I don't know how to feel about this book. I love some of Riley Sager's writing, but this one wasn't clicking with me to well with the digital formatting. I'm hoping to get my hands on the physical book when it comes out.

I was very excited about this book because I've enjoyed all of Riley Sager's novels. While it started with a good plotline, the novel gave too many red herrings to have truly enjoyed it as a mystery. It was interesting that everyone had their motives, but I felt that this took away from the tragedy and revenge of the main character.

Sager is an auto-read author for me, even after a couple of his titles were underwhelming. I think this novel fits squarely in the middle of the spectrum of his work. While it doesn't have the same level of twists and turns as Lock Every Door, Home Before Dark, or Last Time I Lied, I enjoyed a lot about this book once I got a few chapters in. Initially I was worried that the story was going to be Anna constantly asking this group of people where they were at the time of various murders. Girl, these are conniving people who don't not want to be there. Playing Poirot is not going to get you far. Once that diminishes a little, it's interesting to spend time learning about Anna's history and what she hopes to achieve with this trip. I love that Anna already knew how to fight before an alliance with a guy. I'm bummed by the presence of a pro-Nazi character given all that's happening culturally today, but that's a small personal trigger.
One of the reveals will give you a pretty big ick, but overall I like how the novel ended, specifically in terms of Anna's future post- revenge plot.

Holy. Smokes. Where do I begin?!?! First, thank you to Penguin Group| Dutton and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel. Riley Sager is always a force to be reckoned with. I impatiently wait for these novels to appear every year, and this was not a disappointment in the slightest. I was not sure what to expect as it felt a little different than a normal "Sager" novel, but he remained consistent in the twist and turns of this adventure. The characters were unsuspecting, and the structure of the text itself was genius. I didn't want it to end, yet I couldn't put it down!!! Thank you, Mr. Sager, for blessing us with another masterpiece!

Riley Sager’s newest novel achieves the ultimate goal of every thriller author: a train mystery. In a style reminiscent of Agatha Christie and enough dead bodies to rival Bullet Train, With a Vengeance captures the beauty of a 1950s whodunnit.

Determined to get revenge on the group of people who ruined her family, Anna has trapped six suspects on an express train to Chicago. With the FBI waiting on their arrival and no means of escape, Anna hopes to use their time to hear confessions of guilt and expressions of sorrow, but as each hour passes, more of her suspects are found murdered. In a race against the clock, Anna must determine a) who is the ultimate evil in a train full of complicit murderers, and b) how she wants to exact her revenge.

I’m a huge Riley Sager fan, and I must admit that this latest thriller strays from his usual style quite a bit. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed Sager’s take on the train mystery, and thought he did a brilliant job capturing Anna’s grief and desire for vengeance while also imparting her need for proper justice. I loved the dips into the other characters POVs and the multitude of shocking twists that had me second-guessing everything and everyone.

Fans of Agatha Christie, Alice Feeney, Jason Rekulak, and the novel Bullet Train will enjoy this pulse-racing thriller!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for review.

I haven't read all of Riley Sager's novels but I've read enough to say that this one is an interesting departure! His novels are typically suspense, as this one is, but this one is set in the 1950s aboard an all-night train. Very, Murder on the Orient Express. I was worried it would be too distracting, but I actually really enjoyed this novel. A woman bent on revenge gathers people who she feels are directly responsible for the tragedy in her life. But then things get tricky as those folks are picked off, one by one. There were enough twists here to keep it interesting and everyone had a detailed backstory.

Wow. Just wow. Riley Sager has completely outdone himself with With a Vengeance! I could not put this book down—it’s everything I love in a thriller. A locked-room mystery? Check. A revenge plot years in the making? Check. A tense, atmospheric setting on a gorgeous 1950s luxury train? Check, check, check!

From the start, I was hooked by Anna Matheson’s mission for justice. She’s spent over a decade planning the perfect takedown of the people who destroyed her family. But the moment one of them ends up dead, everything spirals out of control. Someone else on the train has their own score to settle, and suddenly, Anna isn’t just hunting the guilty—she’s trying to stay alive.

I absolutely loved the way Sager built the tension in this book. Every character felt real, layered, and unpredictable. I found myself second-guessing everyone’s motives, flipping pages as fast as I could to figure out who was behind it all. And the train setting made everything feel even more claustrophobic and high-stakes. The whole story felt like an old-school Agatha Christie novel but with Sager’s signature modern twists that left me breathless.

