The Review

It has been a while since I’ve read a Riley Sager novel—2017 to be exact. For those who have been around the booksphere for a while, you may remember the drama in the book community surrounding Riley Sager’s nom de plume. Primarily, when Sager’s “debut” novel, Final Girls, was released, there was zero information about the author’s identity. Even the author’s website lacked a photo or any gender-identifying language, including pronouns. Sager, legally known as Todd Ritter, and his agent stated this was done because when Ritter began looking for a new publisher, the team figured an editor would want someone with a “clean slate.” However, at the height of the #MeToo movement, the public strongly believed this was a strategic choice made to sway readers into assuming that a novel about kickass female empowerment was written by a female author to boost sales. No matter the true reasoning, the plan clearly worked, as Sager has become quite a name in the thriller genre, releasing a new novel under the nom de plume Riley Sager every year for the past nine years.

I thoroughly enjoyed Final Girls when it debuted, rating it 4 stars on Goodreads (pre-book blog), but the controversy surrounding Sager’s anonymity made me question the marketing ethics behind the book. It felt misleading, particularly in a time when representation and authenticity in publishing were being heavily scrutinized. This left a sour taste in my mouth, making me hesitant to pick up any of Sager’s subsequent novels, despite the overwhelmingly positive reviews. Thus, I shied away from reading any of Sager’s other novels. That is, until I was scrolling on Libby looking for audiobooks to listen to while snowboarding and saw Home Before Dark listed as “available now.”

Home Before Dark was everything I loved about Final Girls and more. A chilling blend of haunted house horror and psychological suspense, Riley Sager truly delivered a gripping thriller with this one.

The novel follows Maggie Holt, who, after the death of her father, returns to Baneberry Hall—the infamous mansion her family fled from decades earlier—in an attempt to flip it for sale and solve the burning question that has haunted her entire life: “What actually happened in Baneberry Hall?” After all, her father’s bestselling book, House of Horrors, claimed paranormal spirits were responsible, but Maggie, who remembers nothing from her 22 days in the home, believes it was all a ruse to boost her father’s career as an author—eerily mirroring the real-life controversy surrounding Sager. However, as she renovates the house, eerie occurrences and long-buried secrets make her question whether the past is as fictional as she once believed.

Masterfully told through a dual timeline, the story alternates between Maggie’s present-day investigation and excerpts from her father’s book. The parallel storytelling keeps the tension high, making it difficult to predict how the past and present will ultimately converge, blurring the line between reality and the occult. The tale is eerie, with Sager’s descriptive prose bringing Baneberry Hall to life—full of shadows, unexplained noises, and an unsettling sense of dread. I also didn’t know it was possible to make The Sound of Music creepy, but here we are.

What really made Home Before Dark enjoyable was that the twists were truly satisfying, though some were a little more predictable than others. As Maggie’s skepticism begins to falter, it becomes unclear which direction the story will take. The truly shocking twist, which I absolutely did not see coming, is that both narratives were correct—matching Maggie’s original assessment that House of Horrors blends fact with fiction.

Overall, Home Before Dark is a thrilling, eerie read that will keep you guessing until the very end. While the supernatural elements may not fully satisfy hardcore horror fans, the psychological tension and unexpected revelations keep the pages turning. It’s the perfect read for fans of gothic mysteries and haunting thrillers.

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Short Review (AKA TLDR)

After years of hesitancy to read another of Riley Sager’s works—due to the controversy surrounding Sager’s anonymity, which left a sour taste in my mouth during a time when representation and authenticity in publishing were being heavily scrutinized—I have finally given Sager another chance with Home Before Dark.

Home Before Dark was everything I loved about Final Girls and more. A chilling blend of haunted house horror and psychological suspense, Riley Sager truly delivered a gripping thriller with this one. Masterfully told through a dual timeline, the story alternates between Maggie’s present-day investigation and excerpts from her father’s book. The parallel storytelling keeps the tension high, making it difficult to predict how the past and present will ultimately converge, blurring the line between reality and the occult. The tale is eerie, with Sager’s descriptive prose bringing Baneberry Hall to life—full of shadows, unexplained noises, and an unsettling sense of dread. I also didn’t know it was possible to make The Sound of Music creepy, but here we are.

Overall, Home Before Dark is a thrilling, eerie read that will keep you guessing until the very end. While the supernatural elements may not fully satisfy hardcore horror fans, the psychological tension and unexpected revelations keep the pages turning. It’s the perfect read for fans of gothic mysteries and haunting thrillers.