Ghost Train reflects Mowry's trademark concerns about the lives of young people and the social concern of race. At its best, the themes, characters, and action are fully integrated, with every event having importance in developing characters and themes.

There are occasional discordant notes such as Niya's too convenient fall as she and Remi race to get to the old house before the train does.

A notable strength of the novel is the crisp dialogue. For instance, when investigating the mystery of the ghost train seems too frightening, Niya points out, "There's a whole lotta live shit to be scared of goin' on all over 'without.' What can dead people do?" In a life where going out of doors is in itself dangerous, a ghost train should not appear to be fearsome.

Some of the dialogue is rich in the slang of the neighborhood. For...