I love Riley sager books, each one has twists like no other and usually another aspect. This is a very murder on the orient express type whodunit which was good but I feel I expected a little more?

3.75 stars
Having read every single one of Riley Sager’s books, I would definitely class myself as a bit of a super fan.
And while there have been a few that I didn’t love as much as the others over the years, I’ve always enjoyed the spin that they put on the thriller or horror genre and the way that they were executed.
Yet, sadly this is probably my least favourite of his books so far.
First and foremost, I didn’t care about any of the characters in this, meaning it didn’t really affect me in any way when they were ultimately killed.
Understandably the six guilty parties were all unlikeable, but I didn’t connect with any of them at all. And because of this, there wasn’t any jeopardy for me.
Even Anna, while I understood her need and quest for justice, the whole plan didn’t make much sense to me as who is really going to sit quietly for all those hours and wait to be turned over to the FBI upon arrival in Chicago.
The final twist (and subsequent reveal) didn’t really go anywhere either.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Cluedo meets Murder on the Orient Express in this slow-burn, locked room murder mystery with an army of shady and unreliable characters. Who do you trust when no one can be trusted?

It’s 1954, and the Philadelphia Phoenix is making a non-stop journey to Chicago, but this isn’t any old trip. Anna Matheson has gathered six people from her past on this train, the six people she holds responsible for destroying her family, and tonight, she’s delivering them to justice. If they all make it there alive…..

This one kept me on my toes! I enjoyed Sager’s deviation from the usual paranormal theme of his books, and this felt like a real commemoration of the classic “whodunnit”. So whilst this wasn’t exactly a fresh and overtly original take, it was nostalgic, as well as being deliciously twisty and ominous.

Thank you so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy!

I loved the premise of With a Vengeance but unfortunately due to a formatting issue I am unable to read the novel. If the publishers are able to correct the issue I’d love to have the opportunity to read this,

One train. No stops. A deadly game of survival and revenge.
In 1942, six people destroyed Anna Matheson's family, now twelve years later, she is ready for revenge.
This is how a group of people find themselves on a train bound for Chicago. She confronts them with their wrongdoings and they will then be delivered to the authorities and justice. But her plan is derailed after a passenger is murdered and there is a killer on the train.

I did not read the synopsis of this one before requesting it, so I must admit I was surprised to find myself in a historical fiction, albeit still a murder mystery. This is not a genre I usually enjoy but the author made it suspenseful, in his usual style and there were plenty of surprises along the way. Another enjoyable one.

That was unoriginal, frustrating, long-winded and just ridiculous. I can't remember the last time I rolled my eyes as much whilst reading a book. Definitely not a Riley Sager classic.

Riley sager is such a hit or miss author for me but this one was a huge knockout of the park!

One of the best locked room mysteries I’ve read in a long time with twists and turns that just kept coming! I was questioning everyone and in the end didn’t see it coming!

Loved loved loved and can’t recommend enough

Think Agatha Christie's murder on the orient express but with more bodies racking up. Actually, think Murder on the Orient Express combined with And then there were none. Two of my favourite classic crime novels. Anna's family was destroyed by 6 people. 6 people she's tricked into getting onto a train that began the whole thing, and that is delivering them straight to the doorstep of the FBI, where she's got the evidence to put them behind bars. But things start going wrong when bodies start piling up, old flames seemingly become reignited, and guns seem to appear abroad the train. Anna wanted revenge but not quite like this..

I really enjoyed this, having not enjoyed Riley's last one I was skeptical about this but this seems to be back to Riley's usual page turning brilliant standards.

Great writing style with entertaining twists. Definitely different than the Riley Sager novels that I’m used to. Fast paced and easy to follow. Not sure why it had so many typing errors unless that’s done deliberately. If your fan of historic mystery, twists, love triangles you’ll love this one.

