Riley Sager is one of my favorite authors but his latest thriller was not to my liking. The premise sounded really good a child being abducted, a creepy institute and some spooky occurrences unfortunately it was very repetitive and a slow burn. Nothing really happend until the 40% mark and afterwards it was still kind of mundane. The big plottwist was foreseeable. I think this might have worked better as a short story.

Thank you Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Middle of the Night by Riley Sager is the story of Ethan Marsh whose best friend was abducted whilst camping in a shared tent in his garden one evening, never to be seen again. Years later, Ethan returns to his childhood home and has to confront his memories and the unreconciled loss of his best friend years before.

Ethan is rocked when it appears that Billy is contacting him from beyond the grave in ways in which only childhood friends would recognise. Will Ethan finally understand what happened to Billy, will he be able to resolve the feelings of loss by finally uncovering what happened years before?

I’m torn by Riley Sager as an author. He structures plots so well and is able to plausibly thrown in twists and turns aplenty, but (and this is purely a personal preference) he seems to needlessly throw in supernatural elements unnecessarily distracting from a plot which doesn’t need the diversion. It’s almost as if sitting in a mystery genre alone isn’t sufficient!?!

This was the third novel from the author I’ve read and the second which I’ve felt has fallen foul of this supernatural tendency so I’ll bear it in mind before embarking on future reads. Not a bad book at ⭐️⭐️⭐️ but, for me, could have been much better as a genuine whodunnit.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance ready copy in exchange for this honest review.

Love Riley Sagars book so always very happy to read any of their new books! This one, I felt was weaker but still a generally enjoyable storyline with lots of twists and turns involving all the character cast. 3.75 stars from me as I did struggle to put it down but it didn’t quite grab me as previously ones had.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for a copy of "Middle of the Night" in exchange for an honest review!

Can't spell "Middle of the Night" without "mid". Because that's what this was. Mid. This is what I consider to be Riley Sager's third underwhelming release in a row. None of the charm of "Home After Dark" or "Lock Every Door" is present in "Middle of the Night". This book wasn't bad, it was just okay. Didn't surprise me at all. It's a very "paint by the numbers" suburban thriller. Wasn't the most engaging and the twist didn't impress me either,

Maybe I'm being a little harsh, I don't know, but this felt like something I could write over a spring break. Not sure how tuned in I'll be to Sager's future releases...

Another twisty, randomly creepy thriller from Riley Sager, hugely addictive as ever and very clever.as ever.

The story twists and turns its way to an unexpected conclusion. The characters are all intriguing and it has that small community caught up in horrific circumstances vibe to it.

An excellent read that is easily done in one sitting because you'll want to know what the heck is going on.

This was a really enjoyable book. It was moderately paced and kept me reading.

This is the first time Riley sager has written from a male perspective instead of female and I feel he did it just as well.

I didn't guess the ending and thoroughly enjoyed the wrap up at the end.

1994 - Ethan and his best friend Billy fall asleep together in a backyard tent. But when Ethan wakes, Billy is gone, never to be seen again.
Thirty years later Ethan returns to his hometown for answers, still plagues with nightmares and insomnia. Then mysterious things begin to happen. He wonders if the person that took Billy is still in the neighbourhood. And are they watching him?
This was full of mystery and the author is the master of building suspense.
I had no chance of guessing the outcome of this one but it was so enjoyable trying. 4.5*. Another sensational novel by one of my absolute favourite authors.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for this gifted review copy.

I was soooo over the moon, couldn't stop smiling, wanting to jump for joy, happy to be approved for an ARC copy of this. So firstly thank you to NetGalley for the ARC, you made my day, week, month and possibly year!
I have only read one Riley Sager book before this, The Only One Left, and gave it five stars because I loved it. I felt it was so good I wasn't sure this could compare, but it definitely did! I loved this book. It's similar to The Only One Left in that it starts as quite a slow burn, they both definitely gripped me from the start, but for the first part of the book you're getting to know the characters, in this one its Ethan the main character. But like in The Only One Left, once the twists in this book start they don't stop! It's dual timelines and we're introduced to Ethan both in the present as an adult and as a boy in 1994. Whilst they're camping in 1994 his best friend Billy goes missing. He can't remember seeing or hearing anything that night but suffers from insomnia and constant dreams of that night. The story unfolds then telling the story of the few days before Billy went missing, this is told alongside Ethan of the present day back in his childhood home, trying to figure out once and for all what happened to his best friend. I think that's all I can say without giving too much away. But this book has it all, it's a thriller but has mystery, suspense and even paranormal laced through it. I find anything to do with the paranormal a bit hit and miss but this one is definitely a hit. It definitely has a paranormal aspect to it but it isn't in your face and doesn't take over the story. I know a lot of people don't like that aspect to their thrillers, but I 100% do as long as it doesn't take over the whole story. I loved the nostalgic feel of the chapters in 1994, they reminded me of my own childhood camping in the feild behind my parents house. This book dealt with a lot of themes such as loss, grief, friendship and mental health. There was a good cast of characters, most of which were children in 1994 and adults now. And you get to the point where everyone is a suspect as the author leads you to believe one thing only to drag the rug out from under you and lead you in a different direction. This book gave me all the Stephen King Vibes, not quite as descriptive as King (is anyone?!?!) but honestly just as good, so if you like King, I would imagine you'd like this. I've now purchased this authors entire back catalogue to work through seeing as the two I've read so far are five star reads for me.
All in all I think this is definitely one to keep a look out for!

Middle of the Night by Riley Sager takes readers on a suspenseful journey through a seemingly idyllic suburban paradise where dark secrets lurk beneath the surface.

Narrated in a conversational first person style, the story is rich in description, vividly bringing the setting to life.

