Middle of the Night

Ethan and Billy camp out in Ethan's back yard every Friday night during the summer. One morning however Ethan wakes to find a slash in the side of the tent and Billy is missing. Thirty years later Ethan comes back to his childhood home and things start to get a little strange.

I really enjoyed this book. Its part mystery and part ghost story so what more could I ask for. The story follows mostly Ethan and goes back and forth from the present to the past.

There are a few twists in the story and when all is revealed I have to say I didn't guess at all. The ending did venture into thrillerland but I felt was satisfying.

The paranormal side was very light and I wouldn't class this book as a horror, more a thriller with a ghost. I would have show more liked a bit more about the institute but it really wasn't the main part of the story.

I have had a hit and miss with Riley Sager, more of a miss with his early books. His latest books I seem to have enjoyed a lot more. I will definitely read more by this author. show less

I picked “Middle of the Night” up because a Goodreads friend recommended it. In hindsight, I really should have known better. Riley Sager has been wildly uneven for me, and this novel lands firmly on the wrong side of that divide.

At first, the setup works. A vanished boy, a suburban cul-de-sac, a traumatised adult returning to the scene of childhood horror, sleepless nights, uneasy neighbours, dark woods. That is exactly the sort of material from which a properly creepy thriller can be made. Sager knows how to build that initial itch of dread, and for a while I kept reading in the hope that the book would cash in on its atmosphere.

»The worst thing to ever happen on Hemlock Circle…«

The problem is that the novel gradually mistakes show more strangeness for depth. What begins as eerie and potentially poignant becomes weird in a way that feels more contrived than unsettling. The story grows increasingly complicated without becoming richer, and by the time the final reveals arrive, they are so hard to believe that the whole thing starts to wobble. Instead of sharpening the mystery, Sager piles on elements that make it feel overworked and oddly insubstantial.

That is especially disappointing because he has done this sort of thing better before. “Home Before Dark” balanced ambiguity, atmosphere, and revelation with real finesse, while “The Last Time I Lied” had a tauter grip on suspense and a much better sense of narrative control. Even “Lock Every Door”, which I found deeply flawed, at least had a strong central setting and a cleaner hook. “Middle of the Night” feels messier than all of them. It wants to be spooky, emotional, nostalgic, and twisty all at once, but never develops enough substance in any one direction to make the whole convincing.

What annoyed me most was not even the outlandishness itself, but the sense that Sager expected atmosphere and complication to do the heavy lifting for characters and meaning. They do not. In the end, this was weird, hollow, and capped by an ending I simply did not buy. After this and the even worse “Survive the Night”, my patience with Riley Sager has worn out.

Two stars out of five.

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The worst thing to ever happen on Hemlock Circle occurred in Ethan Marsh’s backyard....30 years ago
When Ethan Marsh was ten years old, his best friend Billy Barringer disappeared. The boys had been having a really fun summer, but yet it was a summer with what could only be described as a "strange" feeling. The boys were close friends, but they were growing up and for the first time realized that they might also be growing apart. Nothing could have prepared Ethan for waking up one hot July morning and finding that his best friend in the whole wide world, wasn’t sleeping beside him in their tent. The sleeping bag was cold and empty; but Billy was supposed to be there! The huge terrifying cut in the canvas directly next to it... that show more certainly...absolutely, WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE THERE!

Ethan searched everywhere for Billy but there was not a single sign of him. The search by their parents, and by the police resulted in the same results...nothing...Billy was unexplainably just, GONE! The press...used his disappearance to their own best advantage with story after story about "The Lost Boy"...fodder for paper sales but still no Billy. Thirty years go by, and Billy is still GONE.

Ethan's life was in turmoil, not just from his missing friend, but from the end of his marriage. He moves back to the childhood home...the one that he’s been trying to stay away from since Billy disappeared. His parents are moving to Florida and have asked him to stay and look after their house while they pretend to think about selling it. Ethan finds that the neighborhood hasn't changed. Most of the same families still live on his street and he isn’t the only one of his childhood acquaintances that has recently returned... Russ Chen, who grew up on the other side of his family, is living there again, as is Ashley Wallace, the babysitter that Ethan once had a crush on, is back. Another acquaintance, Ragesh Patel no longer lives on the street but still frequently visits his parents. But it’s another visitor who has Ethan completely spooked. Plagued by insomnia, it doesn’t take him long to realize that someone...or something...is triggering the security lights around Hemlock Circle.

