The Insane Train [Paperback]

After a devastating fire at an insane asylum in California, Hook Runyon has been put in charge of security for a train that is to transport the survivors, alongside the head of the asylum, Dr. Baldwin, the attending doctor, taciturn Dr. Helms, and a self-sacrificing nurse named Andrea, to a new location in Oklahoma. Hook hires a motley crew of WW II veterans to help, and they set out for the new destination. But things go awry on the Insane Train, as several inmates and attendants are found dead, and Dr. Baldwin seems increasingly disoriented and incapable of running operations. With Andrea's help, Hook begins investigating the suspicious deaths, and uncovers a trail of revenge that has been a long time in the planning...by a person as mentally disturbed as her charges.

There's a train you want to catch in Sheldon Russell's terrific historical crime novelTHE INSANE TRAIN. & [Protagonist] Hook [Runyon] sets the rugged-but-sensitive tone of this outstanding series, which delivers thrilling action, great scenery and a full cast of complex characters searching for peace in a troubled postwar environment. New York Times

The story unfolds with the stark clarity of a Clint Eastwood movie, underscored with rough, laconic humor and driven by strong characterizations and a powerful sense of time and place. The insights into railroad life and the treatment of the insane...flesh out the suspenseful storyline, as does the low-key romance between Hook, a complex man with an unexpected passion for collecting rare books, and a lonely, dedicated young nurse. Fresh and original, it's easily one of the best mysteries of the year. Denver Post

This atmospheric historical crime novel is a thrilling ride. San Francisco Chronicle

Russell's acute sense of the historical elevates The Insane Train. Russell excels at sharp dialogue and believable characters. The Insane Train chugs along at a brisk pace as it skillfully depictl³w