With a Vengeance is a fun, fast-paced, Agatha Christie-inspired train ride! I really enjoyed exploring all of the characters, and thought Riley Sager did a good job juggling all of their stories. While this may not align with what fans are expecting from Sager, I'd love to see more work like this in the future. As a huge plus, the main character is a wronged woman seeking revenge, and that is a trope I will love until my dying breath. Thanks to Penguin Dutton and NetGalley for my eARC!

Thank you for allowing me to review this book. I am giving my rating based on my own personal opinion and not that of any other party.

A thrilling mystery with a tight pace as the train thunders on. Anna is a single-minded character set on revenge with a dubious moral code constantly in danger. The deaths are interesting and varied, with plot twists that are reasonable but not too predictable. The hint of potentially supernatural isn't fleshed out enough to be a strong misdirect. But the grief as a core theme was well wrought and extended through all the characters.

Not my favorite of Sager's but the train mystery was quite suspenseful and fun at times. Will be a great book for readers who are looking for an easy spooky season thriller!

This book had such a distinct vibe that really drew me in. From the very beginning, it carried the atmosphere of an old film noir moody, cinematic, and filled with shadows of tension. As I read, it was almost effortless to picture the scenes unfolding like reels of a vintage movie, with each moment framed in dramatic suspense. One of the strongest elements for me was the way every character carried secrets. No one was innocent, and each person’s actions or choices had, in some way, contributed to the tragedy of Anna’s family. That web of guilt and hidden motives gave the story layers of complexity and kept me second-guessing what I thought I knew about each character. I especially appreciated how Riley Sager explored Anna’s thirst for revenge. It wasn’t just a plot device it was the very force shaping her existence. Her obsession with retribution consumed her to the point where it became her only anchor, her single source of purpose. The way this was portrayed felt raw and believable, adding emotional weight to the suspense.

The setting on the train was another highlight. It created such a confined, tense environment where secrets had nowhere to hide. There’s something about a moving train isolated, closed off, yet always in motion that magnified the suspense. It gave the story an almost claustrophobic quality that worked beautifully alongside the tension between the characters. Beyond the atmosphere, the nostalgic touches throughout the narrative added to the charm. It was equal parts glamorous and eerie, balancing moments that felt steeped in golden-age nostalgia with undertones of dread. This combination made the twists and turns hit even harder, because they disrupted that seemingly elegant backdrop.

Overall, I loved the interplay between atmosphere, character dynamics, and suspense. The shocking reveals, the way the tension slowly built, the intricate cast of characters, and the mystery at its core all blended together into something that was both immersive and haunting. It’s the kind of book that lingers after you’ve finished, not just because of the plot twists, but because of the way it makes you feel like you’ve stepped into another world one where secrets, lies, and vengeance are always just beneath the surface.

TL;DR: I thought this was a very down-the-middle locked room mystery set onboard a train. if you're looking for a great entry into this subgenre, I'd skip this book and read Benjamin Stevenson's EVERYONE ON THIS TRAIN IS A SUSPECT instead.

Riley sager truly never misses. This was a fun modern telling of a classic Agatha Christie, but by one of my favorites and I just had the most fun. I think he is so great at making fun and original, suspenseful and fun stories. I will read Riley sager until I die.

This locked room mystery runs off the rails.

The year is 1954 and Anna Matheson has invited six people on a luxury express train journey to Chicago. These are the people who destroyed Anna's family and ruined her life 12 years ago. She has collected her evidence and now wants vengeance; Anna has a plan. Her scheme goes awry shortly into the journey, and from then on, tables are turned and nothing goes according to her agenda.

Although the premise sounded good, it was flawed from the beginning as there seemed no reason to host this train journey. But I love trains and so I picked this up expecting something quite different to how it all turned out. I totally understood Anna's reasons for wanting revenge, but the execution of exacting that just seemed like a waste of time, effort, and money. Since all went to heck quite quickly, it became obvious that her method of obtaining validation and causing the perpetrators of the events that brought down the Matheson family to suffer didn't come to fruition.

All the characters with their history and misdeeds was repetitive. Her moments with each alone didn't really get Anna what she was wanting and sometimes it seemed like all she did was move up and down the train endlessly. I would have loved lot more info about the train and less about the people. The appearance of one unexpected character was first one thing and then abruptly quite another and it was a huge plot hole. All the attempts at making this twisty -- who was the killer -- also went on far too long. In short, the story bogged itself down and got mired in its own attempt to deliver shocks and surprises. When Anna steps out onto the roof of the speeding train in a snowstorm, I lost interest as it led to that ridiculous ending. I surely hope there are no sequels planned.

I have been hit and miss with Sager for awhile. He used to be an automatic want to read but now I need to be more judicious. I appreciated the effort in setting the book in a time period without technology so there was no magic hacker ah ha moments, etc. but overall, it just didn't work for me.


I was able to listen to the audio book while also following along in the e-book ARC provided by the publisher. The narrator, Erin Bennett, did a good job voicing the characters and her performance definitely enhanced the story and gave a bit of dramatic flair despite the drawbacks noted above.

I’ve read every one of sagers book and while I found this one to be enjoyable, it did not seem to capture the same tone and suspense as his previous entries. I miss the shocking twists and supernatural elements. A good Agatha Christie style novel, but not my favorite Sager title.

