Meet Rosalind Wallace, heroine of G.D. Falksen's new novel The Transatlantic Conspiracy (#586). Her father has just ordered her to represent the family on the maiden crossing of his new underwater railroad connecting Germany to New York City. Rosalind is not happy to oblige, since she has been enjoying the whirl of the London Season as a guest in the home of her friend, Cecily de Vere, of the Exham de Veres. After all, it is 1908, and Rosalind is an ardent suffragette who feels she has a right to govern her own life. To her dismay, Cecily and her brother Charles jump on the chance to accompany Rosalind on such a thrilling adventure. Although the opening is attended by the Kaiser himself, people seem to be watching their small party and Charles has vanished when the girls are ready to board. When Cecily and her maid fall victim to a violent crime, it is left to Rosalind to determine who the murderer is before she is targeted herself.
This is a quick, easy read. Think Murder on the Orient Express meets Steampunk. It is very much of a Young Adult novel, though. Rosalind's parents are awful; life revolves around which young man to allow to court her; social distinctions and class are bad things when she's on the receiving end, or when she pities the plight of the poor second class passengers even though she herself lives a life of privilege. Still, the story moves right along, and I found myself at the end hoping that this is not the last we see of Rosalind Wallace.
Although the art work was not final in the prepublication copy I won on Good Reads, if you're into the coloring craze, you can spend some extra time coloring the illustrations here, a nice bonus!
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