For some extremely strange reason, I did not read Riley Sager’s latest novel, Home Before Dark, the day it came out in June! What’s wrong with me?! I guess it’s better late than never. Just like all of his other efforts, this thriller was very satisfying. There were so many twists! Right when I thought I had something pegged, Sager went ahead and flipped the story on its head, but in a way that seemed completely plausible.
Anyways, before I get too far into it, here’s a high level breakdown of the plot. Maggie Holt is a 30-year-old home renovator who’s just learned she’s inherited the haunted house her family fled from 25 years prior. This is a surprise to Maggie because she didn’t think her family still owned this property, she felt she’s been lied to her whole life about their experiences there, and her father wrote an insanely famous book about it all that sort of ruined her life. At least it seemed to ruin the relationship she had with her now separated parents, anyways. Now back at Baneberry Hall, Maggie claims she’s there to renovate and sell the property for good, but in actuality, she wants to find out the truth about went on during her family’s stay.
What was insanely creative about this book was that it was told in alternating chapters. One set was Maggie exploring the house in present day, while the others were chapters from her father’s book detailing the events leading up to their fleeing. Some things Maggie discovers seem to be true, but she can’t quite bring herself to believe in the ghosts her father claimed were real. She also realizes how strange it is that the neighbor girl, Petra happened to disappear the same day they fled from Baneberry. There are a myriad of possibilities, and while the obvious explanation seems like the only one, Sager managed to shock me even in the book’s final pages.
Even though this was a clearly fictional house, I still got the willies while reading it. Made me look around my own house a little suspiciously, even though it’s only twelve years old and not a single soul has died here. That’s definitely merit for good writing in my eyes! I like how Sager keeps the scenes similar between each perspective, like focusing on a certain room or event. Maggie is somewhat unlikeable at times, but she’s also a strong lead for a novel, so I give Sager credit for that. It’s my favorite novel of his yet, so if you’re looking for juicy thriller, look no further! Home Before Dark is the book for you!