Death on the Caldera by Emily Paxman Narrator: Emily Shaver
Published by Tantor Audio on April 21, 2026
Source: NetGalley
Genres: Fantasy, Mystery
Length: 13 hrs 11 mins
Pages: 447
Format: Audiobook
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It's Murder on the Orient Express with witches, for fans of VE Schwab, Leigh Bardugo, Courtney Smyth, as well as Agatha Christie.
A blend of fantasy and Golden Age crime, set in an unforgiving landscape that steams with sulphur and bubbles with lava.
The Linde siblings—Kellen, Davina, and Morel—are anxious to return to the kingdom of Halgyr before their father dies, leaving Kellen to assume the throne as king. They book tickets on a luxury express train, expecting a swift journey home—but disaster strikes when the train engine explodes, stranding the siblings atop a caldera bubbling with volcanic magic.
The crash triggers Davina's latent witch powers, but her magic disrupts her ability to remember what she was doing when the explosion took place. While a witch would be the prime suspect for the explosion, the only ones who knew Davina might become one are her brothers—who never warned her, driving her away from them. And, to add insult to injury, somebody is bumping off the surviving train crew and passengers. But it can't be Davina, can it?While the surviving passengers try to determine who sabotaged the engine and catch the killer, the fractured siblings attempt to stay one step ahead, concealing not only Davina's powers but their own secrets. Luckily, they aren't the only shifty characters on the train. But that small degree of good fortune quickly sours when powerful men turn up dead, suggesting the saboteur is still at work. And who better a mark for the murderer than the heirs to a foreign throne?
First of all, just because there’s a train and murders does not make it Murder on the Orient Express. Not every mystery needs compared to Agatha Christie, especially when Christie’s plot is tight and controlled and this one is—not. If you read the blurb above, we’ve got a lot going on – a train wreck with a royal on board, a murderer on the loose, and witches. We also have two systems of magic aside from the witches’, two gods, two political powers, and about nine points of view.
I felt like the mystery and fantasy sides were balanced well. The world-building is done well, without being overwhelming. The Lindes do what all amateur sleuths do – ask questions, nose around, try to find who’s guilty so you’re not blamed. It was maybe a bit difficult to connect much with the characters because we did have so many, but their thoughts and relationships felt realistic. I listened to the audio and the narrator did an amazing job giving everyone a distinct voice and portraying their personalities.
If I was disappointed in anything, it was the whodunnit. The clues fit together, but the motive didn’t ring true to me – there wasn’t enough lead up for it, even though the killer was one of our viewpoints. I guess I was disappointed in two things. The other was the end, which wasn’t really the wrap-up mysteries usually get. It left things open for a possible sequel, but one hasn’t been announced yet.
About Emily Paxman
Emily Paxman is an author and artist from Vancouver Island in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. She’s a huge fan of gardening, cats, watercolour painting, and several other hobbies that befit an octogenarian. She has her Master’s of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Chatham University, has written for indie video game company Wizard Games, and splits her time (unevenly) between creating comics and writing novels. You can read her webcomic, Neptune Bay, on Webtoon.
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