Sager’s debut novel Final Girls, published in 2017, is one of my favorite psychological thrillers. I was disappointed by his last two however so I am happy to announce that his fourth book is as good as his first! It really reminded me of the TV show The Haunting of Hill House (I have not read Shirley Jackson’s book). The main character is Maggie and the chapters alternate between the book her father wrote about their brief stay in Baneberry Hall when Maggie was five years old, before they fled in the middle of the night never to return, and Maggie’s current life as a 30-year-old home renovator. Her father has just passed away and left Baneberry Hall to her, which she had no idea he still owned. Convinced that her parents lied about what happened in the house 25 years ago and determined to find out the truth, Maggie returns to the Vermont estate and strange occurances, like the ones described in her father’s book, begin to torment her. The book was fast-paced, creepy, and kept me guessing. I thought I knew the twist 50% through and then 75%, and I was wrong both times.

Riley Sager is one of my favorite thriller writers and I was excited to receive an advanced copy of his latest thriller releasing this summer! Overall, I thought this was a good read! It’s not my favorite of his four, but it was a solid story. I liked the alternating perspectives of Maggie and her father’s, Ewan, book. It definitely gave a wholistic view. I’m not into supernatural elements in stories, however, I felt that Riley Sager executed this well and I loved the unexpected twists and turns. I enjoyed the second half of the book more than the first part. The beginning is a slow burn trying to set up the story. If you loved The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell and The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James or if you’re already a Riley Sager fan, this is a must read!

As usual, a good, suspensful read! I found this was very creepy...but I'm a bit of a wuss! Recommended for sure.

Thank you to Dutton Books for this gifted ARC! Whatever Sager is doing, he needs to keep doing it. This book knocked me off my rocker.

Home Before Dark revolves around Maggie Holt and her family’s experience at Baneberry Hall, their short-lived home. Returning after her father, Ewan’s death, Maggie tries to find the truths in the book her father wrote, unraveling secrets hidden within the walls of the Hall.

Sager is a master of his craft, and I felt like my head was spinning in so many directions trying to figure out who was responsible for the death/disappearing of the young girl mentioned in Ewan’s book.

If you’re looking for a good thriller with a haunted house twist, this one is for you!

*I was sent a free ARC by Penguin Group Dutton in exchange for an honest review*

In alternating chapters, “Home Before Dark” tells the story of Maggie Holt, whose late father rose to fame by writing a bestselling memoir of the family’s time living in Baneberry Hall - a supposedly haunted Victorian mansion. After inheriting the place Maggie returns under the guise of fixing it up for sale but with real intentions to uncover the secrets of what really happened the night her family fled, never to return.

While this delivered more of the Gothic vibes I was seeking from “Lock Every Door,” it was ultimately unsatisfying. I found both of the alternating narratives at least somewhat interesting, but felt the chapters were too short, and the constant jumping back and forth took me out of the story instead of leaving me wanting more. Also, I found most of the characters pretty unsympathetic. I wanted to uncover the truth in order to end the story more than I wanted to for the sake of the people involved. Save for a few minor characters, the main ones were all pretty insufferable and I didn’t really care what happened to them in the end. Then there’s the matter of the ending, which I found totally unbelievable to the point that I was rolling my eyes.

All that being said, the setting was immersive and I overall had a pleasant time reading it. It served well to distract me from some of the things going on in the world at the moment.

You know, some people don’t love Riley Sager and that’s ok. But for me, he’s like old reliable. I haven’t read a single book of his that I HAVEN’T enjoyed. Some I’ve enjoyed more than others but I get super into all of them. Every time.

This one has literally EVERYTHING I love. Ghosts. Creepy history. Weird old houses. I was totally in. I think it could have maybe been just a touch more subtle as opposed to blatant in terms of how he described the creepy goings on (I hate when reviewers use the tired “too much telling, not enough showing” criticism. Sorry but that criticism is played out, overused, doesn’t make you sound smarter or better read, and is ultimately simply a matter of style preference). So I say this reluctantly, but in this case I do wish there was a bit more subtlety and perhaps more left to the imagination. One of the reasons I loved the Stanley Kubrick adaptation of The Shining is because there was so little clarity as to what was going on. It’s the scariest movie to me because there are no special effects. It’s up to you to scare yourself. I wished for a tiny bit more of that here but I was still all in.

