Middle of the Night by Riley Sager
Middle of the Night
by Riley Sager
Mystery | Thriller
367 Pages
Released June 2024
Rating: ★★★
Goodreads
Content Warnings
I’ve come to realize that, for me, Riley Sager’s books are the grown-up version of R.L. Stein’s Goosebumps. That is to say, I find his books the type of easily-digested, surface-level scary-not-scary that I enjoy on a warm summer night. Needless to say, I’ve got a sort of love-bored relationship going on with this author.
This book follows Ethan, who has just returned to his childhood home after his parents retire in Florida. Ever since coming home, he is awakened every night by the horrible memory of his best friend, Billy’s, disappearance. But when unusual events start happening around the tiny cul-de-sac his childhood home is on, Ethan goes on a mission to figure out what happened to his friend so many years ago.
This book was fine and exactly what I wanted/expected out of a Riley Sager novel. Certainly not as bad as Survive the Night (thank goodness) or as eyebrow-raisng as The House Across the Lake. It was a good blend of mystery with plenty of characters to suspect and just enough goosebump-y moments to keep the momentum going. If you’re familiar with Riley Sager, you’ll know exactly what I mean. And if you’re not, this is as good a book as any of his to start with.