By: Eva Jurczyk
ISBN: 9781728295725
Publisher: Poisioned Pen Press
Publication Date: 09/23/2025
Format: Paperback
My Rating: Currently Reading (ARC)
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. Will Agatha—or any of the passengers—make it out alive?
From international bestselling author Eva Jurczyk, 6:40 to Montreal is a claustrophobic, deceivingly bloody thriller that twists and turns until the very last page.
About the Author
Eva is a novelist and a librarian. She lives and works in Toronto, Canada.
Eva Jurczyk was born in a mining town in Poland and wound up halfway around the world in a Canadian city that often masquerades as New York in the movies. As her day job, she buys books, building library collections for the University of Toronto Libraries. She travels to Paris whenever the wind is good but currently lives with her husband, son, and collections of books in Toronto, Canada. WEBSITE
Exceptional Authors.
Standout Books. Elevator Talk.
Behind the Book & the Author
INTRIGUING QUESTIONS. INQUIRING READERS WANT TO KNOW.
Welcome to the September 2025 #AuthorElevatorSeries and #LitLiftMiniAuthorChats with special guest author Eva Jurczyk and her dazzling knockout debut novel, 6:40 TO MONTREAL. Out, September 23, 2025 and available for pre-order now.
From international bestselling author Eva Jurczyk, 6:40 to Montreal is a claustrophobic, deceivingly bloody thriller that twists and turns until the very last page.
Join us as Eva shares some fascinating behind-the-scenes exclusives from the book and up-close and personal fun moments from this talented author.
Welcome, Eva!
Behind the Book
Q. Give us your best ELEVATOR PITCH for 6:40 TO MONTREAL.
A mystery novelist with writer's block boards a train to Montreal. A snowstorm leaves the train stranded on the tracks and she gets more inspiration for her bloody next book than she bargained for.
Q. DESCRIBE your novel in three words or less.
Snowbound. Satirical. Savage.
Q. TOPICS: Name 1-3 topics or themes addressed in the novel?
The novel addresses the relationship of the muse to the writer, and what the writer might owe (or not owe!) their muse. It also addresses the things we're willing to do for the people we love and how love, or the fear or the loss of it, can make a person crazy.
Q. SETTING: Place, area, season where the book is set.
Like many of my favourite mystery novels, this book is set entirely on a train. Specifically in the business class car of a train travelling between Toronto and Montreal in the depths of winter.
Q. DID YOU KNOW? Name 3-5 things that readers may (or may not) know about your book or not included in the book.
1. In December 2022 a terrible winter storm stranded passengers on the track between Toronto and Montreal for up to eighteen hours with limited food and without working toilets! Eventually some of the passengers staged a coup and busted out of the train, only to find they were a short walk from a nearby home, where they went for help (presumably, for snacks and to use the loo).
2. Canadian children's writer Kenneth Oppel regularly takes the train between Toronto and Montreal and then back again, all in one day, as a self-styled writing retreat. I stole the idea from him and still do this whenever I can, though not when snow is in the forecast.
3. The business class service on Via Rail trains includes a VERY generous drinks service, so if you're not careful, you'll emerge from the train walking sideways.
Q. UPCOMING: Can you share what you are currently working on or what is next in ten words or less (or more)?
A perfect Parisian love story, until one of the lovers disappears.
Behind the Author
Q. DID YOU KNOW? Name 3-5 things that readers may (or may not) know about YOU, the author.
1. I write novels by night (and in the wee hours of the morning) but by day I'm a librarian, purchasing humanities collections for the University of Toronto.
2. I immigrated to Canada as a child, and mostly learned to speak English from television. So you might get a hint of Tony Danza in my accent.
3. I often eavesdrop on the conversations of strangers - on the subway, in coffeeshops, and write down snippets in my Notes app. They often find their way into my books. It's why I love living in a city. People live their lives out in public and as a deeply nosy person, I love to sneak a peek.
4. I write my first drafts by hand, with a Muji 0.38 dark blue pen and a large format Moleskine softcover notebook with gridded pages instead of lines. I share this information as often as possible in hopes that Moleskine or Muji will send me some notebooks or pens!
Q. BOOK RECS: A book you would recommend.
Just one book is so hard! Recently I loved Piglet, by Lottie Hazel. Like the protagonist, my wedding cake was a Croquembouche that collapsed in a spectacular fashion.
Fascinating! Thank you, Eva, for spending time with us today.
Praise
"Kudos to Jurczyk for providing a closed circle mystery that avoids the tropes of the subgenre while still offering some charming nods to closed trains of the past." ―firstCLUE
