Riley Sager does it again with another edge of your seat thriller that slowly builds to the most epic ending you can imagine.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review. This story was full of suspense, drama and a hint of the supernatural that all blended together to create an amazing story. I felt totally compelled to find out what had happened to Billy all those years ago. Full of plot twists and surprises. The story also focuses on grief and how people cope differently after a tragedy. A really engrossing tale that I would definitely recommend.

Riley Sager really can do no wrong. I have read every book by this author and this was my most anticipated release of 2024, I was not disappointed.

We follow Ethan whose best friend went missing whilst they were children and camping in Ethan’s back garden. Ethan now an adult cannot remember anything that happened that night and his friend has still not been found all these years later.

The story is set in a claustrophobic street where suspicion still lingers. An interesting host of characters join Ethan, including his childhood babysitter, childhood friend and bully alongside those who were adults at the time Ethan’s friend went missing. Who is hiding what is one of the biggest questions you keep asking yourself whilst reading this book.

I felt this was had a home before dark vibe about it. It was mysterious, thrilling and atmospheric. I was hooked and couldn’t stop thinking about this book.

It was a normal summer evening, the night that Ethan and Billy camped in Ethan’s backyard. Normal, until the tent was slashed and Billy disappeared, never to be seen again. Now, 30 years later, Ethan’s back in the neighbourhood…but so is Billy.

This is a hard book to review. I have loved lots of Riley Sager’s books but I found this one disappointing. This is primarily due to the slooooow pace in the first 50-60% of the book. I was seriously tempted to DNF once or twice because it felt like a slog and I just wasn’t feeling the ghost story element of the plot. Stubbornness made me finish the book and I am really glad I persevered. From 80% on, I was terrified and couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. The ending is really satisfiying. I thought I had guessed what was going on and I had but only a small part of the big picture.

I would recommend the author and the ending but not the book overall. Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a chance to review and advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This felt like the perfect blend between my two favourite Riley Sager books: Home Before Dark and The Last Time I Lied. I read most of it in one sitting and loved the blend of 90s vibes, the is-it-or-is-it-not? supernatural second guessing, and the small insular feeling of the cul de sac in which this book is set. This was everything I look for in a Riley Sager book, and I had a great time reading.

Is it summer really until we have a Riley Sager book? I don't think so and I was intrigued by this one as I think this is the author's first male main character and so I was curious as to how the dynamic would work compared to his female led works.

I do think the plot was doing great things, the two timelines in this book make for a book that keeps you hanging on to every chapter and I really do appreciate the plot twists in this book, it certainly wasn't something I saw coming (maybe I don't read thrillers enough, but this one was good!) and when the story gets started it's very difficult to stop reading.

However I do feel the characters are a bit of a letdown, some of them lack personality which is replaced by being reminded what the plot is. I feel like so much more could be made from these characters and though I am glad that there is representation here, I feel like it would have been improved by the characterisation.

There are good things here, I think it's a very poignant book about how we deal with loss and letting go of the past, I think the tension is strong and the plot really moves fast that makes this book really gripping.

One of those books perfect for taking on holiday in my humble opinion.

(thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc for review)

Middle of the Night by Riley Sager
Publication date: 2 July 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.25 stars
Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for providing me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

On July 15, 1994, ten-year-old Ethan and his best friend Billy are camping in their quiet New Jersey cul de sac. In the morning, Ethan wakes up alone. The tent is sliced open, and Billy is gone, taken. Thirty years later, Ethan has returned to Hemlock Circle, still desperate for answers.

This was fine, a perfectly serviceable mystery that did nothing wrong but nothing special either.
It was fairly slow-paced, which didn't bother me too much, but a bit repetitive. The couple of plot twists and the reveal were wholly predictable.
This being said, I quite enjoy Sager's writing. There were some good moments of tension and I appreciated his exploration of grief and guilt. The flashbacks were good and I liked the multiple POVs in those instances. I still had a good enough time reading this book that I kept turning the pages and wanted to get to the end, and for that reason, I'll happily read more from this author in the future.

I am fully in my thriller era and of course, Riley Sager is the ultimate thriller author !

First of all, the cover ??? I am absolutely in love and obsessed, just like I am with all of Riley Sager’s books.

I liked how we had the flashbacks with the different POVs and across ages ! I thought this was so interesting and crucial to understanding what happened that night !

I did find the book to be slightly repetitive in parts and in turn, some chapters felt long.

The main reveal was slightly predictable but that didn’t take away from my reading experience. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good psychological thriller !!

