December 23, 1952. A transcontinental train is stopped cold by a rockslide in a remote Colorado canyon. There’s a murderer aboard, one who has already killed, and will kill again unless stopped. The California Zephyr, with its run from Oakland to Chicago and back, was famous for its Vista-Domes, which provided a 360-degree view of spectacular Western scenery. It was a kind of small city populated by passengers from all walks of life and a large crew whose duty it was to keep them safe. Zephyrette Jill McLeod is the passengers’ primary point of contact. She’s armed for any emergency—with a first-aid kit, a screwdriver, and her knowledge of human nature. But can she figure out a ruthless killer's clever plot in time?

Jill McLeod is playing her real-life role as a Zephyrette in front of movie cameras after a director proclaims she’s “perfect for the part” in his film noir. Now she finds herself before the cameras in a Niles, California, warehouse that’s been turned into a movie set. Her temp job as an actress would be a lark if it weren’t for the dark emotions and conflicts swirling around the cast and crew. Some have secrets they’d rather not share, and antipathy toward a visiting studio executive who enjoys wielding his power. Someone winds up dead, and once again Jill is investigating a murder. Can she discover the murderer in a new and unfamiliar milieu before the real-life villain catches up with her? “Above the line” is a movie-business term referring to those responsible for creative contributions to a film—director, producer, scriptwriter, and leading actors. On a movie budget, those costs were listed above a line, with all others below it. Jill and the reader learn the meanings of this and many more pieces of show-biz jargon. The familiar phrase "casting couch" is one still familiar today, and it rears its ugly head here in 1953, long before #MeToo. More plot elements of the 1950s include the blacklist, homophobia, hobos riding the rails, and the Monuments Men recovering art stolen by the Nazis.

The Ghost in Roomette Four A California Zephyr Mystery By Janet Dawson "Engrossing..." -- Gumshoe "...a murder mystery a la Dame Agatha..." -- Terry Shames It's almost midnight on the sleek streamliner known as the California Zephyr en route from Oakland to Chicago in 1954. Heading for her quarters, Zephyrette Jill McLeod walks through the Silver Gorge Pullman car, and sees something she can't explain. Is the shimmering light a ghost? Jill doubts the evidence of her own eyes, but soon learns that others have seen the phenomenon, too. Whatever-whoever-is haunting roomette four may be connected to an incident two months earlier, when Jill found the body of a young man there. The verdict on the death was natural causes. Now it looks like the unquiet spirit is pointing to murder. Several years ago Dawson took a trip on the Pacific Sands, a privately owned Pullman car. The owner told stories about a roomette on the car that was supposedly haunted. Passengers would tell about hearing voices during the night, and the porters who worked trips talked about the porter call button in the roomette ringing. When the porter answered the bell, no one was there. As a mystery writer, anything and everything was grist for the mill. As a matter of fact, the roomette on the Pacific Sands was number four

Private investigator Jeri Howard is on vacation in New Orleans when a friend asks a favor: her sister Laurette has disappeared with a boyfriend, and Jeri’s trip turns into a case. Slade, a mercurial musician, tends to strike out when thwarted, sometimes leading to deadly consequences. Jeri’s investigation takes her from French Quarter clubs to workaday NOLA, then back to California, into jeopardy—and an explosive conclusion.

Oakland, California, is a city shaped by water. The waterfront, home to the ship and rail yards, is also ripe for development. There’s lots of money to be made, so greed and crime inevitably follow. PI Jeri Howard looks into the murder of a former coworker who was a security guard at a construction site on the Embarcadero. It was a surprise when Cal Brady’s body washed up on the Estuary shoreline. But Jeri is certain Cal’s death was no accident, and she’s determined to find out who killed him, and why.

Long before the advent of the U.S. Secret Service, Kellen Malone is called upon by the president to protect him from a ruthless and determined group of assassins, hell-bent on his destruction. Malone and Joe Clements team up as they ride across the Old West, putting themselves in harm’s way at every stop. See if Kellen Malone has what it takes to derail the assassination of President Grover Cleveland.

Investigator Jeri Howard is fascinated by the beautiful horses and the zealous spectators at stylish Edgewater Downs. But behind the scenes, where the owners, trainers, jockeys, and grooms mingle, life is not so pretty. Someone is terrorizing owner-trainer Molly Torrance with sinister phone threats. Who would be so malicious? Jeri's money is on ambitious jockey Benita Pascal, whom Molly recently fired. But what about great horses suddenly losing races? Or the blonde Jeri spies betting a bundle on the longest of long shots? And what about . . . cold-blooded murder? For when death's dark horse hugs the rail, Jeri gallops to find a ruthless killer.