Middle of the Night
by Riley Sager
Summary
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 monsters 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 a quiet forest or a suburban street—is completely safe. And that the past has a way of haunting the present.
GoodReads Nominee for Favorite Mystery & Thriller 2024
My Review
3.5 stars
This was my second Riley Sager book, and while I didn’t enjoy it as much as The Only One Left, it was still an enjoyable read. Despite the mixed reviews, I found it well-written and appreciated the emotional depth it brought. The story doesn’t just focus on the mystery of Ethan’s best friend’s disappearance from their childhood; it has layers and adds a nice touch. I also liked the focus on mental health issues like anxiety, depression, and insomnia—issues I personally deal with—which made Ethan’s character feel particularly relatable to me.
Although I related to Ethan and liked him, he did feel somewhat flat and lacked much personality for the most part. However, I appreciated his character development as he started to let go of his traumatic past and work toward healing himself. Ethan is burdened with guilt, pain, and sadness following his best friend’s disappearance, and these intense emotions follow him into adulthood, contributing to his trauma. I found the emotional depth moving, and by the end, I even got teary-eyed. There were a few touching and tender moments that really tugged at my heartstrings.
The plot had an interesting concept, but it felt a bit repetitive and slow-paced. I didn’t become fully immersed or invested in the story until about the 25% mark. However, I enjoyed the setting of the suburban cul-de-sac—it was atmospheric and occasionally felt claustrophobic, but very realistic. Growing up in middle-class suburbia myself, I found the depiction of life in this neighborhood to be vividly accurate. The 90s nostalgia and cultural references were also a highlight, making it feel like a nostalgic trip down my own childhood.
The mystery was somewhat lackluster, but it kept me guessing throughout. There were some red herrings that threw me off, but by the end, I had figured things out, making it feel a bit predictable. I enjoyed the dual timelines, which allowed us to explore both the past and the present as we unraveled the story.
Overall, while it wasn’t a thrilling read, it was a well-written, emotional mystery with a touch of the supernatural that was a bit spooky. I found it engaging and couldn’t put it down, eager to discover what happened to Billy in the past. If you’re a fan of the author or looking for a compelling entry into the mystery and thriller genre without the gore and intensity of typical thrillers, this book is a great choice. I definitely recommend it and look forward to exploring more of Sager’s backlist.