Detailed and engaging historical fiction, and a thrilling ride! I highly recommend..
Many thanks to The Book Whisperer and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Solid thriller, with interesting and unique setting 3.5 stars. I am fascinated with the time period surrounding Chernobyl, and this novel did not disappoint.

This is a book is a movie waiting to be made, which makes sense given the author is also a screenwriter. It follows a group of characters--a Russian nuclear scientist, mujahadeen, an American diplomat, a Swedish diplomat, a British traveller, etc.--on their train journey headed towards Moscow after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. They are all bound for different places along the way and question the motives of their fellow passengers, eventually leading to a murder and the onboard investigation that follows.

The characters have depth, and their stories are fascinating. You see people who mean well make bad decisions and some who mean ill and successfully avoid suspicion. It's hard to know who to root for and why. All of which is to say that this is a book that will have you second-guessing things until the very end. It dragged in places, but overall, I found it really intriguing and would recommend it to anyone who like a good mystery with the added benefit of being historical fiction.

An exciting novel with terrific characters set at the time of the Chernobyl disaster. Scientists and other people who are curious about what happened ride The Trans-Mongolian Express to find answers. Lots of interactions on the train, including murder.

This international thriller has exciting elements: set in the immediate aftermath of Chernobyl, main characters trapped on a train together under investigation after a murder, assassins, a love affair, fighting, intrigue. Unfortunately, for me the pacing was too slow, and the characters didn’t grab me and make me care. The long train journey feels very long, the slow burn turning my interest to a faltering flicker, the burgeoning romance feels out of place and forced.

This is a well written book with an interesting premise and unforeseen plot twists. I can understand many reviewers higher ratings and am glad they enjoyed the book so much, I’m sure many more readers will; I’m just not one of them.


I appreciate the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I read an advanced readers copy of David L. Robbins' Trans-Mongolian Express thanks to the publisher and NetGalley. I wasn't sure that I would going to be interested in a historical novel using a train from Beijing to Moscow as the plot device for a historical thriller in the context of the Chernobyl nuclear accident in Ukraine in 1986, but the book exceeded my expectations. The novel brings together six characters from the U.S., Russia, Chechnya, England, Sweden, and China. All are on a 6 day train from Beijing, through Mongolia, into Russia, on the way to Moscow. All have different goals and purposes. Add in a murder on the train, where we know who the killer is, a Mongolian detective trying to solve the murder, The book builds its story like a train, starting slow, and then moving fairly quickly. While there were a few times I thought it was a tad longer than it needed to be, the story kept me interested. It's a good read, and made me go from my Kindle to google maps more than once to identify the route of the Trans-Mongolian Express. A fun read.

This is a story filled with all the elements of a good international spy/mystery and focuses on Half-a-dozen diverse characters who meet on a train. While they all have different backgrounds, occupations and interests they are brought together by one thing: the Chernobyl disaster. The characters are strong and interesting and the addition of a police inspector, when one of them is murdered, only adds to the diversity and interest. The setting is the Trans-Mongolian Express, traveling from Beijing through Mongolia and ending in Moscow. The train details are as interesting as the characters. Like the five day train trip for the characters, I found this book a bit too long as well. But it did hold my interest and there were just enough twists and turns to bring my interest back when it began to wane.

I sort of expect something like Murder on the Orient Express. I enjoy books where the story is on a train because is many times the description of
The scenery is beautiful. This travelers on this train are all headed to the same place but for different reasons. I thought it was interesting but just a bit long.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

I greatly enjoyed this adventurous ride on the Trans-Mongolian Express. Once I sorted all the characters out, it became clear that it would be an intriguing ride, indeed. In the weeks following the Chernyoble disaster, six passengers, all from different countries and with different stories, travel toward Moscow on the same train car. What happens amongst them during the days-long journey kept me on my toes. The scenery along the way and atmosphere on the train were an added bonus. Highly recommended.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the advance reader's copy.

When the nuclear reactor at Chernobyl shows signs of a serious problem, a group of people are sent from Bejing to Moscow via railroad in order to investigate. The cast is varied - two nuclear scientists, one American and one Soviet, a hit-man, an English diplomat, and more.

My favorite part of this story was seeing how the characters reacted to the ongoing events as the magnitude of the disaster at Chernobyl becomes apparent. I also liked the interactions of the characters with their different agendas. They were all drawn very well - I felt like I understood each character's reasoning and decisions. I was drawn in from start to finish.

