MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT - Riley Sager

4.5 stars

Guess who's back?? You know it's summertime when a new Riley Sager hits the shelves. His perfect blend of atmosphere, twists, and propulsive narratives are always a hit with me. Come, join us for a deep dive into the dark pasts of suburbia in Middle of the Night...

Concept: ★★★ 1/2
Pacing: ★★★★★
Mysteries/Final Reveals: ★★★★
Enjoyment: ★★★★ 1/2

At this point, you might as well call me a Riley Sager review plant, seeded to guarantee a positive review in the mix no matter the content. It feels that way to me, anyway--I seem to have an addiction to his stories and pacing structures. They're so perfectly paced for me.

Middle of the Night takes place in the most Americana of locations: the suburb. And not just the suburb, but the microcosm: the cul-de-sac.

Bonded by location and forced into tragedy by a disappeared boy in the late 1990s, this small group of cul-de-sac neighbors has weathered the decades with grief, life, and ever-present neighborly status.

Who took Billy from his tent in the backyard one summer night? Why did they leave Ethan, the other boy on the scene, sleeping peacefully in the tent? Why has Billy never been found?

Now in his 4os, Ethan is an adult haunted by the incident of his missing boyhood friend. He has recurring dreams and chronic insomnia and a bone-deep paranoia that doesn't seem to abate with his adult wisdom.

At the start of the novel, Ethan's back in his cul-de-sac recouping from marital strife and housesitting for his parents. It's stirring up ghosts of all kinds in the sleepy—yet vigilant—neighborhood.

And then they find Billy. Things are about to bubble to surface of this sleepy community whether the neighbors want it to or not...

AH. Another winner from Sager. I said it at the beginning of this review and I'll say it again—I just really, really like his stories. The formula works for me and if you're a fan of his earlier books, let's just say you're going to love this one too.

It's spooky without being a paranormal-driven narrative. It's split-timeline with the 1994 events spliced between Ethan's modern-day dramas in the neighborhood to create such perfect tension. And most of all?? It has some red herrings and distracting elements that make you feel like you're on top of the twists...and then it gets you. Even if you get some of it, there's enough nuance to the final third act that I bet you'll be pleasantly surprised by at least something. (Always a treat to be partially surprised by a mystery when you've previously read/watched so many twist formulas in media.)

I am very pleased to have this join my Sager shelf. And I'm already ready for the next one!