Christmas

Good Christmas read and there is always something magical about a train ride and the characters you encounter! ( )

Written 20 years ago, Baldacci departs from his best selling genre to bring us a story of hope, redemption and Christmas miracles.

We first meet Tom Langdon and learn he's a descendant of Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain though instead of writing fiction, his expertise is international journalism. Having recently lost his father and run into difficulties with airport TSA, he decided to board a train to visit Lelia, the woman he'd been seeing in Los Angeles. Boarding the Capitol Express in D.C., he would switch to the Southwest Chief in Chicago for the trip to California while taking notes for a story about trains.

The passengers on "The Cap" are varied and include Max Powers, a famous film director, Agnes Joe, a rotund rider of the rail, Roxanne a staff member, a young couple soon to be married, a retired priest, and many others. Unlike air travel, passengers on a train become familiar with one another and it's their unique back stories that become the focus. Accompanying Max is Eleanor, a journalist turned screen writer and former lover of Tom's who walked out on him years previous.

Having read The Camel Club and several others by this author, it came as little surprise that he'd incorporate a touch of mystery, though the biggest curve ball arrives a the end. David's use of relatable characters, perfect pacing and endearing plot make this a tribute to his ability to break genre and inspire with an evocative story of love, compassion and humanity. With so many of my friends preferring mystery and will assume you know David's work, you'll find this a breath of fresh air and worth the time; I did! ( )

I liked this book. I saw the Hallmark movie and when I found out it was based on a book I just had to read it. It was the perfect holiday read. ( )

An enjoyable book to pick up at the end of a hectic holiday task-driven day. The pace of book is engaging and well-paced. It's filled with humor, great characters, as well as reflections on the meaning of zchritmss. ( )