This is a story with a slow-burn that revolves around an unsolved childhood disappearance and the decades of confusion and sorrow that follow. More and more questions remain to be answered...Who took Billy? Who is haunting the neighborhood, leaving Ethan messages only Billy would understand? Will Ethan finally be able to lay the ghosts of his past to rest, as he tries to figure out what had happened to Billy for once and for all?

This story is compassionate, and often spine-tingling. The pain of Billy’s disappearance...even after 30 years have pasted...resonates throughout the once close-knit neighborhood of Hemlock Circle, as we are given flashbacks from the points of view of almost all the residents. The ending revelations are both tragic and life-affirming, with a huge twist... one I absolutely did not see coming. show less

When Ethan was ten, he used to sleep in his backyard every Friday with his best friend Billy. Until one morning, he woke up and the tent was cut open and Billy was gone. It's been almost 30 years since that day, and suddenly Ethan is called back to this cul-de-sac and this house - where it all happened.

I really liked how many twists this one had. I liked the air of mystery around the rolling baseballs and the trail cam. I really liked meeting all the neighbors, as both past and present. I especially loved that there were little chapters that gave previous POV so we could see the day Billy went missing play out a little more fully than just from a 10 year old POV.

This one kept me guessing, kept me wondering - and the ending felt magical show more in one part, and heartbreaking in another. [a:Riley Sager|15263414|Riley Sager|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1650816892p2/15263414.jpg] is an auto-buy author for me and this one did not disappoint. Now I just have to have patience to wait for the next one! show less

3.75 stars easily bumped to 4.

I liked this latest Sager, mostly because it was a different and -in comparison to many of his other books which I've also read and liked - it was more nuanced and emotionally driven plotting. Maybe it's fair to say that this is an elevated thriller or at least, more...I don't know...mature than some of his other novels?

This has ghostly/spooky elements, but offers a different take on a ghost story with ghosts of past relationships and traumas haunting the main character, Ethan, in the present.

It didn't feel like a departure from the Riley Sager canon of work exactly, but did seem a little bit of a writing flex. If you're looking for the Sager formula poolside read, this isn't it. Though those are good, show more this may actually be better - I hope he tried more flexes in the future. Recommended if you're up for a slightly different Sager. show less

"Middle of the Night" by Riley Sager is a horror novel that grabs your attention from the very first page. The plot is intensely interesting, packed with sharp twists and turns that create a chilling atmosphere. Sager’s storytelling keeps readers on the edge of their seats, delivering the thrill with every page.

Ethan’s character truly steals the limelight, but the supporting characters are equally compelling. Each one has a motive, which becomes a major turning point in the story, adding depth and intrigue.

While the narrative flows smoothly, the climax is where things take an unexpected turn. The ending felt a bit cold and left me wanting more. Despite the hype built throughout the book, the final reveal was somewhat underwhelming, show more like being pushed down the mountain just when you’re expecting to reach the peak.

Overall, "Middle of the Night" offers an engaging horror experience, but the climax may leave some readers feeling a bit disappointed. show less

I love everything Riley Sager puts out and this was no exception! Middle of the Night grabs you from the first page and the premise is truly terrifying. Two ten year old boys are camping out in the backyard. In the morning Ethan notices a long cut gash in the tent and realizes his best friend Billy is gone. Where did he go? Who took him? Why? It's a question that has haunted Ethan for decades and it's something that has never left him. Where is Billy? Is he alive? After a few decades Ethan finds himself back at his childhood home when his parents downsize and move away. But some weird things start happening when he is back at the house and Ethan is sure it has to do with Billy. Creepy and filled with lots of twists (I only guessed show more one!). I am already ready for the next Riley Sager book! show less