Vultures in the Sky

by Todd Downing

Hugh Rennert (3)

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Description

The journey of the Mexico City-bound Pullman seems ill-fated from the outset -- what with the engine troubles and the threat of an impending railway strike -- but no one aboard expects the terror that will descend upon the luxury train between Laredo and its destination. First a man dies as the vehicle passes through a dark tunnel and then, just as United States Customs Agent Hugh Rennert begins to investigate, the train comes to a screeching halt in the middle of the desert.

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Member Reviews

4 reviews
This mystery has been likened to Murder on the Orient Express, probably because it too is set on a train and death stalks the passengers. It’s set on the train between San Antonio and Mexico City, and the travellers have to contend with desert heat, broken-down engines, and the threat of sabotage from striking railway workers as well as the murderer in their midst.

I really liked the setting — Mexico is not a place I normally visit in my fiction, and I like mysteries set on trains. However, I felt the book dragged a bit for me. There was a limited circle of suspects, but it felt like information was being hidden in a way to stretch the page count rather than because it was actually necessary.

If you’ve been reading and enjoying the show more books reprinted under the American Mystery Classics imprint, this is another good book under that imprint. It was certainly worth borrowing from the library. show less
Great atmosphere, did well in what I expected from it. Definitely had a moment at the end where I thought, "Wait, so...?" I guess I'm too used to Poirot explains it all.
A locked room mystery. A locked train mystery?

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Author Information

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Common Knowledge

Canonical title
Vultures in the Sky
Original publication date
1935
People/Characters
Hugh Rennert

Classifications

Genres
Fiction and Literature, Mystery
DDC/MDS
813.52Literature & rhetoricAmerican literature in EnglishAmerican fiction in English1900-19991900-1945
LCC
PZ3 .D7597Language and LiteratureFiction and juvenile belles lettresFiction and juvenile belles lettresFiction in English
BISAC

Statistics

Members
43
Popularity
688,121
Reviews
3
Rating
½ (3.31)
Languages
English
Media
Paper, Ebook
ISBNs
4
ASINs
1