Home Before Dark

Home Before Dark 

Home Before Dark is the latest novel to be checked off my to be read list. I’ve been on a Riley Sager reading kick lately, and decided to work harder on my goal to read everything he’s written. At this point, that is a total of nine books he has written. 

This makes the fifth one out of that nine he has published so far to be checked off my to be read list. To say I am a fan is an understatement. I love how Sager builds a scene, and I have no idea what is actually going on until the end. 

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Yet I am on the edge of my seat, driven to read more and more so that I can find out the answers. Every time I think I know what is going on or who the bad guy is, I’m dead wrong. I love a good thriller story, and Sager has proven to be the best at writing them. 

The title of this novel has me wondering about it all. Should I strive to be home before dark? My inner old lady says, yes. But what is the significance? Is home safe after dark? I’m curious just how the title fits into the story, based on the description. 

My husband also swears that the cover of this book looks like a billboard ad we’ve both seen from an Oregon Duck football ad. Take the chandelier and add football uniforms to the five hanging pieces, and replace the lights with helmets, and boom. Same thing. I have no clue if they are related or not, but it’s hard not to see that billboard when I look at the cover of this novel.

“Every house has a story to tell.” 

Riley Sager, Home Before Dark

Have you read Home Before Dark? Come on in and let me tell you about it! 

About Home Before Dark 

Every house has a story to tell and a secret to share.

Twenty-five years ago, Maggie Holt and her parents moved into Baneberry Hall, a rambling Victorian estate in the Vermont woods. Three weeks later they fled in the dead of night, an ordeal her father recounted in a memoir called House of Horrors. His story of supernatural happenings and malevolent spirits became a worldwide phenomenon, rivaling The Amityville Horror in popularity—and skepticism.

Maggie was too young to remember any of the horrific events that supposedly took place, and as an adult she doesn’t believe a word of her father’s claims. Ghosts, after all, don’t exist. When she inherits Baneberry Hall after his death and returns to renovate the place and sell it, her homecoming is anything but warm. The locals aren’t thrilled that their small town has been made infamous, and human characters with starring roles in House of Horrors are waiting in the shadows. 

Even more unnerving is Baneberry Hall itself—a place where unsettling whispers of the past lurk around every corner. And as Maggie starts to experience strange occurrences ripped from the pages of her father’s book, the truth she uncovers about the house’s dark history will challenge everything she believes. 

Thoughts on Home Before Dark 

“A naked Barbie lies facedown in the carpet like a murder victim.” 

Riley Sager, Home Before Dark

Home Before Dark gives us the opportunity to meet Maggie Holt, who has grown up with her father as a writer. She deeply disappointed him when she chose to take up construction and interior design type work with her best friend to start their own successful company. 

She has also grown up with the stigma and a million questions surrounding their short time living at Baneberry Hall, and the fact her father wrote a book about it. This has defined most of her life, people wanting to know if it is all true, what it was like, and so many other questions. We see the strained relationships between Maggie and her parents through the book, as she tries to find answers. 

Will she be successful in finding those answers? Or will the secrets of Baneberry Hall come and find her in the night to finally silence her once and for all? I kept hearing the words her parents said about it not being safe for Maggie there echoed throughout the book. It made me wonder if that was really true. 

I do admit that I admire Maggie for returning to Baneberry Hall to uncover the truth and find all the answers. That isn’t easy, especially when other people don’t want you to find those answers, and may be willing to do anything to stop you. Maggie was a strong woman, and a well-written character. 

The only part that I found truly irritating was how many other people were coming and going in and out of the house without the actual residents knowing about it. Given my prepping background, habits, and instincts, I would have explored every single inch of that house and outside to find anything potentially dangerous or easy to breach, and put a stop to it. My in-laws recently bought a new house, and on moving day, that is exactly what my husband and I did. We went exploring to see where and how we could potentially break in, so that they could remedy the problem quickly. 

This was a book where the more I read, the more I had to continue reading because I wanted to find out all of the answers. I am a big fan of how Sager weaves the past and present together, in two separate timetimes, yet they made perfect sense together and created the perfect buildup for the ending. 

If you are a fan of Lock Every Door from Riley Sager, you will definitely enjoy Home Before Dark. It has the same vibes to it, in my opinion. But still different and that keeps things interesting. 

Final Thoughts on Home Before Dark 

“Twenty five years ago, my family lived in a house named Baneberry Hall, situated just outside the village of Bartleby, Vermin. We moved in on June 26th. We fled in the dead of night on July 15th. Twenty days.” 

Riley Sager, Home Before Dark

I’m calling Home Before Dark a five star read. I would go back and read it again, even knowing all the answers. Because there was so much going on that I may not have caught everything, meaning the smaller details. I’m kind of curious if I could easily spot things now since I know the answers. 

In classic Riley Sager form, I had no idea what was going to happen, or the answers until the very end. But that is exactly what drives me to read his books. I never know where they will take me, and I absolutely love that fact. I get cranky when books are predictable, and Riley Sager has never been predictable. 

I’ve often admired his ability to give the reader twists you won’t see coming, without being so outrageous that it isn’t plausible at the same time. Sager builds stories from start to finish, and does a masterful job at it. 

I love the fact that his books are categorized into the thriller genre and are actually thrilling. Too many books are dubbed thrillers and are boring as hell. Sager delivers on the thrilling suspense and mystery that I crave from all novels deemed to fit into the thriller category. Sometimes this spoils other thriller novels, but Sager sets the bar high, and I often compare other novels to his, especially when they fall into the predictable category. 

Discussion 

Have you read Home Before Dark or any other writing from bestselling author Home Before Dark? Are you a fan? Let me know your thoughts in the comments! 

About the Author 

Riley Sager is the New York Times bestselling author of six novels, most recently Home Before Dark and Survive the Night. His first novel, Final Girls, has been published in 30 countries and won the ITW Thriller Award for Best Hardcover Novel. His latest book, The House Across the Lake, will be published in 2022 by Dutton Books.

A native of Pennsylvania, he now lives in Princeton, New Jersey. When he’s not writing, he enjoys reading, cooking and going to the movies as much as possible. His favorite film is “Rear Window.” Or maybe “Jaws.” But probably, if he’s being honest, “Mary Poppins.” 

Purchasing Home Before Dark 

• If you are interested in buying the paperback version of Home Before Dark, click here.
• For the hardcover version, click here. 
• Click here for the Kindle version.
• Click here for my favorite Kindle I currently own.

More from Riley Sager 

Did you enjoy my review of Home Before Dark? Need another great Riley Sager novel? Here are my favorites! 

• Final Girls 
• The Last Time I Lied 
• Lock Every Door 
• Home Before Dark 
• Survive the Night 
• The House Across the Lake 
• The Only One Left 
• Middle of the Night 
• With a Vengeance 
• The Unknown

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