I'm always really excited for a new Riley Sager book, but mostly because I never know what to expect. Will it be a popcorn thriller with slightly unbelievable twists? Will it be a horror with a nerve-wracking atmosphere? Or will it be a mystery with cliff-hangers galore? Yet Middle Of The Night still feels like something completely different from everything else I've read by Sager so far. Although the one thing that remains the same is that I never want to put his books down!

For me, Middle Of The Night felt a little tame for Sager overall, but it also felt obvious that he wanted a break from the jaw-dropping twists we can usually expect from him, and that he wanted to write something more authentic instead. Because I'll be honest, the twists in this one were average and I didn't much care for the ending, but there was also a lot that I did love. I loved the characters, the chilling atmosphere, the spooky location and mystery surrounding The Institute and what they do, and the true-crime feel to the whole story.

Some may be more disappointed with the slower pace and lack of shocks, but what we have instead is a well-written mystery with strong characters development and a moving exploration of grief. I love a story with supernatural elements and I really like how they worked in this story, bringing back Ethan's fears, guilt, and worries.

It's definitely a book I'll think about often, and another hit from Sager for me.

This is my first book by Riley Sager and I enjoyed it. It's a well-crafted horror story. The author drip feeds you information and leads you down several paths so that you don't guess the ending. There are surprises all the way making for a quick, easy, enjoyable read.

Middle of the Night was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024 and I’m happy to say it DID NOT disappoint! It’s definitely a slow burn, so don’t expect anything to happen right away but just enjoy getting to know the characters and their backstories.

The story opens with two best friends, Ethan & Billy camping in Ethan’s backyard. However, when Ethan wakes up the next morning, their tent has been slashed open and Billy is nowhere to be found. Fast forward 30 years, Ethan has finally returned to his childhood home, Billy is still missing and no one knows what happened that night.

Unable to sleep and plagued with nightmares, Ethan begins to sense the presence of his old friend. When unexplained things start to happen, secret codes and games being played that only he and Billy knew about, he begins to wonder if Billy too, has finally come back home.

This may be in my top 3 favourite Riley Sager novels! I just wasn’t expecting there to be so much emotion packed into the pages and honestly, I just couldn’t put it down. I ended up finishing this one literally in the MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. I loved that fact that every alternating chapter was a new POV and reliving the same nights through a new set of eyes. There were plot twists around every corner and I couldn’t have predicted how this one would end. It was very well done. 4.5 stars

I’m so gutted that this book wasn’t for me!

I’m such a huge fan of Riley Sager and all of his twist but to me this one just didn’t work.

I thought it was very predictable from the first 50 pages but then you have to wait until you’re 83% through the book for the first twist to happen.

Just because this one wasn’t for me personally Riley Sager is still amazing and I’m never not going to read his work!

Very appreciative to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for allowing me to read it early!

Thank you NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this eCopy to review

Middle of the Night is a blend of the paranormal and mystery. Who is causing the mysterious happenings at Hemlock Circle? What is The Hawthorne Institute? What really happened to Billy that night 30 years ago?

Ethan suffers from crippling insomnia ever since his best friend Billy was taken from their tent one summer night when they were 10. Back living on the crescent 30 years later is Ethan being haunted by Billy or is Ethan's sleep deprived mind working overtime.

As more and more secrets come to light the truth of that night is finally revealed.

Full of twists and turns and a heavy dollop of fear this book had me gripped from start to finish

I could not put this book down! Clever, frightening and twisty! Brilliantly written and some real twists throughout! Highly recommend!
Riley Sager is a go to author for me!
If you haven’t read it yet… I urge you to go out and buy it!
Big thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my ARC

Riley Sager is definitely one of my go-to thriller/suspense authors and I’ve looked forward to the release of his one book every single year for at least the last four to five years.

I began reading this title a few months ago (March) and it wasn’t hitting the spot at the moment, so I had to put it down (which is okay!!!!). When I came back to it, I ended up getting into it and enjoying it.

