Middle of the Night Review

Riley Sager is an auto buy author from me and the Middle of the Night didn’t disappoint. Let’s get to my review.

Synopsis

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.

My Full Thoughts on Middle of the Night

Middle of the Night reminded me of The Last Time I Lied (but not too much) and that’s the book that made me fall in love with Sager. So, you know this one was a hit with me. It was spooky, slightly paranormal, and it had a good mystery. It also had a nostalgic summertime feel that I really enjoyed.

The only thing that kept me from giving this a five-star rating was the fact that I guessed the murderer pretty early on. It didn’t keep me from enjoying the story, but it did shock me that I guessed so early. Usually, Riley Sager can catch me off guard. But overall, it was a great spooky summer read.

My Rating: 4/5