I was looking forward to this book because I love Riley Sager and I adore this type of setting/situation in thriller books, but unfortunately I was quite underwhelmed by it. Maybe I have read too many novels with a similar premise, because it didn't stand out in any way. for me 

The cast of characters was all right. I quite liked the main character, Anna, and I sympathized with her, and Seamus was also quite interesting. The others weren't anything special. I liked how we slowly discovered how each character was responsible for what happened to Anna's family and why they did it, but none of them was particularly noteworthy.
There was also a bit of romance and even a love triangle which I really didn't care for. Luckily it was a minor subplot, but it was completely unnecessary for me.

As for the mystery, the plot was definitely fast paced and it made for a quick and easy read. There were quite a lot of twists and turns, but none of them was particularly impressive, and instead they felt a little too much, especially a couple of them. Also, you definitely need to suspend your disbelief several times while reading this book, and, while it usually doesn't bother me, here it was definitely a bit much.

All in all, I didn't dislike it but it was just okay for me, and definitely not memorable.

Dnf on chapter 9 at 18%

I’ve noticed a pattern in the past when it comes to Riley Sager books. If I dislike one then his following book ends up being enjoyable. Unfortunately, that’s not the case this time.

I’ll start with the positive. The premise gives And Then There Were None vibes.

I found the talks about the mechanics of the train boring and the typing errors were off putting.

An enjoyable locked room mystery written in the style of a period Agatha Christie. This was my first book by Riley Sager and although it seems to be very different from their others, I would read more by them

Riley Sager leans fully into the mystery genre for this locked room murder mystery about a group of passengers trapped on an overnight express train in the 1950s who are being picked off one-by-one.
With an array of suspects - all with their own motive for the crime - it's a bold departure from Sager's usual horror edged thrillers but a novel that will appeal to fans of Agatha Christie.

Much anticipated arc of Riley Sager ‘With a Vengeance’ thanks to NetGalley and no disappointment’s in this read. Having read all of Riley’s previous books I knew the kind of thing to expect but this one was a different style from the usual horror thriller. I love the Agatha Christie style of writing that comes from this book it was a nice change.
This book had me gripped from the very start what’s not to love about a train journey with people being questioned to find who destroyed Anna’s family and then a murder! As the accused are the only passengers on the journey it leaves a small number to work out whodunnit!
Great style of writing and great depth to the characters I really loved style of writing taking me back to the Christie era.
Don’t expect your usual Riley but you will still walk away shocked and surprised !

Nothing could go wrong when Anna invites the people she believes killed her family and wronged her father to join her on a train voyage to Chicago, right? When visitors begin to pass away, it becomes a locked room mystery on wheels. Is there another passenger on the train? Can any of these individuals commit murder? When they finally make it to Chicago, what will happen? An exciting journey that I was unable to put down. A really exciting fast paced thriller.

With a Vengeance by Riley Sager delivers a suspenseful, locked-room mystery that pays clear homage to the golden age of crime fiction—think Agatha Christie with a modern edge. Set aboard a train, this whodunnit sets the stage for a tense and atmospheric ride where no one is above suspicion, and everyone has something to hide.

What really worked for me was the setup: a classic confined-space mystery with just the right number of characters to keep things intriguing but not overwhelming. Sager does a solid job of giving each character their own motives and quirks, adding layers to the puzzle without bogging it down.

That said, the pacing in the latter half of the book starts to lose steam. What begins as a gripping, page-turning ride becomes a bit repetitive as the story unfolds. The suspense starts to stretch thin, and some plot points feel like they're circling the same tracks, which dulled the impact of the final twist for me.

Still, if you're a fan of Christie-style mysteries with a modern twist, this one’s worth checking out. It's not perfect, but it hits some nostalgic notes in a fresh setting that mystery lovers will appreciate.

