Phantom Train [Paperback]

Alexander Butziger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2, 2011

Does the supernatural exist? The manager of First American's Zenith Mine calls Kevin Traynor to the rescue: A phantom train is depopulating an Arizona mining town! Are legends of lost treasure and a spooky past the clue to the phantom train mystery? A nosy reporter, an uncooperative sheriff, a young librarian, a strange old Indian, the town gossip - will any of the remaining citizens of the town help Traynor to defend their world against superstition? But is Traynor fighting against superstition - or against the supernatural? The fact that he falls in love with a lady mining engineer who reminds him of his girlfriend back in New York does not make things any easier - or does it? When the phantom train really appears, all bets are off. . . Kevin Traynor. With the right to be politically incorrect.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

What "Phantom Train" is about:
 
A fiery phantom train riding into town every night, getting people...
 
A phantom vehicle bearing down on Traynor, with nothing but his Colt (no silver bullets) for defense...
 
Traynor having an affair with a mining engineer...
 
A ghostly old Indian vanishing into thin air...
 
A thing from primeval times...
 
The most haunted mountain range in America...
 
A lost Spanish gold mine guarded by a demon...
 
A cursed Indian treasure...
 
A ghost town and a mine guarded by a ghostly gunfighter...
 
The evil legacy of a corrupt railroad mogul...
 
A phantom train that cannot be tracked even by the latest technology...
 
 
Wouldn't you like to know...
 
Whether the supernatural exists?
 
The difference between supernatural and paranormal?
 
What happens if an environmentalist and professed animal lover meets fierce creatures natural and supernatural?
 
What the monster wanted from Dina?
 
Whether Traynor shot the sheriff?
 
How Traynor got slapped by an invisible hand?
 
What missiles Traynor used against the ghostly miner?
 
What was in the phantom tunnel?
 
Whether true love is forever?
 
The truth about the war on drugs?
 
The moral meaning of skyscrapers?
 
The moral meaning of the Grand Canyon?
 
The love of eagles?
 
How the phantom train could vanish in plain sight?
 

Product Details

• Paperback: 182 pages
• Publisher: lulu.com (October 2, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1847282954
• ISBN-13: 978-1847282958
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,345,066 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Alexander Butziger is the author of the Kevin Traynor novels, "Torch in the Night," "Phantom Train," and "Mysterious Boat." The next novel in the series, "Mystic Triangle," deals with the history and triumph of capitalism. Currently, he is writing the most comprehensive account to date on the Bermuda Triangle phenomenon, serialized at bermudatrianglecentral.blogspot.com. He translated the forthcoming "Laughter under Tears," Stefan Frey's biography of Ayn Rand's favorite operetta composer, Emmerich Kálmán, from German into English.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars great concept for an action hero, October 2, 2011

By 

John W. Christmas - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Phantom Train (Paperback)

"Phantom Train" is the second book in the Kevin Traynor series.

"Torch in the Night," the first book, struck me more as a one-off big-idea novel with themes consistent with Ayn Rand's works. That first book was an epic struggle between heroes and villains to save or destroy the world.

With "Phantom Train," it seems the author has settled into a concept for a series of novels. The hero, Traynor, is an advocate of reason. This puts him at odds with most of society since most people believe in superstition. The hero has a function of finding situations where a local superstition is causing problems, and then investigating and debunking the superstition.

The author chooses the most extreme examples he can think of to illustrate various points, and the style suits me even though I don't agree with all of the points.

The concept of a reason-based hero fighting superstition is excellent. I consider "Phantom Train" well worth reading. However, there are a few speeches by characters that I think could have been shortened and/or worked into the story more smoothly. Also, the interplay between characters was not quite as good as in "Torch in the Night."

John Christmas, author of "Democracy Society"