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Home Before Dark: A Novel by Riley Sager
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Home Before Dark: A Novel (original 2020; edition 2020)

by Riley Sager (Author)

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1,835939,206 (3.85)34
In the latest thriller from New York Times bestseller Riley Sager, a woman returns to the house made famous by her father's bestselling horror memoir. Is the place really haunted by evil forces, as her father claimed? Or are there more earthbound--and dangerous--secrets hidden within its walls? What was it like? Living in that house. Maggie Holt is used to such questions. Twenty-five years ago, she and her parents, Ewan and Jess, moved into Baneberry Hall, a rambling Victorian estate in the Vermont woods. They spent three weeks there before fleeing in the dead of night, an ordeal Ewan later recounted in a nonfiction book called House of Horrors. His tale of ghostly happenings and encounters with malevolent spirits became a worldwide phenomenon, rivaling The Amityville Horror in popularity--and skepticism. Today, Maggie is a restorer of old homes and too young to remember any of the events mentioned in her father's book. But she also doesn't believe a word of it. Ghosts, after all, don't exist. When Maggie inherits Baneberry Hall after her father's death, she returns to renovate the place to prepare it for sale. But her homecoming is anything but warm. People from the past, chronicled in House of Horrors, lurk in the shadows. And locals aren't thrilled that their small town has been made infamous thanks to Maggie's father. Even more unnerving is Baneberry Hall itself--a place filled with relics from another era that hint at a history of dark deeds. As Maggie experiences strange occurrences straight out of her father's book, she starts to believe that what he wrote was more fact than fiction. Alternating between Maggie's uneasy homecoming and chapters from her father's book, Home Before Dark is the story of a house with long-buried secrets and a woman's quest to uncover them--even if the truth is far more terrifying than any haunting.… (more)
Member:khal_khaleesi
Title:Home Before Dark: A Novel
Authors:Riley Sager (Author)
Info:Dutton (2020), 400 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:***1/2
Tags:None

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Home Before Dark by Riley Sager (2020)

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Showing 1-5 of 93 (next | show all)
4.5 rounded up. I loved seeing Sager dip more into the ghosty, paranormal aspects of mystery writing; although I've enjoyed his other books it was also super enjoyable to see Sager veer away from the more psychological/murder stories and try something new! I had a lot of fun reading this, and was genuinely creeped out at times. The descriptions of the hauntings (and that freakin armoire) were truly chilling, and made even more tense by the back and forth POVs. I tend to like POVs that go back and forth in time, and Sager handled the format well.
I will say that I thought the story ended up being a bit anticlimactic. I ended up solving the "mystery" a bit over halfway through, and then the final scenes were kinda of tired. Like none of how it wrapped up surprised me at all, and would have like to be more shocked at the close. However, I really had a fun time reading it, especially the whole first half, and would certainly recommend it to other spooky book fans! ( )
  deborahee | Feb 23, 2024 |
Finally! I knew Sager had this potential. Sadly I read his recent Only One Left first and was pretty upset by the regurgitation and multitude of safety nets and completed check lists ( )
  cmpeters | Feb 2, 2024 |
When Maggie Holt's father dies she inherited Baneberry Hall. This is where Maggie lived when she was five for a very short time. The family fled the house not long after they move in. Maggie's father wrote a bestselling book about their time in the house but Maggie now wants to know the truth.

I have read most of the books by Riley Sager and have enjoyed them including this one. This story has similarities to The Amityville Horror including the family moving out very quickly, imaginary friends and being haunted plus other things.

The story certainly had its moments and did keep my interest until the end. The story follows Maggie as she tries to find out the truth, and also going back to when she was five but from the pov of her father's book.

I did think the ending was a bit rushed. I also felt that Maggie's memory seemed to come back quickly to say she couldn't remember much. Apart from that the story I felt was quite good with lots of twists but did venture into thrillerland. ( )
  tina1969 | Jan 31, 2024 |
This book was not what I expected. Fast paced and interesting, I finished it in 2 days only because I had to pause to work and sleep. Also the cover of the book glows in the dark. ( )
  ChaoticGoblin | Jan 23, 2024 |
For the most part it is mesh of all classic haunted house stories. It’s an easy read and fun. With an interesting twist at the end. ( )
  HauntedTaco13 | Dec 29, 2023 |
Showing 1-5 of 93 (next | show all)
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For those who tell ghost stories ... and those who believe them.
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Every house has a story to tell and a secret to share.
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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In the latest thriller from New York Times bestseller Riley Sager, a woman returns to the house made famous by her father's bestselling horror memoir. Is the place really haunted by evil forces, as her father claimed? Or are there more earthbound--and dangerous--secrets hidden within its walls? What was it like? Living in that house. Maggie Holt is used to such questions. Twenty-five years ago, she and her parents, Ewan and Jess, moved into Baneberry Hall, a rambling Victorian estate in the Vermont woods. They spent three weeks there before fleeing in the dead of night, an ordeal Ewan later recounted in a nonfiction book called House of Horrors. His tale of ghostly happenings and encounters with malevolent spirits became a worldwide phenomenon, rivaling The Amityville Horror in popularity--and skepticism. Today, Maggie is a restorer of old homes and too young to remember any of the events mentioned in her father's book. But she also doesn't believe a word of it. Ghosts, after all, don't exist. When Maggie inherits Baneberry Hall after her father's death, she returns to renovate the place to prepare it for sale. But her homecoming is anything but warm. People from the past, chronicled in House of Horrors, lurk in the shadows. And locals aren't thrilled that their small town has been made infamous thanks to Maggie's father. Even more unnerving is Baneberry Hall itself--a place filled with relics from another era that hint at a history of dark deeds. As Maggie experiences strange occurrences straight out of her father's book, she starts to believe that what he wrote was more fact than fiction. Alternating between Maggie's uneasy homecoming and chapters from her father's book, Home Before Dark is the story of a house with long-buried secrets and a woman's quest to uncover them--even if the truth is far more terrifying than any haunting.

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