Do not turn off your phone. Do not get off the train. I know who you really are. Fired and walked out by security on his first day at his new job in New York City, Ben Cross thought his day couldn't get worse. But he couldn't be more wrong. Getting on the 1 train headed uptown, Ben starts receiving text messages from an anonymous killer, showing that they've already killed someone, then pointedly killing another as they got off the train to prove they aren't bluffing and to ensure Ben follows orders. But Ben wasn't picked at random he has a history that no one is supposed to know! Wow! This book went a totally different way than I thought it was going! And I loved it! It had great suspense, murder, mystery, fantastic crazy characters, intriguing, action, and a few jaw dropping moments! The storyline was very interesting! I highly recommend reading this book! It was well worth reading! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

I really enjoyed this as a concept and thought it worked well as a thriller novel, it was a strong concept and enjoyed the idea of a anonymous killer in this. I was engaged from start to finish and enjoyed the feel of this. It had that tension and engagement that I was looking for and enjoyed how everything flowed together well. Andrew Reid has a strong writing style and was glad it had that feel that I was looking for from the description.

“Do not turn off your phone. Do not get off the train.”

With that chilling directive, Andrew Reid launches readers into a breakneck, claustrophobic thriller that rarely comes up for air. The Survivor grabs you in the opening chapter and keeps a white-knuckle grip on your attention through every stop on the 1 train.

Ben Cross is having the worst first day imaginable: fired, humiliated, and then stalked by a killer who knows far too much about him—specifically, the parts of his past he’s buried. As the train speeds uptown, so does the tension. The killer proves they’re not bluffing, turning commuters into pawns and corpses to keep Ben in check. What follows is a tense, twisting ride as Ben is forced to confront both a deadly present and a dark, violent past.

Reid crafts this high-concept thriller with a cinematic pulse. The action is relentless, yet there are just enough well-timed pauses for character insight and emotional depth. Ben isn’t just a man on the run—he’s a man weighed down by guilt, regret, and survival instincts he hoped he’d never need again.

If you enjoy thrillers that unfold in real time, with a propulsive plot and a flawed but compelling lead, The Survivor will be right up your alley. It’s part Phone Booth, part Speed, and all adrenaline.

Final verdict: Fast-paced, brutal, and impossible to put down. Just don’t get off the train.

I would recommend this book. Overall, it was fine reading and getting to know Ben. At a point, I felt myself struggling to finish.

The Survivor is a relentless thriller that transforms a simple subway ride into a nightmare of psychological terror. Ben Cross's story grabbed me from the opening scene—fired from his new job and escorted out by security, only to board the 1 train uptown and receive chilling text messages from an anonymous killer who knows his darkest secrets.

The premise is simple yet terrifying: an ordinary man trapped on a moving train, forced to follow a killer's commands while innocent lives hang in the balance. Reid demonstrates the killer's deadly seriousness early on, creating an atmosphere of dread that permeates every page. The revelation that Ben wasn't chosen randomly adds compelling depth to what could have been a straightforward cat-and-mouse thriller.

Reid masterfully maintains breakneck pacing throughout the narrative, creating a genuine page-turner. Both Ben and Kelly, the cop investigating the case, are perfectly crafted as damaged characters needing redemption, their broken backgrounds adding emotional weight to the high-stakes action.

While the novel's rapid-fire pace occasionally glosses over some plot inconsistencies that might not withstand closer scrutiny, the sheer momentum and expertly crafted suspense more than compensate for these minor issues. Reid has created a thriller that delivers the kind of heart-pounding experience that makes subway commutes feel suddenly more ominous.

A big thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

"𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩'𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭, 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭?"

Ben Cross is having the worst day of his life. He's fired his first day on the job and marched out of the office by security, but he has no idea how much worse it's about to get. After getting his claustrophobia in check and finding a seat on a NYC subway, he starts getting text messages from an unknown number--but it's pretty clear whoever is on the other end knows a lot about Ben.

