Description:
Editorial Reviews
Review
—Shari Lapena, New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door
“A cross between Gillian Flynn’s Dark Places and ghost hunter heir Alexandra Holzer’s autobiography, Sager’s latest is a haunted house story—with a twist. . . . Sager is a master of the twist and the turn, and he does not hold back in his fourth book. Like any good thriller, you have to read to the very last page to find how who did what to whom and why.”
—Rolling Stone
“Sager's novel is packed with the expected horror-trope-tinged suspense, literary jump-scares, and more than one twist, but its best moments are the quiet ones exploring the history of the house.”
—USA Today
“Something fresh, shot through with shocks of real horror.”
—New York Times Book Review
“[A] propulsive thriller . . . There are truly horrifying scenes. . . . Maggie soon learns what we already know: Real life is scarier than ghost stories.”
–Washington Post
“Riley Sager reimagines the classic haunted house tale in Home Before Dark, a stunning tale that blends genres with the ease of a master painter mixing colors. . . . This is scintillating suspense writing, Sager leaving no stone unturned in crafting a page-turner of rare depth and complexity.”
—The Providence Journal
“This spooky, surreal haunted-house story goes through plenty of twists at the end. . . . Sager has become one of my favorites for gothic stories that scare and make you think.”
—The Parkersburg News & Sentinel
“You might believe in ghosts; you might not. But a story with a ghost inhabiting a creaky old house and haunting its new residents is simply irresistible. At least in the right hands, and Riley Sager’s definitely are the right hands. From the shadowy figures in the woods to the sounds that go bump in the night, Home Before Dark is certain to creep you out."
—Bookreporter
"Clever, twisty, and altogether spine-chilling . . . [A] deliciously terrifying story . . .You'll want to read this one after dark, ideally with the wind whistling in the eaves and a window banging somewhere just out of reach. But keep the light switch handy. You just might need it."
—Ruth Ware, Book of the Month
“Sager has laid out an exciting story that is hard to put down.”
—New York Journal of Books
“Home Before Dark pays homage to The Amityville Horror and, as in Sager’s other novels, the story blends psychological suspense with elements of classic horror, for a creepy, edge-of-your-seat read.”
–BuzzFeed
“Home Before Dark is a compelling and layered mix of taut psychological suspense, genuinely scary haunted-house terrors, and the vagaries of memory, capped off with an inventive and satisfyingly wild ending.”
–Bookpage, starred review
"What could be better than a haunted house with ghosts aplenty? Home Before Dark is equally superb and terrifying. Buckle up for a wild ride. This book should come with a warning not to be read after dark."
–Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author of The Other Mrs.
"Flawless pacing, a dexterous dual narrative, and character through the roof. But the biggest revelation to be found in Home Before Dark is this: There’s nobody writing scarier books than Riley Sager is right now."
–Josh Malerman, New York Times bestselling author of Bird Box and Malorie
“[Sager] really pulls off something ingenious here."
–Erik Larson on Mental Floss
“Holy moly, I haven't been that shocked by a twist in quite some time. I actually laughed aloud when the big reveal came-because I was so delighted to have been so fooled. It's hard to write a book that's equal parts fun and frightening but Sager has done just that-and thrown in impeccable plotting for good measure. If you liked The Haunting of Hill House, you're going to love Home Before Dark. Addictive and atmospheric with a twist you definitely won't see coming.”
–Stephanie Wrobel, bestselling author of Darling Rose Gold
"Houses breathe. Some have a heartbeat. None forget. Grabbing you from the first page, Riley Sager crafts a devilish plot, twisted timelines, and horrors that linger in this haunting thriller that needs to be on your reading list!"
–J. D. Barker, international bestselling author of She Has a Broken Thing Where Her Heart Should Be
"Part ghost story, part murder mystery, Home Before Dark is a nightmare ride of haunting terror and suspense. Dripping with atmosphere and danger, Baneberry Hall is the new Hill House. I couldn’t turn the last 100 pages fast enough."
–Richard Chizmar, New York Times bestselling author
“[An] outstanding supernatural thriller . . . Sager, who makes the house a palpable, threatening presence, does a superb job of anticipating and undermining readers’ expectations. Haunted- house fans will be in heaven.”
–Publishers Weekly, starred review
“The ghosts and poltergeist activity Sager conjures are truly chilling, and he does a masterful job of keeping readers guessing until the very end.”
–Kirkus Reviews
“For fans of the Amityville Horror story comes yet another breath-stealer from the hit machine Sager.”
–Good Housekeeping, “The 35 Best Books to Add to Your Reading List ASAP”
"Sager does a superb job of upsetting reader expectations in this horror thriller."
–Publishers Weekly, "Summer Reads 2020"
“Enough twists to keep you guessing until the final, shocking chapter unfolds.”
–PopSugar
"King of thrillers, Sager returns with a pulse-pounding, goosebump-inducing tale of a woman who goes back to her childhood home—and the setting of a true horror story."
–Newsweek
“Another breathtaking hit from Sager, who’s proven himself a master at crafting new twists on classic horror tales.”
–Booklist
“If you love your thrillers with a touch of the supernatural, Sager's haunting new bestseller is just the thing to tingle your spine. . . . This is a keep-the-lights-on winner from the horror master.”
–AARP
"[E]verything you want from a haunted-house story, and never quite what you expect.”
–Mental Floss, "13 Essential Horror Novels From the Last Five Years
About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
From the moment I enter the office, I know how things are going to go. It's happened before. Too many times to count. And although each incident has its slight variations, the outcome is always the same. I expect nothing less this go-round, especially when the receptionist offers me a knowing smile as recognition flashes in her eyes. It's clear she's well-acquainted with the Book.
My family's greatest blessing.
Also our biggest curse.
"I have an appointment with Arthur Rosenfeld," I say. "The name is Maggie Holt."
