Not my absolute favorite of Riley Sager mysteries but a solid page turner! I liked all the twist and turns and the happy ending ! We love closure!

What It’s About: When Ethan Marsh was ten, his best friend Billy Barringer disappeared out of the tent they were sleeping in in his backyard and was never seen again. Now Ethan has returned home and the ghost of Billy is haunting him, prompting him to attempt to discover what really happened that night once and for all. Plot: This novel had more twists than I’ve ever seen in one place, and all of them were pulled off beautifully. In the end, everything connected together in a complete picture that made total sense. The characters were compelling, there was a frank discussion of trauma and how it colors everyone’s lives for decades afterwards, and everyone’s reactions to events were realistic. Style: Riley Sager’s writing is lyrical, incredibly atmospheric, and also downright creepy. It flows so well and can be read so easily that it honestly hardly feels like reading at all, which, to be clear, is a compliment. Trigger Warnings: The book is mostly centered around mental health and trauma response. There’s also a lot of death and grief, which is to be expected considering the topic of the narrative. Final Thoughts: I love Riley Sager. I’ve read every single one of his novels. It is a summer ritual for me to buy his latest book and read it in one day, then tell my friend, who won’t read thrillers because they’re too scary, the entire plot and what my guesses were as I was reading. For the record, my guesses have been halfway there or close, but never right on the money. Riley gets me every time, and I actually like that, because I read so much that I’m hard to surprise. I just wish I could do this more than once a year, but I get it. Good books take time!

I like Sager. His books are quick, fun reads that I think are great palate cleansers between heavier, more emotional reads. Sometimes the twists do get gimmicky but I’ve grown used to them. And I don’t mean to sound so negative right off—we all have elements we dislike in books we like, right? So, anyway, I thought that the numerous twists and turns would be my primary complaint with *Middle of the Night,* and that it would be another 4 star read by Sager. However, something about *Middle of the Night* didn’t do it for me. It felt like it was stuck somewhere between unintentional satire of the genre and a serious attempt at being serious. I say this because the story unfolded for me like the amalgamation of crucial aspects of other hot thrillers (past and present) Frankensteined together. Which is not an inherently bad thing—genre fiction exists by way of books in that genre sharing elements and tropes. But they were assembled here in a way that felt both forced and rushed, like Sager wanted one thing and the story wanted the other but Sager won out. I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone but certain parts of the novel felt like I was re-watching *The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window,* that Netflix parody of AJ Finn’s *The Woman in the Window.* I still think the book was a solid 3 stars, and I don’t regret reading it. It just satisfy me the way some of his other books have.

Ethan’s friend Billy disappeared long ago What happened to him, nobody knows Taken from a tent in Ethan’s backyard Certainly a ten year old couldn’t have gotten that far Now thirty years later, Ethan has moved back home And strange things have begun to go on Is Billy back? Did he actually survive? Everyone says there’s no way he’s still alive Ethan must push to learn the truth Or else his sanity just may come loose Per usual, Sager’s writing is captivating. From the first page until the last, I was engaged and curious what would happen next. I didn’t super love the conclusion and I found the twists to be less twisty than his other books. But a not-my-favorite-of-his is still an excellent read! I will anxiously await for book #9 to come out in what I’m sure will be June 2025 🙃

This is, definitely, the best book I have read in many months. It is the best Riley Sager novel I have read: very well-written: in-depth, relatable characters and vivid details; no typos, which is sadly untrue of so many books recentl; & excellent plot. The story unfolded in a seamless blend of present & past, with many twists and turns. I haven’t read a book this satisfying since HOLES by Louis Sachar, which somehow managed to pull together a myriad of seemingly extraneous details to create something amazing. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Who knew I would be sobbing at the end of a Riley Sager book?! Not me but here I am. Maybe not my favorite of his books, it still kept my attention and threw in some zingers at the end. It is a slow moving tale of redemption, sorrow, regret, family, friends. in the 1990s, Ethan and Billy are sleeping in a tent in Ethan's backyard. Ethan wakes up in the morning to a slash in the tent and Billy being gone. Some 30 years later, Ethan is back at Hemlock Terrace living in his old home when Billy's remains are found. Has Billy come back to help Ethan remember what happened that night or are other forces at play? You see, Billy was fascinated by ghosts and the afterlife. There is a lot of suspicion, a creepy institute and you will be guessing and guessing just what did happen that fateful night. I love this man and his mind. I have never met a Riley Sager book that I didn't like.

Riley Sager’s books are full of twists and turns. Just when you think you have it all figured out and the story should end shortly, something else happens and it goes on for more page turning twists. Read this one in one sitting. Ethan and Henry are wonderful together and I never thought they would end up as family. Also never figured out until the very end what happened to Billy. I do believe in ghosts, though.

Poor, repetitive, much ado about nothing. The worst I’ve read so far from this author

Love Riley Sager! Even if his books are hit & miss. I walked into this one blind, and really glad I did, cause it was fun trying to figure out whodunnit. Loved the Goosebumps references and some of the others made throughout the story. If you enjoy solving mysteries, you’ll like this one.

Love it, every page. Read it In one day.

10歳のEthanとBilly、仲良し二人組、Ethanの自宅の裏庭でテントを張って寝て、翌朝Ethanが目覚めるとBillyが忽然と消えていた。事件は解決しないまま30年が過ぎ、Billy の失踪から未だに立ち直れないEthan。両親の引っ越し処理のため当時の家に戻ってきたら次々と不可解な出来事が起こる。住民が皆知り合いという住宅環境。子供時代の微妙な友達関係、無邪気な悪戯、心ない言葉。偶然が偶然を呼び、取り返しのつかない事が起こりうる怖さ。話は二転三転し背筋がゾッとするような不気味さが終始つきまとうけれど、最後は胸がいっぱいになってしまった。心暖まるエンディングでした。

Always a great read, Riley Sager does it again, mysterious storyline with good characters. Story builds to the final reveal. Well worth a read.