The messages start with little taunts, and then a disturbing image. Ben shakes it off, but the sender is persistent, and the situation escalates into random riders on the subway being killed unless Ben intervenes. The plot then shifts to vocal, strong-willed NYPD detective Kelly Hendricks, who is assigned to the transit police as a punishment. Her investigation is hampered by city officials who believe nothing should impede the flow of mass transit.

Ben knows that whoever is behind the carnage is punishing him, but the reader initially has no idea why. Despite a few pacing issues, this one held my attention and kept me captivated until the end. Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this early read. Look for it March 24, 2026.

The Survivor by Andrew Reid

This book packs a punch and then some. Be prepared for carnage, nobody is safe and it's hard to know if we should feel sorry for Ben Cross or not. He seems like an okay guy but he knows a lot more than we do and he doesn't think he's good at all. He has a past, he did something as a kid and it'll affect his life forever. Do I trust him or not? I'm not cool with the voice in his head, that voice is not nice, so I know I'd stay away from Ben in real life if I knew he came with a creepy inner voice.

My favorite character is NYPD detective, Kelly Hendricks. She was on an upward career path but up has turned to down due to Kelly's reaction to standing up for herself. Now she has been assigned to the transit police, working the subway, until higher ups can get rid of her completely. I liked being in her head, she's funny, she knows the score, and she is a brave. smart woman.

Ben is having a very bad day and now he's on the subway with no where to go, nothing to do, when he gets very threatening texts. Ben's secret is out, the secret that haunts him and now people are going to die unless he does as told. Ben knows whoever is behind this wants HIM and will stop at nothing. When there is the first explosion, Kelly is on the job, and eventually we have Kelly and Ben in the same place. Kelly knows she is working with someone who might not be level headed on a good day and now she has crazy person on the loose and also right beside her in the form of Ben.

Driving the "make things worse" bus is the expectation of city higher ups that nothing should slow down the flow of traffic. Sure, get a body off the tracks if necessary but otherwise, keep the traffic flow going no matter what. And then there are more devious matters at play, more dead can work into the hands of people above Kelly, bodies make mess ups and decisions easier to explain. So many things are working against a better for humans resolution when not everyone cares at all about what happens to everyday citizens.

Thank you St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books and NetGalley for this ARC.

Welcome to the 1 train, You’re one text away from dying.

From the first page, The Survivor grabs you by the collar and does not let go. Ben Cross is having the worst first day on record as he was fired before lunch. But then he is pulled into a deadly game where getting off the train means someone else dies. Literally. Each stop is a test. Each message is a threat. And the worst part? He’s not a random target. Someone knows exactly what he did before New York. And they want revenge.

Andrew Reid’s The Survivor is a high-speed thriller that plays out like the movie Speed, but set deep in the claustrophobic tunnels of the NYC subway. Twisty, fast paced and emotional!

If you're into propulsive stories with big stakes, blockbuster-style thrills and a killer who always seems one step ahead, this is your new obsession.


#stmartinspress #andrewreid

Ben gets fired on his first day at his new job in New York City. He's cagey about getting onto the subway and when he finally does, he should have trusted his gut. After the first few chapters of Ben not wanting to get on the train this is a super fast paced locked room pulse pounding thriller until the last 15% where it kinda fell off the rails for me. Overall a good book, the end just lost me.

If you want excitement and non-stop action, this is the book for you. The thrills begin as soon as a young man (the son of an imprisoned serial killer) boards a subway in New York City after being fired from his job after only working for one week. Although it may strain the imagination that this could actually occur, the story is astonishing through to the somewhat surprising conclusion. I am unsure as to whether I will ever get on a subway again after reading this outstanding novel. I thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this novel prior to publication and look forward to the author’s next book.

The Survivor

Andrew Reid

3/24/2026

Minotaur Books


Told in alternating points of view, the story moves between Ben Cross—an anxious, seemingly unremarkable young man harboring lethal secrets from his past—and NYPD Transit Detective Kelly Hendricks, who is just as determined and dangerous in her pursuit of justice.