Middle of the Night is about Ethan Marsh, now a middle-aged man moving back to his childhood residence - the very scene of a crime that happened when his childhood best friend, Billy Barringer, went missing from Ethan’s backyard while they camped in a tent there thirty years earlier. All that was left as a clue was a big slit in the side of the tent that Ethan dreams about to this day, and blames himself for not remember what happened. Billy was never found or heard from since that night. When Ethan moves back, strange things begin to happen that Ethan believes could only be explained by paranormal forces. Paranormal forces that are none other than Billy’s ghost. He believes Billy’s ghost is hinting that the culprit is closer to home than anyone previously could have imagined.

This book is written in a dual timeline format - then (1994) and now. It’s a little slow to start, but picks up around 25% and sucks you in after that, wanting to know what happened to Billy and who could be responsible. Lots of twists! I never would have guessed the ending, which is something I can always appreciate about a Sager book. I also enjoyed the creepy, paranormal, woodsy vibes throughout.

Thank you so much to Hodder & Stoughton, Riley, and NetGalley for the advance galley. I’m so incredibly grateful to have read this one early!

This was my first Riley Sager book and I’m on the fence about this book. The first half of the book felt like not much really happened. I understand it’s to build an official picture of that night and what’s happened to get to now in the investigation however it felt very drawn out and probably could have been shortened down so if you like a slow burner, this one is definitely for you.

It felt like the story only really got moving in the second half where we start to find out what really happened that day which was the more interesting part. I enjoyed hearing about the going’s on at the institution and the people involved as I wasn’t expecting that and that’s when I started to really take an interest.

I didn’t feel like the POVS or flashbacks of every character was really needed as sometimes it’s repeated when the character in the present is relaying the information. I was intrigued to keep reading however as I really just had to find out what actually happened that night and didn’t guess some of the twists!

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc!!

Dual timelines, Sager’s first ever male POV and that Riley Sager thriller mystery twist we all have grown to love. You’d be a fool not to pick this one up. If you know Sager’s work, you know that you just NEED to read it!
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Thank you to the publisher for the early copy!!

Want a book that will have you freaking out and paranoid? Sager does it again! You must read this if you love suspense novels. The audio was fantastic!

I thoroughly enjoyed this one, just like the rest of Riley Sager’s books!

I was completely captivated by the story and there was so much going on that all the twists kept me gripped. The ghost element was quite creepy which helped with the suspense and tension in the plot.

The story connects together really well by the end and I didn’t guess the main reveal which was a pleasant surprise!

I loved the ending! It was such a nice way to finish the book with everything else that happened.

10/10, would recommend!

I have to admit I was quite excited when I first noticed that we were getting a book from the point of view of a man, and I have to say I was happily surprised! Riley Sager is known for writing from a woman’s POV which can sometimes be a little controversial but I’ve always thought he’d done a good job and you can definitely tell this book follows the same type of character. I found the main character of Ethan to be fully flushed out, showcasing the difficulties of growing up and going back to your family home and being haunted by certain ghosts.

The story straddles the line between paranormal and thriller and expertly leads you along the path of “is it a ghost or is it the main character losing his mind?” Which is one of my favourite tropes.
There are some “twists” which I guessed immediately but as an avid thriller reader there were still plenty and exciting twists and turns that I didn’t expect.
The ending was a little bit too wrapped up with a neat bow for my liking but I think it will definitely appeal to the masses. Overall I really enjoyed this book and will be recommending it to all of my reader friends and family. Another fantastic edition to the backlog of Riley Saver novels!

This is my first Riley Sager book but I have had a couple on my TBR for some time. I wish I’d have read their books sooner!

All seems perfect in suburbia until one night a boy is snatched next to his friend in a tent and is never seen again. Fast forward decades and the boy who was left behind is traumatised by the disappearance of his best friend. But strange things start occurring on the street and he wonders if his friend has returned.

Although it gets off to a slow start, the pace quickens and gets creepier with every turn of the page. I’d describe it as a supernatural whodunnit that also deals with the trauma we experience as children and how that shapes the rest of our lives.

Chilling, creepy and unputdownable.

