📕 ASH’S RATING: 2.5/5 ⭐️⭐️
Vibes: Train Whodunnit, Murder Mystery, Cluedo

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This was my third Riley Sager read, and I was buzzing to get a sneak peek at his latest release especially after loving the thriller and horror edge his previous books delivered.

Sadly the excitement ended there. This felt less Riley Sager thriller and more Cluedo on a train. The entire story started, ended and was confined to a train and I’ve now realised that ‘murder mystery on a train’ might just be one of my least favourite sub-genres. There’s only so much suspense you can build when there are limited characters and not much room to move - literally.

While the premise had promise, the execution fell flat for me. I didn’t connect with the characters, wasn’t intrigued by the clues and found myself watching the pages more than the plot hoping it would wrap up quickly which is never a good sign.

That said, the writing itself wasn’t bad, it just didn’t feel like the Riley Sager I’ve come to know and love. His earlier books are some of my favourites, so while this one missed the mark, I’m still keen to see what he does next.

A thank you to Hachette for a sneak peek at this book in exchange for my honest review.

Well that was different from Riley Sager. It still has all the wild twists and shocks we have come to expect from this author, absolutely, it just read very differently for me. Although I guessed what was happening early on it was still such a fun and entertaining read.

Set in 1954, this is a locked room thriller with a difference. The whole story takes place on an overnight train between Philadelphia and Phoenix in winter so of course there is a lot of snow. Anna Matheson has lost her whole family, and 12 years later she has all the evidence she needs to prove that her father was set up. She plans to get them all in this train and hand them over to the FBI at the end. But of course things go off the rails and things go horribly wrong very quickly.

As always with any Riley Sager book, I flew through this in 2 sittings. It was dark and messy but so much fun to read. I had to suspend my belief at times but just go with it and enjoy the ride.

Thanks so much to Hachette Australia for my early copy of this book to read from one of my favourite authors. Out on June 10th

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars)

As someone who’s devoured (almost) all of Riley Sager’s books and rated them 4 stars or higher, I was really looking forward to With A Vengeance—and it didn’t disappoint.

Set in 1954, this locked-room-style thriller takes place aboard the Philadelphia Phoenix, a luxury train traveling overnight from Philadelphia to Chicago. Anna Matheson has lured six people onto the train under false pretenses—people who were responsible for destroying her family twelve years earlier. Her plan? Get confessions, deliver them to the authorities waiting at the end of the line. But when a murder derails her scheme, Anna must face a new reality: someone else on board has their own deadly plan—and they won’t stop until everyone is dead.

This story is dripping with atmosphere. The snowstorm outside, the confined train cars, the 14-hour ticking clock—it all gave the story a tense, cinematic quality that kept me turning the pages. The locked-door mystery vibes were strong, giving Murder on the Orient Express energy, though the shrinking suspect pool did make things a bit predictable (I guessed the killer early). That said, there were still a few twists that caught me by surprise, and I especially enjoyed the process of uncovering each character’s motive for betraying Anna’s family.

It’s not without flaws. You’ll definitely need to suspend your disbelief—some of the character decisions (especially Anna’s and Seamus’) are wild, and the plot to ruin Anna’s father is a stretch. Anna herself, while compelling, made some frustrating choices, and the story became a bit repetitive once the motive was revealed.

Still, the post-WWII setting and the transitional era of technology (trains vs. planes) were fascinating. I actually wanted more backstory on Anna’s past and the lead-up to the betrayal, especially the parts that hinted at the war effort and homefront life. The writing flowed well, the pacing was tight, and the action scenes felt like something out of an old-school thriller.

A solid, atmospheric read that may divide readers—but I was definitely along for the ride.

Thank you to Riley Sager, Hachette Australia & New Zealand, and Netgalley for the ARC of With A Vengeance!