Track 9

At the outset of Rovens’s highly disturbing thriller, a faulty brake system causes a speeding commuter train to derail and plow into the Rain Bahnhof in Bavaria, killing 99 people. In the immediate aftermath, some survivors inexplicably begin eating the flesh of the dead. Six months later, Gary and Grace Wolf, an American couple on a honeymoon in Germany, accidentally end up in the abandoned station en route to the airport, unaware of its grim history and the imminent plans to demolish the site. Having entered through a partially opened side door, the Wolfs are unsettled to realize that they’re the station’s only occupants. They start to panic when they can’t find a way out. Meanwhile, in Bloomington, Ill., Gary’s closest friend, Mike Waverly, who’s to pick them up after their flight lands, becomes increasingly upset when he’s unable to confirm that they’ve made their plane. Rovens gradually fills in the backstories of her leads, building up to a grimly satisfying climax. Readers who don’t need everything spelled out for them will welcome this simple but effective hair-raiser. (BookLife)