Middle of the Night

A Novel

By: Riley Sager

Narrated by: Santino Fontana

Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

In the latest jaw-dropping thriller from New York Times bestselling author Riley Sager, a man must contend with the long-ago disappearance of his childhood best friend—and the dark secrets lurking just beyond the safe confines of his picture-perfect neighborhood.

The worst thing to ever happen on Hemlock Circle occurred in Ethan Marsh’s backyard. One July night, ten-year-old Ethan and his best friend and neighbor, Billy, fell asleep in a tent set up on a manicured lawn in a quiet, quaint New Jersey cul-de-sac. In the morning, Ethan woke up alone. During the night, someone had sliced the tent open with a knife and taken Billy. He was never seen again.

Thirty years later, Ethan has reluctantly returned to his childhood home. Plagued by bad dreams and insomnia, he begins to notice strange things happening in the middle of the night. Someone seems to be roaming the cul-de-sac at odd hours, and signs of Billy’s presence keep appearing in Ethan’s backyard. Is someone playing a cruel prank? Or has Billy, long thought to be dead, somehow returned to Hemlock Circle?

The mysterious occurrences prompt Ethan to investigate what really happened that night, a quest that reunites him with former friends and neighbors and leads him into the woods that surround Hemlock Circle. Woods where Billy claimed ghosts roamed and where a mysterious institute does clandestine research on a crumbling estate.

The closer Ethan gets to the truth, the more he realizes that no place—be it quiet forest or suburban street—is completely safe. And that the past has a way of haunting the present.

©2024 Riley Sager (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Bestseller Sager expertly doles out chills and pathos in his mesmerizing latest…This standout work of psychological suspense confirms that Sager has few equals when it comes to merging creepiness and compassion.”—Publishers Weekly (starred)

“There are twists aplenty in Sager’s latest. His signature style will leave readers dizzyingly satisfied.”—Library Journal

"Full of tension, urgency, atmosphere, and feeling—this is Riley Sager at his very best."–Lee Child, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author

Great cringey story!

I could not deal with the narrator and his surfer dude dialect when changing characters.

I love this book

Riley is such a great character writer. I connect so deeply for the characters he writes. This book is a mystery and so much more. Thank you for this gift Riley!

Just so good

Riley Sager does it again. This book was exceptional. I could not put it down.

The Cover

I was so excited for this book to be released as I loved the rest of Sager’s books but was sadly let down. Story wasn’t suspenseful and barely kept me engaged.

Spooky

Returning to his childhood home thirty years after his best friend Billy disappeared from a tent in the backyard, Ethan Marsh struggles to sleep, a reoccurring dream waking him every night. Billy was never found and Ethan must remember the details that his mind trapped so long ago to solve the mystery of what happened to Billy.

Another hit by Riley Sager. Masterfully plotted with just enough twists to keep the story exciting.

A peaceful cul-de-sac or is it really?

This is absolutely the best book by Riley Sager. I never could actually figure out the plot of who took Billy and why until the gripping end! Did not see that one coming. This one kept me up laid into the night his absolute best work the character were well developed, and the story tangled so well and heartfelt. The story had me crying, laughing, and even being very afraid! Very well done, I cannot say enough about this one.

Narrator

The narrator was so horrible, it ruined the story for me!
He was doing a weird surfer dude accent when the story is set in New Jersey and the way he voiced the women was truly insulting! Absolutely disappointing!

It was just ok…

I have read all of Riley Sanger books and LOVED all of them but The last 2. They have been just been ok…this was disappointing that it was just ok. I wanted to love this book, but I couldn’t.

an emotional roller coaster of a suspense novel

I adore Riley Sager's writing and this my be my fave of his so far. this is a story about loss, grief, growing up, & finding your family. about a small community of people and the secrets they all keep, share, & how lack of communication can make imaginations run rampant with children & adults alike.

this is not a thriller so much as a suspense but there were still a few reveals that had me going "omg" & needing to know what happened next. it goes from the time Billy went missing to the present & back, hearing from the perspective of everyone on the cul-de-sac itself before the truth finally comes to light and I was hooked.

this one was definitely written for me specifcally, whether Riley sager knows it or not! 😹

Well it’s better than the last three

This book was almost enjoyable until the final third. I wouldn’t say it went off the rails; it was just lazy.

The only thing that really killed me was the narrator popping every single “p”. I felt like I was going to have a mental breakdown by the end the way he was popping p’s left and right.