Invitation to Vengeance

In 1954, Anna Matheson invites six people onto the luxurious but faded Philadelphia Phoenix train for an overnight journey from Philadelphia to Chicago. Each guest receives a cryptic, personalized note referencing their darkest secrets. The train, once the pride of Anna's family, is now nearly empty—except for Anna, her loyal accomplice Seamus, and the six invitees. Anna's true motive: vengeance for the destruction of her family, orchestrated by these very people.

The Phoenix Departs

As the train leaves the station, Anna steels herself for the confrontation ahead. The guests—ranging from a disgraced engineer to a haunted secretary—quickly realize they've been lured under false pretenses. Anna's family history with the train and her father's tragic downfall set the emotional stakes. The train's isolation, enforced by Anna's bribes to the crew, ensures no one can escape or call for help.

Ghosts of the Past

Each guest is forced to confront their connection to Anna's family and the infamous train explosion that killed her brother and dozens of soldiers. Anna's memories of her lost family, especially her brother Tommy, haunt her as she prepares to reveal the truth. The guests' own guilt, shame, and motivations—greed, blackmail, patriotism, and survival—bubble to the surface, setting the stage for a night of reckoning.

The Gathering Storm

Anna gathers the guests in the lounge and accuses them of conspiring to frame her father for sabotage and murder. She presents evidence of their roles: forged documents, false testimony, and deliberate engineering failures. The guests react with denial, anger, and fear. Outside, a snowstorm intensifies, mirroring the chaos within. Anna's plan is clear: the train will not stop until Chicago, where the FBI awaits with warrants.

Anna's Accusation

Anna details the conspiracy: Jack Lapsford's military collusion, Judd Dodge's engineered sabotage, Herb Pulaski's complicity, Sally Lawrence's forged paperwork, and Edith Gerhardt's planted evidence. She exposes Kenneth Wentworth, her father's rival, as the mastermind. The guests turn on each other, desperate to deflect blame. Anna's speech is both cathartic and exhausting, leaving her emotionally spent but resolute.

Poison in the Glass

In an attempt to calm nerves, Dante—Kenneth Wentworth's son and Anna's former lover—mixes martinis for the group. Moments later, Judd Dodge collapses and dies, foaming at the mouth. Panic erupts. Anna quickly deduces Judd was poisoned, but the method and culprit are unclear. The guests accuse each other, and Anna orders a search for the murder weapon and any hidden poisons.

The First Corpse

Judd's death throws Anna's carefully orchestrated scheme into chaos. The guests are searched, but no poison is found. Anna realizes the killer is among them—or perhaps someone else is hiding on the train. The group's unity dissolves into suspicion and fear. Anna's sense of control slips as she confronts the possibility that vengeance may come at the cost of justice.

The Uninvited Guest

A nervous man named Reggie Davis appears, claiming to have boarded the wrong train. Anna is suspicious but allows him to stay, not wanting him to become another victim. Reggie's presence adds a new layer of uncertainty. He observes the group, quietly gathering information, and soon reveals himself to be an undercover FBI agent sent to ensure the conspirators reach Chicago alive.

The Search for the Killer

As the train barrels through the blizzard, Anna and Seamus attempt to keep order. The guests barricade themselves in their rooms, but paranoia reigns. Herb Pulaski, convinced he's next, attacks Anna in a panic. Anna subdues him, but soon after, Herb is found dead—his throat slit, the room locked from the inside, and Anna's father's pin left at the scene. The killer is framing Anna.

Confessions and Confrontations

Anna interrogates the survivors, extracting confessions: Sal's blackmail and shame, Edith's loyalty to Germany, Lapsford's greed and fear. Seamus's own trauma and illness come to light. Anna realizes the killer is using her as a scapegoat, mimicking her actions and planting evidence. The group's numbers dwindle as Edith is found suffocated, again with evidence pointing to Anna.

Death on the Rails

Anna and the remaining guests deduce that Judd faked his death with sleight of hand, aided by another conspirator. But Judd is soon found truly dead—strangled. Anna realizes there are two killers: one avenging the past, the other eliminating witnesses. Seamus confesses to killing Judd out of personal vengeance, but the true mastermind is still at large.

The Double Game

Reggie, the undercover agent, is revealed as the second killer—driven by his own vendetta for his father's death in the train explosion. He manipulated Judd and framed Anna, planning to kill all the conspirators and escape justice. Anna, Sal, and Lapsford fake Sal's death to lure out the real killer. Seamus, wracked by illness and guilt, takes his own life, leaving Anna to face the final confrontation alone.

The Final Gambit

Anna chases Reggie onto the roof of the moving train as it nears Chicago. In a desperate struggle, both fall through the observation car's skylight. Injured but determined, Anna manages to disarm Reggie and shoot him in the leg, ending his rampage. The train finally stops, and the FBI storms aboard to arrest the survivors.

Truths Revealed

In the locomotive, Anna finds Kenneth Wentworth, who confesses to orchestrating the original conspiracy out of jealousy and heartbreak—Tommy, Anna's brother, was his biological son. Anna is offered the chance for revenge but chooses not to kill him, breaking the cycle of violence. The surviving conspirators are arrested, and Anna's quest for justice is complete, though not without cost.

The Last Stop

As the dust settles, Anna is offered a job with the FBI, recognizing her intelligence and resolve. She reflects on the price of vengeance, the meaning of justice, and the possibility of healing. The train journey ends, but Anna's future—once derailed by tragedy—now stretches ahead, uncertain but filled with hope.

