Review | Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

Twenty-five years ago, Maggie and her parents moved into the huge, rambling Baneberry Hall. Three weeks after they moved in, they fled in the night leaving everything behind. Maggie’s father, Ewan, claimed they experienced terrifying paranormal encounters. He wrote a horror memoir about their experience, which was received with both success and skepticism.

After his death, Maggie inherits the house and she’s determined to find out what happened in the past. She never believed her father’s accounts, but what if he was telling the truth?

Every house has a story to tell and a secret to share. […] Houses are always changing. Coats of paint. Rows of laminate. Rolls of carpet. They cover up a home’s stories and secrets, rendering them silent until someone comes along to reveal them.

Let’s start with the positives! I love haunted house stories and I always find them enjoyable, even if they are treading on familiar grounds. Home Before Dark has all my favourite beats – a decrepit house, dark history, family secret, strange incidents. The writing is quick, addictive and easy to digest. I devoured the book in one night! Unlike the author’s previous books, I was pleased to see there is no unnecessary instant romance situation which usually detracted from the main plot. I liked the book-within-book framing and the excerpts of Maggie’s father’s fictional book, called House of Horrors, are pretty entertaining.

On the downside, however, the familiar ground in this book veers too much from tribute into straight up replication. The storyline is very similar to The Haunting of Hill House – TV show not the book – and The Amityville Horror. It’s understood that in horror the same tropes tend to be employed but I expect some originality at least. Unfortunately, nothing in this book surprised me. It’s all predictable right down to the reveal about the memoir. I found Maggie as a main character inconsistent; her attitude towards her father’s book varies according to whatever suits her situation. The other characters are fine but not memorable. I wish there’s more atmosphere or that the book goes full-tilt scary but it stays middling throughout.

I would say this book is horror-lite; it has hints of scares but still remains palatable for the masses. Many readers who are new to horror found this book really enjoyable, so if you’re a horror newbie you might give Home Before Dark a try!

CW: suicide, child death

I received a copy from the publisher and Netgalley for review purposes.

About the author: Riley Sager

Photo by Celina Albertz