The Survivor by Andrew Reid is a white-knuckle thriller that grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go. Set almost entirely on a hijacked New York City subway train, the novel creates an atmosphere of claustrophobic tension that feels both cinematic and immediate. With each new car, the stakes rise, the body count climbs, and Ben Cross is pushed to his limits—not just physically, but emotionally. Reid’s ability to balance breathless action with psychological depth keeps the reader on edge, questioning not just who’s behind the terror, but how far one man will go to survive.

No matter how much time passes, the past doesn’t stay buried—it waits. And when it rises, it does so piece by piece like the delicate clicks of tumblers turning in a lock. A flash of memory here, a whispered lie there—each revelation falling into place with precision. Until, finally, with a deep metallic clunk, the last secret is exposed, and everything once hidden swings wide open.


This is a lean all the way in and hold the hell on kind of book.

This is a very entertaining thriller!

I'm happy to say that the author surprised me time and again - and managed to break my heart in the process.

The plot is unique and kept me riveted.

There are a few logic issues, but not enough to keep me from rushing through this adrenaline filled read!

This one could (and probably should) be a film as well!

A good read!

* ARC via Publisher

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review-
A horrible childhood son of. Serial killer who hoped to raise him to carry on his work. But Ben has moved on with the help of a therapist.
New York he finds himself fired first day on the job- wondering why? He begins getting text messages telling him to get on the train- people being killed randomly- what is going on?
Kelly, NYPD is put on punishment duty and finds herself on the train with Ben. Can they outwit the text messenger? What does she want with Ben?

"The Survivor" by Andrew Reid is an explosive thriller that will keep readers gripped to the last page. Told in third-person POV, the story alternates between timelines and protagonists, weaving together a pulse-pounding narrative full of twists and rising suspense.

Ben Cross suffers from acute claustrophobia due to a traumatic past. Fired on his first day at a new job in New York City, he boards the subway—only to start receiving text messages from an anonymous killer warning him not to turn off his phone or get off the train. Otherwise, people will die. There’s already one victim, and the body count is rising.

Meanwhile, NYPD detective Kelly Hendricks—assigned to the transit police as a punishment—tries to figure out what’s really going on. Is Ben the victim or the perpetrator? The plot thickens when the train is hijacked and the demands escalate. As the story unfolds, we discover the reasons behind it all, along with the protagonists.

I enjoyed the book and was immediately pulled into the story. This is one subway ride you won’t forget! The action keeps you riveted, and the twists keep you guessing. I love a good twisty thriller where the reader is left in the dark just as much as the characters, and we get to piece together the puzzle right alongside them.

The book started off a bit slow, but once the action begins, it doesn’t stop. The pacing is like a train ride—there are brief stops along the way, but once it picks up speed, it doesn’t let up. Some passages require a suspension of disbelief, and I did think Ben could have avoided all the hassle with one simple act, but you need to understand his psyche to understand his choices.

Overall, it’s a well-crafted and engaging thriller that builds the right atmosphere to carry off the tale. My opinion of Ben changed frequently, and I didn’t guess the identity of the killer—which genuinely surprised me. If you like your characters flawed yet understandable, realistic yet fascinating, you’ll love this. If you like a book to surprise you, you’ll love this. And most of all, if you enjoy a frantic roller coaster of a novel—then you’ll absolutely love this.
* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.

This is the first time I've read anything from this author. The book is pretty solid.

I was immediately drawn into the storyline. It was that good. I will say there were a few times I felt the book had some pacing issues, but that didn't stop me from continuing.

The characters were interesting to know. The antagonist was a surprise as well.

This book reminds me of a hybrid film between PHONEBOOTH and SPEED with a sprinkle of a few surprises.

Andrew Reid is one of those authors to watch out for. I would recommend this book to all my friends and family members.

Great book.

My rating: 4 stars!