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Home Before Dark: A Novel Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Riley Sager (Author), Cady McClain (Narrator), Jon Lindstrom (Narrator),
Goodreads Choice Award nominee
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The Instant New York Times Best Seller

One of USA Today's Best Books of 2020

“A haunted house story - with a twist.... [Sager] does not hold back” (Rolling Stone) in this chilling thriller from the author of Final Girls and Survive the Night.

Every house has a story to tell and a secret to share.

Twenty-five years ago, Maggie Holt and her parents moved into Baneberry Hall, a rambling Victorian estate in the Vermont woods. Three weeks later they fled in the dead of night, an ordeal her father recounted in a memoir called House of Horrors. His story of supernatural happenings and malevolent spirits became a worldwide phenomenon, rivaling The Amityville Horror in popularity - and skepticism.

Maggie was too young to remember any of the horrific events that supposedly took place, and as an adult she doesn’t believe a word of her father’s claims. Ghosts, after all, don’t exist. When she inherits Baneberry Hall after his death and returns to renovate the place and sell it, her homecoming is anything but warm. The locals aren’t thrilled that their small town has been made infamous, and human characters with starring roles in House of Horrors are waiting in the shadows.

Even more unnerving is Baneberry Hall itself - a place where unsettling whispers of the past lurk around every corner. And as Maggie starts to experience strange occurrences ripped from the pages of her father’s book, the truth she uncovers about the house’s dark history will challenge everything she believes.

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  1. Listening Length
    11 hours and 4 minutes
  2. Author
    Riley Sager
  3. Narrator
    Cady McClain, see all
  4. Audible release date
    June 30, 2020
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Penguin Audio
  7. ASIN
    B07ZPF1GN2
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 11 hours and 4 minutes
Author Riley Sager
Narrator Cady McClain, Jon Lindstrom
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date June 30, 2020
Publisher Penguin Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B07ZPF1GN2
Best Sellers Rank #1,860 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#65 in Horror Fiction
#90 in Psychological Thrillers (Audible Books & Originals)
#189 in Suspense (Audible Books & Originals)

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
17,871 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the plot perfect, suspenseful, and engaging. They also describe the reading experience as enjoyable and true to their values. Opinions are mixed on the writing style, characters, and pacing. Some find it wonderfully written and interesting, while others find it immature and distrusting.

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PlotReading experienceEngagementWriting stylePacingCharactersPage-turning ability
334 customers mention "Plot"278 positive56 negative

Customers find the plot engaging and mysterious. They say the twists and turns keep them guessing until the end.

"...Really well written, to me, a suspenseful gothic style horror thriller with a potentially haunted mansion and everything. Five stars!..." Read more

"...But in this book, it really worked. As Maggie is going through the motions of the current day mystery, etc.,..." Read more

"This book kept me on the edge of my seat and kept me guessing! So many twist and turns!! Love the supernatural side along with the whole done it!!..." Read more

"...This book gave lots a good jump scares, and had great twist and turns. However the ending will leave you with unanswered questions." Read more

185 customers mention "Reading experience"185 positive0 negative

Customers find the book an enjoyable and worthwhile read. They also appreciate the plot twists and find the characters true to their values.

"...Five stars! A thrilling read! Off to the next Riley Sager book!" Read more

"...I think this book is a real treat and absolutely to be enjoyed." Read more

"...It didn't lose my interest at all, and the plot twists, which towards the end, came at almost every other page, kept me guessing until the very..." Read more

"...What I found was a book that kept me thoroughly entertained throughout--I read it in a single day, with only a couple short breaks--but..." Read more

56 customers mention "Engagement"50 positive6 negative

Customers find the book fairly engaging, fast paced, and grabbing them almost from page one. They also say the story is true heart racing.

