I read another story featuring Olga Pushkin, the first in this series, and it worked like this time: I felt a bit confused and bored at the beginning but the plot slowly grew on me and I couldn't wait to read another story when I turn the last page.
I'm not able to say if the style of writing is tongue in cheeck or a serious way to write like classic Russian author. There's plenty of characters, there's melancholy but there's always a twisyt and entertaining mystery that kept me guessing.
The background and the characters are interesting and well done.
I love this series and hope to read another story soon
Highly recommended even if you have to be patient and follow the rythm
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Sadly, I could not finish this book. There were far to many characters with complicated eastern European names and I felt like I was wading through it. This could be an excellent story if it was peopled with less characters.

I tried to like this book, but sadly it really wasn't for me. Perhaps a previous series knowledge would have helped, but it just felt glum.
I am sorry that I can't give a more positive personal review, bit I can say that both previous titles are in my library and some of my readers have read both and one reader is eagerly awaiting this third title...so, don't just take my word for this title!!

Olga Pushkin is a railway engineer she is waiting her self help book being published .
Olga is forced to look after a murder mystery steam train which is travelling to local towns .
On one of the stops at a siding near Roslazny a murder becomes all too real
Olga decides to investigate to find the murderer as the bodies begin pile up.
The book is very quirky and not what I expected .
I haven’t read the previous books in this series and this book wasn’t for me.
Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group.

Olga Pushkin is an engineer second class on the Siberian railway. Her meagre wages are supporting family, friends and her pet hedgehog. Her self help book has finally been published. A murder mystery acting group stage plays on the train. There is a murder. Can Olga reveal the killer.? Not having read the previous two books in the series didn’t help. Overall, I failed to engage with the story. Thank you to Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group for the ARC.

Thoughtful, Enjoyable..
The third in the Olga Pushkin series of mysteries finds Olga anticipating publication at last, whilst events in her life and in the tiny village of Roslazny seem to be spiralling out of control. Matters become way more complicated when the murder mystery steam production suddenly turns very real. As bodies pile, can Olga help solve the murders and simultaneously her own life path? Another enjoyable and entertaining mystery with an endearing protagonist, a deftly drawn cast of characters, a firm and atmospheric sense of place and a thoughtful plot.

A murder mystery performance turns real when an actor is murdered. Olga Pushkin investigates.

I wanted to like this based on the premise, but I think too much was happening. There were too many storylines I think. If it had focused in just on the murder mystery part, I think it would’ve been more successful.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for an advance copy of Last Stop on the Murder Express, the third novel to feature Railway Engineer (second class) Olga Pushkin, set in the fictional Siberian village of Roslazny.

Olga is press ganged into helping out at a traveling actor’s performance aboard a steam train. They are currently on a tour of Siberian towns performing a murder mystery and have reached a siding in Roslazny, where their first performance ends in the real life murder of one of the actors, who dies on stage. Olga joins forces with Sergeant Vassily Marushkin to solve the murder.

I enjoyed Last Stop on the Murder Express, which takes a whimsical look at village life in modern day Russia and offers a good mystery as well. I liked it better than the previous novel as it seems more focused and less chaotic, but perhaps that’s due to my familiarity with the characters and the set up. As an aside I would recommend reading the novels in order as there are plenty of references to the previous novels and I don’t think that the author is particularly clear on past events.

The novel is told entirely from Olga’s point of view, so it is a mishmash of everything that is going on in her life, from her heartbreak at the reappearance of Vassily’s long lost wife, Rozalina, to her issues with her corrupt boss who is threatening to make her redundant, via a potential plagiarism issue with her first novel. This is on top of trying to solve multiple murders, because the killer isn’t taking a one and done approach. It’s all go and all seen through Olga’s rather idiosyncratic lens.

It is quite a wordy novel with Olga animadverting on the human condition and hankering after a what if past, but if the reader gets past this it offers an intriguing mystery. Why are actors being killed and how do Olga and Vassily solve apparently motiveless murders? That is the meat and bones of the investigation, a deep dive into the suspects and an examination of opportunity. I found it interesting, but was less enthusiastic about the solution, which seems muddled and not exactly credible. Still, the journey to that point had me turning the pages quickly. Far more satisfactory is the karma meted out to the less salubrious characters. I do look to see nasty people get their comeuppance and this novel has that in spades.

Last Stop on the Murder Express is a good read that I can recommend.

A charming third book following the exploits of railway worker and hopeful author Olga Pushkin. These books are decidedly quirky but very satisfying and make for interesting reading. It helps if you have read the whole series as then the scene is set and you truly get the feel for Olgas life and living situation.

Thanks to Netgalley & the publishers for the ARC! I've been stuck at 7% in this book for a few days now, and unfortunately, I don't think I'm going to be finishing it. I'll keep it on the backburner in case I want to pick it up at a later date.