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 ...
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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.
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Seller's Description:
New. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 384 p. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Fine. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 384 p. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Fine. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 384 p. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Riley Sager has been a bit of a hit and miss author for me, although I enjoyed The Last Time I Lied, I didn't like Lock Every Door. He gets a lot of acclaim though, so I was excited to read his latest book - Middle of the Night.
Ethan's childhood friend Billy disappeared in the night from the tent they were both sleeping in in their backyard. He was never found, and Ethan is plagued with dreams of the tent being slashed open. When he returns to his childhood home thirty years later, memories are starting to stir, and the ghosts of the past are becoming restless.
I really enjoyed this read and was hooked throughout. The story jumps between perspectives and flashbacks but at no point does it get confusing. Each perspective tells a little more about the over-arching story, slowly drip-feeding information to the reader. There's a certain amount of a supernatural aspect to the book, with the ideas of ghosts being explored, and the mechanic of a PING when Ethan's backyard camera detects motion is really creepy.
There's plenty of red herrings throughout and there's a lot of twists that I didn't see coming. It's hard to know who to trust and all of the characters felt well-defined and realistic. Ethan is easy to sympathise with as he tries to investigate his friend's death, especially with his insomnia and bad dreams.
Overall, Middle of the Night is a gripping and spooky read from Riley Sager. Thank you to NetGalley & Hodder and Stoughton for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.