The story takes place in the aftermath of Chernobyl. On board the train are three physicists, Lara and Anton, one Russian, one American, and the Swede, Bjorn although he really isn't a big part of the story. On the long ride from Beijing to Moscow there are multiple points of view. You know from the beginning who was killed, why and by who and it's just a matter for a Mongolian policeman to figure out.

I found the story interesting but it was a slow start and I felt at times it just dragged so it could have been shorter. The train itself was interesting but I find it hard to imagine that so much of the relationships were built up in a day or two and who was allied to who and for how long.

Thank you to Netgalley and Book Whisperer for providing me with a digital copy.

This begins prior to the Chernobyl nuclear disaster and is a fictional tale with very realistic characters who end up having to drop their work to get to Chernobyl as soon as possible. Nuclear physicists from the US, China, Sweden all board the Trans-mongolian train since air travel has been suspended. Relationships build, and the fear of Russian agents wanting to stop them to suppress what really happened is in the air.

It is a compelling read, and fast-paced.

David L. Robbins took his inspiration to write Trans-Mongolian Express from Warren Adler’s Trans Siberian Express. Trans-Mongolian Express was a compelling mystery/thriller with a touch of romance. Five out of six of the main characters were all traveling on the Trans-Mongolian Express to Moscow due to the rumors that were circulating about what had happened at the Chernobyl nuclear plant. The Soviets were trying to hide what had actually happened from the world. This disaster occurred in 1986. The five out of the six passengers in compartment two, unbeknownst to each other, were traveling to Moscow to discuss the situation at Chernobyl. All six of the passengers ended up in the same compartment on the train. They were complete strangers to each other when they boarded the Trans-Mongolian Express but during their five day journey they became more than acquainted with each other. The Trans-Mongolian Express travelled through China, Mongolia and finally arrived in the Soviet Union, its final destination.

Among the passengers were Lara Dill, a Russian born American scientist who specialized in studying the effects of radiation. Lara had been stationed in Russia when she was abducted by the Russian mob for posting a certain report. She was fortunate to have been exiled to Beijing and not been killed. Lara was warned to never return to Russia. Now years later, when the rumors started spreading about Chernobyl, Lara was the obvious choice for the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission to send to Moscow to discover what had actually happened there and to investigate what dangers it posed for nearby countries. Lara was assured that she had gotten permission to go back to Russia. Bjorn, a Swedish scientist accompanied Lara.

Also headed back to Moscow on the Trans-Mongolian Express was Anton, a Soviet scientist and engineer who had been exiled to Beijing as well. Anton was one of the original scientists/engineers to have worked on creating the power plant at Chernobyl. When Anton discovered a flaw in one of the structures at Chernobyl, he tried to warn the Soviets. The Soviets ignored Anton’s warnings and threatened him with being exiled from Russia if he exposed the truth. As a result, Anton was exiled to Beijing. Anton was now intent on returning to Moscow to let the world know the truth, no matter what the consequences might be for him.

Another passenger was Timur. He was a giant of a man. Timur was Chechen and loathed the Russians. He had responded to the Soviets’ request for skilled miners. Timur was intent upon getting his revenge against the Soviets by causing an even greater disaster down in the mines.

Sinjin was a British diplomat traveling on the Trans-Mongolian Express for the sole purpose of going on vacation. Or was he?

The last passenger to board the train was Gang, a Chinese-American assassin. Gang was hired to stop Lara from reaching the Soviet Union. Instead, Gang became Lara’s protector and a romance developed between them.

Assigned to escort the six foreign passengers to the Soviet Union was travel guide, Maxim Maximovich Sprygin. As these strangers got to know one another and discovered each other’s reasons for being on the Trans-Mongolian Express, something tragic occurred. Had there been a murder committed on board the train or had a tragic accident happened? Who was responsible? When the dead body was discovered in the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, Chief Sheriff Bat boarded the Trans-Mongolian Express intent on discovering the truth about how the Soviet travel guide met bis fate.

Trans-Mongolian Express by David L. Robbins was suspenseful and had a few twists. It was a little slow during the middle of the book. I mostly enjoyed the vivid descriptions of the places the train passed. After a while, though, I found myself skimming over some of the descriptions. The characters were well drawn and complex. Overall, I enjoyed reading Trans-Mongolian Express and recommend it.

Thank you to Adler Entertainment Trust LLC for allowing me to read Trans-Mongolian Express by David L. Robbins through Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own

This was a very interesting and intriguing story. I’ve not read anything by this author before, but I will be looking for more of his works now. At times the story seem to be very intense and this is what intrigued me more than anything. There was a lot of action and at times suspense. I can’t wait to read more by this author.


