Tag: homebeforedark

Dutton Books
Genre: Thriller
Release Date: June 30, 2020
My Rating: 🍪🍪🍪

I’m generally a big fan of Riley Sager, but Home Before Dark missed the mark for me a little. It’s more of a haunted house/ghost story than a thriller, which isn’t usually my thing. I do like the trope of a setting that takes on a life of its own, which this book definitely has. Maggie Holt and her parents moved into Baneberry Hall when she was a child, and promptly fled the premises three weeks later. Citing the haunted halls as the reason for their departure, Maggie’s dad went on to write a bestselling tell-all account of their time there.

The book has haunted Maggie throughout her life, with people constantly asking her about her time there. The problem? She doesn’t remember any of it. I enjoyed Maggie’s grappling with the book that thrust her family into the spotlight. Following her dad’s death, she’s still unable to forgive him for what she suspects is total fiction he passed off as real for his own benefit. After inheriting the house, Maggie goes back to check it out and hopes to jog her memory as to what happened there so many years ago.

The chapters are interspersed with the pages of Maggie’s dad’s fictional book, which I honestly found kind of confusing at times. It could be a little difficult to remember what was actually happening and what was from the book.

For me, the supernatural elements of this story just didn’t fully work. The randomly ringing bells and random use of the Ouija board seemed clichéd and random. Although the ultimate conclusion of the book was interesting and unexpected, I didn’t find it all that satisfying. I think the loose strings were all tied up neatly, but I didn’t really buy the explanations for all the ghosty stuff.

Buy Home Before Dark at an indie bookstore near you
Home Before Dark on Goodreads