On a warm evening in July 1994 on a quiet cul-de-sac, two ten-year-olds, Ethan & Billy, go about their usual Friday night routine of camping in Ethan's parents' backyard. They fall asleep but in the morning, only one of them is still there. Ethan wakes up to find their tent sliced open & Billy is gone. Now Ethan will be plagued by nightmares & what-ifs about what could have happened to his friend.

Thirty years later, Ethan returns to Hemlock Circle when his parents retire South. The same neighbours all still live in their homes except for Billy's family who moved away. Now that Ethan is back, it seems as if something has been stirred up & strange things begin to happen - like the yard lights coming on at each of the houses in the middle of the night one by one, as if someone or something is circling the street. Has Billy finally returned? Will Ethan finally find out what happened to his friend?

I've now read 7 out of the 8 books published by this author & the split is currently 5 really great reads & 2 not so great reads. Unfortunately this one falls into the not so great reads for me. It starts off well but it meanders a bit too much & I found my attention wandering a bit at times. I also managed to work out who was behind Billy's disappearance & usually Sager's a master at misdirection. It's still a decent read but it's not quite as good as the author's best work for me. 3.5 stars (rounded down)

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Hodder & Stoughton, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

According to Goodreads and this site Middle of the Night by Riley Sager is only the second book I've read by the American author since 2017 when I inhaled the popular, Final Girls. Although a couple of more recent books seem familiar, perhaps I only coveted them from afar rather than getting review copies or picking them up. Like Final Girls this is centred around an old mystery, stirred up when one of the players returns to his childhood home.

Ethan's returned to his childhood home as this opens, because his parents have downsized and moved to Florida. Ethan's reluctant to return to the morbidly named Hemlock Circle, the last place he saw his best friend Billy thirty years earlier, but's a lifeline he needs as it seems his personal and professional lives have imploded.

Some of his neighbours are still around so there are vivid reminders of his past but we learn Ethan's been tortured by nightmares for much of his life. I'm not a fan of books dipping into the fantastic or occult and this had Stranger Things vibes, with references to ghosts, parapsychology and the secretive Hawthorne Institute operating nearby in 1994.

We discover that Ethan, Billy and others in their neighbourhood trespassed on the day Billy disappeared, sneaking into the Institute grounds and the others taking off when Billy got caught, allowing him to be privy to some of the Institute's (not-so-evil) secrets.

There are strange happenings both then and now with something seemingly lurking in the nearby woods. Ethan assumes it's the ghost of Billy returned to share his secrets now those present in 1994 have all returned. Fans of the more surreal will appreciate the security lights being triggered by shadows and secret childhood  messages between Ethan and Billy being re-enacted.

We get a resolution here, with a few coincidences popped in for those who prefer the hazy world of ghosts and shadow people as well as some very real surprises... but it felt a little anticlimactic. In some ways I suspect Sager wanted that to be the case... that something so steeped in mystery could in fact be fairly banal.

3.5 stars

As a big fan of Riley Sager's books, 'Middle of the Night" was one of my most eagerly anticipated books of the year, and I'm delighted to report that it delivered! From the beginning, I was completely trapped by its intricate plot and compelling characters and couldn't pull the book down until I finished!

As always with Sager's writing, I always need to know how the story will unfold, and although this one was slower than others I've read, it still pulled me in.
The story starts in 1994, in 10-year-old Ethan's backyard, where he was camping with his friend Billy. However, Billy is nowhere to be found.
fast forward to the present day and Ethan is back in his childhood home, dealing with a failed marriage and the ghosts of what happened all those years ago.

i enjoy Sager's writing so much; this one didn't disappoint. If you like a slow-burn mystery set in a small culdesac, with twists and turns (some you can guess, others take you by surprise), then this book is for you.

Thank you to Riley Sager, Dutton Books, and NetGalley for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

This is a decent enough read although I have enjoyed other's by this writer more than this one unfortunately.
The book is based around a missing boy and what happened to him, the story is set 30 years later and his best friend is trying to find out what happened on that fateful night, lots of suspects and a few twists and turns along the way.

Another gripping and brilliant story from Riley Sager. A story full of tension with a spooky atmosphere

This book had me turning the pages until about the three quarter mark. Sager does a great job of building the tension and exploring the characters, but ultimately I felt that the end let me down and I was disappointed.

"Middle of the Night" by Riley Sager is a pulse-pounding thriller that plunges readers into a world of suspense and intrigue. Sager, known for his knack for weaving intricate and gripping tales, does not disappoint with this latest offering.

The characters are well-drawn, with Maggie serving as a compelling protagonist whose journey from fear to empowerment is both believable and engaging. Sager's writing is crisp and evocative, painting vivid scenes that enhance the book's ominous atmosphere. The plot twists are cleverly executed, ensuring that just when you think you have it all figured out, Sager pulls the rug out from under you.

