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welcome to Bookicious today we're
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boarding the Philadelphia Phoenix with
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Riley Sager's latest thriller With a
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Vengeance published June 10th 2025
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this locked room murder mystery set
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aboard a luxury train channels classic
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suspense while testing the boundaries of
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six people who destroyed Anna Mat's
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family in 1942 are invited on an express
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train from Philadelphia to Chicago with
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no stops anna has meticulously
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orchestrated their captivity to extract
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confessions and hand them over to the
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FBI upon arrival but things spiral fast
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a passenger ends up dead and a killer is
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on board anna must protect those she
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despises and unmask a murderer all
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within 13 claustrophobic hours many
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reviewers highlight Sager's homage to
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genre greats horror Geek Life describes
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it as an ode to Hitchcock and Christy
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with impeccable first act and tension
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though it leans into tropes in the
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middle other critics also note echoes of
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murder on the Orient Express and And
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Then There Were None it's part locked
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room mystery part psychological thriller
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jeremy from Horror Geek Life says "First
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act brilliant yet by the middle a little
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too reliant on genre's tropes." Anna Mat
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stands out driven morally complex
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neither victim nor villain many reviews
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applaud her depth the supporting cast
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mixed reactions book a shelf and book
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club praise nuanced backstories and rich
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1950s rail detail velvet lounges storm
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whipped corridors and ticking clock
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tension novel Delights was harsher
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placing it in the myth column and
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calling characters stereotypical
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atmosphere insufficient and plot
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it structured as an hourby- hour journey
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high tension early on with twists galore
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horror Geek Life concedes the final act
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irons itself out nicely though some
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tropes feel forced conversely Novel
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Delights was underwhelmed saying the
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mystery felt obvious ultimately
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book Club meanwhile deems it a
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masterclass in pacing praising its
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shifting focus from guess who to moral
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weight justice versus vengeance sits at
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the core bookish shelf notes its
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thoughtful exploration of trauma and
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morality anna's journey underscores how
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trauma reshapes identity echoing modern
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psychological thrillers the train itself
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becomes a metaphor luxurious yet
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oppressive racing towards resolution so
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who should step aboard for you if you
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love classic who done Dunits with a
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psychological twist you enjoy moral
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ambiguity and historical details you're
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intrigued by traumdriven revenge plots
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maybe skip if you expect fully fresh
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twistfree storytelling you crave tight
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character development for every cast
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member you prefer modern thrillers over
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homage to older styles overall ratings
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hover around three and a half to four
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stars typically solid but polarizing if
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you're drawn to period piece mysteries
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riding the rails appreciate moral
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complexity and don't mind a few genre
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comfort zone tropes with a Vengeance is
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worth the ride but if you want fully
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redefined plots or deep development for
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every side character you might find it
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just under steam thanks for tuning in to
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Booklicious see you next time till then