I got strong vibes of The Shining and Amityville Horror vibes and he does directly mention both Stephen King and Amityville at least once. It seemed like maybe there was too much “inspiration” from those for this story to be entirely original, but it didn’t bother me. Again, I’m a fan of what Riley Sager does and how he does it. It was a great book to distract me from the anxiety and stress of COVID-19 and as always I’ll read everything he writes. He’s a lot of fun.

Things-that-go-bump-in-the-night, hair-raisingly creepy!

Riley Sager has done it again with his fourth and best book to date, Home Before Dark.

Maggie Holt has never been “normal.” Not since she was the little girl who became the main character in her fathers best-selling book, House of Horrors.

House of Horrors is the true story of Baneberry Hall, the house Maggie and her family moved into when she was five years old. Maggie’s never believed what was written in the book to be true, despite 25 years of her parents insisting so.

After her father’s passing, Maggie finds out she has inherited Baneberry Hall. She returns to find out the actual true story of House of Horrors.

Holy cow! This is one of the creepiest books I’ve read in a long time! Home Before Dark jumps between present day Maggie and chapters from her fathers book. I really enjoyed that each passage from the book usually matched up with what was currently happening present day with Maggie.

I was thoroughly creeped out through the entire story. There was not a single point during the book that I “knew” what was true. I thought every character mentioned that was “bad” at one point or another. The ending completely threw me for a loop. I know I will be thinking about this book for days.

I could not put this book down. It had me constantly guessing and questioning what's real and honestly, I was a little bit scared in the middle of it. So, maybe don't read this alone if you live in a big house that makes lots of noises. But, definitely read it, because it is an all around great read.

All the tension and suspense I love from my Riley Sager novels PLUS a book within a book, unreliable narrators and a dual timeline. YES PLEASE.

In a situation where you can trust no one, there are SNAKES and the house (Baneberry Hall) may possibly be haunted a la Amityville Horror (fun fact, I grew up 20 minutes from the real house), Maggie Holt is in over her head. Having lived in the famed Baneberry Hall briefly as a child (her now deceased father wrote a best selling book about it being haunted) and now inheriting the home, Maggie returns home to see about restoring and selling the house - but when she arrives nothing is at is seems - because is it ever?!

Sager fans will go crazy for this one and the stunning cover. Highly recommend preordering in advance of June 30th!

QUICK TAKE: if you're a fan of Riley Sager, you're going to enjoy HOME BEFORE DARK. a down-the-middle haunted house story, I found myself comparing this one to the superior THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE tv series as well as Silvia Moreno-Garcia's forthcoming MEXICAN GOTHIC (another haunted house book that comes out the same day as HBD and has a bit more specificity to it). I do like how Sager writes the supernatural but manages to ground it in reality by the end, and he does a good job here with the ending. Worth checking out if you're a fan of the author and the genre.

Incredible read! I love all of Riley's books. I felt like "Lock Every Door" dabbled in the haunting space, the paranormal thriller, and this book really went there and I loved it. He's brilliant - truly brilliant! I think thriller lovers will be obsessed. I read this in less than 24 hours - wow!

THIS BOOK IS EVERYTHING A THRILLER SHOULD BE AND MORE!!!

Okay, sorry for yelling, but I felt it was necessary. Riley Sager has done it again, and I truly feel that this is his best book yet (which is saying A LOT because that bar was set high)!

I don’t want to say too much about this story, because I truly feel it will be best if you go in only knowing only the basics and let the plot take you where it wants to go. What I will say is this: Riley Sager absolutely nailed it with this brilliantly layered plot that is equal parts bone-chillingly creepy and absolutely addicting. This story kept me guessing until the very last page, and I loved every minute of this reading experience.

