Middle of the Night
By Riley Sager
- Release Date: 2024-06-18
- Genre: Mysteries & Thrillers
Description
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
In the latest jaw-dropping thriller from New York Times bestselling author Riley Sager, a man must contend with the long-ago disappearance of his childhood best friend—and the dark secrets lurking just beyond the safe confines of his picture-perfect neighborhood.
The worst thing to ever happen on Hemlock Circle occurred in Ethan Marsh’s backyard. One July night, ten-year-old Ethan and his best friend and neighbor, Billy, fell asleep in a tent set up on a manicured lawn in a quiet, quaint New Jersey cul-de-sac. In the morning, Ethan woke up alone. During the night, someone had sliced the tent open with a knife and taken Billy. He was never seen again.
Thirty years later, Ethan has reluctantly returned to his childhood home. Plagued by bad dreams and insomnia, he begins to notice strange things happening in the middle of the night. Someone seems to be roaming the cul-de-sac at odd hours, and signs of Billy’s presence keep appearing in Ethan’s backyard. Is someone playing a cruel prank? Or has Billy, long thought to be dead, somehow returned to Hemlock Circle?
The mysterious occurrences prompt Ethan to investigate what really happened that night, a quest that reunites him with former friends and neighbors and leads him into the woods that surround Hemlock Circle. Woods where Billy claimed ghosts roamed and where a mysterious institute does clandestine research on a crumbling estate.
The closer Ethan gets to the truth, the more he realizes that no place—be it quiet forest or suburban street—is completely safe. And that the past has a way of haunting the present.
Reviews
Familiar author with a familiar formula
3By browneyesblueI’ve been a fan of Riley Sager since I picked up his first novel Final Girls back when it was released. Middle of the night is his eighth book and I waited until this month to read it because I knew that book 9 is about to be released in June. Despite the fact that each story is a stand alone, I like to think that they take place within the same universe. Sager’s style of writing has become familiar to me but lately he has changed it up a bit. Middle of Nowhere is a story of trauma, loss and truth. Ethan Marsh is a traumatized man whose best friend Billy Barringer disappeared 30 years prior to the story. Ethan fell asleep beside him in the tent one evening and the next morning the tent was cut open and Billy was missing. Someone trespasses on the property and leaves a baseball in the backyard. Something that Billy threw over the fence to get Ethan’s attention. Ethan decides that he needs to find out what happened to Billy and figure out who killed him. The truth isn’t as obvious as it seems. I rated this book three starts out of five because at one point I grew a little restless with the story. The need to know who killed Billy made me impatient. The big reveal to me was a little anticlimactic because I was expecting a different outcome. All in all the story was good and I will be reading the next book that’s coming soon.Over written
1By annweinerI had to skip many pages to get to the end.Never know what’s coming!
4By egmcxoI loved how you never really expect the ending. A really good mystery novel! Loved the writing style. Overall a great read!A page turner!
5By MVF116I couldn’t put it down . . .A very slow burn without an earned ending, still interesting.
3By Oberyn BlackfyreI think this book is great if people enjoy a murder mystery with a very, VERY, vague sense of the supernatural. I came into this book wanting something scary, and supernatural. When I didn’t get that j stayed for the mystery, and the 90s nostalgia (although I don’t feel like it ever achieved the actual feel of the decade). A good book but wish it had more of the supernatural- whether it be ghosts or occult- within the story.Love love love it!
5By DkellyrnThe twists and turns - great by themselves but it also took me back to my backyard … and a tent… and my best friend!Thank you!Page turner
5By wids1Very good read. I didn’t know who done it til the end. Had me turning pages for sure.Captivating
5By dentaldiva4uAs usual Riley Sager never disappoints! The constant ability to keep his audience engaged in reading his novels continues! Thank you!Love his books
5By Lake LesA great “who dun it” spiced with a bit of paranormal. Great readSO AWESOME!!
5By Patty H.Ok…..this just may, now, be my favorite Riley book!!Good ending
4By LaurenOverpeckNot his most interesting book but the end was worth itGreat read!
5By pdhernAnother enjoyable story by Riley Sager!Heartfelt
5By Cat TDRiley Sager is a favorite author whose books I anxiously await, but he outdid himself with this book. It’s suspenseful with just the right amount of the supernatural, but with a lovely, emotional ending I didn’t see coming.Just ok
3By jaira jaiNot their best work but an ok readyes yes yes
5By Juju_loves_you.this is my first book by the author - 5 stars!!!
