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.

My first Riley Sager book but not my last. The characters felt very realistic and the story was intriguing. The first half was a little slow but after exploring the Hawthorne Institute it really picked up.
There were some instances that did not make sense though, like the reveal of the knife and what happened to it. It made no sense why the knife would’ve been hidden at this point since there was no reason to hide it yet. So this was done in order for the plot to move forward without an actual reason behind the action.
Also some major plot twists were a little too obvious while some still managed to surprise me.
What I liked most were the supernatural vibes, sometimes I felt quite creeped out which was very fun and I enjoyed finding out more about the Hawthorne Institute. I wish there was a book just about the institute and its activities.
Overall I found the writing very accessible and I think this is a solid thriller to spend a weekend with.

Easily my favourite book of the year! I loved the split timeline, I think that helped deliver the story really well. But omg the tension, atmosphere and suspense built in this book is insane! Loved loved loved it and once again couldn’t put a Riley Sager book down!

Gripping and atmospheric, this had the hairs on the back of my neck standing up more than once! The character were brought to life really vividly. There was just so much tension and unease built up throughout.... and just when you think it's all been figured out?! Wrong!!! And another massive twist is thrown in. Really enjoyed the split timeline flashing back to when the incident happened and getting a really good sense of who they all were as kids. It brought a nice kind if nostalgia from my own childhood to be honest. .. another winner!!!

It has become my second favorite book by this author pretty easily. It was definitely a gripping read. The plot is very well-constructed, divided into present and past. What I especially liked was that the past chapters focused on the day everything happened, the tension built slowly but with a lot of efficiency. I really appreciated that for once, the main character was a man; Ethan was an interesting character with a lot of emotional luggage to carry around. I did not see the final reveals coming, because I had other theories, but it was rather satisfying. Also, the paranormal aspect of the plot was very to my liking. The very last chapters were not the strongest part of the novel for me because I actually saw these coming and I was not the biggest fan. But still, I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

This book is creepy as hell with a sense of unease lurking around every corner. The characters were spot on and the younger versions of them gave me a sort of stranger things vibe which was cool and fitted in well with the storyline. I sure as heck didn’t guess how things were going to end. I do love a book with a dual timeline - especially one that goes back in time to when I would have been a kid too, and Middle of the Night had exactly that. Riley Sager doesn’t disappoint with his latest creepy blockbuster.

Riley Sager’s books never disappoint and In The Middle of the Night is no exception.

After returning to his childhood home, Ethan is haunted by memories of the disappearance of his childhood friend Billy. Thirty years on, and a trail that has gone cold, this haunting becomes much more real as Ethan receives messages from an unknown entity. As Ethan investigates, he learns that life on the cul de sac might be more sinister than he thought.

I was ecstatic to read this book early. Much like his other works, this story was spooky, twisty and completely engaging. I loved that it featured a male character, with a focus on boyhood friendships. I thought Sager captured the dynamics of the neighbourhood so well with rich characterisations.

I loved the meandering pace, and the more gentle twists, which was were so compelling. The story tied in the supernatural in a way that is teasingly haunting, but not terrifying. The way Sager plays with innocuous situations to create eerie tension gets me every time.

My favourite of his books is Home Before Dark, and while this one doesn’t beat it, it rates pretty close. I highly recommend!

Thank you Hodder and Stoughton and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.

I love every single one of Riley Sager books and I was lucky enough to get a chance to read his newest book Middle of the Night before its release, thanks to NetGalley. Once I started, I couldn't put it down! What an amazing, gripping, atmospheric book! Set in two timelines, 1994 and the present day, it tells a story of the disappearance of Billy, Ethan's best friend at the age of 10 and the effect it has on Ethan's life. Another five star read by Sager! Thank you, NetGalley.

Another Sager book that had me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire thing. From the first chapter, I was hooked. The multiple narratives worked so well, as did the dual timeline, to create suspense and keep the reader desperate for answers. The last 15% of the book was especially mind boggling, with twists and turn on every page. I don’t want to talk about the plot too much, because going into this book blind is the best thing. But wow, an incredibly captivating thriller with stand out characters and a haunting story.

Outstanding..
Once again, Sager knocks it out of the park in this outstanding and cleverly woven propulsive tale. When Ethan returns to Hemlock Circle he is plagued by acute memories of the past - most especially of the night that his best friend Billy disappeared. When circumstances transpire, several of the original group of friends and acquaintances find themselves back in that same place of their childhood. What really happened to Billy? With an intriguing narrative, a deftly drawn cast of characters populating a pacy plot with a constant underlying vein of menace and nicely woven threads including an emotionally and keenly observed coming of age theme, this is a tremendous addition to this authors already impressive canon.