However, some might find the pacing a bit uneven, with certain sections dragging slightly before ramping up to high-stakes revelations. Additionally, those expecting deep psychological exploration might feel the character development is somewhat secondary to the plot.

Overall, "Middle of the Night" is a thrilling page-turner that showcases Riley Sager's talent for creating spine-chilling narratives. If you enjoy suspenseful, twisty mysteries, this book is definitely worth a read.

"You can't sleep because you think you might miss another chance to stop something terrible from happening. And that whoever took Billy will eventually come back to take you."

When Ethan is ten, his best friend Billy vanishes from the tent the two boys were sleeping in, camping in Ethan's backyard. Ethan sleeps through the event, waking up alone the next morning, with only a knife slice in the tent wall to indicate something is amiss.

Thirty years later, Ethan returns to Hemlock Circle, the upmarket suburban cul-de-sac where it happened. For three decades he's had the same nightmare, about someone taking Billy in the night. A week after his return, Ethan begins to sense a presence at night. The security lights all around the neighbourhood are being triggered, seemingly by nothing. Baseballs, the kind Billy used to send secret messages with, appear on his lawn.

This leads Ethan to investigate Billy's disappearance on his own, starting with the woods behind his backyard, and the mysterious Hawthorn Institute at the far edge of the forest. Billy believed in ghosts, something Ethan always scoffed at. Now, he's not so sure. Is Billy trying to send him a message?

This book reminds me of 'Home Before Dark', the first Riley Sager book I read and the one that's been my favourite because of just how creepy it is. This is a very close second. The unease and tension are built up layer by layer until stretching to a snapping point. I was freaked out, scared, and uneasy reading this myself at home – even during the daylight, a measure of a good chiller.

I loved the twists and only figured out who the culprit was (but not the why) a few chapters before the reveal. This is Riley Sager at his best. I recommend it to anyone who likes interesting characters, ominous tones and creepy settings.

Another hit for Riley. 30 year ago two boys sleeping in a tent in the garden the next morning one has disappeared, now Ethan returns to his childhood home when creepy things start to happen. Is Billy trying to get in touch from beyond the grave. Full of mystery and twists. Good characters and well plotted a must for Riley fans. Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for a review ARC.

I’ve not read a Riley Sager book before but have seen lots of rave reviews online so I was excited to read this but sadly it really disappointed me.

The premise was promising, a man returns to his hometown decades after the disappearance of his best friend determined to find out what really happened

My main issue was that the writing is very repetitive, for example I went back and looked and the fact the main character lives on a cul-de-sac is mentioned 52(!) times.

It’s very slow paced and there are a lot of red herrings that get tedious by the end - I also thought the ending was a huge anti-climax and was annoyed that I just didn’t DNF halfway through like I should have.

I don’t usually write such negative reviews but I really didn’t enjoy it at all.

The Middle Of The Night by Riley Sager
I give this book 4.25 stars.

On 15 July 1994, ten-year-old Ethan and his best friend Billy fell asleep in a tent,in the morning it had been sliced open with a knife, and Billy was gone. Never to be seen again.
Thirty years later, Ethan has returned to his childhood home.Every night, he's kept awake by strange disturbances on the street.This isn't a bad neighbourhood. These aren't bad people. Are they?

Loved it!
A creepy, thrilling and suspenseful mystery. A missing child from 30 years ago. A quiet cul de sac setting surrounded by a forest and a mysterious institute that has now closed down.The perfect combination of paranormal possibilities and 90’s nostalgia.Its great to switch it up and have an unreliable male narrative mixed with multiple POV’s amongst this dual timeline.
Secrets unfold and as always with this author there’s the twists and misdirection I expect.
I will always read and recommend this authors books.
With thanks to Netgalley,Riley Sager and Hodder & Stoughton for my chance to read and review this book.

I've both enjoyed and disliked Riley's books previously, but I mostly enjoyed them. This was a middle of the road book for me.

I always enjoy the questionable paranormal element that he tends to throw in his books, and I did so in this one. The reveals were great, and I didn't predict most of them, especially the ones towards the end.

I also like the little chapters that jumped between each of the characters from Hemlock Circle building the events of the night up from 30 years ago.

However, I did find Ethan a little dull, he does have a lot going on and more than you're initially led to believe as well, but he's just incredibly boring so sometimes it was hard to follow from his POV.

The other thing that bothered me as well was that with some things, I feel like we've been left with more questions than answers. The Hawthorne Institute and everything we learned about it, I don't feel like that was wrapped up fully, I still have questions. Plus, there are some other things I don't want to mention as they are spoilers. But that does bother me.

Yeah, I just feel like this one didn't come together as seamlessly as I've seen Riley Sager do before, unfortunately.