I've read the majority of Riley Sagers' work, with The Only One Left being my favourite and the last book of his that I've read. With how much I loved his previous work, I was excited to dive into The Middle of the Night, and I wasn't disappointed.

Middle of the Night, is a fast-paced page-turner, that grabs your attention from the start and keeps you interested through its structure and reveals (some of which I didn't see coming). It blends ideas of the supernatural, with classic thriller/mystery elements, that keep you guessing as to which direction the novel will ultimately take. However, I found that the mysterious Hawthorne Institute was underutilised, which left me disappointed. It was an interesting plot point, which could have added even more depth to the story but ultimately, it was mentioned and quickly explained away.

Overall, a solid novel that kept me entertained, but in the future, I'd love to see Sager write an all-out paranormal story. In my opinion, this is where he truly excels.

Riley Sager is an auto-buy author for me so I was thrilled to get access to Middle of the Night.

I loved the dual timeframes, slipping effortlessly between the day when 10 year old Ethan wakes in a tent in his backyard to find his best friend Billy gone, and the present where a sleep-deprived Ethan has returned home and is feeling haunted by Billy's presence.

I enjoyed the descriptions of the relatively small community of neighbours on the cul de sac of Hemlock Circle. Childhood and the influence of early friendships are vivid, there are twists, and an element of the supernatural, but what really affected me was the exploration of guilt and grief. Highly recommend this one.

Middle of the Night by Riley Sager

On Friday night July 15 1994 ten-year-old Ethan Marsh and his ten-year-old best friend Billy Barringer fell asleep ‘camping in a tent’ in Ethans backyard. The next morning Ethan wakes up to find a big slash down the side of the tent, Billy’s shoes are still there as well as his sleeping bag but Billy is gone.

Now its July 2024 and Ethan has moved back into his childhood home in Hemlock Circle in New Jersey, his parents, Joyce and Fred Marsh have moved to Florida. To this day Billy has never been found dead or alive.

Ethan suffers from insomnia and is always awake in the middle of the night as he looks outside at the street below, he can see the neighbourhood search lights turning on and then off one by one almost like someone is walking past but Ethan cannot see anyone else outside its almost ghostlike as there is nobody there. The next morning there is a baseball in Ethan’s backyard, a code that means let’s play that only Ethan and his next-door neighbour and best friend Billy knew. Ethan asks everyone on the street but they all deny leaving the ball there. Ethan has never believed in ghosts but now he thinks Billy is haunting him and asking him to help solve the mystery of his disappearance thirty years ago.

I loved this book! I could not put it down and couldn’t wait to find out what happened to Billy.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Hodder & Stoughton Publishers for a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

I really enjoyed this book! I look forward to reading other books by this author. There were so many twists in this book I didn’t see coming. But then again I rarely can figure books out. I would definitely recommend this book!

Huge thanks for the arc!!

The story had a nostalgic feel to it and I thought the dual timelines and multiple POVs worked well, as well as supernatural touches throughout and the whole mystery of what was going on at the Hawthorne Institute.
I had a strong feeling that two characters in particular were up to no good, but this didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story overall.

Book review 📚
Middle of the night by Riley Sager - 4/5 ⭐

As most did, I jumped at the chance to read the ARC when it released. I'm a huge Sager fan, and he has yet to disappoint me.

Like most of his books, it's not an in your fact kind of suspense/thriller. Sager takes normal a makes it a bit less normal with a pinch of thriller. But it's addictive. You don't stop trying to piece together bits of information and you are always trying to spot the plot twist.

Unlike majority of Sagers books, middle of the night was a much more slow burn pace but it wasn't boring by any means. There are great characters and fantastic plot lines. Thoroughly enjoyed!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder and stoughton for allowing me to read this ARC - this is an HONEST review from my own personal opinion.

This is Sager’s first novel following a male protagonist, how exciting. Ethan has moved back into his childhood home, the place where he experienced the worst night of his life; the night his best friend/neighbor was abducted from right beside him when they were camping in a tent in Ethan’s backyard. Ethan is now grown and Billy’s remains have been found and Ethan is determined to find who’s responsible after all these years.

