Book Review: Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

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Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

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Book Overview:

Home Before Dark by Riley Sager features Maggie Holt who when she was five years old her family moved into Baneberry Hall and after twenty-one horrific days they fled in the middle of the night never to return. Maggie’s father Ewan Holt decided to write about their experience and the book House of Horrors was born. However, Maggie doesn’t remember the events as they are told in the book and believes her parents are lying. She grows to resent the attention she receives due to the book’s popularity and cult following.

Twenty-five years later Maggie runs a house renovation business with her partner Allie and has desperately tried to accept that she may never learn the truth of what really happened that night at Baneberry Hall. After her father’s untimely death following a brutal battle with cancer, she’s meeting with a lawyer to settle his affairs. It’s then she learns that her father never sold the house and he left it to her. Startled by this discovery she decides to break her promise to her parents to never return there and comes up with a plan to renovate and sell the home. While doing so she sets about to uncover the truth about what really happened there and why her parents lied to her all these years.

But the closer she gets to the truth the more she realizes that the reality of what really transpired at Baneberry Hall will challenge everything that she thought she knew.

My Review:

I was in desperate need of a good haunted house story and this definitely hit the spot. Sager created a suspenseful tale full of intrigue and mystery. It was so delicious the pages practically turned themselves. The elements that worked the most for me were the story’s structure, the dynamic characters, the consistent pacing, and the twisty ending.

Including the House of Horrors in the story not only provided a rich backstory into Maggie’s past but created eerie suspenseful vibes. Additionally, the way it was told coincided with key events that Maggie was facing in the future making you doubt Maggie’s belief that the house wasn’t haunted since many of the things that occurred in the book were happening to Maggie in the present.

When it came to the characters I felt they were well-written and well-developed. Maggie was a firecracker of a character. I related to her frustration and desire to bring the truth to light. I especially appreciated that she wasn’t dramatic or foolhardy. She approached events with a keen discerning eye. She didn’t always have the answers or correctly judge the situation or people involved but I still felt like she was a strong main character.

I also liked how the house in some ways was a character itself with its sordid history and complicated past. It felt like a living being bloated and full of secrets and mysterious occurrences.

As for the pacing, I felt it was consistent and well-timed. Having the story alternate between the events as written in the House of Horrors and the present helped to move the plot along at a steady clip. There was no lagging in the middle and I felt there was always some slight reveal that moved the story forward and aided in maintaining my interest.

Then there was the ending. It was full of the twists and shocks that Sager is known for. While I had my suspicions about who turned out to be the villain I didn’t expect them to be the missing puzzle piece that put it all together.

While Sager is hit or miss for me this was most definitely a hit. I’m so glad I chose this spooky tale to celebrate spooky season this year and highly recommend it if you enjoy a good haunted house story.

 

To learn more about the books I chose to celebrate the spooky season read My October TBR 2024: 5 Star Predictions

 

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