6:40 to Montreal

Jurczyk (That Night in the Library) delivers an uninspired riff on Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express. Crime writer Agatha St. John’s debut novel was a bestseller, but she hasn’t written anything since. Instead, she’s been busy juggling a terminal cancer diagnosis; a disintegrating marriage to Teddy, her husband of 20 years; and a sudden surge of anxiety that she’s failing as a mother to her young son, Freddie. As Christmas approaches, Teddy presents Agatha with a gift designed to lift her out of her doldrums: a business-class round-trip train ticket from Toronto to Montreal, which he bills as a “self-styled writer’s retreat.” Once on board, Agatha meets her eccentric fellow passengers, including suspiciously cheerful customer service representative Dorcas and her trainee assistant. Soon, the train breaks down, and a fierce snowstorm cuts off passengers’ communication with the outside world. Then a passenger dies while sitting in the seat originally assigned to Agatha, and she concludes that she was the intended victim. Another death follows, spurring Agatha to attempt to solve the case and ponder how she might use the experience to jump-start her next book. Jurczyk does little to elevate her familiar premise, and populates the narrative with flat characters. Poirot this is not. Agent: Erin Clyburn, Howland Literary. (Sept.)