"Of course, Miss Holt." The receptionist gives me a quick once-over, comparing and contrasting the little girl she's read about with the woman standing before her in scuffed boots, green cargo pants, and a flannel shirt speckled with sawdust. "Mr. Rosenfeld is on a call right now. He'll be with you in just a minute."
The receptionist-identified as Wendy Davenport by the nameplate on her desk-gestures to a chair by the wall. I sit as she continues to glance my way. I assume she's checking out the scar on my left cheek-a pale slash about an inch long. It's fairly famous, as scars go.
"I read your book," she says, stating the obvious.
I can't help but correct her. "You mean my father's book."
It's a common misconception. Even though my father is credited as the sole author, everyone assumes we all had something to do with it. And while that may be true of my mother, I played absolutely no part in the Book, despite being one of its main characters.
"I loved it," Wendy continues. "When I wasn't scared out of my mind, of course."
She pauses, and I cringe internally, knowing what's about to come next. It always does. Every damn time.
"What was it like?" Wendy leans forward until her ample bosom is squished against the desk. "Living in that house?"
The question that's inevitably asked whenever someone connects me to the Book. By now, I have a stock answer at the ready. I learned early on that one is necessary, and so I always keep it handy, like something carried in my toolbox.
"I don't really remember anything about that time."
The receptionist arches an overplucked brow. "Nothing at all?"
"I was five," I say. "How much do you remember from that age?"
In my experience, this ends the conversation about 50 percent of the time. The merely curious get the hint and move on. The morbidly interested don't give up so easily. I thought Wendy Davenport, with her apple cheeks and Banana Republic outfit, would be the former. Turns out I'm wrong.
"But the experience was so terrifying for your family," she says. "I'd surely remember at least something about it."
There are several ways I can go with this, depending on my mood. If I was at a party, relaxed and generous after a few drinks, I'd probably indulge her and say, "I remember being afraid all the time but not knowing why."
Or, "I suppose it was so scary I blocked it all out."
Or, a perennial favorite, "Some things are too frightening to remember."
But I'm not at a party. Nor am I relaxed and generous. I'm in a lawyer's office about to be handed the estate of my recently dead father. My only choice is to be blunt.
"None of it happened," I tell Wendy. "My father made it all up. And when I say all of it, I mean all of it. Everything in that book is a lie."
Wendy's expression switches from wide-eyed curiosity to something harder and darker. I've disappointed her, even though she should feel grateful I'm being honest with her. It's something my father never felt was necessary.
His version of the truth differed greatly from mine, although he, too, had a stock answer, the script of which never wavered no matter who he was talking to.
"I've lied about a great many things in my life," he would have told Wendy Davenport, oozing charm. "But what happened at Baneberry Hall isn't one of them. Every word of that book is true. I swear to the Great Almighty."
That's in line with the public version of events, which goes something like this: Twenty-five years ago, my family lived in a house named Baneberry Hall, situated just outside the village of Bartleby, Vermont.
We moved in on June 26.
We fled in the dead of night on July 15.
Twenty days.
That's how long we lived in that house before we became too terrified to stay a minute longer.
It wasn't safe, my father told police. Something was wrong with Baneberry Hall. Unaccountable things had happened there. Dangerous things.
The house was, he reluctantly admitted, haunted by a malevolent spirit.
We vowed never to return.
Ever.
This admission-detailed in the official police report-was noticed by a reporter for the local newspaper, a glorified pamphlet known as the Bartleby Gazette. The ensuing article, including plenty of quotes from my father, was soon picked up by the state's wire service and found its way into bigger newspapers in larger towns. Burlington and Essex and Colchester. From there it spread like a pernicious cold, hopping from town to town, city to city, state to state. Roughly two weeks after our retreat, an editor in New York called with an offer to tell our story in book form.
Since we were living in a motel room that smelled of stale smoke and lemon air freshener, my father jumped at the offer. He wrote the book in a month, turning the motel room's tiny bathroom into a makeshift office. One of my earliest memories is of him seated sideways on the toilet, banging away at a typewriter perched atop the bathroom vanity.
The rest is publishing history.
Instant bestseller.
Worldwide phenomenon.
The most popular "real-life" account of the paranormal since The Amityville Horror.
For a time, Baneberry Hall was the most famous house in America. Magazines wrote about it. News shows did reports on it. Tourists gathered outside the estate's wrought-iron gate, angling for a glimpse of rooftop or a glint of sunlight bouncing off the windows. It even made The New Yorker, in a cartoon that ran two months after the Book hit stores. It shows a couple standing with their Realtor outside a dilapidated house. "We love it," the wife says. "But is it haunted enough for a book deal?"
As for me and my family, well, we were everywhere. In People magazine, the three of us looking somber in front of a house we refused to enter. In Time, my father seated in a veil of shadow, giving him a distinctly sinister look. On TV, my parents being either coddled or interrogated, depending on the interviewer.
Right now, anyone can go to YouTube and watch a clip of us being interviewed on 60 Minutes. There we are, a picture-perfect family. My father, shaggy but handsome, sporting the kind of beard that wouldn't come back in style until a decade later. My mother, pretty but looking slightly severe, the tightness at the corners of her mouth hinting that she's not completely on board with the situation. Then there's me. Frilly blue dress. Patent leather shoes. A black headband and very regrettable bangs.
I didn't say much during the interview. I merely nodded or shook my head or acted shy by shrinking close to my mother. I think my only words during the entire segment were "I was scared," even though I can't remember being scared. I can't remember anything about our twenty days at Baneberry Hall. What I do recall is colored by what's in the Book. Instead of memories, I have excerpts. It's like looking at a photograph of a photograph. The framing is off. The colors are dulled. The image is slightly dark.
Murky.
That's the perfect word to describe our time at Baneberry Hall.
It should come as no surprise that many people doubt my father's story. Yes, there are those like Wendy Davenport who think the Book is real. They believe-or want to believe-that our time at Baneberry Hall unfolded exactly the way my father described it. But thousands more adamantly think it was all a hoax.
