When I used to live in Montreal, I often rode Le Metro, or subway system, on shopping trips to the downtown area. The underground metro is the main form of public transport in this cosmopolitan city. It’s a convenient way to get around in the winter when snowstorms block streets, and it’s faster than making the same journey by car through heavy traffic.
The metro is such a vital part of Montreal that I mentioned it in several scenes in False Impressions, my first book in the Megan Scott/Michael Elliott Mystery series. Here’s an excerpt from Megan’s point of view after she tumbles into a busy downtown street, and a young man wearing iPod earphones yanks her back to safety:
I returned to my apartment, still debating whether or not I was losing my mind. Had I slipped off the sidewalk because of my own carelessness as the iPod guy had claimed, or had someone pushed me into the traffic on purpose?
I’d heard of similar “accidents” occurring in Le Metro. Whether a pedestrian had been pushed or had jumped in front of a speeding train of their own free will, the result was always the same: It had happened so fast that no one had seen anything. Subway authorities would evacuate the station and shut down the system along that segment of the line while police investigated the incident and maintenance crews cleaned up the mess. Commuters who knew better had adopted the habit of standing along the back of the platform to avoid being pushed in front of a subway car as it sped into the station.
The outcome of my experience paled in comparison, thanks to the iPod guy’s swift reaction. I weighed the possibility he might have shoved me into the street but dismissed it. It would have proved too tricky to maneuver a push from where he was standing beside me. I was convinced the thrust had come from behind.
Want to read more? Click on the Books page on my website to find out where you can get your copy of False Impressions. Each book in the series can be read as a standalone, but this first book will give you a glimpse into the life-threatening events that initially brought Megan and Michael together.
Enjoy the read!