"...Fast paced and grabbing you almost from page one I definitely read this book quicker than I read most novels...." Read more

"...Overall, Home Before Dark is an enjoyable, thematic novel, but is just shy of a five-star read for me because of that ending and because of the fact..." Read more

"...This was not my favorite but it did keep me interested until the end. It had some twists and turns that kept you guessing until the end...." Read more

"...The plot was good and it kept my interest. I was a little disappointed because it was a slow start...." Read more

97 customers mention "Writing style"66 positive31 negative

Customers are mixed about the writing style. Some find it wonderfully written with an interesting setup, while others say it can be confusing and repetitive. Some readers also mention that the ending seems anticlimactic and predictable at times. They also find some grammar mistakes that irk them. Overall, customers find the book fun and recommend it.

"...Really well written, to me, a suspenseful gothic style horror thriller with a potentially haunted mansion and everything. Five stars!..." Read more

"...Let's start with the good stuff. The writing is top quality, and the pacing is definitely on point...." Read more

"...There was a tiny lapse in logic here. It was clear her parents are desperate for her to NOT return to the house...." Read more

"...I loved so darn much about this book!! The format was so well done...." Read more

50 customers mention "Pacing"22 positive28 negative

Customers are mixed about the pacing. Some find the book fast paced, while others say the first half was slow. They also say the book drags a lot and wraps everything up too quickly.

"...I had a small issue with the ending simply because it was super rushed. Just BAM, BAM, BAM...." Read more

"...Fast paced and grabbing you almost from page one I definitely read this book quicker than I read most novels...." Read more

"...This drags a lot and follows the same pattern in terms of “cliff hangers” but the ending is always anti climactic...." Read more

"...I really enjoy that in the books I read. It was a quick read and pulls you into it right out of the gate." Read more

36 customers mention "Characters"23 positive13 negative

Customers are mixed about the characters in the book. Some find them wonderfully developed and likeable, while others say they're only OK.

"...In this novel, I love that Maggie is a strong, smart protagonist who refuses to take the easy way out...." Read more

"...Lost somewhere between uninspiring character development, withheld information, the split timelines, whiplash frame stories, and the grand reveal,..." Read more

"...The characters are reasonably well-developed, and the dual (past and present) story lines manage to work surprisingly well..." Read more

"...LOVED the characters. Maggie herself was so likeable, it was easy to root for her...." Read more

20 customers mention "Page-turning ability"11 positive9 negative

Customers are mixed about the page-turning ability of the book. Some mention it's outstanding, hard to put down, and easy to follow. Others say it'd be difficult to put it down and confusing to follow, even at this very busy holiday season.

"...LOVED the characters. Maggie herself was so likeable, it was easy to root for her...." Read more

"...had promise, but too much of the book was flat and frankly, a bit tedious...." Read more

"...Short chapters. Despite the duel narration, the book is easy to follow. Each book has a different tone and writing style...." Read more

"This was difficult to put down, even at this very busy holiday season." Read more

A bone chill modern haunted house tale
5 Stars
A bone chill modern haunted house tale
Riley Sager is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors of all time. I love the haunting of hill house vibes in this one . There are some really great horror imagery as well , ie snakes falling from the ceiling , armoire opening on its own , dark figure lurking outside the house ...deliciously terrifying!
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Top reviews from the United States

lr2k
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic read!!!
Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2024
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I have become a huge fan of Riley Sager. I read The Only One Left Right before this book, both fantastic, this I liked better! Really well written, to me, a suspenseful gothic style horror thriller with a potentially haunted mansion and everything. Five stars! A thrilling read! Off to the next Riley Sager book!
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lr2k
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic read!!!
Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2024
I have become a huge fan of Riley Sager. I read The Only One Left Right before this book, both fantastic, this I liked better! Really well written, to me, a suspenseful gothic style horror thriller with a potentially haunted mansion and everything. Five stars! A thrilling read! Off to the next Riley Sager book!
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FaithOryx
4.0 out of 5 stars Highly Enjoyable and Lots of Bumps in the Night
Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2020
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I've read all four of Riley Sager's novels. I've liked them all and thought all four would make fantastic movies. But I think Home Before Dark is his best work to date. It's not as throwback or fun as Final Girls and it didn't have the same romantic ambiance of Lock Every Door, but this one was really balanced and well crafted. There's something about Sager's work I've realized the fourth time in. His work always seems "familiar" to me, as though I've read or seen the concept before. But I actually had a realization in this book that this style may actually be on purpose. I actually love a homage and, in this book, it's just too obvious to miss. So yes, it's like an idea you've seen, but a completely fresh angle.

