6:40 to Montreal by Eva Jurczyk; this cover is giving huge Orient Express vibes. Obviously those are very large shoes to fill and I wasn't expecting it to be anything like that, but this one fell flat by comparison to me.

Eva Jurczyk's 6:40 to Montreal was billed as an intense thriller, so I expected a fast-paced, gripping read. However, the novel struggled to hold my attention, as the buildup felt glacial compared to other similarly recommended books. I couldn’t connect with the characters at any point, and I never felt there was a major turning point that delivered any real satisfaction.

The author's writing style was also challenging. While her lavish language might suit a meandering, contemplative narrative, in a forced-proximity thriller that promises heart-pounding twists, it felt more distracting than effective.

I’ll admit I may have some bias, as I’m not a huge fan of the whodunit-style mystery, which this novel leans into heavily. That said, I believe most of my critique comes down to personal preference.

Jurczyk is clearly a talented writer, but she may be better suited to exploring other genres that better match her stylistic strengths.

Thank you NetGalley and poisoned pen for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The story kicks off with a wife, mother, and author boarding a train—an extravagant gift from her husband. From the very start, it’s clear she has something up her sleeve, and I found myself eagerly trying to figure out what she was really up to.

Things take a chilling turn (literally) when a snowstorm halts the train in the middle of nowhere, and it quickly becomes clear that being stranded is the least of their concerns.

I’m a sucker for a classic murder mystery set against the backdrop of brutal weather, and this one delivered! The cast was tight-knit, mainly focused on the first-class passengers—always my favorite kind to observe thanks to their dramatic reactions to even the smallest inconveniences 😂. Each character stood out with their own unique quirks and flaws, which added so much depth.

There were several layered subplots woven into the main narrative, and I especially enjoyed how the protagonist’s wandering mind gave us a deeper look into her thoughts, memories, and motivations.

The mystery kept me guessing the entire time—just when I thought I had a suspect figured out, a new twist would throw me off track. Overall lovedddd.

The novel had an incredibly compelling premise that set very high expectations. As a fan of survival-based thrillers, the synopsis felt spot-on and promised an intense, atmospheric read. Unfortunately, the execution didn’t quite live up to that promise.

The pacing was uneven, and the story often became bogged down with unnecessary details that dulled the suspense and disrupted the momentum. While the setting and mood created a strong foundation, the over-explained elements diminished the excitement and made parts of the narrative feel tedious.

Though the twists were enjoyable, they weren’t enough to fully re-engage me with the plot. Overall, it had great potential, but the delivery left me feeling somewhat let down.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

I loved the description of this book, the cover, just everything.. however, it was a disappointing DNF (Did Not Finish) for me, I tried numerous times to get involved in this story but it didn't hold my interest.

I would definitely be interested in trying to read more books by this author, and if you are a fan or if the book's description is interesting to you, perhaps your experience will be different and you will love this book.

I am, as always, very grateful for this eARC.

Maybe a standard plot, but I enjoyed it. I got lost a few times in the descriptions. The ending was worth the read anyway.

If you've got some hours to kill, like a classic who-dunn-it, and have room in your bag, get a copy. It will pass the time with its twists and turns, and you'll close the last page with a sigh.

A locked room mystery with homage to Agatha Christie, and set in Canada? Count me in!!!

This was my first by EVA JURCZYK but it won't be my last.

The characters and the pacing were spot on, albeit a little slow in the middle.

The twists and turns had my head spinning and I did NOT guess the end.
it, because of cancer and writer’s block. Her husband books her a trip on a train from Montreal to Toronto for a bit of a writing retreat.

If you love a good locked mystery and want to try a new to you author, check this one out!

Unfortunately I had to DNF this one about 25% in. I kept picking it up and pushing on, waiting for it to grip me and being left disappointed. I think this just isn't the tone I was looking for in a train thriller. I didn't start reading expecting a vengeful yoga pants influencer woman to be the main character's main nemesis (up to where I read), that's for sure!

Also there was a certain irony in the main character flaunting her writerly expertise in light of me not really feeling the writing of the actual book lol

Might work better for readers more into this genre than I?

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the arc!

I feel slightly bad for giving this one star. A few months ago my train from Toronto to Montreal was stalled in the snow for 6hrs near St. Zotique. I had the escape fair so i was in economy with a handful of peruvian chocolates i'd spilled by my feet, some carrot cake sarah had sent with me, and a lovely conversation with my seat mate. That was the most boring few hrs of my life and truly exasperating, but it was better than reading the haughty and largely redundant narrative in this book. sorry.

maybe I'm being harsh but reading a book about a writer bragging about how she knows to do xyz in a book to make it good, and then this actual writer not doing said elements and instead making a boring book was so incredibly ironic and simultaneously bothered me to no avail.