Unfortunately, this book was a miss for me. I liked the setting and the premise of this book. However, the execution & plot line fell flat. Throughout the story I felt disconnected from the characters, there were far too many red herrings, and parts of the story were repetitive.

I enjoyed the ending of this book even though by the time I got there I wasn’t invested in the outcome. I didn’t guess the killer.


Mild spoilers……


I also felt that the addition of the institute was so unnecessary and wasn’t intriguing enough as a plot line to cause me to wonder its significance in Billy’s disappearance.

After reading ‘The House Across the Lake’ and ‘The Only One Left’ I jumped at the chance to read Riley Sager’s latest despite it being the third book about a missing child I’ve read in the last couple of months. (That’s a not too specific plot point to mean they turned out to be three very different approaches and stories).
I wasn’t disappointed in this tale of a man returning to the cul-de-sac he grew up in and where, thirty years ago, his best friend was apparently abducted from the tent they were camping out as ten year olds – and if it didn’t quite have the pace or stunning moments the previous two books did, they were extremely high bars for me: if ‘The House Across the Lake’ turned out to be a sharp turn on the genre book I thought I was reading halfway through, ‘Middle of the Night’ teases throughout as to whether it is or isn’t a book of the supernatural (no spoilers one way or the other) that might be a little too drawn out for some readers but I was happy to go along with.
It's something of a slow burn novel – alternating ‘then’ and ‘now’ chapters fleshing out details the protagonist finds out bit by bit. While I won’t say any plot twists are as ‘jaw dropping’ as those of the last two books (And even if they were I wouldn’t say it because ‘jaw dropping’ is the most tedious over used cliché in publishing blurb) I will say for me there were at least two that were satisfying and deserved – adding some emotional oomph to the book.
All in all, there might have been a couple of ‘spooky story’ elements that ended up, if not red herrings, then not quite going as far as I would have liked them to in terms of their importance to the ultimate story, but it had a strong cast of characters and a suitably conflicted/ challenged protagonist to make this a two sitting read that I’d recommend to friends.

𝐌𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐎𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐑𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐒𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫
𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫: 𝐓𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝟐𝐧𝐝 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝟑.𝟓 ⭐️

On July 15, 1994, Ethan & his best friend, Billy are camping in Ethan’s back garden in a quiet cul-de-sac where nothing ever happens. Until Ethan wakes up to the tent being slashed open and Billy gone…

For the most part I was addicted to reading this. Riley Sager has a way of turning a slightly normal plot into something thrilling. But for me the ending left me a little underwhelmed. I guessed the twists and was slightly gutted that I guessed. But I’m sure others will love it.

What I enjoyed:
- A MALE MC in a Riley Sager book!!! I really loved and warmed to Ethan’s character, a brilliantly unreliable narrator.
- The ‘paranormal’ elements
- 90’s nostalgia
- The suspense & creepy atmosphere
- A brief mention of the events of Final girls & The Last Time I Lied.

What’s your favourite Riley Sager book?
Mine is Home Before Dark, that book gave me the literal creeps!

Thanks to @netgalley and @hodderbooks for this eArc for my honest review.

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This is probably one of Sager's weakest books. The beginning had potential, the atmosphere was good and it seemed like the story was going to be good. However, this was super slow for a thriller, very repetitive, and after 100 pages it felt like the story was more than done.

There were so many unnecessary scenes, and the reveal was dragged out until the very end of the book although it was pretty obvious what happened and the twists weren't exactly surprising. The whole ghost aspect was also super unnecessary and never led anywhere. The same scenes were also repeated so many times that it seriously got annoying.

The Institute storyline also turned out to be irrelevant, although that was the only one that had any potential. It felt like the author tried to include too many storylines but never finished any of them. This also could have done with fewer characters because after a while it was impossible to tell any of them apart.

I thought this book sounded great, and was an original idea.it did start out well ,but the stalled for me ,and became too slow. I wanted it to be faster paced and punchier, and it didn't deliver that for me. Sorry to say it wasn't a good read for me.