In this one we have Maggie, a thirty year old interior designer, who is famous for being the surviving child/victim in a non-fiction book written by her father about a haunting they experience in a rambling Victorian home they lived in 25 years prior. The book has defined her and she despises it. She has no memory of the actual events and is convinced her dad made the whole thing up just to profit. And profit they have. The money has paid for her education and their lives and she's just inherited the entire share after her father's death.... including the house itself.

She makes the decision to go back to the house, despite a death bed promise to her father that she won't, and her mother's insistence as well (who offers to buy the house off her, as she's now remarried to a realtor). There was a tiny lapse in logic here. It was clear her parents are desperate for her to NOT return to the house. So I found it amazing they left it to her in the estate. But lapse of logic aside, and putting myself in Maggie's shoes, I would ABSOLUTELY go back to the house to see if I could figure out what happened. Especially to see if the memories would come back from living in the house.

So off she goes with a double agenda. To realize the mysteries of her past while being productive and renovate the house to sell. The cast of characters from her perspective is largely limited to the people from the book itself, people her family knew as a child... neighbors, police, locals, etc. She has a female friend and business partner but that interaction is limited to cell phone communications. The friend, Allie, was the weakest link character as she only serves as a plot device to give updates and is not a realized character.

Another Riley Sager style is the flashbacks. I did not like the device in Lock Every Door (the story is told from the same character's POV but from a future self and a current self told side by side). But in this book, it really worked. As Maggie is going through the motions of the current day mystery, etc., we get to read portions of her father's book in which she is the main character. So her father, in present day deceased, is the other main character and his story of the haunting is told from his perspective. There was only one moment I lost track of the POVs but, overall, Sager did a great job of giving both characters a unique voice.

I had a small issue with the ending simply because it was super rushed. Just BAM, BAM, BAM. That being said, Sager pulls off the difficulty of giving us a satisfying ending in a horror novel. And, yes, I've seen the other reviews in which it's questioned if this is a horror novel. I say, yes, absolutely. It's more horror than any other genre. I would not expect to be "scared" as it's not that type of novel. It's more like atmospheric horror with a mystery at the center. And it leaves enough open that we are left to wonder and question, while still being given a very solid conclusion.

