The Frozen Carriage

A festive steam special from Swanage to Corfe Castle should be the gentlest of Christmas outings, and Figgy Edmunds has every intention of enjoying it. Then she runs into her friends from the Lyme Regis Women's Swimming Club, and the carriage turns briefly awkward. Things grow stranger when the train sails straight through Corfe Castle station and grinds to a halt a little way down the line, leaving everyone aboard baffled.

The Dorset setting, the winter steam and the cast of sea-swimming friends give this a cosy, seasonal charm. It suits anyone who likes a Christmas puzzle best when it comes with a stalled train and a good deal of company.