cover image Train to Yesterday

Train to Yesterday

Nell DuVall, . . Five Star, $25.95 (291pp) ISBN 978-1-59414-663-3

In the tepid, back-to-the-future romance debut from DuVall, Penny Barton is a railroad heiress slumming as a marketing director for HyperTrans, an Ohio company working in high-speed rail. During an outdoor promotional photo shoot set to look like 1855, her antique steam train passes through a tunnel, and Penny suddenly meets a man she thinks is an actor in 19th-century garb. He is Fletcher Dawe, a Coshocton, Ohio, dry goods merchant who has invested in the nascent railroad—of 1855. He and Penny are smitten, but when they later try to find each other and can't, things get complicated, kind of. As the setting shifts to 1855, DuVall's tale becomes rich with historical color, detailing the bitter business rivalries between canal boats and railroads. Penny gets a very close look at how her family's fortune was won and may have something to offer to save Fletcher's investment. The suspense, however, is lukewarm, and the romance is anemic. The conclusion is a surprise, but cannot carry the weight of this average yarn. (Feb.)