⭐️: 3.75 of 5

ARC received from Netgalley for an honest opinion; thank you to the author for the opportunity to review!

Jurczyk's 6:40 is reminiscent of a Christie novel - and certainly feels like it should be, with the nod to the author herself in the main character's name. Agatha is given the gift of uninterrupted time, a whole six hours of it, in the form of a train from Toronto to Montreal. She hopes to finish her book on it. Instead, the train breaks down, a passenger is found dead, and everyone is a suspect.

Agatha's character was interesting to me, and as more of the story unraveled, you find yourself wondering what, exactly, is going on. The suspense is good, but not amazing, and there's a few places you have to suspend disbelief in, but they're easily written over in favor of a fun story. Overall, the book was enjoyable and one I'd definitely read again.

SPOILER BELOW

I was really excited to read 6:40 to Montreal, and for most of the book, it had me hooked. The twists in the middle threw me around emotionally in the best way, keeping me engaged and guessing. But when the big reveal finally came—almost on the last page—I was left feeling underwhelmed. I wanted a bigger, more satisfying ending. The last twist didn’t land as well as the others, and the major question lingering in my mind—who were the spiders for?—was never answered. It was a gripping ride, but the conclusion left me wanting more.

6:40 to Montreal is an unusual novel. In the author's note, Eva Jurczyk writes about her experience writing this novel and the connections to her own life. However, I noticed the many connections to an Agatha Christie novel that also focused on murder on a train. Although Christie's Murder on the Orient Express, has a very different plot, Jurczyk is not shy about borrowing. She even names her protagonist Agatha. In the Christie novel, the train is also stranded in the snow, where Poirot must solve a murder. Unfortunately, there is no character in 6:40 to Montreal as likable as Poirot.. In her author's note, Jurczyk writes that she does not need a likable character to enjoy a novel. Unfortunately, that is not the case for me.

The action in 6:40 to Montreal takes place during a particularly bad snow storm, and in the isolated business car of a train stuck in the snow. At least readers will assume the train is stuck and miraculously unstuck at the appropriate time. There are multiple murders, none of which will be solved by the police, but given I did not really care for any of the characters, except maybe the teenage son of one passenger, it also didn't matter whether the murders were solved. This lack of responsibility does create an interesting dilemma about ethical responsibility. The rest of the passengers are not just unlikeable but also irritating. The solving of the first murder is finally revealed on the last page of the novel. It is too late by then. I enjoy a good twist, but it helps if the characters matter to the reader. They didn't matter to me, which posed a problem. Also--I definitely have questions about the major hole in the story. What if the train was not stranded? Would the murder still have occurred? If that character was not so unlikeable, would the murder have happened?

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my review. Judging from reviews, there are readers, for whom 6:40 to Montreal is a success. Perhaps I am just not the right audience. That happens.
3 stars

There were plenty of twists and turns in 6:40 to Montreal but unfortunately I found many of them too implausible and that had a huge impact on my ability to enjoy the book. Though the book touched on several interesting concepts the pacing felt slow, the characters were grating and their reactions to events often felt wildly unrealistic.

I was drawn to this book because of the interesting summary and gorgeous cover. There's something romantic about train travel so the setting was perfect.

While the book was good and held my interest, I found much of it implausible and the ending wrapped up very quickly. While not an award winning candidate, I found the story very enjoyable.

'6:40 to Montreal' - Publication date September 23, 2025.

The beautiful cover immediately grabbing me, '6:40 to Montreal' by new-to-me author, Eva Jurczyk has one of my favourite tropes - forced proximity. Furthermore, the characters are trapped on a train?!? Sign me up! Solely narrated in the first person by the main character, we are introduced to Agatha, a writer (Agatha Christie, anyone!) who has been suffering from writer's block following the publication of her first novel. Her husband Teddy buys her a train ticket in hope it would help bring her out of her funk. However, things begin going wrong almost immediately. What follows is a crazy ride (pun intended) as we readers follow along with a story filled with mystery.

What I enjoyed most in this book is the sense of mystery. I must admit, it started off a bit slowly but after the first few chapters, it picked up. The plot hooked me and kept me reading as I was thoroughly invested in finding out the 'whodunit!'

I had two issues here. The first one was the overall writing style - there were many times when the writing felt overly wordy and superfluous. Points could have been made much easier and faster. Secondly, that conclusion was wild beyond all belief! And this is coming from someone who loves romantasy...however, with these types of novels, you expect a more outlandish plot. Being a regular murder mystery, this ending came out of left field and left me feeling unsatisfied.

All in all, I give '6:40 to Montreal' a rating of 3 stars. While I liked the main idea of the book, I believe the execution could have better. Still, I would recommend this for a quick and easy read, especially if you are a fan of closed space thrillers!

*A great many thanks to Poisoned Pen Press, Eva Jurczyk, and NetGalley for this ARC. It is important to note that I was not committed to providing a positive review; all opinions are undoubtedly my own.*

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen PressFor this ARC. The description of this novel sounded much like an Agatha Christie who dunnit so I was interested. Sadly that’s where the resemblance ended for me. I found the place to be very slow, repetitive and lacking depth. It’s rare that I not finish a book but I just found myself not having the desire or motivation to continue.