I've seen all the websites and Reddit threads debunking the Book. I've read all the theories. Most of them surmise my parents quickly realized they'd bought more house than they could afford and needed an excuse to get out of it. Others suggest they were con artists who purposefully bought a house where something tragic happened in order to exploit it.
The theory I'm even less inclined to believe is that my parents, knowing they had a money pit on their hands, wanted some way to increase the house's value when it came time to sell. Rather than spend a fortune on renovations, they decided to give Baneberry Hall something else-a reputation. It's not that easy. Houses that have been deemed haunted decrease in value, either because prospective buyers are afraid to live there or because they just don't want to deal with the notoriety.
I still don't know the real reason we left so suddenly. My parents refused to tell me. Maybe they really were afraid to stay. Maybe they truly and completely feared for their lives. But I know it wasn't because Baneberry Hall was haunted. The big reason, of course, being that there's no such thing as ghosts.
Sure, plenty of people believe in them, but people will believe anything. That Santa Claus is real. That we didn't land on the moon. That Michael Jackson is alive and well and dealing blackjack in Las Vegas.
Reviews:
Amazing book!
Such a good book! So many twists and turns. Amazing story line, found myself getting lost in the book and not wanting to put it down. 10 out of 10 highly recommend!! Especially if you love creepy, suspenseful, plot twist books. I am now ordering one of his other books because I absolutely loved this one. Found my new favorite author.
Highly Enjoyable and Lots of Bumps in the Night
I've read all four of Riley Sager's novels. I've liked them all and thought all four would make fantastic movies. But I think Home Before Dark is his best work to date. It's not as throwback or fun as Final Girls and it didn't have the same romantic ambiance of Lock Every Door, but this one was really balanced and well crafted. There's something about Sager's work I've realized the fourth time in. His work always seems "familiar" to me, as though I've read or seen the concept before. But I actually had a realization in this book that this style may actually be on purpose. I actually love a homage and, in this book, it's just too obvious to miss. So yes, it's like an idea you've seen, but a completely fresh angle.In this one we have Maggie, a thirty year old interior designer, who is famous for being the surviving child/victim in a non-fiction book written by her father about a haunting they experience in a rambling Victorian home they lived in 25 years prior. The book has defined her and she despises it. She has no memory of the actual events and is convinced her dad made the whole thing up just to profit. And profit they have. The money has paid for her education and their lives and she's just inherited the entire share after her father's death.... including the house itself.She makes the decision to go back to the house, despite a death bed promise to her father that she won't, and her mother's insistence as well (who offers to buy the house off her, as she's now remarried to a realtor). There was a tiny lapse in logic here. It was clear her parents are desperate for her to NOT return to the house. So I found it amazing they left it to her in the estate. But lapse of logic aside, and putting myself in Maggie's shoes, I would ABSOLUTELY go back to the house to see if I could figure out what happened. Especially to see if the memories would come back from living in the house.So off she goes with a double agenda. To realize the mysteries of her past while being productive and renovate the house to sell. The cast of characters from her perspective is largely limited to the people from the book itself, people her family knew as a child... neighbors, police, locals, etc. She has a female friend and business partner but that interaction is limited to cell phone communications. The friend, Allie, was the weakest link character as she only serves as a plot device to give updates and is not a realized character.Another Riley Sager style is the flashbacks. I did not like the device in Lock Every Door (the story is told from the same character's POV but from a future self and a current self told side by side). But in this book, it really worked. As Maggie is going through the motions of the current day mystery, etc., we get to read portions of her father's book in which she is the main character. So her father, in present day deceased, is the other main character and his story of the haunting is told from his perspective. There was only one moment I lost track of the POVs but, overall, Sager did a great job of giving both characters a unique voice.I had a small issue with the ending simply because it was super rushed. Just BAM, BAM, BAM. That being said, Sager pulls off the difficulty of giving us a satisfying ending in a horror novel. And, yes, I've seen the other reviews in which it's questioned if this is a horror novel. I say, yes, absolutely. It's more horror than any other genre. I would not expect to be "scared" as it's not that type of novel. It's more like atmospheric horror with a mystery at the center. And it leaves enough open that we are left to wonder and question, while still being given a very solid conclusion.Overall highly recommended if you love all the stuff I love... old Victorian houses, trips to libraries to do research, mysteries and investigations, old love letters, family and town folklore, ghosts, etc. I think this book is a real treat and absolutely to be enjoyed.
If you’re thinking about it, get this book now!
I devoured this within one weekend, it’s so good. This is my second Riley Sager book, the first was Only One Left. I won’t review that one here but I cannot recommend it enough. If you haven’t read that yet, go read it! But don’t forget about this one!Riley Sager is very talented at writing winding, twisting narratives that keep you guessing. I’m usually really good at predicting what “plot twist” is coming my way in a book or show/film. But each Riley Sager story I’ve read has always taken me for a ride on the edge of my seat, and left me floored by the end.I scare very easily and at times I’d have to put the book down for a few minutes to shake off the goosebumps. But I was too captivated to walk away for long.This book was so fun to read and a perfect spooky read for a snowed in (or rainy!) weekend. Read it!
I was dragging my feet to finish one of my most anticipated books of 2020...
