Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

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🏚️Home Before Dark by Riley Sager — A Haunted House Thriller That’s All Vibes Until It’s All Murder

Genre: Psychological Thriller / Gothic Horror / Mystery
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 out of 5)
Spoiler Alert: 🎃 Oh, you bet. I’m breaking this one down like a cold case. Read at your own risk.
Read if you like: haunted house stories that blur the line between ghostly and grisly, unreliable narrators, and unearthing secrets buried in the walls (and ceilings).
Buy it on Amazon: 📘Home Before Dark

😱 Okay, WOW. That Was a Ride.

This book. This book. I inhaled Home Before Dark in record time and then just sat there like... did Riley Sager really just do that?! It's fast-paced, twisty, eerie as hell, and kept me guessing all the way through. It toys with the paranormal and then yanks the rug out from under you—multiple times. I kept asking, “Is this really a ghost story or something else?” The answer is yes. And also no. And also buckle up.

Let’s talk about the house that trauma built: Baneberry Hall.

🏚️ The Setup: House of Horrors (Literally)

Meet Maggie Holt, now in her 30s, who spent exactly two weeks of her childhood in Baneberry Hall, a creepy old mansion in Vermont with a reputation for dead girls and very bad vibes. Her family fled the house in the middle of the night, leaving everything behind—like full-on “grab your coat, forget the iPad” level escape.

Her father, Ewan Holt, later wrote a mega-bestseller called House of Horrors, detailing their experience living in a haunted house. The book made him famous and Maggie infamous. Spoiler: She’s not a fan of it. She spent most of her life thinking it was made up. Until he dies… and leaves her the actual house.

Guess who’s packing up their trauma and heading back?

📚 Dual Narratives: Real Life vs. "Real" Hauntings

The book is told in alternating timelines:

  • Present day Maggie, fixing up the house and trying not to freak out about its tragic past.

  • Chapters from House of Horrors, her dad’s version of events from 25 years ago.

Which is true? That’s part of the fun.

According to House of Horrors, little Maggie used to talk about a ghost named Miss Pennyface (creepy, right?) and Mr. Shadow (great, just what a child needs). They supposedly came through an armoire in her room. There were also mysterious happenings: lights flickering, music playing by itself, chandeliers swaying ominously. Classic haunted house stuff. Oh, and did I mention snakes falling from the ceiling? Yeah. Snakes.

Naturally, the Holts peaced out. Wouldn’t you?

🕵️‍♀️ Present Day Maggie: Fixing Up a Murder Scene

Back in the house as an adult, Maggie wants answers. Instead, she finds a growing list of questions:

  • Why did her dad keep the house all these years?

  • Why was the housekeeper’s daughter, Petra, never seen again after the Holts fled?

  • Why did Ewan give Petra’s mother, Elsa, a wad of cash every year on the same date?

Oh, and why does the chandelier still turn itself on?

Maggie hires Dane (who, small detail, turns out was Petra’s secret boyfriend) to help fix up the place. Together, they discover a bulge in the kitchen ceiling. Because in Riley Sager’s universe, the ceiling is where bodies are stored.

They bust it open. Bones fall out. Surprise! Petra never left the house. She was the house.

😬 Wait… Did Maggie Kill Someone?

Just when Maggie’s thinking maybe her dad was a killer, her mom (Jessica) arrives with that “I know something” mom energy and hands her a letter from beyond the grave. It’s from Ewan.

Brace yourself: Maggie killed Petra. Supposedly.

She was five. Petra was babysitting. There was a confrontation. The Holts came home to find Petra dead on the floor. Instead of calling 911 like normal humans, they… hid the body in the ceiling and ran. (Sure, seems reasonable.)

Ewan then wrote the ghost book as a cover story, because why not add “paranormal best-seller” to your crime spree résumé?

Except...

🧟‍♀️ Miss Pennyface Was Real. Kinda.

Suddenly, Miss Pennyface shows up again. But plot twist—she’s not a ghost. She’s Marta Carver, former resident of Baneberry Hall and mother to a tragically dead daughter of her own.

Turns out, Marta used to sneak into Maggie’s bedroom at night, grieving and watching her sleep (which, excuse me, is objectively unhinged). On the night Petra died, Marta got into a scuffle with her. Petra threatened to call the cops. Marta shoved her down the stairs. Boom. Marta is the killer. Not Maggie.

Oh, and Marta poisoned the cherry pie with actual baneberries. Yes. Death pie. It was a whole thing. Luckily, Maggie survived.

😵‍💫 Staircase Deaths: The Leading Cause of Closure

Marta tries to kill Maggie (because why stop now?), but in classic thriller fashion, she falls down the stairs and dies. (Note to self: never live in a two-story house in a psychological thriller.)

But wait—who pushed her?

Maggie thinks it's Petra's ghost. The cops think it’s Elsa, Petra’s mom, who just happened to be there and heard the whole confession. (Surprise!) She might’ve been Mr. Shadow all along. Or just a very concerned woman with a flair for dramatics and a strong right hook.

✍️ Final Thoughts: Five Stars of Twisty Goodness

This book had everything:

  • An allegedly haunted house ✅

  • Dual timelines ✅

  • A book-within-a-book ✅

  • Ghosts who are real people ✅

  • People who are ghosts… not so much ✅

  • Cherry pie with a side of murder ✅

I was constantly guessing who the villain was—and every time I thought I had it, BAM. New theory. Riley Sager keeps the pacing so tight that even when the plot gets twisty, you’re never confused. Just gasping.

And yes, Maggie decides to write her own book about Baneberry Hall. Because if you’ve survived a house like this, the least it can do is land you a sequel.

🧡 If You Loved This, Try:

  • The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James – for paranormal vibes that might not be paranormal

  • The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager – another twisty mystery from the king of misdirection

  • The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell – creepy old houses + missing people = yes please

Have you read Home Before Dark? Did you suspect the pie? Do you trust armoires ever again? Drop your theories, thoughts, or your favorite haunted house thrillers in the comments. 👻

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