The Night Operator - Frank L. Packard

What a fascinating read! Written in 1919, this cracking little volume contains ten short stories about the men and machines of the North American transcontinental steam rail line. Packard, as a young man, worked as a civil engineer for the Canadian Pacific Railway, and so likely draws much from the people and experiences he was involved with at the time.

I found each accident, tragedy, hero or villain quite engrossing, and loved delving into the day-to-day business of the protagonists and their turn-of-the-century steam locomotive adventures. A gem of a book (and especially good reading for young lads).

ebook: Munseys

Currently Reading

• Flight Out of Time A Dada Diary - Hugo Ball (Author), John Elderfield (Editor)
• The Guarded Heights - Charles Wadsworth Camp
• Greenmantle - John Buchan
• The Night Operator - Frank L. Packard

The Hidden Road - Charles Wadsworth Camp

Immediately after having read the mystery story Sinister Island by Wadsworth Camp, I started on The Hidden Road, expecting much of the same murderous fare. Instead, I found a love story, and a convoluted one at that. Written in 1922, this is the tale of Nicolas Aldrich, a well-bred young man who returns to New York after WW1, to find his family, fortunes, and friends quite changed. He eventually falls into the pattern of his old life and old loves, but the presence of a striking young woman called Eleanor Grantley continually disturbs him.