A gripping and spooky read
Riley Sager has been a bit of a hit and miss author for me, although I enjoyed The Last Time I Lied, I didn't like Lock Every Door. He gets a lot of acclaim though, so I was excited to read his latest book - Middle of the Night.
Ethan's childhood friend Billy disappeared in the night from the tent they were both sleeping in in their backyard. He was never found, and Ethan is plagued with dreams of the tent being slashed open. When he returns to his childhood home thirty years later, memories are starting to stir, and the ghosts of the past are becoming restless.
I really enjoyed this read and was hooked throughout. The story jumps between perspectives and flashbacks but at no point does it get confusing. Each perspective tells a little more about the over-arching story, slowly drip-feeding information to the reader. There's a certain amount of a supernatural aspect to the book, with the ideas of ghosts being explored, and the mechanic of a PING when Ethan's backyard camera detects motion is really creepy.
There's plenty of red herrings throughout and there's a lot of twists that I didn't see coming. It's hard to know who to trust and all of the characters felt well-defined and realistic. Ethan is easy to sympathise with as he tries to investigate his friend's death, especially with his insomnia and bad dreams.
Overall, Middle of the Night is a gripping and spooky read from Riley Sager. Thank you to NetGalley & Hodder and Stoughton for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