** spoiler alert ** Riley Sager is an author that I will automatically buy. I remember reading Final Girls when it first came out and throwing it across the room when it got to the climax, not because I was frustrated, but because I was excited for the story that Sager was spinning. I am a devoted fan, and while I acknowledge that Sager's writing leans toward reboots of horror tropes, I still seek out the thrill I get from reading his books. All this to say that I was incredibly surprised to find that I was dragging my feet to finish one of my most anticipated books of 2020 - Home Before Dark.In Home Before Dark, Sager plays to his strengths of reconfiguring one of our canon works in the horror genre, The Amityville Horror. This is familiar territory for Sager. Each of his previous books stands as a tribute to similar horror sub-genres or a specific work. Final Girls was a slasher throwback reminiscent of the movie Scream, The Last Time I Lied can be tied to Friday the 13th and Sleepaway Camp, and Lock Every Door was a clear love letter to Ira Levin and Rosemary's Baby - in a fitting tribute, the book is even dedicated to him.I've seen other reviews compare this book to The Haunting of Hill House, and I think that is an apt comparison. It is worth noting though that, if we are using the show as our example, the first episode lays out exactly what the older brother experienced and then wrote about that made the estate - and his family - famous. As the show reveals through all the following episodes is what the rest of the family experienced that was left out of his book. In Home Before Dark, we do see a similar play between constructed truth, the faultiness of memory, and the apparently supernatural.Maggie Holt is the daughter of Ewan Holt who wrote 'House of Horrors', the book that has plagued her life since she was a child. In 'House of Horrors', Holt explains why his family fled in the middle of the night from their recently purchased home in rural Vermont - Baneberry Hall. Holt weaves a story of a haunted house that is doomed to repeat its tragic past with each family that occupies its walls. The problem is, while Maggie is a starring character in her father's book, she remembers next to nothing about when her family lived at Baneberry Hall. Convinced her parents lied about the contents of the book, she has grown-up frustrated and hurt by their chicanery.The book opens when we learn that Maggie's father has recently died and she discovers that Baneberry Hall now belongs to her. Determined to uncover any repressed memories she has of her time at the house, Maggie decides to return to Baneberry Hall to not only flip the house for resale, but to do some much needed soul-searching. Once back at Baneberry Hall, Maggie connects with the locals who remember when the Holts lived there and help Maggie put some of the pieces of her memories back into place. Consequently, Maggie learns what parts of 'House of Horrors' were fictions and which hold up as truth.Following the pattern of Sager's previous works, Home Before Dark jumps between the present day and flashback scenes. However, unlike the previous novels, Home Before Dark exercises this plot device to excess. The structure of the book is arranged so that nearly every other chapter is from Maggie's present day perspective punctuated by Holt's original text - 'House of Horrors'. While this effectively syncs up the events and peculiar happenings we experience with Maggie, with her foreknowledge of her father's book, it ultimately leaves readers deflated and following irrelevant and unnecessary red herrings. In fact, it isn't until the last 20 pages of the book that "all becomes clear" in an almost too tidy fashion that left me incredibly unsatisfied while Maggie is finally at peace with her past.An added frustration I noticed with this plot structure was that, if the fonts had not changed to indicate to me whose story I was readying - Maggie's or Ewan's - their 'writing' voices were exactly the same. It's not clear if this was intentional because Maggie had internalized her father's book, or just a bad choice on Sager's part. Either way, I would have liked to see more distinct characters emerge from these pages.Near the end of the book, when Maggie does finally learn the full truth of her past, what does she decide to do with that knowledge and her newfound sense of agency? She writes a sequel to 'House of Horrors', and in a bait and switch ending, we realize that we've been reading Maggie's book ' House of Secrets' alongside the text of 'House of Horrors'. I cannot decide if this was a brilliant literary move on Sager's part...or manipulative. Yet again reinforcing that information has been withheld from the reader all along. Regardless, there might have been a more engaging ways to have set up this frame narrative more along the lines of The Golden Notebook or even an interactive approach like in S..Lost somewhere between uninspiring character development, withheld information, the split timelines, whiplash frame stories, and the grand reveal, Sager didn't leave much for readers to hold onto. However, Home Before Dark is still an enjoyable read for what it is. It still has many of the typical Sager marks of excellence, but I nearly DNF'd this book and only my loyalty to the author kept me going.
A twist I needed
I forgot why I avoid reading thriller/horror genres even though I really enjoy them. I was having stress, dark dreams for days. First day I started the book I had a nightmare and unknowingly looked to my armoire for the source, repeating "only positive, kind energy is welcome in this home and space." (I hadn't arrived to the armoire's part in the book yet so kind of spooky). The slight twist in the end was a good one while still keeping the possibility of otherworldly happenings alive. I got closure and hopefully my dreams agree.
Good
Really great! I like riley sagers book!
Empfehlung!
Sehr sehr gut, ich konnte es kaum weglegen
Riley Sager doesn't miss!
Another gripping read from Riley Sager that absolutely did not miss. This story delivers the perfect blend of tension, atmosphere, and unease that keeps you hooked from start to finish. The alternating chapters between the events of the original book and Maggie’s current experiences were a clever narrative choice, adding depth and suspense while blurring the lines between truth and fiction.It’s one of those books that fully immerses you in its unsettling world and lingers long after you’ve turned the final page.Creepy, eerie, and perfectly suited for spooky season, this is not one to read before bed. Riley Sager once again proves his mastery of the psychological thriller genre with a chilling story that plays on fear and uncertainty in all the best ways!
Bueno!!!
Spooky, a good mystery, loved it!
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Home Before Dark
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Visit the Riley Sager (Author) Store
Home Before Dark
AED9126
Quantity:
Order today to get by 7-14 business days
Delivery fee of AED 20. Free for orders above AED 200.
Imported From: United States
At BOLO, we work hard to ensure the products you receive are new, genuine, and sourced from reputable suppliers.
BOLO is not an authorized or official retailer for most brands, nor are we affiliated with manufacturers unless specifically stated on a product page. Instead, we source verified sellers, authorized distributors or directly from the manufacturer.
Each product undergoes thorough inspection and verification at our consolidation and fulfilment centers to ensure it meets our strict authenticity and quality standards before being shipped and delivered to you.
If you ever have concerns regarding the authenticity of a product purchased from us, please contact Bolo Support. We will review your inquiry promptly and, if necessary, provide documentation verifying authenticity or offer a suitable resolution.
Your trust is our top priority, and we are committed to maintaining transparency and integrity in every transaction.
