Loved this book from start to finish.

This was my first Riley Sager read and it did not disappoint.

Anna Matheson lures those responsible for her family’s downfall onto a luxury train for a journey they won't forget, however things aren't quite what they seem.

The plot was very Agatha Christie inspired but with a modern take. Clever storytelling with plenty of twists.

A clever locked-room thriller set on a train with only one destination. A revenge thriller with a great cast of characters.

Secrets, murder and mayhem....perfect 5 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #Hodder&Stoughton for the book #WithAVengeance by #RileySager. Absolutely loved this book with conspiracies, secrets and murder. Anna lost her brother, father and mother in 1942 and six people are responsible. It’s been twenty years since her world fell apart and now she is ready for revenge. She deceives these people into boarding her father’s old train so they can be arrested and her family’s name put to rest. Anna doesn’t want them dead, she wants them imprisoned. But someone else on the train has other ideas and people start dropping like flies. Who is killing them?

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of With a Vengeance by Riley Sager. As a fan of Riley Sager, I was excited to pick up this book. Unfortunately, this book disappointed me. It did not have the same suspense element that all of his other books had. The reason for the train journey being declared at the beginning of the book left for little else to be discovered and it seemed a bit dull and unbelievable going forward. It was trying a little too hard to be Murder on the Orient Express and this irked me a little as I was reading it. Overall, I give this book 3 stars.

This was my first Riley Sager book and unfortunately it just didn’t really work for me.

I normally really enjoy locked room Agatha Christie type mystery thrillers, but this one sadly missed the mark for me. The pacing was very slow, especially in the beginning, so it took me quite a while to get into the book.

Normally I finish thrillers within a day, but I put this book down for days and did not have to urge to continue. I just never really got invested in the story or the characters.

Making Anna an unlikeable main character was a really interesting choice, but the book ultimately suffers because of it. None of the characters are likeable, so you have no one to root for.

I hate to say that I also didn’t quite click with the writing style of this one. This book wasn’t necessarily very bad or anything, I just didn’t connect with it in any way. I have heard people say that Riley Sager is a very hit or miss author, so perhaps I’ll have to try some other work of his some time. This book wasn’t bad really, it just didn’t work for me.


Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited to read this locked-room style murder mystery, set in the ‘50s on a non-stop train to Chicago.

After a slow start, I became intrigued, but as the story went on I found I didn’t like Anna, and just didn’t care enough about her or what she was trying to achieve. Some of the other characters were interesting, and I’d have actually liked to read more about them, especially Edith and Sal.

I just didn’t find the book compelling enough. When I put it down, it was hard to be enthusiastic about picking it back up. When I did, it didn’t keep my interest for long periods, so what should have been a fast-paced read dragged on.

This fell flat for me, and I suspect that in a couple of weeks I won’t remember much about it.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance review copy.

Not the best Riley Sager book. I love a classic Agatha Christie style book but it took a lot to get through this one.

With a Vengeance is a masterfully executed locked-room thriller that keeps readers on edge from start to finish. Riley Sager delivers a tense, atmospheric mystery packed with sharp twists, layered characters, and a creeping sense of paranoia. As secrets unravel and the walls close in, nothing is as it seems. Clever, claustrophobic, and relentlessly suspenseful

This is an OK locked room mystery; with a group of people being invited on an overnight train.....then there is a murder. This was not the plan as Anna, the protagonist, has invited them all on this non stop journey to Chicago, in order that they may be held accountable for what they have done to Anna in the past.

Unfortunately , despite the interesting premise, I really struggled with this book. I found the characters difficult to engage with and the whole premise a tad boring - sorry! Overall though, it's not a bad read and it's an easy, quick one, just disappointing from an author who, in the past, I have been gripped by.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the opportunity to preview

High Tension…
Another high tension, tautly plotted and pacy thriller from this accomplished author. In this race against time, as expected, often unexpected multiple twists and turns litter the carefully constructed locked room plot populated with well drawn characters and a keen sense of place. Dark and unexpected.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Hodder &Stoughton for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
Six people destroyed Anne Matheson’s life, now she wants revenge, she has evidence galore. She invites the six by special cryptic invitation, to a luxury overnight train journey from Philadelphia to Chicago. The story unfolds hour by hour, Her goal is to confront the individuals, to have them admit to their crimes, the FBI will be waiting in Chicago and her fathers name will be cleared,
I was expecting a rollercoaster train journey, however, I did not like any of the characters, I found the story slow, boring and unrealistic. More of a mystery than a thriller.
Iv read other books by this author which I thoroughly enjoyed, this one just didn’t work for me.
2.5 stars

Twelve years ago, six vile people ruined Anna Matheson’s life.