Ten-year-olds, Nathan and Billy, camp in Nathan's back garden. When Nathan wakes in the morning, there's a slash in the tent and Billy is missing.
Thirty years later, when Nathan's parents move away, Nathan returns to the family home for a brief stay. He senses the ghost of Billy in the back yard. Convinced one of them murdered Billy, Nathan works his way around the various neighbours, questioning them. But what is Billy's ghost trying to tell him? Does he want justice or revenge? Is the ghost a figment of Nathan's troubled and guilty imagination?
Slower in pace than in other Riley Sager novels I've read, this is one for fans of the slow burner.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.

4.5 stars
As a huge fan of Riley Sager (I've read every one of his novels), I was so excited to read his latest book and Middle of the Night did not disappoint.
Immediately I was drawn in and felt like I was there with Ethan on Hemlock Circle. I also really liked the possible nods to Billy's return, such as the baseballs and general creeping that was going on, as well as how it ramped up as the story progressed.
I particularly liked the use of the backyard camera and Ethan receiving a notification any time that something moved back there. Every time it went off my breath stopped for a second or two.
The story itself also had a nostalgic feel to it and I thought the dual timelines and multiple POVs worked well.
I also enjoyed the supernatural touches throughout and the whole mystery of what was going on at the Hawthorne Institute.
I will say, though, even though I didn't guess the final twist, I had a strong feeling that two characters in particular would have played a hand in Billy's disappearance. So, that was somewhat predictable. But it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story overall.
This is definitely a solid Riley Sager novel, ranking somewhere in the middle between my absolute favourites (Lock Every Door, Home Before Dark and The Only One Left) and the ones that I found to be less successful (Survive The Night and The House Across The Lake).
Whether you're already a fan of Riley Sager or are looking for a great mystery/thriller, I would definitely recommend picking this book up.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Not what I was expecting from Sager, who is easily my favourite thriller author, so this rating pains me.

This lacked any sort of thrill, considering it's based on ghosts, there's nothing "ghostly" that happens until well into 200 pages into the book. It was also EXTREMELY predictable - I knew who did it, how, and why. Also the second "twist" was again, predictable, having guessed this outcome very early on in the book.

It just lacked Sager in this, to me it didn't even feel like his voice. Characters were dull and had been done to death in a thousand other books.

Unfortunately I will forget everything about Middle of the Night by tomorrow but will I continue reading Sager, of course. Bring on next year's release...

5 freaking enthusiastic stars! I read this in one sitting, stayed up most of the night because I could not put this down. Riley Sager has quickly become one of my fave authors with consistently spitting out spine tingling, horror inducing books. This one kept me guessing until the end. The characters were absolutely brilliant and I adored each and every one. I loved the hint of supernatural woven throughout. A missing boy in the scariest of circumstances made my mama heart shiver. A creepy house with questionable happenings. A dark forest. And a neighbourhood haunted by the past. This book had all the elements to be amazing and it hit the mail on the head. One of my best reads this year!

"Middle of the Night" is a thriller novel written by Riley Sager. This is the first book I read by the author and I was definitely intrigued! It is a dark, mysterious, and intricate story, developed on different timelines, narrated with multiple first and third person povs, characterized by compelling writing and imbued with paranormal and creepy undertones that I enjoyed so much. I admit that I guessed the various plot twists in advance, but that didn't bother me, also because I found them incredibly ingenious!

The story begins on July 15, 1994, on a quiet New Jersey cul de sac. Ethan and his best friend Billy, fall asleep together in a tent in the backyard of Ethan's house. However, in the morning, Ethan wakes up alone, a gash in the tent, and Billy gone. Taken. Never to be seen again. Thirty years later, Ethan returns to Hemlock Circle due to a series of circumstances, still haunted by the need for answers. Afflicted by a combination of bad dreams and insomnia, he begins to notice strange happenings on the street, under the cover of darkness, that question his every belief that the neighborhood is a safe place, inhabited by good people.