I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I received this from NetGalley Books in exchange for an honest review. Thank You NetGalley.
Once I got the book downloaded to my my kindle, I could not put this story down. The book covers an eight day journey on the Mongolian Express train from Beijing to Moscow. The plot covers a small group of people who have much to gain, or loose from the Chernobyl melt down. At first the group does not know each other but have different reasons to be on the trip that come to light as the trip goes on. Lines are drown, alliances made, and broken, lives are lost.
The story tells quite a bit about how the Chernobyl disaster occurred and what can be done regarding world safety, up to and including a worse case ending. I loved the science that explained how the reactor was built and how it operated.
The book was very well written, no over the top violence, or impossible twists. I think I noted a grammatic error or two, but it did not detract from the over all plot. I really got a sense of what the trip was like and the sounding country side. While there are many parties to this, with the help of the author you can keep them accounted.

Trans-Mongolian Express by David L. Robbins was a thrill ride indeed. This was part historical thriller and part murder mystery with a little romance thrown in.

Most of the book takes place on the train ride itself, which travels nearly 8,000 kilometers over seven days. It had shades of the classic Murder on the Orient Express, of course, but I think this one was even more gripping. The characters were cleverly drawn and unique. We have a terrorist, an assassin, a whistle blower and a couple of scientists. The precipitating event to the train ride is the nuclear disaster in Chernobyl in 1986. Each of the characters on the train ride has a secret and an agenda of their own, and some are willing to kill to see theirs through.

The short chapters kept the plot moving quickly, and the setting as the train travelled across the Mongolian desert and unforgiving Soviet terrain was rendered beautifully. There were some good twists saved for the end, which I found satisfying and fitting. I am eager to go back and read more of this author's work.

I will recommend this to readers who like historical thrillers.

Thank you to Book Whisperer and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this travelogue-thriller-mystery novel set on a 5 day train trip from Beijing to Moscow. Six characters with their own motivations, are headed to Moscow, a few because of the disaster brewing at Chernobyl disaster, others with their own motivations, none of them very happy with the Russian government.

A murder takes place on the train, and we know who is murdered, who did it, and why. A Mongolian sheriff, Bat, boards the train to solve the murder.

This is not a speedy read. There are in-depth characterizations, and motivations, along with some nuclear facts and theories which I admit went over my head. But it kept me reading, and last night I stayed up much too late to find out how it would end! A very satisfying read, highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

A mix of spy and thriller that is set in a very intriguing setting. As the scene moves quickly from a mixed bag of characters to the explosive ending, readers will be treated to an original journey.

Ugh! I finally finished this book. I almost DNF'd it multiple times, but stuck with it. It just wasn't very interesting to me, until I got about 60% into it, which is way more than I usually give a book. Up til that, every time I was reading, I would fall asleep.

I think Robbins tried to do too much in the book. He tried to combine comedy, romance, mystery, and conspiracy. I think he should have left out the comedy part. I thought the romance wasn't that bad in the story, but it wasn't great either. If he would have just stuck with the mystery and conspiracy part, the book would have been a whole lot better.

Tentative Publishcation Date: January 17, 2024

Thanks to Netgalley and Book Whisper for the E-ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

😊 Happy Reading 😊

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Trans-Mongolian Express by David L Robbins is a thriller involving five people on a train, traveling to the same place: Chernobyl, the site of a nuclear disaster, a nuclear plant explosion. One of the travelers was a former employee of the plant who had predicted just such an accident four years earlier and been exiled because of it. Another was Lara who was an American and an expert on nuclear fission. Then there are Timur, Gang, and Bjorn, all traveling for similar reasons, well, except for Gang who is there to kill Lara. She had been “asked” to leave Russia, not to return, and here she was returning, supposedly with permission. It was in educational train journey across China and Mongolia, from Beijing and Moscow.

These people were all knowledgeable and interesting. Often the topics under discussion went over my head. More often, it was down to earth conversations regarding the more mundane aspects of the tragedy. Lara was all about communication, something Gorbachev said he wanted (glasnost) but not this time, apparently. The most severely affected outside of Russia were the Scandinavians, who had first noticed the rise in certain substances. Lara spent the train trip getting samples of soil from each stop to test. Everyone had their own agenda. Each recognized the danger. It was a well-written book, readable. The personalities of each of the people on the train was fully formed at their meeting and explained by sketches of their past experiences as the opening chapters of the book. It was an interesting read. Thanks, Mr. Robbins.

I was invited to read a copy of Trans-Mongolian Express by Book Whisperer. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #BookWhisperer #DavidLRobbins #TransMongolianExpress