All product information, images, descriptions, and reviews originate from the manufacturer or from trusted sellers overseas. BOLO is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or an authorized retailer for most brands listed on our website unless stated otherwise.
While we strive to display accurate information, variations in packaging, labeling, instructions, or formulation may occasionally occur due to regional differences or supplier updates. For detailed or manufacturer-specific information, please contact the brand directly or reach out to BOLO Support for assistance.
Unless otherwise stated, all prices displayed on the product page include applicable taxes and import duties.
BOLO operates in accordance with the laws and regulations of United Arab Emirates. Any items found to be restricted or prohibited for sale within the UAE will be cancelled prior to shipment. We take proactive measures to ensure that only products permitted for sale in United Arab Emirates are listed on our website.
All items are shipped by air, and any products classified as “Dangerous Goods (DG)” under IATA regulations will be removed from the order and cancelled.
All orders are processed manually, and we make every effort to process them promptly once confirmed. Products cancelled due to the above reasons will be permanently removed from listings across the website.
Description:
Editorial Reviews
Review
—Shari Lapena, New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door
“A cross between Gillian Flynn’s Dark Places and ghost hunter heir Alexandra Holzer’s autobiography, Sager’s latest is a haunted house story—with a twist. . . . Sager is a master of the twist and the turn, and he does not hold back in his fourth book. Like any good thriller, you have to read to the very last page to find how who did what to whom and why.”
—Rolling Stone
“Sager's novel is packed with the expected horror-trope-tinged suspense, literary jump-scares, and more than one twist, but its best moments are the quiet ones exploring the history of the house.”
—USA Today
“Something fresh, shot through with shocks of real horror.”
—New York Times Book Review
“[A] propulsive thriller . . . There are truly horrifying scenes. . . . Maggie soon learns what we already know: Real life is scarier than ghost stories.”
–Washington Post
“Riley Sager reimagines the classic haunted house tale in Home Before Dark, a stunning tale that blends genres with the ease of a master painter mixing colors. . . . This is scintillating suspense writing, Sager leaving no stone unturned in crafting a page-turner of rare depth and complexity.”
—The Providence Journal
“This spooky, surreal haunted-house story goes through plenty of twists at the end. . . . Sager has become one of my favorites for gothic stories that scare and make you think.”
—The Parkersburg News & Sentinel
“You might believe in ghosts; you might not. But a story with a ghost inhabiting a creaky old house and haunting its new residents is simply irresistible. At least in the right hands, and Riley Sager’s definitely are the right hands. From the shadowy figures in the woods to the sounds that go bump in the night, Home Before Dark is certain to creep you out."
—Bookreporter
"Clever, twisty, and altogether spine-chilling . . . [A] deliciously terrifying story . . .You'll want to read this one after dark, ideally with the wind whistling in the eaves and a window banging somewhere just out of reach. But keep the light switch handy. You just might need it."
—Ruth Ware, Book of the Month
“Sager has laid out an exciting story that is hard to put down.”
—New York Journal of Books
“Home Before Dark pays homage to The Amityville Horror and, as in Sager’s other novels, the story blends psychological suspense with elements of classic horror, for a creepy, edge-of-your-seat read.”
–BuzzFeed
“Home Before Dark is a compelling and layered mix of taut psychological suspense, genuinely scary haunted-house terrors, and the vagaries of memory, capped off with an inventive and satisfyingly wild ending.”
–Bookpage, starred review
"What could be better than a haunted house with ghosts aplenty? Home Before Dark is equally superb and terrifying. Buckle up for a wild ride. This book should come with a warning not to be read after dark."
–Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author of The Other Mrs.
"Flawless pacing, a dexterous dual narrative, and character through the roof. But the biggest revelation to be found in Home Before Dark is this: There’s nobody writing scarier books than Riley Sager is right now."
–Josh Malerman, New York Times bestselling author of Bird Box and Malorie
“[Sager] really pulls off something ingenious here."
–Erik Larson on Mental Floss
“Holy moly, I haven't been that shocked by a twist in quite some time. I actually laughed aloud when the big reveal came-because I was so delighted to have been so fooled. It's hard to write a book that's equal parts fun and frightening but Sager has done just that-and thrown in impeccable plotting for good measure. If you liked The Haunting of Hill House, you're going to love Home Before Dark. Addictive and atmospheric with a twist you definitely won't see coming.”
–Stephanie Wrobel, bestselling author of Darling Rose Gold
"Houses breathe. Some have a heartbeat. None forget. Grabbing you from the first page, Riley Sager crafts a devilish plot, twisted timelines, and horrors that linger in this haunting thriller that needs to be on your reading list!"
–J. D. Barker, international bestselling author of She Has a Broken Thing Where Her Heart Should Be
"Part ghost story, part murder mystery, Home Before Dark is a nightmare ride of haunting terror and suspense. Dripping with atmosphere and danger, Baneberry Hall is the new Hill House. I couldn’t turn the last 100 pages fast enough."
–Richard Chizmar, New York Times bestselling author
“[An] outstanding supernatural thriller . . . Sager, who makes the house a palpable, threatening presence, does a superb job of anticipating and undermining readers’ expectations. Haunted- house fans will be in heaven.”
–Publishers Weekly, starred review
“The ghosts and poltergeist activity Sager conjures are truly chilling, and he does a masterful job of keeping readers guessing until the very end.”
–Kirkus Reviews
“For fans of the Amityville Horror story comes yet another breath-stealer from the hit machine Sager.”
–Good Housekeeping, “The 35 Best Books to Add to Your Reading List ASAP”
"Sager does a superb job of upsetting reader expectations in this horror thriller."
–Publishers Weekly, "Summer Reads 2020"
“Enough twists to keep you guessing until the final, shocking chapter unfolds.”
–PopSugar
"King of thrillers, Sager returns with a pulse-pounding, goosebump-inducing tale of a woman who goes back to her childhood home—and the setting of a true horror story."