Overall highly recommended if you love all the stuff I love... old Victorian houses, trips to libraries to do research, mysteries and investigations, old love letters, family and town folklore, ghosts, etc. I think this book is a real treat and absolutely to be enjoyed.
42 people found this helpful
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Amy Armstrong
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic book!!
Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2024
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This book kept me on the edge of my seat and kept me guessing! So many twist and turns!! Love the supernatural side along with the whole done it!! Read it!! You won’t be disappointed!!
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Sara Pack
3.0 out of 5 stars Easy read.
Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2024
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Riley sager does amazing jobs with his thriller books that keep you wanting yo read more. This book gave lots a good jump scares, and had great twist and turns. However the ending will leave you with unanswered questions.
One person found this helpful
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Amanda
5.0 out of 5 stars Spooky and then it all unraveled
Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2024
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I thoroughly enjoyed the haunting aspect of the book and would have enjoyed the aspect throughout the book, but the ending does make the revelation that not everything is caused my the spookiness of the setting. I do feel like there was a loose end untied about Dane but oh well
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I read too much
4.0 out of 5 stars An Interesting, if not unique, story
Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2024
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I have grown to look forward to a new Riley Sager book every summer, and have learned that nothing is ever as it seems in one of their books. I decided I needed a little Riley fix a bit before his next book comes out, so I purchased this one as I had not read it before, and it didn't disappoint at all.
Fast paced and grabbing you almost from page one I definitely read this book quicker than I read most novels. It didn't lose my interest at all, and the plot twists, which towards the end, came at almost every other page, kept me guessing until the very final page.
If you are a fan of Riley Sager you will most likely enjoy this book.
I enjoy a good creepy read, and while this turns out not to be your traditional ghost story, or haunted house book it still read like one for most of it and that makes it worth it in my opinion.
The one thing that I didn't personally like was that this book is very reminiscent of The Amityville Horror. It references the case and book and whole story several times and it will be evident to anyone who reads it that this book probably could have had the word Amityville in its title and no one would blink. I still absolutely loved the book, and the ending surely differentiates it greatly from anything Amityville related, but it does make me feel it is a bit less original than most of Riley Sager's other books.
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Liza Medina
5.0 out of 5 stars Twists and turns
Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2024
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I love that Riley Sanger’s books subvert expectations at the turn of every corner. In this novel, I love that Maggie is a strong, smart protagonist who refuses to take the easy way out. I also love that it taps into the stories of generations past. It’s a terrific mystery woven skillfully.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Michelly Rabelo Tranalli
5.0 out of 5 stars Uma leitura muito boa!!!
Reviewed in Brazil on August 1, 2021
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No começo achei um pouco arrastado, mas tudo se fez necessário para a história e seu desfecho!!! A cada momento a gente acha que está conseguindo solucionar, descobrir os entraves, mas é instigante até a última página!!!! Adorei e recomendo!!! Para quem lê em inglês o vocabulário é tranquilo!!!
2 people found this helpful
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Cliente de KindleDAQ
5.0 out of 5 stars Genial
Reviewed in Spain on June 30, 2024
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Me ha gustado muchisimo esta novela,imposible
despegarse de ella hasta terminarla. Muy absorbente, con una trama llena de giros
inesperados y un final increible
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Su
3.0 out of 5 stars Well written tension
Reviewed in Turkey on June 28, 2024
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Despite the blurb and the “thriller” tag at the back, I was genuinely creeped out by the supernatural book within the book, so the “Scooby Doo ending” was very welcome on my part. Keep in mind I am in fact a scaredy cat when it comes to paranormal stuff, so this might not be your experience. I had never read a Riley Sager before, so I also can’t comment on how Home Before Dark compares. It does have some vital issues, such as Maggie’s voice not sounding authentic and her entire character consisting of repeating again and again that her father’s book ruined her life, but at the end of the day, I was entertained. This isn’t a serious book you read for its literary qualities. It has none. But if you’re in the mood for some creepy fun, this will work great!
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An incredible discovery. These have changed how I can dress in Winter. Comfortable and extremely warm. An absolutely must have in a European winter!
5.0 out of 5 stars Loooooooooooved !!
Reviewed in Germany on July 5, 2024
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Absolutely loved this book. I had no idea how it would end. Really cleverly written between the past and the present. Another hit from the author Riley Sager!
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Tanisha Bhowmick
5.0 out of 5 stars Home before dark by Riley Sager .... plot twisting novel
Reviewed in India on March 19, 2024
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The media could not be loaded.
 Firstly... the delivery and amazon service of the product was quite satisfying... no phone calls or disturbance... Now coming to the book... it's condition was great... good binding and no issue... and the story of the book was jaw dropping... completely suggesting the book who loves a thriller content
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Tanisha Bhowmick
5.0 out of 5 stars Home before dark by Riley Sager .... plot twisting novel
Reviewed in India on March 19, 2024
Firstly... the delivery and amazon service of the product was quite satisfying... no phone calls or disturbance... Now coming to the book... it's condition was great... good binding and no issue... and the story of the book was jaw dropping... completely suggesting the book who loves a thriller content
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