Anna has meticulously planned every last detail of her revenge, has lured them all aboard the Philadelphia Phoenix express train – a thirteen-hour non-stop rail journey from Philly to Chicago on a snowy mid-December night in 1954.

But someone has other plans…

Even though Riley Sager’s previous novels are essentially murder mysteries, and the majority of them are set last century, With a Vengeance utilised a straight-up traditional-style locked room format, lacking the horror and supernatural elements of his other books. As you would expect it paid tribute and shared some plot commonalities with Agatha Christie novels, particularly Murder on the Orient Express (1934), and And Then There Were None (1939). And even though this wasn’t technically a slasher novel, it did share similarities with the movie Terror Train (1983) in that an unknown killer was murdering people trapped on a locomotive who had no means of escape.

Things started off ho-hum, a woman’s elaborate revenge plot to avenge those who destroyed her family when she was too young to do anything about it has been done to death, although respect to the author for coming up with an original concept relevant not only to the time period, but also involving the train they were travelling on, making it fairly engaging. But then came the bait and switch, which had me fully committed, intrigued and guessing. Anna thought she was the one in control, but it quickly became clear that she was as much of a puppet as those she was stuck on the train with, and that someone far more threatening and with deadlier intentions, was pulling the strings.

Everything ran smoothly from my perspective in regard to the Philadelphia Phoenix setting. I loved how we were immediately given the layout of the train as we followed the character who helped design it boarding and walking through the various cars to his first-class room. The fact that this was set in the dead of winter with a snowstorm raging outside, and that the trip itself was an overnight one made the serious situation they were in even more ominous and claustrophobic.

But during the last 30% things took a nosedive with the plot becoming absurd and hard to swallow, and by the end I was feeling ho-hum again. Sadly, there were too many outlandish twists, fake-outs, and over-the-top action scenes for With a Vengeance to be believable. I have a feeling this is intended to be the first in a series too. I’m sorry to say I have no desire to continue. I hope other mystery lovers enjoy the final twists more.

I’d like to thank Netgalley UK, Hodder & Sloughton, and Riley Sager for the e-ARC.

Out now!

P.S: I love this cover!

#Netgalley

I’ve read all nine of Riley Sager’s books; I find them to be hit or miss, there’s no guarantee of what you’re going to get. That said! I will always look forward to a new Sager release. His books remind me of the anticipation I felt growing up before reading a new Point Horror novel and I treasure those particular vibes. With A Vengeance has certainly received some mixed reviews but overall I enjoyed it.

In 1942, six people destroyed Anna Matheson’s family, following the planned deaths of her brother, father, and mother. Anna was taken in by her aunt who made up for a lack of love or care with solid lessons in seeking vengeance. Hence the title.

It’s now 12 years later and Anna has lured those six people onto a non-stop luxury train to Chicago, where she plans to see them arrested by the FBI for their misdeeds.
Unbeknownst to Anna though, someone else on the train wants them all dead and begins to pick them off, one by one.
With this mysterious murderer hell bent on destroying her plans, Anna must now protect the people she hates the most in the world in the hopes of surviving the night on the train herself.

This has some good Agatha Christie vibes but with several more confusing twists than I would have liked. Plenty of red herrings thrown in too. If you think one person is the killer, you’re probably wrong, but a few chapters later you might somehow also be right. Discombobulated? I feel you.
That said, I read it on ebook and it moved along at a decent pace. I can see it working well on the big screen and would be an entertaining watch.

I do love murder mysteries set on trains, and the post WW2 setting worked well. I also really loved Anna as a character; righteous and strong. We love to see it!