If you love a mystery that keeps you guessing, a setting that pulls you in, and a protagonist you can root for, With a Vengeance is a must-read. This book reminded me why I’ll always pick up anything Riley Sager writes—he just gets suspense. Do yourself a favor and read this one ASAP!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Riley Sager's latest suspense novel falls flat in that there is a lot of telling instead of showing with character development, plot, and emotion. I had a hard time connecting with or caring about any of the characters from the beginning. The attempt to create an Agatha Christie-like train mystery just didn't work for me.

This book is a thrill ride. So much happening in this train ride. Page turner and suspenseful. I enjoyed it and most of all Riley Sager books. I can't wait until it is released. Fun ride.

This book was a bit different than Sager’s previous novels. For one, the time period I’m which it takes place was much further in the past than the other novels. Also, it felt more like an Agatha. British novel or cozy novel than a fast-paced suspense thriller that I was expecting from Sager. I did enjoy the novel, but it did take me a bit longer to feel invested in the story. It does feature trademark twists that put Sager to the top of my mystery authors list.

Geez, don’t get on this train! What a story, a young woman wants to confront the people responsible for her family’s tragedies. She doesn’t want to kill them but someone else on the train does. Really good!

Very different than most Sager books. So, if you are expecting the regular, you will be disappointed. However, I liked it. It was like an Agatha Christie novel meets "Clue". Enjoy!

3.5 stars
Having read many Riley Sager thrillers previously, I was stoked to experience his newest work. While the characters were well developed, the story fell flat for me.

I do believe this is Riley Sager at his best. The book has all the subtle twists and turns along with some real out of left field twists that keep the balance and the pace of the book at a perfect flow. Unlike his previous book, "Middle of the Night" which i felt was lacking in so many ways and extremely predictable, "With a Vengeance" kept me guessing until the very end. Perhaps it's because Mr. Sager returned to writing a female protagonist, which was not the case with his previous book. This book just felt more complete and by the end of it, I wanted more.

I thank Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me the privilege of reading this book. I am, as always, already anticipating the next mystery Riley Sager will take us on.

Really liked this Riley Sager book. It was a bit of a departure from his other recent books. More historical fiction and mystery than supernatural. Characters were very well developed and I found myself wanting to find out more about each character. I was a bit disappointed with the relationship between Annie and Dante but other than that, it is a sold 4.

Anyone who knows me at all knows what a huge Riley Sager fan I am. That’s why it pains me so much to say that I didn’t enjoy this one. The book is a real departure from his usual style, and it just wasn’t for me I’m sorry to say. It was very slow until the last ten percent of the book which was utter chaos in my opinion. I hope to see others enjoy this book more. I’m so bummed that I didn’t.

Don’t go into this one expecting a book like Sager’s previous ones. It looks like he wanted to try something different. This one is more classic mystery, think Agatha Christie, with many moving parts and twists to keep you guessing until the conclusion when all is revealed. While I love a good twist, I felt some were predictable and none really packed a punch. Personally, I would have preferred something more along the lines of his previous books. You can’t blame a guy for trying though. I guess I’ll have to keep my fingers crossed for the next one.

Many thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Riley Sager for this ARC!
My good what a read!! So many twists and turns, this whirlwind will keep you guessing until the very end. The character development and story are so reminiscent of an Agatha Christie novel I couldn't put it down. Riley Sager is always and auto read for me and this was no different.

With a Vengeance is a little bit of a departure from Sager's usual plots/settings and it is a welcome one. This is not to say that Sager's other books are cliche because they definitely are not, but it is always refreshing when an author takes a risk and branches out, even if it's just a bit. The premise of the novel is inventive, well-thought out, and fast paced with the expected twists and turns of a Sager novel. It does not disappoint.

And Then There Were None meets Murder on the Orient Express for a classic dwindling party mystery. Definitely not Riley Sager’s typical novel, but I love that he went in a different direction for his latest book.

Anna has gathered the six people who have collectively ruined her life, and put them on a train to Chicago where they will be (hopefully) arrested by authorities. She’s committed to the dramatic situation to figure out why they wanted to wrong her family in the first place.

As always, it was a fun read. Riley Sager can publish just about anything and I will read it. There were plenty of fun twists and turns, along with his classic touch of is-there-really-a-ghost. Definitely less of the anticipatory horror and more mystery and tension from that angle. When everything was going down it was a tiny bit hard to keep track of it all (although that might have been because I was absolutely speeding ahead to figure out what happened next).

If you’re looking for a classic mystery thriller (and maybe haven’t found enough of that in Sager’s work before), this is your chance.