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.

Anna has invited everyone who had a hand in her brother’s death aboard an express train from Philadelphia to Chicago. They were all bribed to frame her father, who was murdered in prison, to take the fall. Now, Anna has bought all the tickets on the train to ensure they’re the only ones on board as she confronts them with the fact that the FBI is awaiting them in Chicago with proof. If this sounds like a convoluted plan, it is. This premise is as ridiculous as it sounds, and although she claims to not want them dead, that’s exactly what starts happening. Now, they’re all trapped on a train that Anna has ensured wouldn’t stop. Riley Sager has created this locked room mystery in the weirdest way possible. Sager is known for his twists, and while this did have them, they were ultimately disappointing and didn’t add much to the story. While entertaining, it will be hard for readers to get past the stupidity of the set up.

This one only deserves a 3.5 star rating at most, so I’m rounding down to 3.

Riley Sager’s With a Vengeance is a suspense novel that, while competently written, ultimately feels just okay. The premise had potential—a brooding mix of mystery and psychological tension—but the story unfolds at a sluggish pace, making it hard to stay fully invested.
Sager is known for crafting eerie atmospheres and unreliable narrators, and those elements are present here, but they don’t quite hit as hard this time. The characters lack depth, and the plot takes a while to build momentum. By the time the twists arrive, they feel more obligatory than earned.
For fans of Sager, this might still be worth a read, but for casual readers of thrillers, With a Vengeance may come off as underwhelming and a bit too slow to deliver the punch its title promises.

I normally love a good Riley Sager book and look forward to his books each year. I couldn’t get into the book. I did not care for the plot or characters. Book drags then picks up toward end

"With a Vengeance" felt tedious, impractical, and predictable. Our narrator Anna starts the book off with meticulous plans to bring the six responsible for her family's ruination to justice. Yet, she doesn't plan for murder? The whole setup felt like a bad Agatha Christie novel. If Anna had all the evidence she needed to have the six arrested, she could've executed her plans without trapping herself on a train with them. It didn't make sense. She wanted time to see them squirm? That's why she chose Chicago instead of a closer destination. To make it less likely that things could go wrong? But then, what would the book be about? Right? This did not feel like a Riley Sager novel at all. Once the first character died and the whole whodunit aspect of the story began. I was already bored. I was unmoved by the characters' thoughts, feelings, and motivations since they all felt flat and one-dimensional. When the stranger Reggie was discovered on board. I was reminded why thrillers are becoming my least favorite genre. 70% of the thrillers I've read these days are filled with time jumps or streams of consciousness, too many POV's all to misdirect the reader from what the book is supposed to be about. Popping out books like candy instead of taking the time to write a good and suspenseful plot. This book was no exception. Anna was a poor FMC. The "twists" weren't shocking. The ending was convenient and ridiculous. Like an episode of "Poirot," which is fine if you enjoy mysteries like that, I don't.

I had high hopes for With a Vengeance, but unfortunately, it didn’t deliver. The pacing felt off, the plot twists were predictable, and the characters lacked depth. I’ve enjoyed Riley Sager’s previous books much more—this one just didn’t work for me.

I enjoyed a mystery that was set in a time before instant communication would make things so much easier to figure out. For me, however, there were a few too many characters and the story drug on a big longer than necessary. The writing was well done and the locked room element was enjoyable.

For readers who enjoy unravelling a locked-room thriller alongside the author, you can board Sager’s nonstop express train, leaving Philadelphia at 7pm and arriving in Chicago at 7am. Anna Matheson recalls playing hide-and-seek as a child with her beloved brother, Tommy, in the corridors of luxurious carriages, endlessly enchanted with her father’s pride and joy, the Philadelphia Phoenix. But now Tommy’s gone, her parents are dead, and she’s alone except for her one friend in life, the hard-nosed, outwardly aggressive Seamus. In 1954, Anna bankrupts herself by buying every ticket on this Phoenix run. Invitations have been sent to six people against whom she seeks vengeance for the loss of her family. Each invitation contains a personal phrase addressed to the individual, words that are meaningful only to them.

The six, gathered on the train with Anna and Seamus, and unexpectedly back in each other’s company, are Judd, locomotive designer; Herb, factory foreman; Sally, secretary to Anna’s father; Edith, family nanny; Jack, a Lt. Colonel; and Dante, heir to a railroad fortune. No one else, except the driver, is aboard. This edge-of-seat crime thriller fizzes with suspense, surprises and a breathless intensity which, for me, made a one-sitting read. The twists are abrupt, unexpected and so frequent I had to keep written track of the characters. The cast is well-characterised and diverse, with interwoven backstories speaking to motivation and culpability, and there’s a wealth of diversions to keep readers busy trying to keep up with Sager’s racing thoughts. This revenge tale sheds light on the nature of greed, what vengeance means to varying individuals, and what some folks might do to achieve it. It’s not gratuitously graphic so would be a good choice for readers who prefer a riveting thriller with a bit less gore, and it comes complete with an excellent and unexpected denouement.

So this was an interesting foray into historical fiction for Riley Sager. I do love a good train murder mystery. But this one just didn’t land for me. It was entertaining enough but not as much on the edge of my seat as I normally am with this books.