Not my favourite of his but I did still enjoy it.

With many thanks @hodderbooks for my early copy. With A Vengeance is available to buy now. All opinions are my own, as always.

I am a huge Riley Sager fan and it feels very strange to be writing this but: this one was not for me.

I love the level of detail you get in a Sager book and I obviously love the Christie vibe BUT I cannot do so many completely impossible, ridiculous twists.

Granted a little bit of suspension of disbelief is needed here but I didn’t expect to have to use so much, so early.

I think this book would appeal to those that aren’t expecting a normal Sager novel or those that have better suspension skills than I.

It took me a little while to find my footing with With a Vengeance. The initial pacing is slower than I expected, and the large cast of characters feels overwhelming at first. However once the prices started falling into place I was hooked. Sager gradually layers the characters backstories and personalities into a rich and intricate tapestry, and I soon found myself tearing through the pages.

Sager’s writing remains as witty, gripping, and compulsively readable. This novel has a very different tone from his previous work, so I’d recommend approaching it with an open mind. I enjoyed the shift in style - it added depth and intrigue, especially with the locked-room mystery vibe that felt very Agatha Christie. There’s also a touch of old-Hollywood suspense, with a feel of North by Northwest and Strangers on a Train.

I particularly loved the character of Annie - principled, courageous, and refreshingly uncompromising. Overall, With a Vengeance is a fun, twisty, atmospheric read.

Thank you Hodder & Stoughton for an ARC of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.

With a Vengeance is one of those stories that reels you in with atmosphere and unease. I loved the isolated setting (classic Sager!) and the growing sense that something was deeply off beneath the surface. The pacing was sharp, the tension ever-present, and the main character’s paranoia was infectious—in the best way. I found myself constantly second-guessing every conversation, every memory, every “friendly” smile.

The twists were solid (a few I guessed, a few surprised me!), and while some plot points leaned toward the dramatic or improbable, I was totally along for the ride. Sager knows how to build suspense and create characters with just enough mystery that you can’t look away.

Why 4 stars instead of 5? A couple moments felt a bit too far-fetched, and I wished for a slightly deeper emotional payoff at the end. But honestly, those are small things compared to how much fun I had reading this. If you enjoy thrillers with unreliable memories, secrets waiting to be unearthed, and just the right dose of psychological mind games, this one’s for you.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC

I've read a few books by this author but I have to admit this wasn't my favourite. Still a fun read though.

With A Vengeance started strong and I was so excited to see Riley Sager's take on a closed-circle murder mystery. It was a little silly and goofy but I still found it fun and gripping. The kind of book you can easily devour in one sitting.

I was expecting this to be a typical 'revenge thriller' but the main character is weak and quickly loses control of the situation. She doesn't know who to trust and can't seem to make her mind up. I can see some people finding her irritating!

Unfortunately, the book started to lose me in the second half. I much prefer it when Riley Sager focuses on one or two twists executed well, rather than so many twists I start to get whiplash.

It was still worth reading but overall I found it underwhelming. Not my favourite Riley Sager book but also not my least favourite.

I chose to read a free eARC of With a Vengeance but that has in no way influenced my review.

A new Riley Sager novel is a very exciting thing indeed! I'm a huge fan of this author, having read everything he's published since the superb Final Girls back in 2017. A number of his books have featured on my 'top books of the year' lists over the years and I always, ALWAYS look forward to each and every new book.

I feel Sager is an author who likes to surprise his readers, occasionally doing something a little different, a little unexpected to keep us on our toes. I can't help but feel that is the case with With a Vengeance. It's 1954 and Anna Matheson is finally ready to wreak her revenge. Twelve years earlier six people who worked for her father set out on a course to destroy him. In order to do that, they caused a horrific train crash which killed many young men on their way to fight in WWII, including Anna's brother. As owner of the train company Anna's father was arrested and sent to prison where he later died. The shock, shame and heartbreak were too much for Anna's mother who took her own life, leaving her alone. Having gathered all the evidence she needs, Anna has anonymously invited the six people she blames for her family's demise aboard a non-stop train from Philadelphia to Chicago, where the FBI will be waiting to arrest them on arrival. But as with all best-laid plans, things go awry early on in the journey when one of the passengers is murdered. This was never Anna's plan. As the tension mounts and the threatening storm makes itself known, Anna needs to find the killer on the train before the killer finds her...

