clare Chase
'A wonderful book with which to cosy up’ The Belfast Telegraph
'A masterfully constructed pageturner of a murder mystery. Clever, compelling, and intriguing. An excellent read' T.A. Williams
*****
Yorkshire, 1926. Gentleman ghost-hunter Arbuthnot 'Arbie' Swift and his old friend Val arrive at Cleeves Lea Manor, looking forward to the promise of a lavish weekend party.
The lady of the house, an avid reader of Arbie’s books, is eager to show him off to her distinguished guests. Amidst the festivities, Arbie is also tasked with investigating rumours of a ‘ghost train spitting fire’ for the third instalment of the increasingly popular (to Arbie’s great surprise) Gentleman’s Guide to Ghost-hunting.
But when the guests start dying, Arbie instead finds himself thrust into the middle of a murder investigation. With time running out, will he and Val be able to uncover the truth?
Praise for A Dangerous Train of Thought'Suspicious notes, a lethal hat pin and a body in the library … As far as I'm concerned Faith Martin is the Grand Dame of Country House Crime!' J. M. Hall
'A charming, cleverly-constructed caper, chock-full of captivating characters. I loved it' Matt Dunn
‘There’s much to love about this dazzling new date with Arbie and Val’ The Lancashire Post
‘Brilliant characters and a well-constructed mystery’ Yours
‘This Ingeniously crafted mystery blends suspense, humour and charm’ Woman’s Own
'The conclusion to this story is startling, surprising, and very clever. I never stood a chance of guessing this one!’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'It was entertaining, full of twists and turns with a few red herrings, suspenseful and unputdownable’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'This book delivers exactly what cosy crime fans hope for’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'This is a golden age style mystery that was a pleasure to read’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Another engaging story, that will keep you guessing from start to finish' Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Critics Review
-
Praise for A Dangerous Train of Thought'Hugely entertaining with an ingenious solution! I loved it!' Clare Chase
-
'A wonderful book with which to cosy up’ The Belfast Telegraph
-
'A masterfully constructed pageturner of a murder mystery. Clever, compelling, and intriguing. An excellent read' T.A. Williams
-
'Suspicious notes, a lethal hat pin and a body in the library … As far as I'm concerned Faith Martin is the Grand Dame of Country House Crime!' J. M. Hall
See more reviews See fewer reviews
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'A charming, cleverly-constructed caper, chock-full of captivating characters. I loved it' Matt Dunn
-
‘There’s much to love about this dazzling new date with Arbie and Val’ The Lancashire Post
-
‘Brilliant characters and a well-constructed mystery’ Yours
-
‘This ingeniously crafted mystery blends suspense, humour and charm’ Woman’s OwnPraise for the Val and Arbie Mysteries:‘Brilliant characters that leap off the page’ The Sun
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‘Amuses and intrigues in equal measure’ Daily Mail
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‘A golden-age world with an energy that is totally contemporary’ J.M. Hall
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‘A charming and clever take on a locked room murder’ Sarah Yarwood-Lovett
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‘A wonderful Wodehousian world of intrigue and suspicion and a tricky puzzle to solve’ Helena Dixon
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‘All the ingredients of a classic mystery – engaging characters and an impossible crime. The story races along like a runaway locomotive… enormous fun.’ Orlando Murrin
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‘A beautiful written 1920’s murder mystery series full of fun, wit and red herrings’ Anita Davison
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'The perfect "country house" murder mystery. The book is terrific fun.' Jane Bettany
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'We devoured this whoddunit in one sitting!' Bella
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'With murder, intrigue, and ghostly happenings, this will satisfy cosy crime fans.' Heat
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'Her knowledge of the genre and easy writing style makes this an effortless and fun read' My Weekly
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'A clever mystery' Woman's Own
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'This engaging and energetic mystery hosts an abundance of engaging characters and is great fun' Platinum
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Faith Martin
- Narrator
- John Hopkins
- Duration
- 7 hours 59 minutes
- Release Date
- 15 January 2026
- ISBN
- 9780008738402
- Format
- x-book®
- Publisher
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Genre
- Crime and mystery: cosy mystery, Thriller / suspense fiction, Humorous fiction, Crime and mystery: women sleuths / detectives, Crime and mystery: private investigator / amateur detectives, Historical crime and mysteries, Classic crime and mystery fiction
Synopsis
A brand new Golden Age cosy crime mystery from the multi-million-copy bestseller Faith Martin. 'Hugely entertaining with an ingenious solution! I loved it!' Clare Chase 'A wonderful book with which to cosy up’ The Belfast Telegraph 'A masterfully constructed pageturner of a murder mystery. Clever, compelling, and intriguing. An excellent read' T.A. Williams ***** Yorkshire, 1926. Gentleman ghost-hunter Arbuthnot 'Arbie' Swift and his old friend Val arrive at Cleeves Lea Manor, looking forward to the promise of a lavish weekend party. The lady of the house, an avid reader of Arbie’s books, is eager to show him off to her distinguished guests. Amidst the festivities, Arbie is also tasked with investigating rumours of a ‘ghost train spitting fire’ for the third instalment of the increasingly popular (to Arbie’s great surprise) Gentleman’s Guide to Ghost-hunting. But when the guests start dying, Arbie instead finds himself thrust into the middle of a murder investigation. With time running out, will he and Val be able to uncover the truth? Praise for A Dangerous Train of Thought 'Suspicious notes, a lethal hat pin and a body in the library … As far as I'm concerned Faith Martin is the Grand Dame of Country House Crime!' J. M. Hall 'A charming, cleverly-constructed caper, chock-full of captivating characters. I loved it' Matt Dunn ‘There’s much to love about this dazzling new date with Arbie and Val’ The Lancashire Post ‘Brilliant characters and a well-constructed mystery’ Yours ‘This Ingeniously crafted mystery blends suspense, humour and charm’ Woman’s Own 'The conclusion to this story is startling, surprising, and very clever. I never stood a chance of guessing this one!’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'It was entertaining, full of twists and turns with a few red herrings, suspenseful and unputdownable’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'This book delivers exactly what cosy crime fans hope for’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'This is a golden age style mystery that was a pleasure to read’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Another engaging story, that will keep you guessing from start to finish' Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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