–Newsweek
“Another breathtaking hit from Sager, who’s proven himself a master at crafting new twists on classic horror tales.”
–Booklist
“If you love your thrillers with a touch of the supernatural, Sager's haunting new bestseller is just the thing to tingle your spine. . . . This is a keep-the-lights-on winner from the horror master.”
–AARP
"[E]verything you want from a haunted-house story, and never quite what you expect.”
–Mental Floss, "13 Essential Horror Novels From the Last Five Years
About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
From the moment I enter the office, I know how things are going to go. It's happened before. Too many times to count. And although each incident has its slight variations, the outcome is always the same. I expect nothing less this go-round, especially when the receptionist offers me a knowing smile as recognition flashes in her eyes. It's clear she's well-acquainted with the Book.
My family's greatest blessing.
Also our biggest curse.
"I have an appointment with Arthur Rosenfeld," I say. "The name is Maggie Holt."
"Of course, Miss Holt." The receptionist gives me a quick once-over, comparing and contrasting the little girl she's read about with the woman standing before her in scuffed boots, green cargo pants, and a flannel shirt speckled with sawdust. "Mr. Rosenfeld is on a call right now. He'll be with you in just a minute."
The receptionist-identified as Wendy Davenport by the nameplate on her desk-gestures to a chair by the wall. I sit as she continues to glance my way. I assume she's checking out the scar on my left cheek-a pale slash about an inch long. It's fairly famous, as scars go.
"I read your book," she says, stating the obvious.
I can't help but correct her. "You mean my father's book."
It's a common misconception. Even though my father is credited as the sole author, everyone assumes we all had something to do with it. And while that may be true of my mother, I played absolutely no part in the Book, despite being one of its main characters.
"I loved it," Wendy continues. "When I wasn't scared out of my mind, of course."
She pauses, and I cringe internally, knowing what's about to come next. It always does. Every damn time.
"What was it like?" Wendy leans forward until her ample bosom is squished against the desk. "Living in that house?"
The question that's inevitably asked whenever someone connects me to the Book. By now, I have a stock answer at the ready. I learned early on that one is necessary, and so I always keep it handy, like something carried in my toolbox.
"I don't really remember anything about that time."
The receptionist arches an overplucked brow. "Nothing at all?"
"I was five," I say. "How much do you remember from that age?"
In my experience, this ends the conversation about 50 percent of the time. The merely curious get the hint and move on. The morbidly interested don't give up so easily. I thought Wendy Davenport, with her apple cheeks and Banana Republic outfit, would be the former. Turns out I'm wrong.
"But the experience was so terrifying for your family," she says. "I'd surely remember at least something about it."
There are several ways I can go with this, depending on my mood. If I was at a party, relaxed and generous after a few drinks, I'd probably indulge her and say, "I remember being afraid all the time but not knowing why."
Or, "I suppose it was so scary I blocked it all out."
Or, a perennial favorite, "Some things are too frightening to remember."
But I'm not at a party. Nor am I relaxed and generous. I'm in a lawyer's office about to be handed the estate of my recently dead father. My only choice is to be blunt.
"None of it happened," I tell Wendy. "My father made it all up. And when I say all of it, I mean all of it. Everything in that book is a lie."
Wendy's expression switches from wide-eyed curiosity to something harder and darker. I've disappointed her, even though she should feel grateful I'm being honest with her. It's something my father never felt was necessary.
His version of the truth differed greatly from mine, although he, too, had a stock answer, the script of which never wavered no matter who he was talking to.
"I've lied about a great many things in my life," he would have told Wendy Davenport, oozing charm. "But what happened at Baneberry Hall isn't one of them. Every word of that book is true. I swear to the Great Almighty."
That's in line with the public version of events, which goes something like this: Twenty-five years ago, my family lived in a house named Baneberry Hall, situated just outside the village of Bartleby, Vermont.
We moved in on June 26.
We fled in the dead of night on July 15.
Twenty days.
That's how long we lived in that house before we became too terrified to stay a minute longer.
It wasn't safe, my father told police. Something was wrong with Baneberry Hall. Unaccountable things had happened there. Dangerous things.
The house was, he reluctantly admitted, haunted by a malevolent spirit.
We vowed never to return.
Ever.
This admission-detailed in the official police report-was noticed by a reporter for the local newspaper, a glorified pamphlet known as the Bartleby Gazette. The ensuing article, including plenty of quotes from my father, was soon picked up by the state's wire service and found its way into bigger newspapers in larger towns. Burlington and Essex and Colchester. From there it spread like a pernicious cold, hopping from town to town, city to city, state to state. Roughly two weeks after our retreat, an editor in New York called with an offer to tell our story in book form.
Since we were living in a motel room that smelled of stale smoke and lemon air freshener, my father jumped at the offer. He wrote the book in a month, turning the motel room's tiny bathroom into a makeshift office. One of my earliest memories is of him seated sideways on the toilet, banging away at a typewriter perched atop the bathroom vanity.
The rest is publishing history.
Instant bestseller.
Worldwide phenomenon.
The most popular "real-life" account of the paranormal since The Amityville Horror.
For a time, Baneberry Hall was the most famous house in America. Magazines wrote about it. News shows did reports on it. Tourists gathered outside the estate's wrought-iron gate, angling for a glimpse of rooftop or a glint of sunlight bouncing off the windows. It even made The New Yorker, in a cartoon that ran two months after the Book hit stores. It shows a couple standing with their Realtor outside a dilapidated house. "We love it," the wife says. "But is it haunted enough for a book deal?"
As for me and my family, well, we were everywhere. In People magazine, the three of us looking somber in front of a house we refused to enter. In Time, my father seated in a veil of shadow, giving him a distinctly sinister look. On TV, my parents being either coddled or interrogated, depending on the interviewer.
