The cover of the book and the general premise of the story both intrigued me. Then I started reading and … well, pardon the pun, but the story about a train trip fell “off the rails”.

First who gives away a train trip to write a book as a Christmas gift to their spouse? And how does a car on a disabled train go completely incommunicado for 10 hours. And why does a diabetic teenager travel without insulin. And why would someone intent on committing murder in Canada in December think the best way to that was smuggle a poisonous spider on a train in a mesh laundry bag. And … then .. did Teddie try to kill Agatha and if so, why are the still together in the end. Or, if he didn’t, what actually happened to drive the plot?

Sorry to say but the best part of this book was the cover .. I didn’t enjoy it at all.

I received a galley copy of this book in exchange for honest feedback. This was a very fun and twisty mystery. I appreciate how it paid homage to some classic tropes in the genre but was not boring or predictable. This would be a great read for a fan of Agatha Christie or more modern thrillers. I did not solve the mystery and I found the ending compelling. My only critique of the book is that structure and timeline of book sometimes made the pacing feel a bit slow in the middle of the book. This did not make me want to stop reading, however.

Agatha's husband has purchased a first-class train ticket for her. Toronto to Montreal so she could focus on her writing. On the way, the train breaks down, and one of the passengers dies. This sounded really interesting but didn't really keep my attention. The ending is also really out there and took out some of the enjoyment. If you're looking for a good mystery, I'd definitely look into other books! Thanks, NetGalley and the publisher, for the ARC.

Not sure what I just read. Two plot lines running simulataneously. The train ride and the novel being written about it. Kind of stretches to line of credibility. The ending, in particular, left me with ONE BIG QUESTION MARK. I just didn’t get it. anyhow, much of the book was inateresting. Some comic relief which helped with the deaths. The story could have used a little more depth into some of the plot lines. Very sketchy. There’s potential here but this book didn’t quite deliver the satisfaction that one expects after so much time spent reading it.

6:40 to Montreal by Eva Jurczyk is an ARC from Netgalley that I FLEW through, pretty unexpectedly. When I started reading it and discovered that it was a closed train car mystery with the main character named Agatha, I almost stopped. But that would have been a silly reason to stop.

Agatha St. John has published one book and it was a doozy of a best seller. Since then, she’s lost a lot of her spirit, 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.

On that train is also the woman she may or may not have satirized in her novel. Oops. When the train stops due to a blizzard, everything, seriously everything, goes sideways. I was confused, I was enthralled, I was agog.

I enjoyed this and wasn’t disappointed. The characters felt a bit over-characterized, particularly Cyanne the yoga instructor, but it didn’t hurt my need to find out the WhoDunnit

This will be published on Sept 23, 2025 by Poisoned Pen Press.

First, thank you for the advanced reading copy of this book. I’m giving this 3 stars as I did finish the book, yet it did not spark any emotion in me. I love a good thriller but this just didn’t do it. Too many side plots that were 100% unnecessary— and the main plot was dragged out and filled with so much filler.

Honestly, put me in the train. The author gave such an amazing description of the setting that all I wanted to do was dive into it.
The plot was just okay for me. It started off strong and hooked me, but then it fell flat. I wanted more tension and twists. I think this will land well with some readers, but it just didn't do it for me.

I was excited about this book. I adore settings and the author nailed the wintry, train setting. I fell right into this book and was riveted by the main character, Agatha. However, once the train stopped, I found it plodded along and held no tension for me. Very little of the action and dialogue was believable and while, sometimes, I can set that aside for a novel, it felt like one absurdity after another. I also got very little character insight or development. Agatha really started to feel flat for me. I would probably read more from the author, but I would not recommend this one.

It was a nice story with a plot that was delicious. The pace was a good pace. Who knew a train could bring so much drama?

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy. Enjoyed this mystery, although I'm not sure about the ending -- still pondering it! This is the second title by Eva Jurczyk I've read and I'll watch for her next book!

