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A review by sharonleavy
Home Before Dark by Riley Sager
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Maggie Holt promised her late father that she'd never go back to Baneberry Hall. Dubbed a "House of Horrors" by her father, the family's very short time residing there prompted him to write a bestselling book. The book wasn't received well by locals, and neither is Maggie, now that her Dad has passed away and she's back to see if she can renovate it for sale.
There's a bit of book-within-a-book going on here, jumping from Maggie's experience going back to Baneberry and Ewan's book on their frightening time there when Maggie was a child. I preferred Maggie's chapters, the tension was built up really well as opposed to the kinda baiting nature at the end of Ewan's chapters ("or so I thought....", for example).
Maggie is convinced that her Dad lied in the book, but as time goes on and strange things start to happen, she's not quite sure. This was genuinely quite creepy in parts, and I read it in one sitting.
There's a bit of book-within-a-book going on here, jumping from Maggie's experience going back to Baneberry and Ewan's book on their frightening time there when Maggie was a child. I preferred Maggie's chapters, the tension was built up really well as opposed to the kinda baiting nature at the end of Ewan's chapters ("or so I thought....", for example).
Maggie is convinced that her Dad lied in the book, but as time goes on and strange things start to happen, she's not quite sure. This was genuinely quite creepy in parts, and I read it in one sitting.