Middle of the Night – Riley Sager
Riley Sager reliably delivers suburban gothic thrillers, and “Middle of the Night” checks most of his boxes: a traumatic childhood disappearance, a return to the old neighborhood, whispers of supernatural interference and a mystery buried under decades of secrecy.
This one pivots between July 1994 and July 2024, centering on Ethan Marsh, who has never recovered from the night his best friend Billy vanished out of their backyard tent. Thirty years later, plagued by insomnia and guilt, he returns to Hemlock Circle only to find the past isn’t done with him.
On paper, it’s a strong setup: childhood nostalgia shaded with horror (“Stand By Me” meets “The Goonies,” with some midlife malaise mixed-in). The supernatural notes around Billy’s possible ghost and the ominous Hawthorne Institute lurking in the woods kept me invested, even if I suspected Sager would ultimately opt for a human explanation.
Parts of this really worked. The flashbacks to the kids in the ’90s are easily the highlight — they have energy, interiority and a lived-in feel that the present-day chapters sorely lack. Ethan in adulthood is more a delivery system for plot points than a real character; he makes repetitive, frustrating choices and withholds obvious details in ways that feel contrived.
The sheer volume of red herrings — from Billy’s eccentric family to neighborhood bullies to mysterious Druid rituals — becomes exhausting, dulling the sharper emotional beats around PTSD, grief and guilt.
By the time the final reveal lands (spoiler alert: a drunken-driving accident, covered up by Ashley, the babysitter Ethan always pined after), it’s surprising but weighed down by all the manufactured misdirection that came before it.
But my real issue is the audiobook. Santino Fontana’s narration might be my least favorite of the year. Every voice is hammed up to the point of parody, with exaggerated tones and awkward pauses that make already stiff dialogue sound even worse.
It drained the tension out of scenes that needed it most, and at times it felt like I was listening to a bad radio play instead of a thriller. I’ve heard Fontana shine elsewhere (“The Anatomy of Desire” but as part of an ensemble), but here it’s a complete mismatch — and honestly, it dragged the whole book down for me.
A few atmospheric chills and some solid Millennial nostalgia (“Hakuna Matata” is a running mantra) elevate “Night” above the worst of the genre, but overall it feels phoned in. I’ve seen Sager do better.
Thanks to Libro.fm, Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group and the author for the advanced listener copy in exchange for my honest review.
Rating (story): 3/5 stars
Rating (narration): 1/5 stars
Format: Audiobook (ALC)
Dates read: August 15 – August 19, 2025
Multi-tasking: Encouraged. I really can’t recommend listening to the audiobook as I found it more grating than entertaining, so if you’re really committed to listening to this one either keep yourself occupied or plan on following along with a physical copy.