The novel alternates between past and present, between the events of the day leading up to the fateful night and Ethan's return thirty years later. The presence of Ethan's pov in the present and that of friends, family, and Billy himself in the past provides an excellent portrait of the situation. The tormented and flawed characters, well delineated, fully convinced me. The scenes in the past moved me a lot, with their nostalgic vibes and the wonderful friendship between Ethan and Billy. I loved the sinister undertones of the story, with this seemingly placid neighborhood built on the edge of a dark forest, marked by strange happenings. The evocative writing beautifully describes the most insidious scenes, which create a perfect interlock with the mystery of Billy's disappearance. Seriously, I was completely satisfied!

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Middle of the Night by Riley Sager

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In July of 1994, ten-year-old Billy Barringer went missing in the middle of the night and was never found. Now, thirty years on, his best friend Ethan returns to his own childhood home, the very place Billy disappeared from. Ethan has never been able to shake the tragedy of his missing friend, but returning home leaves him all the more haunted as he tries to piece together what really happened to Billy in the middle of the night.

Middle of the Night is a slow burn that is full of atmosphere. It tells the story of a chilling disappearance, but it also speaks of childhood friendships, and how viscerally the past can haunt us.

I personally loved this one and had a hard time putting it down! It has a pinch of everything I enjoy best in a thriller, including: mutilple povs; a dual timeline; a mystery to be solved by both the reader and the characters; the perfect amount of twists and turns; a summer setting; and a coming-of-age vibe.

Having read all of Sager’s works so far this is definitely one of his best and is up there with my favourites, Home Before Dark and The Only One Left. This was the perfect amount of spooky-meets-mystery and I would highly recommended it to fans of IT, Stand By Me (The Body), and Stranger Things.

So, if you’re looking for a five-star read this summer, make sure you check out Middle of the Night!

Huge thank you to @netgalley and @HodderBooks for allowing me to read this early in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This is the best book I've read so far this year and the my fav Riley Sager book so far and I've read and enjoyed all of them!

A wonderful story of childhood friendships and the power they yield, even as we grow up. The lasting impact they can have with or without the tragedy that befalls Ethan's best friend , Billy.

A tense, at times spooky read, with wonderfully robust characters and for me, a throw back to my childhood movies favourites, like the goonies and stand by me.

Brilliant, brilliant brilliant

When Sager is good he’s really good. He seems like he’s having fun writing his stories, especially when giving a nod to old slasher/supernatural movies. When he’s bad he really does miss the mark and unfortunately that’s what I found with Middle Of The Night.

Kids reunited as adults trying to solve a murder when they were 10 years old. Some supernatural elements(maybe). Sounds great right? Honestly it read like a poor attempt at an homage to Stephen King.

The whole Institute thing seems like it would be central to the story but ended up feeling like it was awkwardly tacked on and a distraction.
The whole book ends up being one simple story that takes forever to conclude. It’s repetitive. Really repetitive. How many times to we have to read “it’s Billy’s ghost sending me a message. Oh no it’s the wind/a squirrel”etc etc.

This may have worked as a short story but a full novel? Nah not for me. I ended up annoyed at the end and the by then obvious reveals. The whole thing felt a waste of time.

It’s such a shame as the initial idea was great. The whole kids reunited. The murder. The strange institute. But it feels like it’s pretending to be something it isn’t and jumps the shark to end up being a rather simple and boring read.

Many thanks to the publisher for the ARC through Netgalley.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for allowing me to read an arc copy of this book.
Another easy 5 star read from Riley Sager, it was fast paced, intriguing and kept you guessing right till the end.
I enjoyed the development of the characters, especially the relationship between Ethan and Henry. Sager has a knack for creating well rounded characters and character development. They always get under your skin, and you can’t help but feel empathy towards Ethan in this book.
I enjoyed the multiple POVs in the story, and how we got to know side characters a bit more in depth to understand them, and to piece together information to try and figure out what really happened the night Ethan’s best friend Billy disappeared.
At times it took a slightly sinister turn and is quite chilling, which gives the mystery in this story an element that makes it stand out from other books.
I thoroughly enjoyed this and would recommend to readers of thriller and mysteries, and any current Sager fan, you won’t be dissapointed.