Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

There are no words to adequately describe just how much I loved this book. Riley Sager knows the creep factor, and he does it well. I was enthralled in this story from the first chapter. I brought everything I could hope for from a book. Haunted houses, ghosts and ghouls, mystery twists and turns, and a strong female protagonist, I mean, what more could one want? I found myself jumping at the creaks and groans after dark in my own house, then laughing about how silly I was being. That, however, is what this book does to the reader.

The chapters alternate between the viewpoint of present-day Maggie Holt, those of her father, Ewan Holt, from 25 years earlier. Maggie Holt, who inherited the famed Baneberry Hall from her recently deceased father has come back to the house after 25 years to renovate and sale the house that shaped her life, even if her stay there was short. Maggie was 5 when her family spent a short month at Baneberry Hall. She does not remember her time there or the events that supposedly occurred. She wants to find the answers that she has longed yearned to know. Her life has been dictated by the book that her father wrote about their time at Baneberry Hall. She didn’t believe a word of what was written in the book. There were no such things as ghosts, right?

Ewan Holt recounts his and his families time in the house. Baneberry Hall. It was a steal. The house was immaculate. However, the house has a dark past. One that they didn’t know the full extent of when they bought it. Ewan, his wife Jess, and their 5 year old daughter Maggie moved in, and weird things started happening from the start. Creaks, thumps, groans, reptiles, music playing in the night, and imaginary friends put the Holts on edge. The longer they stay, the more unsafe they feel. Then one night, something happens that causes the family to flee for good. Just like the families before them, they left their belongings behind, never to return.

Along with an interesting and gripping cast of characters, Maggie uncovers the truth about her experiences and time at Brannon House. Wow what a truth it is! This book has quickly jumped into my top reads of 2020 and I am looking forward to what else Riley Sager has up his sleeve.