Riler Sager usually does not disappoint with his mystery books, but this book fell a little short. It started off slow and just didn't grab hold of my attention for very long. It was your typical "Locked Train" mystery and didn't really enjoy it. This does not mean others won't so I would still recommend this book for mystery lovers.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group for approving early access to this book.

With a Vengeance by Riley Sager is a locked-room style mystery novel set in the 1950s and which takes place on a luxury steam locomotive speeding its way from Philadelphia to Chicago. With only seven passengers, things are already strange to begin with. But when passengers are murdered, things go from strange to bad...and there are still 11 hours to go until they reach their destination.

Anna Matheson has secretly invited six people aboard the train, luring them in with offers too good to pass up. Twelve years ago, these same six people wronged her family, causing heartache to Anna and many other families. Anna's plan is to make them all confess to their crimes and then deliver them to the authorities who will be waiting in Chicago. She has already collected and sent the evidence ahead and now she's going to deliver the criminals. But not long into the nonstop 13 hour trip, someone ends up dead.

While this sounded like a fast-paced mystery, I was discouraged to find out that it was quite the opposite. The story was so slow that I found myself zoning out while reading, having to go back and reread things. The characters were so boring and the multiple POVs dragged on. The dialogue felt very YA or almost juvenile. Each of the six characters had a part in a train accident that caused the death of many US soldiers and the unravelling of Anna's family. (Not a spoiler - this is revealed quite soon at the beginning of the book). As we read, we're told the reasons for each characters involvment, and then one-by-one the characters are murdered. And then that would just repeat. Over and over again. Murder, find the body, find the murder weapon, discuss, accuse, and repeat ad nauseam. At some point in the middle I did not care any more about who did anything or the reasons behind their actions. I was so bored.

This book was a miss for me. I found it to be repetitive and boring. There are other recently released locked-room, Agatha Christie-esque mysteries that are much better done, if you're in the market for that style novel. I'm ready for the old Sager - back when he gave us The Last Time I Lied or Final Girls. Let's go back there, please (and thank you).

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Most of Riley Sager's books FEEL like they belong to him. They have a vibe that feels connected to the author. This one had that too in a way, but it felt disconnected from his previous books. I don't mean that in a bad way--I mean that in the sense that I had no idea what was coming next, and I loved that. This was somehow atmospheric despite basically the whole book taking place in one place. Great read, looking forward to his next!

4.0/5.0

Riley Sager is great at writing a book that will keep you turning the page to learn what twists and turns are next.

I enjoyed this locked room mystery that had multiple twists and turns. With the train setting I can’t help but compare it to *Murder on Orient Express*. All of the characters are so intriguing and play an integral part in this whole story. While you know the FMC is behind this whole set up due to betrayal, it’s revealed throughout the story. As you’re learning what this betrayal was you’re also learning about these different people and you can start to decide if you like or dislike them.

A twist will happen, and then another…and then another. It keeps you on your toes but it’s still easy to follow along. I enjoyed following along with the mystery and found the ending satisfying.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I like Riley Sager; I have liked all of his books, but this one just wasn't it for me. I feel like it had all been done before. Unfortunately, that comes with the territory of doing a homage. What can you say about the locked door train mystery that hasn't been done before? Not much. It was good but far from great.

As someone who has read Riley Sager's entire backlist, he is always one of my most anticipated releases each year! I love how atmospheric his stories are, and I will continue to read every book he comes out with. I loved the creepy, isolated setting of this taking place on a train in the middle of the night, as well as the period this takes place. There were so many theories I had reading this, and I found some of the twists to be predictable, while others got me. Overall I enjoyed this book, but it's not my favorite Sager story. I found some parts to drag out a bit and could have been shorter, but overall a fun, atmospheric thriller!

This was my first Riley Sager novel, and he has definitely lived up to the hype! This is a one-sitting type of read that is just so addictive. The novel was atmospheric, with a snowy setting and an inescapable train journey, which just made for a very intriguing and fun time. It almost felt like a race against the clock, which just drives you to read faster and faster. Would for sure recommend, even as a romance reading girly. This one was awesome!

This may be one of my favorite Riley Sager books. This book is set in the 1950s, twelve years after six people destroyed Anna Matheson’s family, legacy and the lives of 37 others. With justice on her mind Anna books a train straight from Philly to Chicago with these six people with the goal of them going away for their role in these crimes. Except..people start turning up dead. While a whodunnit on a train has been done plenty of times, next to Agatha Christie herself this is my favorite. The characters all unlikable in their own ways kept me engaged. While the story felt slow at times, Sager threw in some twists to keep me tuned in till the end.

While the premise had me a little on edge to begin with, Sager pulled it off masterfully. Sager writes characters like no other thriller author I've read, and his plot twists are some that I never see coming. While I've only just recently gotten into Sager's work within the last year, he is definitely an author whose backlist I need to read and whose new releases will be on my shelves.

Thank you for E-Arc!

I love 'Locked Room' mysteries, but this one almost put me to sleep. If it was shorter I think it would be a good book. A woman invites people on a non-stop train ride in the hopes that they will confess to crimes that effected her family. It seemed to drag on, and just when you think there is a killer onboard, knocking off these people, one by one, it turns out there is a FBI agent on board. Not many people left alive when they get to Chicago.

I enjoyed this book. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC . I enjoyed this story. It was a different setting than any other book I’ve read and a unique time for Riley to write about. It was well written with good character development as well as suspenseful with lots of twists and turns and who did it vibe.