The narrative skilfully navigates between a thirty year period of summer 1994 and summer 2024 adding layers of intrigue where past and present collide. For me, it was very much like watching a captivating murder mystery thriller television show but with the scenes playing out in my imagination.

While the book is full of twists and turns, I felt that they took longer to unravel than I would have liked which left me craving for quicker revelations.

I thought however, the ending was stunningly done and by the end I really loved the main character and his journey throughout the book.

This book was a high 3.75/5 stars.

Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton, NetGalley, and of course Riley Sager for allowing me to read and review ‘Middle Of The Night’

This is very far from the first book I’ve read by Riley Sager and as soon as I read the blurb I knew I wanted to read this book. A 10 year old boy called Billy disappears from his very safe neighbourhood and thirty years later his family and friends still don’t have answers. The first half of the book was a look at the guilt and the loss that was being felt by his then best friend Ethan, who was present the night Billy disappeared. I thought it had started to wrap up when suddenly the book starts to unravel and secrets are revealed. I guessed the who, but not the how and the why but I still kept reading. Riley’s characters are always so fleshed out and you really do feel for them and their struggles. Really enjoyed this book and nothing is as it seems in this neighbourhood.

This book is all creepy and ghosty and nostalgic… it’s quite an unusual tale, even for Riley, Sager, but with the usual twists and magic we expect from him. A must request.

Riley Sager churns books out at a million miles an hour and I am HERE. FOR. IT. 👏🏻 This wasn’t his best work, but I still read it in a day and had a brilliant time with it! If you’re a fan of Eerie Indiana, Stranger Things & Goosebumps, you’ll love this book.

A slightly spooky thriller that is not my normal go to type of book but it definitely had me hooked. A fast paced book that makes you question everyone and everything but still leaves you surprised.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton, NetGalley and the author for the ARC of Middle of the Night.
Riley Sager is one of my go to authors so I was very excited to read this book, especially as the main character is a male which is not typical for Sager. This is a fast paced, page turner that will have you gripped and did not disappoint. I loved the spooky elements to the book and found myself genuinely scared at points which was exciting. The twist at the end was something I hadn't even considered and I had nearly suspected everyone in the book at that point. I have no doubt this will be an incredibly popular book this summer! 4.5 stars

"In my experience, men who say they want the truth end up wishing they had settled for a lie"

The latest from Riley Sager, due to be released July 2nd, sees Ethan return to his childhood home desperate to understand what happened to Billy, his best friend, who still haunts his dreams 30 years later.

Like many of his books, there are plenty of red herrings dropped throughout the narrative to put Ethan, and the reader, off the trail of the real killer. The tension builds slowly throughout but rachets up in the last quarter ready for the final reveal at the end.

Home Before Dark, the first book I read by Sager, remains my favourite by him and I'm not sure it can be topped, but Middle of the Night was still a fun twisty thriller to dive into.

Very claustrophobic!

This is a very creepy novel. Two boys camping in a garden and then one of them wakes up to find a slit in the tent and no friend....

Many years later, he thinks he sees his missing friend in the street or at least he senses his presence.
The woods, the street - this was Riley territory to be sure. I could see this play out like a Stephen King film.

Did I say this was creepy?

This book…wow! A dark and disturbing thriller that had me desperate to read just one more chapter. A cast of shady characters, a gripping story, everything I want from a book! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

YES, Riley Sager!!

'Middle of the Night' is a thriller, holding a dab of supernatural, that immediately grabs your attention & has so many hooks & twists to keep you guessing throughout. It also has that perfect level of spookiness & horror, whilst still feeling like none of it is quite outside the realm of possibility; which, for me, made it that much more enjoyable, as it didn't feel over the top or silly.

My favourite thing about this book, though, was it's characters & they're development. It wasn't difficult to feel connected to every single person (which is quite the feat, as most of the time there's always someone unlikeable or unrelatable!) & I really rooted for a positive & satisfying ending (which I'm pleased to say, I got).

'Middle of the Night' was another fantastic read from Riley Sager & shows another reason why he's one of my favourite authors. I already can't wait to read his next novel!

Thank you to NetGalley, Riley Sager & Hodder & Stoughton for allowing me to read & review the ARC of 'Middle of the Night'; all views are honest & my own.

I absolutely loved every book I have read by Riley Sager and this one was no different, the darkness and twists are like no other.

I really enjoy Riley Sager novels and this one was no exception.

God, this got SO creepy at times that I wondered if I could continue reading it. I have a vivid imagination and let me tell you, I was dreaming up some frightful and creepy thoughts. No thanks! This shows that there was really great, evocative writing though.

I thought the mystery was well planned and executed. For a good portion of the novel I was absolutely lost. I’d say it was about halfway through that I started to theorise and make some guesses as to who was messing with Ethan in his garden and who murdered Billy, and I’m very smug in saying that I guessed correctly even though I did not have one of the motives pinned down.

I liked how this novel went from the present to the past, and included different perspectives to get other sides of the story and to build in suspense as it made some people look more suspicious and others less suspicious. For me the clue is in the absences, and that’s all I’m going to say on that matter.

There’s a big change for Ethan at the end where he becomes something he never wanted to be and I’m not sure how I feel about it. On one hand I feel it felt out of place due to his past reluctance, yet on the other it demonstrated his healing and how coming to terms with his trauma changed certain views and beliefs of his.

All in all I really did enjoy this, I found it suspenseful, intriguing and well written. I liked the final twist at the end and I think it spoke to a certain set of people who view real life true crime as entertainment and feel ‘disappointed’ when the facts of the case are ‘a let down’ like someone hasn’t been murdered. I can’t say too much on this, however, without spoiling.