If you love thrillers, I HIGHLY recommend that you check out this book!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Dutton Books for making it so I didn’t have to wait until June to read one of my most anticipated books of the year! Home Before Dark is set to be published on June 30th.
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Riley Sager has done it again!! I loved his other three books, but this one is easily my new favorite! Home Before Dark is going on my list of best of the year and is one I’ll be telling everyone about this year.
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This book was so dang creepy and absolutely chilling at times. As in, I literally got goosebumps.
What better setting than a big, old, Victorian house that has some pretty unsavory history? Sign me up! Riley Sager gave such a thorough and vivid description of Baneberry Hall that I felt like I was standing there in its shadow looking at it. The description of the inside of the house was fantastic as well; I could picture it in all its unique Victorian glory. I couldn’t have asked for a clearer picture in my mind!
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The story within a story format was so fun; it seamlessly switches between that and the present day from Maggie’s perspective. I’m telling you, everything is incredibly well done! As the story unravels it gets crazier and scarier. You’ll either be spellbound and never want to put it down or you’ll need to put it down and take a breather. When it all comes to a heart pounding end with some jaw-dropping moments along the way, you’ll fully realize just how well Riley Sager weaved everything together to get there.
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I was blown away by this book and HIGHLY recommend it!

What a setting! What a story! Hand selling this fab new thriller will be a pleasure! I find I get a certain twinkle in my eyes when chatting with customers about books I love. My eyes will be dancing up a storm for Home After Dark! Five stars!

For many, many days I was the envy of all book bloggers, because I was granted an early e-galley of the new Riley Sager book on Netgalley! It wasn't even published yet, and it was already being optioned for film. I was a big fan of his first three books, so I was excited for this one, but I didn't get a chance to get to this book until la coronavirus took away my purpose in life--and this book ended up being the perfect way to start at least two weeks of social distancing at home. 

Maggie Holt has always lived under the shadow of Baneberry Hall, the house that her family fled when she was only five years old.  Her father, Ewan, wrote a best-selling novel called House of Horrors about the supernatural experience they had there--ghosts, hauntings, chandeliers that kept turning on, and a near death experience for Maggie. That book has shaped Maggie's entire life for a quarter of a century. The only problem is that Maggie doesn't remember a shred of it--she's lived her whole life believing her father was a con who lied the entire book. But when her father dies, she's shocked to learn that he never sold the haunted house, and Baneberry Hall is hers. She decides to go back under the guise of renovating it (she's a designer) and get some answers about what really happened.  As the story unfolds, we get the House of Horrors book by Ewan as well as Maggie's own experience in the house as she meets the players from her father's book that she does and doesn't remember, as she unfolds the secrets of the house and the deaths that occurred in it beforehand, and learns that something wicked is going on in this house, and maybe her father wasn't lying the whole time. 

I really enjoyed this book! I love placed-based mysteries, and this was a fun take on a ghost story. I also really enjoyed the dual POV--getting to see, I suppose, the whole book as well as Maggie's whole story, and it didn't feel too long. I also liked that I didn't suspect the ending, and it also wasn't what I worried it would be (hence becoming a Sager-trope).  There's ghostly stuff, small town mysteries, a big creepy house, SNAKES SO MANY SNAKES, and a satisfying ending. It's a pretty good read. Pick it up when it goes on sale this June.

After his death, Maggie finds out that not only did her father no sell the house that made him a famous author, but he has left it to her. The reason they left Baneberry Hall is still unknown to Maggie, but she does believe that everything in her fathers book is utter bullshit. She doesn’t remember any of it and is pretty sure he made the entire thing up. His last words to her were to not go back there…but of course as a house flipper, Maggie decides to spruce it up to sell, while also hopefully finding out her past.

Mr. Sager does it again! What I love about Sager’s books, is that while they are all thrillers, they are all so incredibly different, yet still keep me on my toes flipping pages faster than normal. I loved the paranormal vibes in the book, and couldn’t wait to find out what had happened in Maggie’s past that led them to leave Baneberry Hall! I will give you a forewarning though, you will likely have “I am sixteen going on seventeen” from The Sound Of Music stuck in your head the entire time you read this, and likely for a few hours after! This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2020 and I am glad to say it did not disappoint!