Right now, anyone can go to YouTube and watch a clip of us being interviewed on 60 Minutes. There we are, a picture-perfect family. My father, shaggy but handsome, sporting the kind of beard that wouldn't come back in style until a decade later. My mother, pretty but looking slightly severe, the tightness at the corners of her mouth hinting that she's not completely on board with the situation. Then there's me. Frilly blue dress. Patent leather shoes. A black headband and very regrettable bangs.
I didn't say much during the interview. I merely nodded or shook my head or acted shy by shrinking close to my mother. I think my only words during the entire segment were "I was scared," even though I can't remember being scared. I can't remember anything about our twenty days at Baneberry Hall. What I do recall is colored by what's in the Book. Instead of memories, I have excerpts. It's like looking at a photograph of a photograph. The framing is off. The colors are dulled. The image is slightly dark.
Murky.
That's the perfect word to describe our time at Baneberry Hall.
It should come as no surprise that many people doubt my father's story. Yes, there are those like Wendy Davenport who think the Book is real. They believe-or want to believe-that our time at Baneberry Hall unfolded exactly the way my father described it. But thousands more adamantly think it was all a hoax.
I've seen all the websites and Reddit threads debunking the Book. I've read all the theories. Most of them surmise my parents quickly realized they'd bought more house than they could afford and needed an excuse to get out of it. Others suggest they were con artists who purposefully bought a house where something tragic happened in order to exploit it.
The theory I'm even less inclined to believe is that my parents, knowing they had a money pit on their hands, wanted some way to increase the house's value when it came time to sell. Rather than spend a fortune on renovations, they decided to give Baneberry Hall something else-a reputation. It's not that easy. Houses that have been deemed haunted decrease in value, either because prospective buyers are afraid to live there or because they just don't want to deal with the notoriety.
I still don't know the real reason we left so suddenly. My parents refused to tell me. Maybe they really were afraid to stay. Maybe they truly and completely feared for their lives. But I know it wasn't because Baneberry Hall was haunted. The big reason, of course, being that there's no such thing as ghosts.
Sure, plenty of people believe in them, but people will believe anything. That Santa Claus is real. That we didn't land on the moon. That Michael Jackson is alive and well and dealing blackjack in Las Vegas.
Reviews:
Amazing book!
Such a good book! So many twists and turns. Amazing story line, found myself getting lost in the book and not wanting to put it down. 10 out of 10 highly recommend!! Especially if you love creepy, suspenseful, plot twist books. I am now ordering one of his other books because I absolutely loved this one. Found my new favorite author.
Highly Enjoyable and Lots of Bumps in the Night
I've read all four of Riley Sager's novels. I've liked them all and thought all four would make fantastic movies. But I think Home Before Dark is his best work to date. It's not as throwback or fun as Final Girls and it didn't have the same romantic ambiance of Lock Every Door, but this one was really balanced and well crafted. There's something about Sager's work I've realized the fourth time in. His work always seems "familiar" to me, as though I've read or seen the concept before. But I actually had a realization in this book that this style may actually be on purpose. I actually love a homage and, in this book, it's just too obvious to miss. So yes, it's like an idea you've seen, but a completely fresh angle.In this one we have Maggie, a thirty year old interior designer, who is famous for being the surviving child/victim in a non-fiction book written by her father about a haunting they experience in a rambling Victorian home they lived in 25 years prior. The book has defined her and she despises it. She has no memory of the actual events and is convinced her dad made the whole thing up just to profit. And profit they have. The money has paid for her education and their lives and she's just inherited the entire share after her father's death.... including the house itself.She makes the decision to go back to the house, despite a death bed promise to her father that she won't, and her mother's insistence as well (who offers to buy the house off her, as she's now remarried to a realtor). There was a tiny lapse in logic here. It was clear her parents are desperate for her to NOT return to the house. So I found it amazing they left it to her in the estate. But lapse of logic aside, and putting myself in Maggie's shoes, I would ABSOLUTELY go back to the house to see if I could figure out what happened. Especially to see if the memories would come back from living in the house.So off she goes with a double agenda. To realize the mysteries of her past while being productive and renovate the house to sell. The cast of characters from her perspective is largely limited to the people from the book itself, people her family knew as a child... neighbors, police, locals, etc. She has a female friend and business partner but that interaction is limited to cell phone communications. The friend, Allie, was the weakest link character as she only serves as a plot device to give updates and is not a realized character.Another Riley Sager style is the flashbacks. I did not like the device in Lock Every Door (the story is told from the same character's POV but from a future self and a current self told side by side). But in this book, it really worked. As Maggie is going through the motions of the current day mystery, etc., we get to read portions of her father's book in which she is the main character. So her father, in present day deceased, is the other main character and his story of the haunting is told from his perspective. There was only one moment I lost track of the POVs but, overall, Sager did a great job of giving both characters a unique voice.I had a small issue with the ending simply because it was super rushed. Just BAM, BAM, BAM. That being said, Sager pulls off the difficulty of giving us a satisfying ending in a horror novel. And, yes, I've seen the other reviews in which it's questioned if this is a horror novel. I say, yes, absolutely. It's more horror than any other genre. I would not expect to be "scared" as it's not that type of novel. It's more like atmospheric horror with a mystery at the center. And it leaves enough open that we are left to wonder and question, while still being given a very solid conclusion.Overall highly recommended if you love all the stuff I love... old Victorian houses, trips to libraries to do research, mysteries and investigations, old love letters, family and town folklore, ghosts, etc. I think this book is a real treat and absolutely to be enjoyed.
If you’re thinking about it, get this book now!
I devoured this within one weekend, it’s so good. This is my second Riley Sager book, the first was Only One Left. I won’t review that one here but I cannot recommend it enough. If you haven’t read that yet, go read it! But don’t forget about this one!Riley Sager is very talented at writing winding, twisting narratives that keep you guessing. I’m usually really good at predicting what “plot twist” is coming my way in a book or show/film. But each Riley Sager story I’ve read has always taken me for a ride on the edge of my seat, and left me floored by the end.I scare very easily and at times I’d have to put the book down for a few minutes to shake off the goosebumps. But I was too captivated to walk away for long.This book was so fun to read and a perfect spooky read for a snowed in (or rainy!) weekend. Read it!