Characters

Anna Matheson

Anna is the daughter of Arthur Matheson, whose life and family were destroyed by a conspiracy. Intelligent, resourceful, and emotionally scarred, Anna orchestrates the train journey to confront those responsible. Her psyche is shaped by loss, betrayal, and a burning need for justice. Throughout the night, Anna's resolve is tested by violence, shifting alliances, and the temptation of revenge. She ultimately chooses not to become a killer, breaking the cycle of vengeance and reclaiming her agency.

Seamus Callahan

Seamus is Anna's loyal partner, driven by the loss of his brother in the train explosion. Physically imposing but emotionally wounded, he is both protector and avenger. Seamus's illness and trauma fuel his actions, leading him to kill Judd out of personal vengeance. His relationship with Anna is complex—part camaraderie, part unrequited love. Seamus's final act is one of self-destruction, unable to escape the weight of his grief and guilt.

Dante Wentworth

Dante is the son of Kenneth Wentworth and Anna's former lover. Handsome, witty, and disillusioned, he is both a reminder of Anna's lost innocence and a potential ally. Dante's presence complicates Anna's emotions and the group's dynamics. Though initially suspected, he is ultimately revealed as a victim of his father's machinations, seeking his own form of redemption and connection.

Sally (Sal) Lawrence

Once Anna's surrogate sister and her father's secretary, Sal is wracked by guilt and blackmailed into the conspiracy. Her transformation from mousy assistant to elegant socialite masks deep self-loathing. Sal's confession reveals the power of shame and the destructive force of secrets. She ultimately aids Anna in exposing the true killer, seeking a measure of forgiveness.

Jack Lapsford

Lapsford is a retired colonel whose pragmatism and ambition lead him to betray Anna's father. He is blustery, self-important, and ultimately cowardly, faking illness to escape justice. Lapsford's actions are driven by self-preservation, but he is forced to confront his complicity and the consequences of his choices.

Judd Dodge

Judd designed the sabotaged locomotive and is wracked by guilt and resentment. His intelligence and skill with sleight of hand allow him to fake his own death and participate in the murders. Judd's actions are motivated by a mix of self-preservation, bitterness, and manipulation by others. He is both victim and perpetrator, ultimately killed by Seamus.

Herb Pulaski

Herb is the factory foreman who helped build the doomed train. His motivations are simple—money and survival—but his conscience is weak. Paranoid and panicked, Herb lashes out and is ultimately murdered, his death staged to frame Anna.

Edith Gerhardt

Edith, the Matheson family's German housekeeper, is both loving and treacherous. Her actions are driven by a conflicted sense of patriotism and survival. Edith's confession reveals the moral ambiguity of war and the pain of divided loyalties. She is suffocated by the killer, her death used to further frame Anna.

Reggie Davis

Reggie is an undercover FBI agent whose father died in the train explosion. Initially posing as an innocent bystander, he manipulates events to exact his own revenge, orchestrating murders and framing Anna. Reggie's duality—protector and executioner—embodies the dangers of unchecked vengeance. He is ultimately stopped by Anna.

Kenneth Wentworth

Kenneth is Anna's father's rival and the architect of the original conspiracy. His actions are motivated by jealousy, loss, and a twisted sense of entitlement—Tommy, Anna's brother, was his biological son. Kenneth's confession reveals the destructive power of unresolved grief and the generational consequences of revenge.

Plot Devices

Locked-Room Mystery on a Train

The train's confined, inescapable setting amplifies tension, paranoia, and the sense of being trapped with a killer. The snowstorm and express schedule ensure no outside help can arrive, forcing the characters to confront each other and their pasts.

Unreliable Narration and Sleight of Hand

Judd's faked death, Anna's shifting suspicions, and the presence of hidden agendas create a web of misdirection. The narrative structure—alternating perspectives, flashbacks, and confessions—keeps the reader guessing about motives and truth.

Revenge Versus Justice

Anna's quest for justice is mirrored and distorted by Reggie's and Seamus's thirst for revenge. The story explores the psychological toll of vengeance, the temptation to become what one hates, and the possibility of breaking the cycle.

Framing and False Evidence

The killer(s) plant evidence to frame Anna, echoing the original conspiracy against her father. This device heightens suspense and forces Anna to fight not just for justice, but for her own survival and reputation.

Generational Trauma and Secrets

Family secrets—affairs, parentage, betrayals—are revealed as the true motives behind the conspiracy. The psychological inheritance of grief, shame, and vengeance is explored through Anna, Dante, and Kenneth.

Analysis

With a Vengeance is a masterful reimagining of the classic locked-room mystery on a train, blending Agatha Christie's intricate plotting with a modern psychological edge. Riley Sager uses the train as both a literal and metaphorical vehicle for exploring the corrosive effects of revenge, the ambiguity of justice, and the legacy of trauma. The novel interrogates the seductive allure of vengeance—how it promises catharsis but often delivers only more pain. Anna's journey from avenger to agent of justice is hard-won, marked by loss, betrayal, and the refusal to become a monster in the pursuit of monsters. The story's layered structure, shifting alliances, and moral complexity challenge the reader to question the nature of guilt, the possibility of forgiveness, and the cost of breaking free from the past. Ultimately, With a Vengeance is a meditation on the power of choice: to seek retribution or redemption, to perpetuate cycles of violence or to forge a new path, even when the tracks ahead are uncertain.

Last updated: June 17, 2025