It doesn’t happen very often with thrillers, but Riley Sager GOT me with this one. Twice.

Bam! Surprise! Didn’t see it coming at all. And then didn’t see the second one coming either.

Slow clap.

I’ve enjoyed all of Sager’s novels, but this one is by far my favorite of the lot. This is partly due to my love of the “There’s something wrong with the house” Gothic trope that I love so dearly and that Sager utilizes so well in Home Before Dark, and partly due to the fact that it’s just such a darn good story.

And of course, the two surprise twists at the end were the icing on the cake.

Sager deploys far less goriness and real world monstrousness here than he did in Final Girls, and far more macabre atmosphere and menacing, creeping things that go bump in the night. And I was thrilled by every minute of it.

There are creepy noises. There are shadowy intruders. There is TERRIFYING STUFF FALLING OUT OF THE CEILING.

It isn’t just that Sager pivoted toward the Gothic tropes I love so much here that left me so pleased with this novel. It’s that he did it so very, very well.

Oh and bonus: As someone who deeply hates The Sound of Music, I was delighted by how that figured into the plot.

Double bonus: THE COVER GLOWS IN THE DARK!

Love, love, loved this book.

Another chilling hit for Riley Sager! I loved how there were two different parts of the book, the ghost story from the past and Maggie’s presence! I also loved how the huge twisted web that Riley weaved us all up in, and then slowly and cleverly let it untangle with so many different threads, it could make you more than a bit dizzy! It gave me chills, thrills, twists & turns, and shocks! I thought this might even be my favorite written by this author, but that’s a hard thing to say! Ultimately once again, Sager wrote an unputdownable book, that had me holding my breathe, covered in goosebumps, and gasping in shock! Riveting and scary at times, but absolutely well worth reading! Not to be missed, not if you are a Sager fan, not if you are a ghostie fan, and definitely not if you are a psychological thriller fan who is yearning for originality and a bit of whip-lash from all the twists and turns and sudden stops your brain will make! Also, I believe this book is possible, which makes it even better! I highly, highly recommend!
Will make sure to buzz it all around the different platforms!

OH MY GOSH RILEY SAGER! This is his best book yet, which is saying a lot because the other three were all 5-stars. This book was BEYOND though. It revolves around Maggie, a woman whose family moved into a haunted house for 20 days. After fleeing in the middle of the night and vowing never to return, Maggie’s father writes a famous book about it bringing her endless attention. Because she can’t remember a thing, Maggie realizes that her father made up the book.

After her father’s death, Maggie, who is a restorer of old homes, decides to go back to the mansion. She wants to fix up the place to sell, but also find some answers. What she does find is that maybe her father wasn’t lying about everything. When she starts finding out part of her father’s story was true, she starts to wonder if maybe it was all true.

I can’t say enough about how much I truly loved this book. I loved the way the chapters alternated from Maggie in the present and chapters of “the Book”. It really gave the reader a sense of what happened and many details that added to the super creepy overall feel of the book. I got chills, my heart was pounding, and there were many times I had to go to a room containing other people to keep reading.

Riley Sager is the master of suspense, and he did an amazing job at writing a story so immersive that I’m not surprised it’s being turned into a film. There are so many interesting layers of the story that you won’t be able to tell where it’s going until the very last page.

FIVE STARS!!!!!!!!

Riley Sager's books remind me of classic 80's horror movies- fun, thrilling, and edge of your seat --sure to keep you awake till the wee hours of the morning. Home before dark is no exception. This novel features a haunted house, family secrets, and ghostly encounters (and even a little romance?!) Skeptic Maggie returns to Baneberry Hall after her father's death to learn the truth behind why her family left Baneberry in such a hurry one fateful night during her childhood. She is determined to uncover just what secrets the house is hiding..at any cost....