My first train book!! It was a bit of a slow start, and I guess at the end the pieces fell into place, but there were some loose ends that just didn’t really make sense and then the book ended and I was like hmmmmmmm I don’t really get it. Maybe it’s lost in translation given that it’s in Canada. I’m giving it 3.5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. I was intrigued from the start. I liked the mix of questionable characters and the sense of tension that grew with the various twists and revelations—along with the increasing claustrophobia (one of two of my biggest phobias triggered in this book!) as the blizzard slowly buried the stalled train car. This is the third or fourth book in a row I've read where the main character is an author, the only one I've liked, and (even being pre-publication) the only one lacking spelling errors and gaping plot holes—in my first NetGalley book, no less! I appreciated that.

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. I got to 30% and the book had lost all suspense & thrill for me. Such a shame as the premise of the story had good intentions.

My 6P review: Premise, Plot, People, Place, Prose/Pace, Praise

Agatha is on her way to Montreal from Toronto as a special one-day retreat so she can write her new book. There are only a couple of other passengers onboard when the train stops due to a snowstorm. It’s not long before a fellow passenger dies, and Agatha is left to ponder whether there is an unseen enemy and will they make it out alive.

The premise of this story was so good I was really looking forward to reading it but what a disappointment.

This was a painfully slow burn and one I didn’t care for. I hated the characters, and I hope to never hear the name Dorcas ever again.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Fun easy reading with an expected ending.
Very enjoyable and would recommend to a friend going on vacation.

**Spoiler Alert**
Disappointing read.
If your idea of a partner either trying to kill you or have 2 other people killed in order to shock the other partner "alive" makes for a good read, well this book is for you. Otherwise, the protagonist and her husband in this story seem me to be morally bankrupt. The plot though starts off interesting but falls off the rails (so to speak) quickly with crazy decisions and faulty conclusions made throughout. Also, how would detailed footprints that leave tread impressions survive in an all-day snowstorm?

As the author mentions "right level of morally corrupt" in her acknowledgments,.. this gives you an idea about the people in this book.
1 star

*Thank you to Netgalley for an arc in exchange for a fair review*

Ok so i had many many expectations for this novel going in, but...i was left disappointed. firstly, it took wayyyyy too long setting up for the murder in the beginning, to the point where I was quite bored. When the novel did pick up, however, it became really interesting....right up until the end. There was something so...unsatisfying about who the killer was and it just left a bad taste in my mouth.

ARC for review thanks to NetGalley; thoughts are my own. 3.5 stars, rounded down to 3. I liked the premise of the story- a whodunnit that was limited to a short moment of time, the duration of a train ride. But boy did it drag. The book just really failed to stay moving (much like the train) and didn’t keep my interest. It does a good job of keeping you guessing but in a slow, dragged out, unbelievable at times, sort of way.

The book overall was pretty boring since most of the surprising turns were very predictable, although two of them truly surprised me. However, I would have wished for a better conclusion to the story, since I don't fully understand it after reading it.

The characters were pretty well thought out, but I was quite annoyed with the main character at points.

I liked the authors writing style since it felt very immersive, however I prefer reading from a third person's pov and not first.

I also really think there should have maybe been a trigger warning for all the talk about cancer.

Thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for giving me this ARC.

6:40 to Montreal is a beautifully crafted mystery with atmospheric tension and characters you can’t help but root for. The journey from start to finish is full of suspense, and the final twist is satisfying and unexpected. A gripping read for those who love a good psychological thriller.

I really wanted to like this book, it sounded like it was going to be a good one but it fell a bit flat for me. The characters did not resonate with me, the plot was good but it just didn't have that page-turning feeling. The story needed a bit more development to make it interesting and the end fell short for me. Not a favourite of mine for sure.

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

There is something exciting about reading a book that you can actually put yourself in. I've taken the via rail trail between Toronto and Montreal many many times. I love winter storm books and locked room type stories. This book scratched an itch I didn't even know I had. And honestly - I thought WTF so many times! Highly recommend - especially if you can read it while on the train....

ARC from NetGalley
Thank you to the author and publisher.
Publish Date: Sept 23, 2025

Rating: 2.5 rounded to 3

Plot:
Agatha (nod to Agatha Christie?) is an author whose husband gifted her a train trip to Montreal in first class. She looked forward to spending this time working on her next novel; however, she quickly finds herself in a dangerous situation. The train stops in a blizzard while in the wilderness. No WiFi or phone service means no link to the outside world. While waiting for the train to restart it becomes evident that a passenger has died, which starts off a calamity of events that will test just how far each passenger will go.

Pros:
- some elements of the story were unique to me
- the author leads the reader along by giving them lingering questions to ponder
- although there wasn't detailed character development there was enough to allow the reader to
form an opinion of each
- fast-paced
- there was a surprise for the reason this all occurred

Cons:
- by using synonyms for which many people would need to look up the meaning, the author breaks
the rhythm of the reader
- events were highly predictable, along with the main lingering question of “Who done it.”
- in some places there was poor sentence structure
- the author was inconsistent at times
- the author made it feel as if she was doing advertising for a certain chip brand

Fav Quote:
“This boy who saw himself as a man. He wanted to keep attention off his predicament. She wanted him to be safe.”

Would I recommend it to a friend?
It would be unlikely that I would recommend this to a friend. Due to the issues indicated above, I could not get fully engulfed in the book. I would get into a rhythm and it would by broken. This lead to my putting the book down frequently.