Thanks to NetGalley and the published for a copy of the e-ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

An excellent suburban thriller, with sharp shocks like a good horror. The way this tale layers flashbacks to The Day between present day builds brilliant tension, and really makes you wonder who had motive. Utterly compelling. Loved it.

First of all I would just like to thank Netgalley, Riley Sager and Hodder & Stoughton for an ARC of “Middle of The Night” in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely love Riley Sager’s books and couldn’t wait for his trademark plot twists, but (and this is something I never thought would happen) I guessed the culprit. Not the actual motive, but the culprit. Which made the reveal very underwhelming.

Hardly anything happens in this book for it all to culminate in a sub-par explanation. I was hoping that by pushing through the slow paced beginning and middle, I would be rewarded with a brilliant and shocking revelation. Unfortunately it was the complete opposite.

Some positives I will say though… despite being very slow, bordering on slightly boring, the writing was up to Sager’s usual standard; I thoroughly enjoyed the prose. I also absolutely loved Henry- he was a welcome breath of fresh air in a rather mundane story.

Overall, not a bad book by any means, but certainly not up to Riley Sager’s usual standard. I still recommend to thriller lovers, despite being disappointed by the unused potential.

Ethan and best friend Billy fall asleep in a tent in Ethan’s back garden, in a quiet cul de sac called Hemlock Circle. Ethan wakes up alone, someone has taken Billy. Thirty years later, Ethan has returned and plagued by nightmares, notices strange things happening at night. It soon becomes down to Ethan to investigate what really happened on that night.

This is another twisty novel by this author, with a creepy, atmospheric setting. I enjoyed the dual timelines and the sense of mystery throughout the story. This seemed to give me more horror/supernatural vibes than some of his other novels, which although I don’t usually enjoy as much, I thought it worked well here. I found that it was fairly slow paced and took a while for me to start getting into the storyline. I preferred the second half. I predicted some of the outcomes early on, however enjoyed the reveals. Even though this wasn’t one of my favourite books by this author, it was still an enjoyable, entertaining read and I’ll definitely be reading more to come. I could see this becoming a TV drama. 3.5 stars rounded down. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

It’s the 30th anniversary of the night Billy vanished. Ethan and his best friend camped out in the garden. His best friend is gone, and Ethan has spent 30 years in limbo.
Reliving that night with all his friends and neighbours Ethan starts believing Billy is trying to tell him something.
A story of overwhelming loss and tension coming from unresolved loss turns into a very dark atmospheric mystery to be solved.
You will be kept on your toes by this fast-paced story. Keep all your senses open till the end.
Thank you NetGalley and (Hodder & Stoughton) for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I was excited for this book, but it didn’t grip me like Riley Sager’s previous works. The story follows Ethan, who returns to his childhood neighborhood 30 years after his best friend Billy disappeared during a backyard camping trip. The dual timelines between 1994 and the present kept me interested, but the pace was slow.
The eerie atmosphere and the mysterious happenings in the cul-de-sac at night added a sense of suspense. I was curious about the supernatural element, but the reveal at the end felt underwhelming. While it made sense for the story, it didn't have the impact I was hoping for.
Overall, this book had its moments of intrigue and creepy vibes, but it didn't completely deliver for me.
Despite this, Sager’s writing style and the compelling mystery kept me reading until the end. I’m still looking forward to his next book.

Thanks a million to Netgalley & Hodder and Stoughton for inviting me to read this highly anticipated ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
This is how you make a thriller! I give all the magnificent midnight stars to this special book. Riley Sager is hands down my all-time favorite thriller author. Every time he releases a book, I'm immediately hooked. I was completely taken with his newest work; it made me feel so nostalgic. It's unlike anything he's done before, taking a more horror-esque approach, which I found incredibly thrilling! And whoever loves to treat yourself to some intricate mystery, please read this book.

Another brilliant Riley Sager - marrying the supernatural and the crime thriller elements in an exceptional way which won’t disappoint fans of either genre! Lots of nods towards 80’s horror and goosebumps vibes didn’t go unnoticed.