To start, I'd like to extend a thank you to the author, Eva Jurczyk, Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read 6:40 to Montreal. I will share my review to Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble upon release.

When I came across the cover and description of this novel, I was hooked right away. I am a huge fan of locked room murder mysteries, isolation thrillers, and Agatha Christie/Hitchcock-esque suspense. I loved the set up of the story playing out over the course of the train ride, and a writer protagonist is pretty much always up my alley. However, once getting into it, I will say I just felt the story to be a tad flat and slow. As much as I wanted to enjoy the tension, it felt a bit forced and contrived. The ending was definitely unpredictable, but I'm not sure I enjoyed it? I wanted to know what happened, but the journey there felt a big disjointed. The tone felt a bit chaotic, and maybe that's why it was a bit harder for me to put the story together in a way that felt engaging. I immediately felt like the narrator was unreliable and untrustworthy. I did like the satirical/meta humor, but considering I didn't like the narrator very much, it didn't feel authentic. If you like a snowed-in mystery/survival story, you might enjoy this one, but I can think of others I'd recommend before I'd get to 6:40 to Montreal.

Age level: Young Adult/Adult

Major tropes & themes:

- isolation/snowed in
- twists & turns
- unreliable narrator
- locked-door mystery
- whodunit
- meta/satire/dry humor
- survival

3 out of 5 stars!

The title is what drew me to this book - the vibe check on the cover was immaculate. It drew me in, made me curious, plus a book set in Canada? I'm 100% in.

However, once I got *in* I wanted out. The writing style isn't what got to me, it was what was happening in the story. The book itself felt like it was trying to do too much in too few pages, and I often had to go back and reread sections to make sure I comprehended correctly.

In short I thought there were too many random things happened too fast. The beginning and ending arcs were short, with the middle being extremely long (does that make sense? It makes sense to me and I'm struggling to find the words to fully explain it).

As someone who's been to the towns and cities mentioned in the book, I will admit it was exciting to see them pop up and be acknowledged.

Did I enjoy the book? Parts of it, yes. The slow build up was great, the ending made me gasp and think. Would I recommend the book? Hesitantly and sparingly.

Is this a thriller? A mystery? A mixed bag? I couldn't pinpoint a specific tag to the book - which I do like - but it does make it harder for me to encourage reading it.

I thought this was gonna be a bit more mysterious than it was. Like I’m a bit disappointed in how it ended.

It did have some funny moments and I liked the style of writing.

Ngl bit of a dramatic way to get your wife to fallback in love with you but if he wanted to then he would I guess 🤷‍♀️

Thanks NetGalley for the chance to read it.

Too slow for my taste, unfortunately, but did pick up towards the end. I wish some of the characters were written a bit better; didn’t seem to be fleshed out. Super weird parts dropped into the story out of nowhere that took me out of the book.

This story is like receiving a huge gift that is covered in strips of tape and you can only pull one strip at a time!!!! Each strip reveals a small piece of the story/box and you develop clues that change with every chapter. We first meet Agatha as she starts telling her story and along the way, she reveals a little more as she tries to solve a series of crimes that include being suspected of murder.
Turns out Agatha is the author of a mega successful debut book struggling to write her second book. Her husband gifts her a first class ticket on the 6:40 train to Montreal and back as a means to have an entire day to work on her book. People read on a train, why couldn't they write on a train. An original plot line takes some serious turns at this point.. I dare you to try to set the book down at this point. What happens on the train makes an excellent thriller and you'll never see the ending coming. Clues pull Agatha one direction then quickly change her view of the whole story. WOW!!!!

This was my first title by Eva Jurczyk. Goodreads has a list of two more titles in her library. I'm off to find them......after I tell everyone I know to read this book. It's an original plot full of original characters who do not react as expected. It's soooooo good.