With a Vengeance is an intriguing, historical revenge thriller with plenty of twists and turns along the way to keep the reader turning the pages. None of the characters are particularly likeable but that's never a problem for me. The more unpleasant, the harder to like, the more interested I tend to be. I did enjoy the story and thought the tension built beautifully. I love how this author builds suspense for his readers and that is definitely present here. However, I had a small issue with the set-up, by which I mean Anna's plan. Normally, I'm all for an inventive, unusual basis for a story, something a little bonkers is absolutely fine in my book. But this seemed a little too far-fetched, to the point where I didn't completely invest in the idea.

Anna has support in carrying out her plan in the form of Seamus. Seamus has been recruited by Anna to keep the passengers in line, be generally threatening and act as an extra pair of hands. He's also out to get revenge of his own on those present. But shortly after their big plan is revealed one of the guests suddenly dies, throwing every one of Anna's intricate details up into the air. Trapped on a train with a killer is not a place any sane person wants to be. And with the building snowstorm outside, there is every chance the train won't even make it to Chicago!

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. Despite not being fully invested in the overall idea I did enjoy With a Vengeance. I think my small quibble won't be an issue for others. It's a bit of an homage to Agatha Christie (seems a lot of fiction is though) and there were certain aspects of the story that made me think of certain murders in Christie's books. That I very much enjoyed. The big reveal didn't come as the biggest surprise, but I think when you read as much crime fiction/as many thrillers I tend to do, that just seems to be the 'norm' no matter the standard of writing. All in All, With a Vengeance is a good solid revenge thriller. I enjoyed the building tension, the unlikeable characters and the locked-room mystery. The story moves at an engaging pace with plenty always happening to keep the reader immersed in the pages. I think it's fair to say this wasn't my favourite Riley Sager novel, but I did enjoy the time I spent with it and I look forward to reading more from the author in the not-too-distant future. Recommended.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of With a Vengeance. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

First of all, the book wasn't right, there were missing part of some random words and other were filled with symbols such as &$. So it's been hard to read it, but also it's quite slow and things didn't get interesting until almost the end. It's not a bad book, but I'm used to other pace. The plot was good and the characters well written, there's some plot twists although not a big surprise.

Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for the arc!

🌟🌟✨️/5

This is my first Riley Sager novel, so I don't know how good it is as compared to his other works, but I feel that this story, with its requirement of suspension of disbelief, unrealistic plot points and twists, would've worked better as a film where plot holes are better overlooked. I guess what I liked about the book was the atmosphere (I love the claustrophobic feel of locked room mysteries) but overall it was a disappointment.

I feel that the novel's biggest problem is that it focuses wayyy to much on the flashbacks and the story told in the present day has a lot less plot. The book initially introduces the characters amd their wrongdoings in an unnecessarily long way. These events are then recalled again and again and again. Anna's plan felt quite ridiculous right from the beginning. If she knew the lengths to which these people had gone in the past, she should've suspected that something could go awry on the train ride. The plot devices were often unoriginal and nothing that hasn't been used frequently before. Anna, the protagonist, was a surprisingly one dimensional character. I don't think I ever truly understood who she was as a person. I'm not sure if it's because of a whole lot of other POVs or something else.

Each chapter would end in a way that I thought a big reveal was coming in the next (it did not, of course), so by the time the actual twists were revealed, I was half asleep. The chapter endings felt very forced...it was clear that the author WANTED the reader to feel shocked but ultimately came off as lame in a 'tell-don't-show' way. After every death, there would be a whole lot of pointing fingers which, after some time, made the characters feel like bickering children. Honestly, I might have liked it more if everyone on the train had died. The ending was a bit at odds with the tone the rest of the book had set.

I was a bit apprehensive about this because of the falling Goodreads rating and although I kept an open mind while reading, I too ended up not being thrilled by this. I have heard that With a Vengeance is quite different from Sager's other books, so I might give him another chance in the future.