The Transatlantic Conspiracy is no Agatha Christie, but it’s an exciting, fun YA steampunk mystery set on an underground train, so I’ll take it. Despite the gorgeous cover, there are no cephalopods of any kind in the book. Otherwise, it’s fine.

The plot is as follows: in an alternate version of 1908, seventeen-year-old Rosalind is ordered by her father to take the first ride on his new train, the Transatlantic Express. Her father designed this undersea train and he wants Rosalind on it for its maiden voyage because it indicates to the public that he thinks the train is safe. Rosalind, who resents being used for free PR by her father, is escorted by her friend Cecily and Cecily’s brother, Charles.

As soon as they board the train, two things happen. One is that Charles disappears. Rosalind has a bit of a crush on Charles and is concerned, but Cecily brushes off her worries. They also rapidly befriend another teenaged traveler, Alix. Cecily and Alix both seem frivolous to Rosalind. They like to talk about boys and clothes, and they show a shocking lack of concern regarding their unchaperoned state. But both also seem to have hidden depths, especially Alix. When there’s a murder on the train, Rosalind has to figure out the identity of the murder and why everyone is acting so odd and why she’s been followed by a strange man. And the book (at least, the hardback edition of the book) is a brisk 226 pages of large print, so she has to be quick about it.

The murder victims are significant characters – I was truly shocked by the identity of the victims although I realized later that the first two deaths are revealed in the plot summary on the sleeve of the book. That’s what I get for going, “Oh, look, an octopus on the cover!” and diving straight in. At first I thought it took too long to get to the murder but when I realized that important ground had been laid, that worked out fine. There’s not a body to be found until halfway through the book. The time until then is occupied with setting up the scene and the characters.

This book isn’t a romance, but it has a romance in it. Unfortunately, the romance involves two people who are rarely together, so there’s no chance for the romance to actually develop. While the book ends on a satisfactory note, it seems to be the first in a series (at least, it leaves things open for a sequel) and maybe future installments will make the romance less of a crush between two people who rarely interact and more of a solid and interesting relationship.

What I loved about the book were the descriptions of the train and the undersea stations. I would have liked to have seen more of the underwater world – I was somewhat floored that the passengers on the train express so little wonder and amazement in the view. The train has portholes and viewing windows. Wouldn’t people be glued to them? It’s the first undersea voyage most people have ever taken, after all. Also, I feel strongly that if you give me a steampunk undersea train, you better give me at least one kraken attack or equivalent wildlife encounter. Color me disappointed.

Most passengers in the book avoid the windows, which seem to scare them, and focus on the amenities of the train – the library (!), the food, and the balls held at the stations. The descriptions of the arboreal car are delightful, with Rosalind pointing out the surrealism of finding a forest in a train under the water. For sheer style, this book is unbeatable, and it has lovely drawings by Nat Iwata.

I enjoyed the book, but truthfully it didn’t really get going until near the end, when suddenly there’s a flurry of excellently written action. I hope there is a sequel, because I felt like the book had just started when it was over. The book is an easy read, intended for young to mid-teen readers. Characterization is uneven, partly because many characters are hiding parts of themselves. I had a hard time understanding the relationship between Rosalind and Cecily, but the tension between Rosalind and her father is excellently and painfully drawn.

Because of the odd pacing, the lack of chemistry (and dialogue) between the potential lovers, the lack of friendly chemistry between supposed best friends Cecily and Rosalind, and the lack of octopi and other ocean scenery, the book never reached its full potential. Still, the concept is glorious and I had a lot of fun reading about the train. Any number of murders couldn’t keep me away if that train were a real thing.