I liked the idea of “6:40 to Montreal” by Eva Jurczyk, but I wasn’t that thrilled by the execution. I have never read (or seen the movie version) of Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Orient Express,” but with a character named Agatha and a train, I thought this might be a twist on that story. While I like closed room mysteries, this one I found a bit odd. First there were the characters (and such odd names), who I could keep separated, but I never felt anything for - even during the high tension moments. Then there were Agatha’s side stories that really didn’t seem to add much to the overall story - was I to feel sympathy for a character or not? Third - Agatha’s warped view of the world - the whole “him buying me this ticket forced my hand” - what? While the author’s intent (do read the Book Club questions and the Author’s interview) was to seize the day, that whole subplot including her attitude didn’t sit well with me. And the twist - I was wondering how it was all going to work out but that twist didn’t sit well with me, even after it was explained (and why the code talk to her mother?). I think this book was an okay read. I did like the chapters being the time and I did like how the Ms. Jurczyk got the idea and ran with it, but I had more questions at the end than I did at the beginning, which for me is never a good thing.

"6:40 to Montreal" by Eva Jurczyk pulls you in with its tense, atmospheric storytelling. I devoured it in a single day, drawn into the fast-paced plot and eerie undertones. While the characters weren’t particularly likable—a factor that usually dampens my engagement—Jurczyk’s writing kept me hooked. The Canadian setting and familiar locales added an extra layer of connection for me, making the journey even more immersive. While I didn't necessarily enjoy the resolution, I would still recommend it to anyone looking to change things up with a Canadian thriller.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley for the ARC.

A locked train cabin whodunnit murder mystery. A twist on Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (our main character has the same first name).

I’m someone who believes that you don’t have to have likable characters, they just need to be somewhat interesting. I think this book does that well enough, so don’t go in thinking you’ll like these people. You won’t really.

What I liked:
1. the methodology of the 1st murder. Somewhat unexpected of a tool
2. Agatha letting us know how she would write certain events IF she were going to write about it.
3. All the characters had somewhat unique voices.
4. Agatha had some cold and sassy lines
5. The author did a good job of making everyone suspicious of something.
6. I was engaged the entire time. It’s def a page turner.

What I didn’t like:
1. Obvious and familiar murder/mystery tropes.
2. The secondary reason Agatha was on the train. I guess I sympathize with the sentiment? But I didn’t like it. However, it’s a human response.
3. I had to suspend reality and some beliefs as there was one part where that escalated unrealistically
4. The ending. 1-this wasn’t explained well. 2-I didn’t like Agatha’s response to it.

There are definitely more likes than dislikes, and it was quick and easy to read. I loved picking up clues and thinking about who could be the culprit, and I would recommend it as it was enjoyable. 3.25 stars

The entire premise of this novel should be 100% in my wheelhouse. Unfortunately, like many mystery/thriller books these days the plot includes infidelity. This is so overdone in this genre and I know I’m not alone in being completely frustrated by this tired plot device. I also found some of the language to be incredibly jarring and wholly unnecessary to the plot and character development.

Thank you to the publisher for an opportunity to read this ahead of publication. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Rating: ★★★★☆ (3.5 rounded up)

6:40 to Montreal is a compelling locked-room style mystery that delivers strong suspense, a cleverly woven plot, and a satisfying dose of misdirection. While aspects of the story require a bit of suspension of disbelief at times, the payoff is worth the ride, especially if you enjoy trying (and failing) to guess whodunit.

One of the standout aspects of the novel is how skillfully suspicion is cast on multiple characters, keeping the reader second-guessing nearly everyone. I pride myself on spotting twists early, but the final reveal genuinely surprised me. That alone earned it a bump from 3.5 to 4 stars.

The ending, while tidy and neatly wrapped up, felt a little too convenient for my taste. Still, the journey there was filled with tension and great pacing. A nice bonus: the author interview at the end offers insight into her creative process and the real-world inspirations behind the story—a thoughtful addition that adds depth and context.

Overall, 6:40 to Montreal is a fun, twisty read for mystery lovers, especially those who enjoy classic setups with a modern flair. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself flipping back through the pages to see what clues you missed.

Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC. This is my honest review.