In late 1944, a train left Konigsberg, Germany laden with gold, artifacts and priceless paintings in an attempt to escape the advancing Soviet army. It was never seen again.” That’s the summary of the prologue and a fascinating premise. I think I was expecting a bit more of a treasure hunt, but never mind, it was a good story with a very likable hero. (There are a lot of war-time mysteries, and spy novels on my to-read pile).

Flash forward to today, seventy-two years in the future. Our hero, Will Stattin, is a former military policeman who has been blacklisted from the military and from his former career. He is now working privately in security. It’s a second chance for him to get his career back. He is hired to track down the stolen paintings that have clues written on the back as to where that missing train might be. But as soon as he gets started….

The Lost Train was a fast paced action thriller that would make an excellent movie. I liked the missing train filled with treasure premise. Anyone that likes mercenary / ex-soldier type of stories would enjoy this. It was an easy, light, and enjoyable read. Not really the type of book I usually read, so I am glad to have had the chance to try something new. I really did like the main character, Will Stattin. He was dependable and capable and innovative. When other books come out by this author, I will look them up. In my opinion, it’s always a good book when the authors obviously enjoy what they are doing!

As I said, earlier, it was an action adventure, ex-soldier kind of book. But most importantly, it was also about how Will, after being disgraced, got his career and his confidence back. Parts of the ending went where I expected them to go, but that’s okay.

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for this review. It will be published in February of 2020.

Description
In late 1944, a train rumbled out of Konigsberg, Germany laden with gold, artifacts and priceless paintings in an attempt to escape the advancing Soviet army. It was never seen again. Seventy-two years later, Will Stattin, a former MP and the son of a famous archaeologist, gets a call for help from a prestigious art collector in Italy. For Will it’s a job offer and a chance to escape his troubles, even if the job sounds strange and unbelievable: track down a series of nine paintings that reveal the location of the lost train and its legendary wealth. Shortly after he arrives, Will is caught up in a deadly game as five of the paintings are stolen. Now it is a race across Europe to find the lost train and the killers before they turn their sights on him. For Will Stattin, his dangerous adventure is just beginning…

My Review
The Lost Train is an extremely well written mystery. Follow the adventure across Europe with well-crafted characters and believable scenery.

Great mystery! Highly recommend.

Good stuff. This is a fun adventure with good action and mystery, plus interesting characters. It's pretty engaging, and I hope he writes more. Recommended for thriller fans.

I really appreciate the review copy!!

This was a better than average historical mystery. I am a huge fan of stolen art stories and the lost Nazi train is a big one. The story kept me interested throughout. If you are tired of your typical WWII romance story but love historical fiction, give this one a try.

The Lost Train – Seth Crossman (Will Stattin Thriller Series)


I was provided with an advanced copy of this book by the publisher in order to give an honest review.

“The Lost Train” is Seth Crossman’s debut novel.

This book is the first thriller in a series which has a lot of historical fiction elements. It is a story that follows an American man, Will Stattin, who has recently been dishonourably discharged from the army.

Sadly, like many veterans, he is struggling to find work and his place with everything in civilian life. Then out of the blue Will gets a all, a contract with a wealthy Italian businessman who wants to pay him very, very well.

But this job is a little different and not the usual mercenary type work, he has to track down three paintings that were stolen from his new employer, who strangely does not want any of the authorities involved.

The reason behind this soon becomes clear, the paintings that were stolen were part of a set that contain clues leading to a lost Nazi gold train. A train that is supposedly filled with gold, many lost paintings and priceless artefacts. Naturally, the less the authorities and other people know about this the better. Luckily, Will receives help from Giovanna, a beautiful Italian woman who is an art expert and specialises in recovering lost and stolen art.

However, when his employer is killed, the stakes get higher. Will and Giovanna race against time to uncover the clues that will hopefully lead them to the lost Nazi gold train. All the while trying to stay alive, which is difficult with German mercenaries hunting them down, also trying to chase down the lost Nazi gold train. But someone has betrayed Will, who would do this, who should he not trust?

“The Lost Train” was a very enjoyable read that captured my attention from the first page. A fast paced and thrilling story with a surprising twist at the end.

I look forward to reading the next Will Stattin adventure.

Super-hero-without-a-cape Will Stattin to the rescue! A thoroughly enjoyable bit of escapism that would leave Indiana Jones totally jealous. Finding a lost train and its artifacts is the purported goal, but entertaining the reader is the real outcome.

First, a disclaimer. I don’t normally read these sorts of books, I watch them as movies. You know the kind, Jason Bourne, Mission Impossible, Jack Reacher sort of thing where a tough trained ex military dude sets off to solve an international mystery involving high octane action, chases, treasures, evil doers with accents and femme fatales. And yet, this one grabbed me with its premise…I’ve long been fascinated by the Nazi gold train story. The train bearing looted treasures untold that mysteriously disappeared at the end of WWII and was never found again. Well, rest assured, Will Strattin (and how manly of a name is that) is going to solve this mystery that eluded so many over the years. Will doesn’t have much to do these days following the dishonorable discharge from the military for a DWI offense. Will is highly trained in the arts of detecting and combat, but job hunting proves to be the b*tch that it is, so when an offer from an old friend of his father’s come through to help find the legendary treasure trove of a train (alliterative to boot), Will jumps on the opportunity. Well, he jumps on a plane, the plane takes him to Italy, where amid untold luxury he is tasked with following the clues on the backs of the famous works of art to solve the puzzle created by a conscientious Nazi in 1944. Will shall be assisted by a drop dead gorgeous( of course, of course) Italian art expert and have unlimited financial resources. But then the man who hires him gets shot, the sexy lady gets kidnapped and Will becomes a wanted man. (In the best movie trailer voice) And now fighting against the international rogues and the lock itself, Will must race to uncover the mystery of the vanished Nazi train before its too late. Will he manage? What do you think? I mean, it’s book one in the series and you know how these things go. And also, you know, where there’s a Will…and all that. So it’s an action jammed adventure first chapter to last with a wow WTF surprise twist in the end to boot. The book features exotic locales, gorgeous art and wild suppositions sprouting from some genuinely clumsy riddles. Not the sort of thing you want to subject to logistic scrutiny, but surprisingly a decent amount of fun and Will is a pretty likeable guy for a lead. Plus it reads quickly, as these things ought to. You know what would be even more fun…this book as a movie. It would also probably take care of all the editing snafus and the careless approach to foreign aspects of it, but then again I read it from Netgalley, it’s entirely possible these things might be taken care of for the final edition. So yeah, there you have it, a fairly mindless, boombastic, action driven fun read that does its best to make the most out of a great backstory. Thanks Netgalley.