Home Before Dark by Riley Sager
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
RILEY SAGER!!!
He has done it again, and actually, I think this is his best work yet!!!
Loved. Loved. Loved.
Perhaps I should throw together some coherent thoughts? Yeah, let’s try.
Upon the death of her father, Maggie Holt, is shocked to discover she has just inherited Baneberry Hall, the allegedly haunted mansion her and her parents abandoned some 25-years earlier.
Quite literally fleeing in the middle of the night, her parents refused to ever return to the property. Her father then published a best-selling non-fiction account of their time there. As you do.
For Maggie’s part, she remembers nothing of her time at Baneberry. Of course, she was just 5-years old and apparently her little mind wiped the slate clean after they departed.
She has read her father’s book, House of Horrors, numerous times, but doesn’t believe a word of it. Her parents, whose relationship didn’t survive the Book, wouldn’t tell her anything, even though she pleaded with them frequently to do so.
Returning all these years later, Maggie hopes to piece together a bit of the truth while she is renovating the home for sale.
As soon as she steps foot on the Baneberry property, however, she’s knows it is not going to be as easy as she had hoped.
Alternating between Maggie’s current perspective and full chapters from House of Horrors was an absolutely delightful way to read this story. I loved how Sager set that up.
The pacing was perfection!
I was so engaged with this throughout. It got into my mind.
I was racing towards the conclusion trying to discover how much of House of Horrors was the truth.
Baneberry Hall was such a presence in the story. It was ominous and creepy AF.
I can’t imagine being Maggie and actually staying there on my own!
Home Before Dark is without a doubt going to be on my top books of the year list!
If you haven’t read anything by Sager yet and are wondering where to start, I highly recommend giving this one a shot. I think it is a perfect example of his style.
If you have read Sager before, and are a fan, what are you waiting for!?
I cannot wait to see what he comes up with next!