It was an OK read. I expected something like Agatha Christie's novel but this feel short of expectations. It did not keep me engaged enough to complete the book as it was a bit slow-paced for my liking.

Eva Jurczyk breathes new life into the murder on a train trope with 6:40 to Montreal!

I've never been on the 6:40 train to Montreal, and I do not care whatsoever, as it has been pointed out, that there are no mountains visible from this actual train route! I 1000% wanted to read this book because of the cover, which is gorgeous and eye catching. I'm so glad the cover reeled me in because I adored this book. Of course it has Murder on the Orient Express vibes, and I will even say its giving Bullet Train vibes. This novel is dark, quirky, and hilarious. If you love mysteries and appreciate dark humor DO NOT pass this one up. Every single one of the characters are shady so it definitely kept me guessing, and the ending was perfect.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.5 stars, rounded to 4.

Writer Agatha’s (natch, and the whole thing clearly owes a nod to the original-and-still-best murder on transportation book EVAH, MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, God bless us, everyone, there shall be none greater.) husband gifts her a first class ticket from Toronto to Montreal as a one day writing retreat for her to work on her sophomore book. Break for a poll: is this a good gift? “Here, honey. Now go out and earn your keep.” I don’t know.

Anyway…it seems Agatha has secrets and so do the others sharing her first class cabin. Car. Whatever.

Then the train comes to an unexpected stop and the group, along with their car attendant, is trapped. And one of the passengers dies. Then there is more mayhem. What is happening and why?

OK, there’s one thing in the setup about which you will have to suspend so much disbelief that your brain may atrophy, because it would be sooooooo illegal for about six thousand reasons, about five thousand three hundred and two will come to mind immediately (sorry. I’m a lawyer. This is the way I think. It’s a problem, believe me.) But if you can separate out that, then you’ll get to, “well, this isn’t really what I expected.” Or maybe you did. But I found it all rather engaging and everyone is a suspect….of something, but probably not murder. So it was actually good fun, but I had to take off half a star for the great big problem. Still enjoyed it, though.

In the initial chapters of the book, I began to feel that the author was suffering from writer's block. The symptoms were all there, and they were beautifully enacted, too.

The author effectively uses dark humor, and oh boy—some of the sadistic thoughts really made the protagonist's feelings come alive. The author uses words creatively to show dissent, frustration, anguish, and hate.

I particularly enjoyed the character formation exercise and wondered how funny it would look to a stage audience watching a live theater act. It just shows that authors are essentially human beings stretching their imagination to the limit to bring a good story to you. That part about Goethe and Chekov was so funny, I read and re-read it thrice! There was a touch of Shakespearean genius at play in that piece :)

What I did not like about the story was that almost the entire length of the train journey/book seemed like a tirade/rant/outburst of sorts. Sometimes it was the expletives, sometimes explicit descriptions of female genitalia made me wonder what point was the author trying to make. The rants were scattered and almost everything in the narrator's life was an invisible force trying to connive against her. Sadly, every little new information or memory appeared as an unconnected tangent, leaving me, the reader in a mess of thoughts.

The only other saving grace for me was the fluidity in the writing style. The prose glided on waves of virtual paper effortlessly, devoid of incongruous words used only for effect or panache. Sadly, the flip side to the continuity of the proceedings was the super-long sentences, many containing over 40 words each and two to three commas in between. This made me slow down and start over on more occasions than once since it got so hard to read and comprehend at the same time. I'd use the Hemingway app or MS Word to revisit and break up the complex sentences into more bite-sized, palatable portions. Saying this since there's still time for publishing, and if it helps to go a little distance to provide a better reading experience.

I discovered at the end of the book and felt that the story could be part-autobiographical, or at least somewhat inspired by the author's personal circumstances, so want to put it out there that this review is objective and only analyzed from a reader's standpoint of a fictionalized work of literature.

I liked reading the 'Reading Group Guide'. I ended up doing this brainstorming exercise with myself and came out appreciating the characters a lot more. I also felt that a lot of loose ends suddenly got tied after I reached the end of this section.

I wish the author good luck and success for the book. Thank you, NetGalley for allowing me to preview it, & can't wait for it to be released to follow other readers' reviews & opinions about it.

I love a locked door mystery and this was a great take on the genre. There were so many little mysteries about Agatha and her life that we slowly got peaks into, which I think kept the pacing quick before we got into the real train mystery. Agatha herself was sometimes a tricky character to like, but I think that made it all the more interesting to go through the stories through her eyes and mind. The twists were well-built but still surprising, making this a really enjoyable mystery that I read in almost one sitting.

This is a crackerjack, Christie worthy mystery. In the business class car of the 6:40 train to Montreal a man is dead. Who killed him? It would simply be a matter of calling the police but the train is snowbound in an area with no cell service. The safety locks have trapped the passengers and crew in the car. Will they work together or turn on each other? Mystery writer Agatha (yes!) has taken this trip as a writer's retreat day in hopes of curing her writer's block. Looks like she may overcome the writer's block if she doesn't end up dead.

I think I have no idea what happened in this book, who was the killer, etc....it's definitely completely twisty and maybe I should read it again, but most likely we are not meant to know what happened. Thanks Eva Jurczyk for a fun read.. I saw your note saying no libraries in this book, but your first was my favorite, so maybe we can go back to a library next time round?
PS If anyone can explain the ending, please contact me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing this book, with my honest review below.

6:40 to Montreal had me sitting on a train with our protagonist Agatha (yes, clearly a spin on that Agatha) in real time as she spent the next few hours meeting, and in the nightmare scenario of being stuck with, a host of characters both good and bad as the worst happens. One might think initially the worst has already happened to Agatha as she is stuck in a funk after battling cancer and releasing a best seller that never led to the dream next step she imagined. But when she gets on the train and gives readers an indication that what waits for her in Montreal is going to be far worse, the mood is already set that we should be tense as to what all we find out about Agatha. Unfortunately for her (or really, fortunately), the train is stopped during the journey due to a major snow storm and accident which brings Agatha and her fellow travelers face to face with a massive mystery of who is the murderer on board (and who is next).

I loved this due to it seeming a quick read based on how the events unfolded so rapidly, but in a way that felt on pace with my attention. We learn more about Agatha’s backstory and intent as we go but also the other passengers (one in particular who is a not so distant blast from the past that seems like she’s up to no good). There were mysteries within mysteries, some of which unfolded only at the very end and left me disturbed at what might happen off page.

If you like suspenseful mysteries in the style of Alfred Hitchcock and, yes, Agatha Christie, this is your perfect read! I am already eager to go back and re-read knowing what I know now, so be sure to set yourself up for a cozy few days out in the Canadian snow as you find yourself on the tense train journey, maybe more than once.

6:40 to Montreal was a trip I hope never to go on. Featuring a flawed (but not annoyingly so) protagonist, and a cast of characters that came alive, this book was a suspenseful trapped-in-a-room-with-a-dead-body delight. The author peeled back layers of the main character/narrator as the story went on and the ending, while not actually explanatory, was satisfying. This isn't a feel-good story about an author, but it did a good job of getting inside someone's head who's dealing with a lot and not handling it super well. And, I was "in" the story enough that I began to worry about where my next meal was going to come from.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants a thriller they absorb in pretty much the amount of time it's supposed to take place in.