Vibes were immaculate with this one — but it definitely falls a little outside what you might expect with a riley sager novel. My theory is Riley truly is in his era of writing whatever tf he wants and for that I am v supportive but I just want everyone to level set.

“One train. No stops. A deadly game of revenge.”

This locked-in, 1950s thriller is surprisingly not written by Agatha Christie’s ghost but you’ll think it was multiple times. There are people out for revenge, there are people who get murdered, there are people suspected dead but then return, there’s a big reveal and of course there’s a snowstorm. And sure maybe you have to suspend your disbelief a tad bit more than usual… but just ride the vibe train ok??

I know this sounds like a rave review and I did enjoy myself but this one isn’t unseating my faves from Riley — which includes LOCK EVERY DOOR, SURVIVE THE NIGHT, HOME BEFORE DARK, and THE ONLY ONE LEFT. SO if you haven’t em read those yet, plz do!

This was very Agatha Christie-esque. It's very different from Sager's previous novels. It's set in 1 location and we follow a myriad of people. It's more of a mystery than a thriller but still enjoyable.

The perfect locked door mystery with a twist of thriller for fans of Agatha Christie. I loved how much we got to know about each character, the setting being very atmospheric, and the way everything slowly unraveled as the train ride went on.

(3.5 stars)

I will eat up a "who-dunnit" story every time. In true Riley Sager fashion, there were a million plot twist - and most were very predictable, but overall I had a fun time. It was very fast paced.

Nothing mind blowing though.

Thank you Dutton for the e-ARC!

I like locked door thrillers, but I do think this one was a bit boring. It oddly felt like there was not enough going on, while also too much going on? Too many suspects/villains and I sometimes was confused by some of their motives. This one was not my favorite of Sager's.

A modern-day Agatha Christie that carries nail-biting, page-turning suspense from start to finish. Lots of interesting characters, surprising plot points, and vivid settings. I really appreciate how Sager is always willing to play with genres and keep his content fresh. A fun ride from start to finish.

Not my favorite Riley book but still good nonetheless the less! Lots of twists and turns that will keep you on your toes! Will recommend to others!

A gripping, fast‑paced mystery for fans of vintage, claustrophobic settings and cascading surprises. Just know it leans heavily on twists—and doesn’t resonate with everyone. Perfect if you like train‑set thrillers, but maybe skip it if character depth matters more than clever plotting.

4.5 stars.

A page-turning closed circle mystery that feels a lot like an Agatha Christie mystery but with more blood and twists.

The setting is pure Christie: it’s 1954 and six people have been invited onto the Philadelphia Phoenix, a luxury train that’s going nonstop to Chicago. Only “invited” isn’t quite the word - Anna Matheson has made sure to include a note on each of their invitations that will ensure their presence. Once the train is going and there is no one else on board, Anna reveals herself and the passengers realize why they have been invited: they have all been instrumental in the destruction of Anna’s family and now she wants vengeance. But it seems that someone else wants a more Old Testament form of justice as one of the passengers is murdered.

Does the plot entirely hang together? I don’t think so but it rattles along as fast as the Phoenix so you don’t have time to quibble. Is there one twist too many? Maybe as I did feel a little punch drunk by the end.

But this is unlike any other Riley Sager novel I’ve read, with its historical setting and clever clockwork precision plotting and I LOVED it. It feels enormously cinematic and, while a lot earthier than Murder on the Orient Expressand way less hammy than Knives Out, could easily appeal to both those audiences.

Thanks to Dutton and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

3-3.5⭐️ Anna Matheson is out for revenge twelve years after the death of her entire family during the war in 1942. But as Anna lures the six people she blames onto a luxury train in order to confront them and extract their confessions, she has no idea one of the passengers might just be a murderer.

Whew, boy has this book been getting mixed reviews. I have seen some readers rave and others not as much. While there were some elements I really enjoyed, on the whole, I think it just wasn’t my speed (pardon the pun). Before I go further, I want to give a shout out to Riley Sager and a handful of other authors who have really gone the extra mile (oops…pardon that one too) to try to give their readers something different and fresh, outside of their normal writing style and/or genre. Kudos to them for being creative and innovative even if it doesn’t work quite as well in the execution.

Given that the gorgeous cover of this book features a train, let’s start off with the setting. I am such a sucker for thrillers set on various modes of transportation - I don’t know why, but I am. This old Hollywood-style mystery, set on a luxury rail line, set against the backdrop of World War II, sounded right up my alley. But here is where I felt like something was missing— the dark, mysterious, and gritty atmosphere of this train carrying a murderer. The train should have held much more of an impact (even to the point of being a side character), but instead, other than that they reference where things are occurring, it didn’t add to the ambience as much as I would have liked.

The first third of the book is spent introducing various characters both on the train and in the past, and I found myself both a bit overwhelmed with the amount of characters, while also feeling like the pacing was moving incredibly slow. Perhaps it was the style in which Sager gives each character’s backstory in a sort of x,y,z list fashion. This really created a slow burn vibe from the go. Once you hit the midway point, it becomes a twist-athon. There was twist upon twist upon twist. While this did create more of a popcorn type read at this point, I also felt as though some of the twists were really over the top, including one technique, used multiple times, that had my eyes rolling. And by the time we reached the pivotal conclusion, I ran out of steam (oops again) and found myself more disengaged than engaged.