Anna invites six individuals to board a night train from Philadelphia to Chicago. She ensures they are the only passengers in one of the carriages and intends to force confessions from each person for destroying her family. But then one gets murdered, and, before she can return to her plan, Anna has to put aside her hatred of the others to find the killer.
This was quite different from the horror/ psychological thriller titles by Riley Sager that I've read. As befits its 1950s locked room setting (the sleeper carriage), the novel is written in the narrative style of a golden age mystery and it's ideal for fans of the genre.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.

On publication, I will post my review on my blog and GoodReads.

#WithAVengeance #NetGalley
Riley Sager’s With a Vengeance is a razor-sharp, high-stakes thriller that blends classic noir vibes with pulse-pounding suspense—set entirely aboard a luxury train speeding through the night. It’s 1954, and Anna Matheson is a woman on a mission. Twelve years after a group of powerful individuals ruined her family during the war, Anna orchestrates a clever plan to lure them all onto a lavish overnight train from Philadelphia to Chicago. Her aim? Justice—cold, calculated, and legal. But justice quickly turns to chaos when one of the passengers is murdered. Trapped on the train with no way out and a killer on the loose, Anna must shift from architect of revenge to reluctant protector. If she wants to see her plan through—and survive the night—she’ll have to uncover the truth and face the terrifying possibility that she’s not the only one seeking retribution.
What I Like :-
1 Claustrophobic Setting: The confined luxury train becomes a character in itself—isolated, elegant, and terrifyingly perfect for murder.
2 Twisty, Layered Plot: Sager weaves secrets, betrayals, and shifting motives with expert precision, keeping the reader guessing until the final stop.
3 Complex Protagonist: Anna is fierce, flawed, and driven—her journey from vengeance to survival is both thrilling and emotionally resonant.
Overall, With a Vengeance is Riley Sager at his best: a locked-room mystery on wheels with vengeance, moral ambiguity, and a body count that keeps rising. It’s a stylish, cinematic ride through guilt, justice, and how far someone will go to make things right—or make others pay.
⭐ Rating: 5/5 – A murder mystery that doesn’t let up until the last page. All aboard for a thriller you won’t forget.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder Stoughton for giving me an advance copy.

A murder mystery set on a train in 1950's, very similar to the movie Clue (which is one of my favourite films ever). I wasn't overly impressed with this book throughout, it was a big jumble of too many things and could really have had a lot of aspects cut out of it.

There were also a lot of nonsense things that happen, like why didn't the aunt do something earlier if she had this evidence?
The MC handed in 6 boxes of evidence and expected the FBI to read through it all by the next morning and be there waiting for the train?

I got a bit tired of how many killers there were and too many twists all at once. There is nothing wrong with a twist, but if you do too many you're just going round in a silly little circle.

The FBI agent that was asked last minute to attend the train journey happens to have a family member killed in the original incident and decides to go on a murder spree..?

Showdown on top of the train in a blizzard? And probably a very long dress, going off the time period.

Jealousy is seriously the reason behind this? Killing her dad or framing him of something is one thing, but killing an entire train of innocent people- men going to war for your own country? What?? Also seems like a lot of work for one man? Surely something much simpler could have been arranged? Instead of having an entire train built to fail, having it filled with new army recruits and paying off tons of people to help.

All in all I was disappointed but it wasn't a bad book, I just expect more.

With many thanks to Netgalley for this free arc and I am leaving this unbiased review voluntarily
This is only my third book by Riley Sager - one was a five star read the other a DNF so I was interested to see where this one would fall. Well I thoroughly enjoyed this one! With more than a nod to the great Agatha Christie, Riley Sager serves up a delicious ‘locked room’ mystery. The characters are interesting, not all of them likeable, the story is fast paced and the plot keeps you guessing. It’s full of twists and red herrings some predictable others leaving you in awe. What I really loved about this book was the atmosphere - the author did make you feel you were in the 1950’s on board a train with the snow storm adding a chilly feel. Ok so it’s slightly over the top with the train roof scenes near the end but given that the rest of the book is utterly riveting it becomes a minor quibble! Riley Sager is an author that is starting to intrigue me. 4.5 ⭐️