let's see. other things.
- I didn't have any pull to care about the MC's need for sex while running away from her incompetent husband, nor really cared about that relationship at all because Agatha spoke about him with such little care. also i understand the author was trying to gather mystery by doing vague storytelling until a specific "reveal" point but genuinely the whole book felt vague
AND THEN the whole "I didn't know what or why, but Dorcas was concealing something" (pg 126 on the arc if you want to fact check me) WHY are we playing around with these vague sentences this is supposedly a mystery novel !! Agatha preaching about show don't tell and then the author pulling this made me roll my eyes so hard and nearly dnf the whole book
- it pissed me off that Agatha was being all choin choin about missing her sexcapade while a boy was dying in his mother's arms
- so many of the characters were so nothing that they could literally disappear in the snow and that was enough to tie up their loose end. felt cheap!
- also can we talk about the cover?? who designed it have they ever looked up the landscape between toronto and mtl where are these mountains??? There are snowy fields and the occasional townhouse as the view on this journey. Unless you're really stretching mont royal as the mountain that it is distinctly not. el oh el

anyways i finished this because i wanted to write an accurate and informed review. all thoughts are my own but may be similarly expressed in text messages to my friends

thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review this book ***

However, I did not finish - Despite what sounded like an exciting read; a page turner of sorts I found it lacking excitement. Moments that were getting exciting ended quickly. I got bored, bored with details about the other travelers and it jumps around with broken up chapters.
just lost me -- entirely

A wife/mother/author boards a train (a gift from her husband), she has a mysterious plan in motion and you can’t help but wonder the whole time what exactly her plan is.

When a snow storm brings them to abrupt stop in the middle of nowhere the passengers soon learn this is the least of their problems.

A locked-door mystery! I mean, who doesn't love those? I haven't met a thriller reader who didn't love them! And I especially love them when they take place in winter! Ruth Ware wrote a great one called One by One!

Definitely check this one out! Thank you Netgalley!

A new twist on the classic, train-based, locked room mystery with death stalking the first class passengers of a snowbound train stuck between stations is a desolate rural area.

I loved this book. The twists and turns kept me hooked from the start. There were a few moments that did not seem necessary for the story but overall the book was amazing. It is not often a book is based in Canada so this was exciting for me to find. Can’t wait to see this on shelves!

A closed door mystery that also has some elements from the recent spate of girl on/women in books out there, focusing on the main character’s mental state as well as the mystery plot. Ok, but not great.

Like many others, I got duped by the amazing cover of this book. This book is very dark and brooding, and much more about the main character's mental state than about an intriguing murder mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review.

The premise of this book intrigued me, and I always like a mystery set on a train. However, I did not like the main character from the outset, and also did not care for the profanity. I wanted to like this book, but it is not a good fit for me.

I received this book from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. These opinions are mine alone.

I was excited for the locked-room, train, blizzard combination here, and honestly there was a lot going on to keep a reader engaged. I found, though, that this book was not for me. There were A LOT of storylines going on, and not necessarily resolved in any sense, which made it feel needlessly complicated for the type of book it is. I'm walking away having read it still wondering what the purpose of some of the narrative choices was, and to me it just sort of feels like the answer is that this wasn't quite finished. The reveal in particularly was super nebulous and not particularly satisfying for me. That said, if you like a little unhinged locked-room mystery, I say go for it. Thank you Poisoned Pen Press for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This book has a really fun premise, I just couldn’t connect to the characters. That made it pretty difficult to ever buy in, maybe I’m just not the right audience

Colleen Chi-Girl's review Apr 29, 2025 - 4 SOLID **** STARS
Bookshelves: 2025, contemporary, crime-mysteries, kindle, netgalley, travel, us-no-amer, women-centered, audio, thrillers

This book was fantastic from the very beginning! Eva Jurczyk is a new-to-me author and I really enjoyed how she created a closed room mystery onboard a 1st class train compartment. Her FMC, Agatha, is a writer who has been gifted a round trip ticket by her husband to travel in comfort from Toronto to Montreal to get some much needed writing time. Agatha has already authored a best seller, so we want to get to know her. She has a few secrets that will be discovered along this 6 hour journey.

The rest of the traveling passengers become pretty interesting as well. There's an older guy sound asleep and across from Agatha (who has sat himself in Agatha's seat); a mother and her teenage boy; a tall, husky male; a truly, irritating woman who knows and loathes Agatha; as well as the ever-efficient, female attendant. Sounds like a pretty normal beginning.... but stay tuned.

A series of events occur at various times throughout the journey to keep the reader on the very edge of their seat, including a mysterious death. To say more would give too much away, but there is a severe snowstorm and Agatha may not quite be who we think she is.

Publisher's blurb:
No WiFi, no distractions. No way out…
Agatha's husband has bought her a first-class ticket on the scenic six-hour train from Toronto to Montreal as a gift—a one-day writing retreat so she can get some serious work done on her new book, a highly-anticipated follow-up to Agatha's runaway bestseller debut novel. The first-class car is the perfect place to be productive, with only a handful of other passengers, plenty of snacks and drinks, and beautiful views flying by outside the window.
But Agatha has other plans for her day out… plans that are unexpectedly derailed when the train breaks down in the middle of the frigid Canadian woods and one of Agatha's fellow passengers dies quietly in his seat. Soon, a pleasant morning in transit turns into a fight for survival against an unknown and unseen enemy.

Thank you to Poison Pen Publishing, the author, and NetGalley for this enjoyable ARC.

thanks to netgalley and the publishers for an e-arc of this book :)

I'm not sure what I was expecting from this title; I'm not usually a fan of Christie-style closed-circle murder mysteries/thrillers but this was fairly gripping throughout and I did not manage to guess the (somewhat anti-climactic) reveal at the end. I feel the plotting got a little overworked and the tone tended towards teetering on hysteria for most of the novel - but then this is probably fairly typical of the genre. Overall if you like your books to descend into chaos and characters to be pretty straightfoward/one dimensional then you will enjoy this, although I can't say that I really did.