This story brings an immense train journey across Asia, Chernobyl, China, Mongolia, the USSR, and Chechnya it also dabbles into nuclear fission. It is a kind of thriller-adventure-travelogue-comedy-action-romance-mystery...you take your pick this novel brings a little maybe even more to the plate. According to M. Robbins his story roots was inspired by Warren Adler “Trans-Siberian Express” and he simply added his own personal touch after doing intense research.
In the harrowing aftermath of Chernobyl’s meltdown in 1986, the fate of Eastern Europe hangs by a thread. Scientist Lara, a thorn in the Russian mob is drawn back to the Soviet Union on the Mongolian Express. She is not alone Anton, a Soviet scientist exiled for predicting the catastrophe, Timur, a Chechen , plots to destroy the Soviet Union, Gang, a reluctant assassin is also among them and joining the group are a Chinese, Swedish and English personalities. All assigned to the same compartment...Till suddenly, a murder trusts them into a deadly cat and mouse game...and Chief Sheriff Bat races to solve the murder.
This is quite a hard book to read, it moves very slowly as the “Express” stops at many locations across the continent 9,289 km of railway line, about 60 stations from Beijing to Moscow, a 5 day journey. The conversations between the characters are rehashed at every stop and are so packed with technical stuff about fusion and particles fallout and some other technical and political language I find staying tuned was overwhelming. Although quite interesting, along the way we are treated with detailed descriptions of the territory. The plot got better when it escalated into a seemingly exciting one after the body of a Russian overseer was found and Mongolian Sheriff Bat joined the group....“Trans Mongolian Express” is not your standard mystery you know what the crime is, who got murdered and who did it but most of all you are into one of those very slow burning plot.
I stay on the fence with this one...at times in felt like simply closing the book and other times so deeply engaged I simply couldn’t abandoned it. I stuck with it till the end.
I received an ARC of this book from The Book Whisperer via Netgalley
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