“On July 15, 1994, ten-year-old Ethan and his best friend Billy fell asleep together in their quiet New Jersey cul de sac.

In the morning, Ethan woke up alone. The tent was sliced open, and Billy was gone, taken. He was never seen again.

Thirty years later, Ethan has returned to Hemlock Circle, still desperate for answers.

Who took Billy?

Plagued by bad dreams and insomnia, he begins to notice strange things happening on the street under the cover of darkness. Someone is prowling the cul de sac when no one is awake to see them.

Are they still out there?

This isn’t a bad neighbourhood. These aren’t bad people.

What if they are?”

Hello and welcome to damppebbles. Today I am delighted to share my review of Middle of the Night by Riley Sager. Middle of the Night is published by Hodder & Stoughton today (that’s Thursday 30th January 2025) and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio and digital formats. I chose to read a free eARC of Middle of the Night but that has in no way influenced my review.

A new book from Riley Sager is always something to look forward to! Sager is one of my favourite authors after I read his incredible debut, Final Girls, waaaaay back in 2017. Since then I have recommended Final Girls to countless other readers who always, always enjoy it. Since then several of Sager’s other books have appeared on my ‘end of year top ten’ lists, so a new book from this author is a confirmed highlight of my reading year.

Now if you’re a regular visitor to the blog you may have seen a small disclaimer I’ve included with some of my reviews so far this year. Long story short, I fell a little behind with my reviews in the last half of 2024. I’m trying to catch up now BUT to enable me to do that, I’m writing much shorter reviews than I was previously. I actually read Middle of the Night in October 2024 which feels a long time ago but I guess it isn’t really. Anyhoo, I took extensive notes and this book in particular, I remember very well (because I loved it so much!). But  please be aware this review will be shorter than normal.

Middle of the Night is another triumph for Sager! An emotional, tension-laden tale of a tragic event that, thirty years later, still deeply affects Ethan, our lead protagonist. Returning to Hemlock Circle dredges up memories for him which were never really that far from the surface. As children he and his best friend, Billy, used to camp out in a tent in the Marsh’s back garden on Friday nights. One morning, Ethan woke and Billy was gone. Billy’s side of the tent had a tear in the fabric, it looked as though it had been cut with a knife. Billy’s disappearance was never solved. Unable to escape the memory of that night, haunted by nightmares and insomnia, Ethan begins to notice peculiar things in Hemlock Circle. Are his neighbours the people he always thought they were, or are they hiding a terrible secret…?

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. I loved every second I spent with Middle of the Night. As things start to get stranger and stranger, Ethan puts all of his efforts into finding the truth. Many of his neighbours are still the same people who lived on Hemlock Circle the night Billy disappeared. Plus the small group of kids who he used to hang around with have all grown up and have differing memories of what happened that fateful day. Told in the past and the present, the reader watches as the truth slowly unfolds. But this is a Riley Sager novel so expect the unexpected! With ghostly goings-on, a building unease as you approach the denouement and a shocking reveal that I certainly didn’t see coming, Middle of the Night is a superb, psychological suspense novel, wonderfully written characters, a strong sense of place and a compelling storyline. And it was fantastic to have a male lead character in a Riley Sager novel. The first male lead I think we’ve seen from Sager! Recommended.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of Middle of the Night. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

Middle of the Night by Riley Sager was published in the UK by Hodder & Stoughton on 30th January 2025 and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio and digital formats (please note, the following links are affiliate links which means I receive a small percentage of the purchase price at no extra cost to you): | amazon.co.uk | Waterstones | bookshop.org | Goodreads | damppebbles bookshop.org shop | damppebbles amazon.co.uk shop | damppebbles amazon.com shop |

Riley Sager is the New York Times bestselling author of eight novels, most recently THE ONLY ONE LEFT and THE HOUSE ACROSS THE LAKE. His first thriller, FINAL GIRLS, won the ITW Thriller Award for Best Hardcover Novel and has been published in more than thirty-five countries. His latest novel, MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, will be published in June.

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.”