All of that said, there was still an entertainment factor here that can’t be discounted. And if you are someone who prefers more of the slow burn mystery, with an added element of historical fiction, that doesn’t mind the over the top nature so many thrillers seem to have these days, you may really enjoy this one. With so many mixed reviews, it’s worth a try if it’s been on your radar.

Read if you like:
▪️psychological thrillers
▪️locked room mysteries
▪️ensemble casts
▪️twisty reads
▪️slow burn
▪️Murder on the Orient Express

Thank you Dutton for the advanced copy.

I really enjoyed this book. I felt so immersed. It felt like I was watching a movie and could picture all of these characters. At times, I even kept changing my mind about who the killer was. I had a good, fun time and I recommend. It’s an easy thriller to read and it felt fast paced.

3.5🌟

A tense and exhilarating revenge turn murder mystery on a train, what more can you ask for?!

One train. No stops. A deadly game of survival and revenge.

In 1942, six people destroyed Anna Matheson’s family. Twelve years later, she’s ready for retribution.

I enjoy Riley Sager's writing, though this wasn't my favourite of theirs it is still well written, full of drama, tension and very cleverly hidden twists.

I look forward to reading more from this author!

3.75 Stars!

“Revenge is fleeting. Vengeance lasts a lifetime.”

This is a great read if you are a fan of locked room mysteries and Clue!

I really loved the setting of the train- such a great setting for a locked room mystery! It gave such a claustrophobic feeling.

The beginning is a little more slow paced as it builds the groundwork and background on the characters, but then it becomes pretty fast paced for the remainder of the story. I found some of it to be a bit repetitive though.

I was pretty invested and intrigued for most of the book, but do have to say I was disappointed in the ending/last quarter of the book- it just seemed to get a bit chaotic and off the rails- ultimately made me lower my overall rating.

This was definitely different than his other books, but overall it worked well; although is not one of my top favorites of his either.

This started off really strong! I really loved the premise, however this really just fell flat for me. I felt like there were too many characters. It was a bit hard to pay attention and I thought it was boring. With that being said, I do not think this genre is really for me at the moment.

So good….a bit of a departure from past books, but I really enjoyed it. I don’t usually go for books set in the 1950’s, but this was well done. Makes me want to try out train travel! Great mystery with great ending.

Ever since I got back into reading years ago, Riley Sager has been one of my favorite thriller authors! His newest felt different than the typical Sager book, but I’m all for authors switching it up!

WITH A VENGEANCE is a twisty locked room revenge thriller! I was hooked right away. I was intrigued by Anna’s reasons for luring people onto the train.

There were a handful of characters with stories to keep track of, but Sager did a good job of introducing them and revealing details over time.

The twists kept coming and the many possible suspects made the guessing game fun.

I had a fun time with this book, but it felt like it took me a while to finish. It wasn’t one that I read in only a couple of sittings—I found myself wanting to take breaks every now and then.

It will rank somewhere towards the bottom of my favorite books by Riley Sager, but I still enjoyed the reading experience!

Riley Sager does it again. Great mystery read, full of twists and turns. What a surprise ending would have not expected any less from this author.

This book takes readers on a deadly train ride. I became engrossed with the plight of each of the characters attempting to guard their darkest secret. Each character has a dangerous secret and each one of them a motive to murder in this whodunnit novel. What extent would you go to in order to save yourself from life in prison? The fictional setting takes place in the early 1950's with ties to the war in the 40's and contains several historical references to the times. History buffs will enjoy this novel as well. This was a true to the time tale. Great job Mr Riley Sager with accurately depicting the era. I am a huge fan of the 50's. I was very delighted to see a strong female main character for this era. Anna did not disappoint. This fictional whodunnit tale has a little bit of everything for the thriller lover and dabbles on the line of horror for fans like me. There is family drama, a light tough of forbidden love, a whole lot of crime, absolute betrayal, so much exciting MURDER, light gore (thank goodness), and last but not least good ole REVENGE. Oh the delightful revenge toward the middle and the end of this novel was so satisfying. There was a lot of building up in the begging to support the grand finale. The twists and turns in this book had me feeling more like this book took place on a roller coaster rather than a train! Every single time I rolled my eyes thinking I had it all figured out had identified the true killer, Riley Sager literally slapped me in the face with another possible murder suspect!

Another success by Mr. Sager!

Although this book is a bit different than his usual twisty, dark thrillers, I still found myself having so much with this whodunnit mystery story. Definitely an Agatha Christie feel (and come on, who doesn’t love Agatha?), I found myself turning page after page trying to figure out what was going on! I had a few guesses and turned out to be wrong on all accounts! If you love trains and a good locked room mystery, then look no further! Pick this book up asap!

Included on June issue of the BookTrib Chill Quill: Beach Reads with a Body Count: https://booktrib.com/2025/06/17/the-chill-quill-beach-reads-with-a-body-count/