When you look behind you there's nothing there to see: MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.

Middle of the Night by Riley Sager


I started this one on audio thanks to a work trip and will say that I quite enjoyed the audio (not always the case for me). I finished it via hardcover because I had to know what happened--this is a true page turner!

As with many Sager books, MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT exudes eerie tension. Now 40, Ethan Marsh returns to his childhood home to lick his wounds after his marriage ends. He's living in his parents' old house as they have fled the coop to Florida. Ethan has never loved the place--ever since, at age 10, his best friend Billy was snatched from a tent in Ethan's backyard while the two were camping. Billy was never seen again. Ethan has been unable to remember any events of that night, but he's haunted by dreams and insomnia, even thirty years later.

Being back on Hemlock Court, a small, exclusive neighborhood where all the families know each other--and each other's business--isn't the best for Ethan's mental health. How reliable of a narrator is this exhausted 40-year-old man, we wonder?

The story unfolds between Ethan's present-day perspective, as suspicious events begin happening in the neighborhood, and the past, with various POVs from the folks of Hemlock Court relaying the events the day before Billy's disappearance. I found this format nearly impossible to put down--it was incredibly effective at raising suspense and tension.

As with many a Sager book, you'll find yourself wondering if the supernatural or ghosts are at play, or just sinister forces. There are plenty of suspects and the story kept me wondering and guessing until the end. The ending was a little less robust than I'd hoped, but this was still an enjoyable thriller, and it was nice to find such a hard-to-put-down read! 4+ stars.

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