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A review by sian_reads_books
Home Before Dark by Riley Sager
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I really enjoyed this novel – it was really creepy, spooky, and the unique way it was written kept me hooked until the very last word!
Twenty five years ago, Maggie Holt’s family fled from their new home, Baneberry Hall, in the middle of the night, not even pausing to pack a bag, only twenty days after they moved in.
Not long after, Maggie’s father wrote a hugely popular book (House of Horrors or just “the Book” as Maggie refers to it) based on their terrifying, supernatural experiences during the twenty days they inhabited Baneberry Hall.
Adult Maggie, however, can’t remember any of it and has grown up believing that “the Book” and everything her father has ever told her about it and Baneberry Hall, are complete lies – fabricated to ensure the struggling author finally penned a best seller.
When Maggie’s father dies she’s shocked to learn that he never sold the house that so terrified him, and so it is now hers. Twenty five years after leaving in the middle of the night, Maggie moves back to Baneberry Hall planning to renovate it and sell it. But mostly to find out the truth – was her dad a liar, or is Baneberry Hall really haunted?
Home Before Dark alternates every other chapter; first written in the POV of adult Maggie, back at Baneberry Hall after twenty five years, and then written as chapters from “the Book”. Told from Maggie’s fathers POV, detailing the haunting the family experienced at Baneberry Hall.
Sager’s way of building a creeping, ominous suspense is brilliant. It has you seeing shadows out the corners of your eye, and wondering about the history of your own home! Each chapter is packed full of action – nothing is filler - and this book moves 𝙛𝙖𝙨𝙩 because of it! This is a story that’s easy to consume in just one sitting. The chapters written as House of Horrors were the stuff of a good horror novel. The final few chapters written from current day Maggie’s POV are the stuff of a 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩 horror novel!
If you like a suspenseful, supernatural, horror/thriller with a killer twist and a satisfying ending, Home Before Dark is a book I’d definitely recommend.
Twenty five years ago, Maggie Holt’s family fled from their new home, Baneberry Hall, in the middle of the night, not even pausing to pack a bag, only twenty days after they moved in.
Not long after, Maggie’s father wrote a hugely popular book (House of Horrors or just “the Book” as Maggie refers to it) based on their terrifying, supernatural experiences during the twenty days they inhabited Baneberry Hall.
Adult Maggie, however, can’t remember any of it and has grown up believing that “the Book” and everything her father has ever told her about it and Baneberry Hall, are complete lies – fabricated to ensure the struggling author finally penned a best seller.
When Maggie’s father dies she’s shocked to learn that he never sold the house that so terrified him, and so it is now hers. Twenty five years after leaving in the middle of the night, Maggie moves back to Baneberry Hall planning to renovate it and sell it. But mostly to find out the truth – was her dad a liar, or is Baneberry Hall really haunted?
Home Before Dark alternates every other chapter; first written in the POV of adult Maggie, back at Baneberry Hall after twenty five years, and then written as chapters from “the Book”. Told from Maggie’s fathers POV, detailing the haunting the family experienced at Baneberry Hall.
Sager’s way of building a creeping, ominous suspense is brilliant. It has you seeing shadows out the corners of your eye, and wondering about the history of your own home! Each chapter is packed full of action – nothing is filler - and this book moves 𝙛𝙖𝙨𝙩 because of it! This is a story that’s easy to consume in just one sitting. The chapters written as House of Horrors were the stuff of a good horror novel. The final few chapters written from current day Maggie’s POV are the stuff of a 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩 horror novel!
If you like a suspenseful, supernatural, horror/thriller with a killer twist and a satisfying ending, Home Before Dark is a book I’d definitely recommend.