Murder on the Canadian (Tom Austen Mysteries) by Eric Wilson Date of Publication: 2001 ISBN: 0-00-648122-1 Number of Pages: 95

REQUIRED READING ABILITY: Junior: Average Intermediate: Low
GENRES: Mystery
THEMES : Good versus Evil – Appearance versus Reality – Family – Loyalty – Life versus Death

SUMMARY:
Tom Austen, mystery-loving kid from Winnipeg, is on a trip across Canada aboard The Canadian with his classmate, Dietmar Oban. Tom can just feel a mystery brewing, and when he encounters a ticking package upon arrival, things are off to a good start.

As the Canadian zips across the country, Tom meets a number of people, including the beautiful Catherine Saks, her husband Richard, the friendly and sweet Mrs. Ruggles, and the mysterious man with the attaché case. When Catherine Saks is murdered, however, the trip takes a sinister turn…and only Tom Austen can get to the bottom of “The Murder on the Canadian…”

WHO WOULD LOVE THIS BOOK? A kid who...
- likes adventure
- enjoys reading about train trips
- likes corny jokes
- is into crime and detective stories
- enjoys a fast-paced mystery with a number of suspicious characters

WHAT ELSE?
This is the first in a series of Tom Austen mysteries, most of which take place in different parts of Canada. There are also mysteries with Tom’s sister, Liz, taking up the protagonist role.


RELATED LINK:
For more information, check out members.shaw.ca/ericwilsonweb/index.html