Maggie is on a mission: her childhood was disrupted quite violently after a stint at Baneberry Hall, a creepy mansion straight out of your stereotypical Gothic horror novel, where her family spent three eerie and terrifying weeks before departing suddenly. Maggie's father Ewan's nonfiction account of the family's time spent at the estate, House of Horrors has given her a sort of infamy she'd rather live without. When Maggie's father passes, however, she has the impetus to renovate the hall and sell it, as she has inherited the property. Her return raises more questions than it provides answers and Maggie is more desperate than ever to piece together the pieces of her past that remain foggy and parse the truth from the fiction. With Riley Sager, I have come to be able to count on a pretty decent thriller. Home Before Dark is no exception. This book started off strong and I was really enjoying the Amityville vibes this was giving off. We have the two timelines running: Maggie in the present day and her father in the past as they moved into Baneberry Hall and it is during these chapters where we learn of their time spent there and what the reason is for the escape.

Susan Wiggs's life is all about family, friends...and fiction. She lives at the water's edge on an island in Puget Sound, and she commutes to her writers' group in a 17-foot motorboat. She serves as author liaison for Field's End, a literary community on Bainbridge Island, Washington, bringing inspiration and instruction from the world's top authors to her seaside community. (See www.fieldsend.org) She's been featured in the national media, including NPR's "Talk of the Nation," and is a popular speaker locally and nationally.In the end, everyone is happy and a big family. Lila is coming out of her rebellious stage and the truth is all out in the open. The first half is solidly written, but pretty standard mystery-set-in-an-old-house fare. A potentially haunted house. Someone who decides to move in for whatever reason. Mysterious occurrences ensue which may or may not be paranormal in nature, etc. If you read mystery novels, especially ones involving potentially haunted houses, you’re probably well acquainted with this plot progression. Overall: Pacing is good. However, at some parts I lost my interest for Megan’s POV and I enjoyed Ewan’s book so much more, it is still riveting, heart throbbing, nail, elbow, hand, arm biter, unputdowable, creepy story that I’ve dreamt of! I was so ready to sell my not so precious soul to get an ARC COPY and my wish came true. After all, ghosts aren't REAL. The thumps and bumps, the flashes of the chandelier...the bells that toll on their own...and of course, the aforementioned song starting over and over on the record player...does Maggie NEED to be canny and careful? Did her father leave a trail of breadcrumbs in his wake...and will the truth she discovers be enough to keep the spirits at bay?

While Jessie is there, she tries to be cool aunt with Lila and turns a blind eye when she's sneaking out with a boy. Hours later Lila is in a terrible car crash in which one of her friends dies and the rest are very injured- but she walks away with just bumps and bruises. Jessie tries to get to know her and when she comes home from the hospital and is on house arrest, there is ample opportunity. Another breathtaking hit from Sager, who’s proven himself a master at crafting new twists on classic horror tales.”

You might believe in ghosts; you might not. But a story with a ghost inhabiting a creaky old house and haunting its new residents is simply irresistible. At least in the right hands, and Riley Sager’s definitely are the right hands. From the shadowy figures in the woods to the sounds that go bump in the night, Home Before Dark is certain to creep you out.” overall, it's an effective and engaging ride, and if you can squint your way through the dubious bits, you'll have a lot of fun with it. Having read two of his books now, it’s obvious that Sager outlines his books in advance (as opposed to being a discovery writer who starts off with a premise and just goes from there). I know this because his books feel meticulously planned in terms of pacing, reveals of information and how the plot points end up coming together. Book Review: Some Minor Criticisms I liked the first half, but didn’t feel strongly about it at that point. But about halfway through, things get more complicated. There are discoveries in both the present and the past that shed light — and prompt thorny new questions — about the houses’s haunted and dark history, which possibly involve a number of potential murders.

She has read her father's book, House of Horrors, numerous times, but doesn't believe a word of it.For Maggie's part, she remembers nothing about their time at Baneberry and had assumed the property had been sold off years ago.