Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect

The novel flashes back to the boarding of the Ghan. Ernie is surprised to see his agent, Simone Morrison, who is there as the guest of publisher Wyatt Lloyd. Simone prods Ernie about his lack of progress on his next book, which is supposed to be a work of fiction. Ernie’s girlfriend, Juliette, who also wrote a book about the previous murders, is Ernie’s guest. Ernie hopes that being around other writers will inspire him. As Ernie and Juliette walk through the train to their section, an expensive car pulls up alongside and lets out a man whom Juliette explains is Wolfgang, a celebrated author who has won many awards. She tells Simone that Ernie would like her to introduce him to McTavish, a popular author whom Simone used to work for. Ernie tries to downplay his interest, but in truth, McTavish is his favorite author, and he hopes to get a blurb for his book. Simone tells him that McTavish doesn’t give blurbs. The other thing that Ernie hopes will happen on this train trip is that Juliette will agree to marry him.

Once they reach their room, Ernie notices that the bunks are too narrow to share, and Juliette notices that none of the doors lock. Inspecting a brochure for the festival, Ernie is disappointed to realize that the authors are expected to stay behind during excursions and participate in panel discussions. Wolfgang’s entry in the brochure has a densely packed awards list. Ernie glosses over McTavish’s already familiar information and focuses on the unfamiliar authors. Lisa Fulton writes legal thrillers, Alan Royce writes forensic crime stories, and S. F. Majors writes psychological thrillers. At Juliette’s urging, Ernie sits down to try to write. His Uncle Andy calls and announces that he has quit his job in horticulture and started working as a private detective. He wants Ernie’s help solving the case of a Tasmanian botanist who has been burgled. Clearly, he has no idea what he’s doing; he isn’t even sure whether her name is “Poppy” or she sells poppies. Frustrated, Ernie tells him to call back when he has more information.

Ernie and Juliette make their way to the crowded bar car. Juliette goes to get them coffees, leaving a blue scarf that she borrowed from Simone draped over the back of her chair to indicate that it’s taken. Mindful of the structural requirements of his genre, Ernie describes the occupants of the bar car so that he can truthfully claim to have introduced all of the main characters within the first 10,000 words. An older man who Ernie later learns is Douglas Parsons is drinking champagne, sitting across from an empty seat and another full glass of champagne. S. F. Majors looks very serious and hasn’t touched her drink. Lisa Fulton is concentrating on her phone even though she’s sitting with three older women who are drinking and talking animatedly. A fan, who Ernie later learns is Jasper Murdoch, is identifying the various authors for his bored wife, Harriet. Ernie can’t decide if the young woman (later identified as Brooke) wearing a t-shirt containing a McTavish quote and reading a copy of Stephen King’s Misery is a fan or works with one of the publishers. Alan Royce sits scribbling in a notebook, and Wolfgang is in a small alcove near the bar, unhappily sniffing a glass of red wine. Neither McTavish nor Simone is present.

Just past the 10,000-word mark, another character inconveniently enters: Wyatt Lloyd, McTavish’s publisher. He makes a comment about Ernie being angry at him, but Ernie has no idea what Wyatt is talking about and brushes it off. Their conversation is interrupted by McTavish’s appearance. Wyatt is clearly embarrassed by McTavish’s drunken belligerence. He asks whether Ernie has any antihistamines; the ones he got from Jasper are actually seasickness pills. After Wyatt moves off to handle McTavish, Ernie feels as if he has blown an opportunity to impress the publisher.

When Juliette returns, Ernie tells her about his confusing conversation with Wyatt. She’s about to explain what Wyatt was talking about when Aaron, a train staff member, begins giving a welcome speech. When Aaron announces that breakfast is served, people begin leaving the bar car. Ernie is so charmed by the passing scenery that he and Juliette pause and sit for a while, looking out the window. Fifteen minutes later, he remembers to ask Juliette what she was about to tell him about Wyatt.

At breakfast, Juliette reveals that Wyatt was apologizing because McTavish left a one-star, single-word Goodreads review of Ernie’s first book: “Ghastly” (50). Furious, Ernie starts to stand, intending to go to the table where Wyatt, McTavish, and Simone are eating. Juliette stops him. Ernie confesses that he was already worried about not being as accomplished as the other writers at the festival. Alan Royce comes over to their table to introduce himself and immediately mentions the bad review. Ernie glimpses his journal, which is full of notes about the train and its passengers. His description of Ernie is unflattering. Royce tries to make Ernie feel better about the review, mentioning that Wyatt rejected his first novel four times before agreeing to publish it. Lisa Fulton joins them and also immediately mentions the bad review. Royce says that McTavish left each of the writers a review; Fulton’s was a five-star review, with the word “Tremendous,” and Royce’s was a four-star review, with the word “Splendid” (53). Ernie looks up the reviews and finds that S. F. Majors’s book has received a three-star review with the word “Overblown” and that Wolfgang’s book has a two-star review with the word “Heavenly” (54). When Royce reveals that McTavish has promised him a blurb, Ernie again becomes enraged.