Agatha is a writer whose first novel was insanely popular. These days she struggles to get any words on the page, paralyzed by the pressure of creating something even remotely as successful. Her husband surprises her with a first-class ticket to Montreal, a six-hour train ride with drinks, snacks, and quiet — and no Wifi or cell service. She can watch the Canadian country slide by, concentrate on her book, and decompress.
But her anonymous writing retreat is quickly interrupted by her fellow travelers. A man slumps over dead for no obvious reason, and then the train is caught in the snow. What should be a short delay while they clear the tracks becomes an lengthy snowed in stay with no end in sight–and a dead body. Everyone’s fear, suspicions, and panic ratchets up the tension. Weirdly, it feeds Agatha’s inner muse, making her an less-than-sympathetic person to her fellow prisoners.
So many times this year I’d assumed the best would happen and been rewarded with the worst, and you’d think a streak like that would have taught me a lesson. It’s not like I hadn’t been watching the snow for hours, it’s not like I didn’t know what winter could do to best laid plans, but through it all I’d been sure that it wouldn’t impact me, that my plans were important enough that I’d be spared. I thought the tempest was most ferocious right before it waned. Either I was wrong about the order of events of about what I consider ferocity from a storm. The sideways scream blowing snow meant that the windows along my side of the train were soon sheeted in ice and the close quarters we were trapped in got even darker. ~Loc. 968
The book is written entirely from Agatha’s point-of-view, with her impressions and flashbacks embedded. Throughout the reader is expected to consider the reliability of this narrator, all while tracking the unfolding action. The plot takes on the style of a thriller film as it tumbles toward the conclusion. By and large, it hangs together well, and though it makes a close approach, it never makes a jump over the shark.
6:40 to Montreal is a great read for a stormy afternoon–or even a train trip.
My thanks to Sourcebooks/Poisoned Pen Press for the review copy. Read via NetGalley.
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication date: October 28, 2025
Print length: 352 pages (English)
ISBN-10: 1728295726