With a Vengeance
Table of Contents
With a Vengeance
With a Vengeance is the latest novel from bestselling author Riley Sager to be checked off my to be read list. It makes for the third book from him that I’ve read. Ever since I read The Last Time I Lied, I’ve been slightly obsessed with his writing, and he became an author that I automatically buy when a new one is released.
It is my goal to read all of the novels that he’s published within the next year. Needless to say, I was excited when I realized that he had set a date for With a Vengeance to be published.
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Riley Sager’s thrillers are the kind that keep me on the edge of my seat, demanding that I read straight through and am upset when I have to do normal life things instead of reading. Which is exactly what I want. He’s set a pretty high standard for me, as I often compare other novels in the thriller genre to my reaction to his.
Have you read With a Vengeance? Come on in and let me tell you about it!
About With a Vengeance
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.
Under false pretenses, Anna has lured those responsible for her family’s downfall onto a luxury train from Philadelphia to Chicago, an overnight journey of thirteen hours. Her goal? Confront the people who’ve wronged her, get them to confess their crimes, and deliver them into the hands of authorities waiting at the end of the line. Justice will at last be served.
But Anna’s plan is quickly derailed by the murder of one of the passengers. As the train barrels through the night, it becomes clear that someone else on board is enacting their own form of revenge—and that they won’t stop until everyone else is dead.
With time running out before the train reaches its destination, Anna is forced to hunt the killer in their midst while protecting the people she hates the most. In order to destroy her enemies, she must first save them—even though it means putting her own life at risk.
Thoughts on With a Vengeance
“Revenge is fleeting. Vengeance lasts a lifetime.”
Riley Sager, With a Vengeance
With a Vengeance has a very Murder on the Orient Express vibe to it, and I love that. There are a few movies that you can watch to go with this book. I also must admit that I enjoy train rides, so this book spoke to me. Now I’m wondering if there will be some mystery wrapped up the next time I’m on a train. The atmosphere built in this novel with the snowfall and inescapable train ride had me there for all of it.
I listened to this via audiobook because I really wanted to crochet while reading, and audiobooks are perfect for that. I love when I can keep my hands busy, somehow it settles me and I can relax.
My husband listened to part of this with me and really enjoyed it as well. It isn’t the typical edge of your seat thriller that Riley Sager is known for. This is much more of a slow burn, and I found that I loved that. As each person was murdered, I had to wonder if it would become tedious, and how many people would end up dying by the end. Would it be one of those books that was stretched out too far, just to make a full novel? But that wasn’t the case.
It isn’t typical Riley Sager writing, yet it is still very much him at the same time. I had no idea who the killer was until the very end when it was revealed. Every time I thought I knew the answer, I was wrong. This is one of my favorite parts about Sager’s writing. It isn’t predictable, and I have nothing but respect for how he manages to make that happen in each and every one of his novels that I’ve read.
Normally I would say that there are too many characters to keep track of, but Sager did an excellent job of creating memorable characters with interesting backstories. They were not hard to keep track of at all. This was both surprising and pleasing to me. I was definitely impressed with the number of characters being easy to keep track of and memorable at the same time.
What really surprised me is I felt bad for some of the characters and their backstories. Despite doing horrible things and ruining lives, they were somewhat likeable characters, not being all good or bad. I found myself a bit sad when the German housekeeper was murdered, for example. Because she really did care about Anna and her brother.
I’m also thrilled about the way Sager wrote his character Anna. She wasn’t the “damsel in distress” over everything that has happened to her. The victim card was never played by her. She is a sharp, strong, and layered woman. Relentless, and driven by grief, but guided by intelligence. Sager gave weight to her pain and grief without slowing the plot down for a second.
I’m always amazed when an author can keep my attention through the entire story, and I’m driven to find out how it ends, and Riley Sager always does that to me. I find myself upset that I have to do normal adult things like making a meal or sleeping, when I just want to binge the entire story and see what happens instead.
Final Thoughts on With a Vengeance
“”Now that, my darling, is how you dress for revenge.”
Riley Sager, With a Vengeance
I’m calling With a Vengeance a five star read. Sure, it was different from most of Riley Sager’s other novels, but that doesn’t mean it was bad. It was still an excellent read that kept me wanting to read more.
I went to check out other reviews after reading this book, and it has some really mixed reviews. I was actually shocked at how low the reviews were for this book. I have no idea how people did not enjoy it the same way I did. I had to wonder, did we even read the same book?
I am so glad that I gave With a Vengeance a read, as it turned out to be amazing. Reviews of books are such an interesting thing, and it is so subjective. I have been reading darker romance novels lately, and about halfway through one of them, I can’t begin to understand how people are raving about this specific book. Sometimes ignoring the reviews is the best thing to do, and give books a try either way. If I had listened to the reviews for this book, I’d be missing out on something great.
The big question now is, which Riley Sager novel should I read next? I have six to choose from, before I reach my goal of reading everything that he has written so far. I’m also hoping that he’s already in the middle of writing his next masterpiece because I want to see him write all the books he can.
Discussion
Have you read With a Vengeance or any other writing from bestselling author Riley Sager? Are you a fan? If you are a fan, which of his books are your favorites? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
About the Author
Riley Sager is the New York Times bestselling author of six novels, most recently Home Before Dark and Survive the Night. His first novel, Final Girls, has been published in 30 countries and won the ITW Thriller Award for Best Hardcover Novel. His latest book, The House Across the Lake, will be published in 2022 by Dutton Books.
A native of Pennsylvania, he now lives in Princeton, New Jersey. When he’s not writing, he enjoys reading, cooking and going to the movies as much as possible. His favorite film is “Rear Window.” Or maybe “Jaws.” But probably, if he’s being honest, “Mary Poppins.”
Purchasing With a Vengeance
- If you are interested in buying the paperback version of With a Vengeance, click here.
- For the hardcover version, click here.
- Click here for the Kindle version.
- Click here for my favorite Kindle I currently own.
More from Riley Sager
Did you enjoy my review of With a Vengeance? Need another great Riley Sager novel? Here are my favorites!
- Final Girls
- The Last Time I Lied
- Lock Every Door
- Home Before Dark
- Survive the Night
- The House Across the Lake
- The Only One Left
- Middle of the Night
- With a Vengeance
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