conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Give me a description for a book titled The Transatlantic Conspiracy about Rosalind, Cecily, Cecily's with the genre: Teen & Young Adult, Science Fiction & Fantasy.. End with the sentence 'Sabrina Carnesi, Crittenden Middle School, Newport News, VA'.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Gr 7 UpIn this fast-paced murder mystery, Rosalind Wallace and her friend Cecily are on an underwater transatlantic train's maiden voyage between Germany and the United States. Cecily's brother Charles disappears during boarding, and Cecily is found stabbed to death; Rosalind is the prime suspect in Cecily's death. In an effort to clear her name, Rosalind tries to identify her friend's killer. As she delves deeper into the investigation, the truth behind the train's mission and her own father's sinister plans unfolds. Readers will be immersed in the underlying political issues of the pre-World War I period in this steampunk offering. Discerning readers will be able to determine hints of communist and democratic tendencies in some of the characters, as well as socioeconomic class distinctions. Of particular interest is how servants interact with old money employers in comparison to how they interact with new money employers. Sketches of mechanical parts for the chapter headings and scattered illustrated spreads will help teens gain a better grasp of the author's world. The richness of the environment, great world-building, and fast-paced action at times seem to overshadow the characters' complexity. At the story's conclusion, a buildup in action leads to the big reveal of some of the characters' motivations, bringing to mind Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express. However, there are enough loose ends to ensure room for a sequel. VERDICT Purchase where there are avid fans of steampunk mysteries.Sabrina Carnesi, Crittenden Middle School, Newport News, VA
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Give me the first two paragraphs for this book.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: The Transatlantic Conspiracy
  My dearest Rosalind. Warmest regards from your mother and me. Hope you have been enjoying your stay in London, etc. Send our warmest regards to Lord Exham and his wife, etc. Be sure not to catch cold in the rain, etc. Your mother reminds you to put on a hat out of doors, etc.
  Do remember to dress respectably. The train will carry only one hundred passengers in all, and that includes Second Class. The public will judge you. Have a wonderful journey!
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Give me four more paragraphs.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: On a whim, Rosalind tried the door handle, though she knew that it would be locked. Only it wasn't. Frowning, Rosalind slid the door open and stepped inside, with Alix following closely behind her.
  Cecily was there. On the floor. Not moving. Not breathing. Eyes open and vacant. Her body was sprawled next to Doris's body, which lay a few paces away. Both were covered in blood—blood that had soaked the carpet and splattered against the walls and furnishings. Cecily was still in a state of undress. Her ball gown lay on the bed, waiting to be put on. Her jewelry was arrayed on a side table, waiting to adorn her. It seemed Doris had been doing Cecily's hair when... whatever it was had happened.
  Rosalind felt cold. She took a few uncertain steps toward the bodies. Alix held her back, clinging to her arm. Cecily's throat had been cut, and the cut had not been clean. Doris had been dispatched in much the same way.
  Alix started to tremble, her hands clenching spasmodically into fists. She slowly looked up at Rosalind.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Give me the last five paragraphs.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Thank you for the ticket on the Transatlantic Express. I wore a hat and dressed respectably. I was nearly killed. Was that part of being the family's representative?
  Rosalind repeated the message three times for good measure before sinking back into her chair in a sort of daze. She should have been terrified. Perhaps she was terrified. But she was also elated, dizzy with excitement. This was freedom—release from the anger she felt at the lies and betrayal and murder through a single message to the man responsible for it all.
  Beside her, Charles looked over the message. He blinked a few times, and then he placed a hand on her shoulder.
  Rosalind shook her head. "He is exactly the man I thought he was: a vicious, self-serving profiteer. All my life I have been lying to myself about that. I think I'm finally admitting what I knew all along."
  Charles strapped himself into his chair. "Are you certain about this?" he asked, but he'd started to smile.