I was dragging my feet to finish one of my most anticipated books of 2020...
** spoiler alert ** Riley Sager is an author that I will automatically buy. I remember reading Final Girls when it first came out and throwing it across the room when it got to the climax, not because I was frustrated, but because I was excited for the story that Sager was spinning. I am a devoted fan, and while I acknowledge that Sager's writing leans toward reboots of horror tropes, I still seek out the thrill I get from reading his books. All this to say that I was incredibly surprised to find that I was dragging my feet to finish one of my most anticipated books of 2020 - Home Before Dark.In Home Before Dark, Sager plays to his strengths of reconfiguring one of our canon works in the horror genre, The Amityville Horror. This is familiar territory for Sager. Each of his previous books stands as a tribute to similar horror sub-genres or a specific work. Final Girls was a slasher throwback reminiscent of the movie Scream, The Last Time I Lied can be tied to Friday the 13th and Sleepaway Camp, and Lock Every Door was a clear love letter to Ira Levin and Rosemary's Baby - in a fitting tribute, the book is even dedicated to him.I've seen other reviews compare this book to The Haunting of Hill House, and I think that is an apt comparison. It is worth noting though that, if we are using the show as our example, the first episode lays out exactly what the older brother experienced and then wrote about that made the estate - and his family - famous. As the show reveals through all the following episodes is what the rest of the family experienced that was left out of his book. In Home Before Dark, we do see a similar play between constructed truth, the faultiness of memory, and the apparently supernatural.Maggie Holt is the daughter of Ewan Holt who wrote 'House of Horrors', the book that has plagued her life since she was a child. In 'House of Horrors', Holt explains why his family fled in the middle of the night from their recently purchased home in rural Vermont - Baneberry Hall. Holt weaves a story of a haunted house that is doomed to repeat its tragic past with each family that occupies its walls. The problem is, while Maggie is a starring character in her father's book, she remembers next to nothing about when her family lived at Baneberry Hall. Convinced her parents lied about the contents of the book, she has grown-up frustrated and hurt by their chicanery.The book opens when we learn that Maggie's father has recently died and she discovers that Baneberry Hall now belongs to her. Determined to uncover any repressed memories she has of her time at the house, Maggie decides to return to Baneberry Hall to not only flip the house for resale, but to do some much needed soul-searching. Once back at Baneberry Hall, Maggie connects with the locals who remember when the Holts lived there and help Maggie put some of the pieces of her memories back into place. Consequently, Maggie learns what parts of 'House of Horrors' were fictions and which hold up as truth.Following the pattern of Sager's previous works, Home Before Dark jumps between the present day and flashback scenes. However, unlike the previous novels, Home Before Dark exercises this plot device to excess. The structure of the book is arranged so that nearly every other chapter is from Maggie's present day perspective punctuated by Holt's original text - 'House of Horrors'. While this effectively syncs up the events and peculiar happenings we experience with Maggie, with her foreknowledge of her father's book, it ultimately leaves readers deflated and following irrelevant and unnecessary red herrings. In fact, it isn't until the last 20 pages of the book that "all becomes clear" in an almost too tidy fashion that left me incredibly unsatisfied while Maggie is finally at peace with her past.An added frustration I noticed with this plot structure was that, if the fonts had not changed to indicate to me whose story I was readying - Maggie's or Ewan's - their 'writing' voices were exactly the same. It's not clear if this was intentional because Maggie had internalized her father's book, or just a bad choice on Sager's part. Either way, I would have liked to see more distinct characters emerge from these pages.Near the end of the book, when Maggie does finally learn the full truth of her past, what does she decide to do with that knowledge and her newfound sense of agency? She writes a sequel to 'House of Horrors', and in a bait and switch ending, we realize that we've been reading Maggie's book ' House of Secrets' alongside the text of 'House of Horrors'. I cannot decide if this was a brilliant literary move on Sager's part...or manipulative. Yet again reinforcing that information has been withheld from the reader all along. Regardless, there might have been a more engaging ways to have set up this frame narrative more along the lines of The Golden Notebook or even an interactive approach like in S..Lost somewhere between uninspiring character development, withheld information, the split timelines, whiplash frame stories, and the grand reveal, Sager didn't leave much for readers to hold onto. However, Home Before Dark is still an enjoyable read for what it is. It still has many of the typical Sager marks of excellence, but I nearly DNF'd this book and only my loyalty to the author kept me going.
A twist I needed
I forgot why I avoid reading thriller/horror genres even though I really enjoy them. I was having stress, dark dreams for days. First day I started the book I had a nightmare and unknowingly looked to my armoire for the source, repeating "only positive, kind energy is welcome in this home and space." (I hadn't arrived to the armoire's part in the book yet so kind of spooky). The slight twist in the end was a good one while still keeping the possibility of otherworldly happenings alive. I got closure and hopefully my dreams agree.
Good
Really great! I like riley sagers book!
Empfehlung!
Sehr sehr gut, ich konnte es kaum weglegen
Riley Sager doesn't miss!
Another gripping read from Riley Sager that absolutely did not miss. This story delivers the perfect blend of tension, atmosphere, and unease that keeps you hooked from start to finish. The alternating chapters between the events of the original book and Maggie’s current experiences were a clever narrative choice, adding depth and suspense while blurring the lines between truth and fiction.It’s one of those books that fully immerses you in its unsettling world and lingers long after you’ve turned the final page.Creepy, eerie, and perfectly suited for spooky season, this is not one to read before bed. Riley Sager once again proves his mastery of the psychological thriller genre with a chilling story that plays on fear and uncertainty in all the best ways!
Bueno!!!
Spooky, a good mystery, loved it!
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