Synopsis
It’s 1954. The dust of war has settled, but a fire still rages inside Anna Matheson, and only revenge can cool it. After a year of plotting with her confidant Seamus Callahan, Anna lures six unsuspecting guests onto the overnight Philadelphia Phoenix bound for Chicago. Each passenger helped destroy her family—her brother’s death, her father’s wrongful imprisonment and murder, her mother’s suicide—and Anna intends to make them pay. But thirteen hours is a long ride, and when one of the six winds up dead, Anna suddenly has a brand‑new problem: murder was never on her ticket.
Character Summary
Anna Matheson – daughter of disgraced rail tycoon Arthur Matheson, framed for a crash that killed 37—including her brother.
Seamus Callahan – loyal friend; his older brother Sean died in that same crash.
The Guests –
- Lt. Col. Jack Lapsford, who awarded the rail contracts
- Judd Dodge, the locomotive’s engineer
- Herb Pulaski, the factory foreman who built the engines
- Sally Lawrence, Arthur’s former secretary
- Edith Gerhardt, the Matheson nanny who fled Munich in ’36
- Dante Wentworth, son of Union Atlantic’s arch‑rival—and once Anna’s lover
Reggie Davis – a hapless stowaway who boards the wrong train and lands in a real‑life Clue game.
My Thoughts
From the very first chapter, it’s pretty clear where this story is headed, and honestly, I think that’s by design. Riley Sager doesn’t hide the setup—he lays the tracks right in front of you (pun intended), so the suspense becomes less about what’s going to happen and more about how and who. It’s giving classic Clue vibes: you know there’s going to be blood on the tracks, but you’re left wondering who’s holding the metaphorical candlestick in the library.
The setup is ambitious: a revenge-fueled woman, a train full of carefully selected enemies, and a ticking clock in the form of a 13-hour ride. With so many characters and layers of past betrayals, it’s a lot to juggle—but Sager makes it work for the most part. The shifting perspectives, backstories, and betrayals are dense, yet still digestible. It’s easy to lose track of a few minor details, but the overall plot keeps you engaged.
That said, I didn’t find myself emotionally connected to many of the characters—even Anna. I wanted to root for her, but she often felt self-righteous and a bit insufferable, even in her grief. For someone who spent a year planning this masterclass in revenge, she didn’t seem to think through the most basic human instinct: survival. Did she really not consider the possibility of a mutiny once everyone realized they’d been lured into a trap? Some of her decisions felt naïve or convenient, and while I love a dramatic setup, I want it to be grounded in some version of reality. That snowy, outdoor confrontation (you’ll know it when you get there)? Absolutely not. My suspension of disbelief fully snapped there—it felt cinematic but completely implausible.
Still, Sager’s writing is reliably sharp and fast-paced. There’s something about the way he builds a scene that keeps you flipping pages, even when you see the ending coming. And while I didn’t peg the killer, I definitely clocked the setup—those foreshadowing breadcrumbs were not as subtle as he probably thought. (Yes, I noted the vinegar, baking soda, and food coloring. Yes, I was right.)
Final Verdict
My favorite Riley Sager of the year. If you’ve got a 13‑hour train ride ahead—or just wish you did—grab this one and let the whistle blow.
whitneydaniell 
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