True-crime author Rosie Lowan and her struggling actor husband, Chad, have just laid their last family member to rest. After caring for Chad’s Uncle ITrue-crime author Rosie Lowan and her struggling actor husband, Chad, have just laid their last family member to rest. After caring for Chad’s Uncle Ivan at his glamorous Murray Hill apartment until his last dying breath, they’re shocked to find out at the reading of the will that it now belongs to them. A posh apartment in the historic Windermere on the East Side of Manhattan, it’s worth nearly $5 million dollars. A figure well outside of either Rosie or Chad’s financial constraints.
Moving into the building, the smartly dressed doorman and opulent surroundings take on new meaning now that Rosie and Chad call it home. They are quickly welcomed into the fold by their affluent neighbors who seem to relish a new, young couple living amongst them. It seems as is life couldn’t be better as Chad and Rosie’s dreams start to come true.
As the days pass, however, the Windermere and the neighbors take on a darker tone. Why does it seem that the doorman, Abi, is always around? How could she have missed the security cameras that are located all over the building? And what about the new intercom feature that seems to always be listening? The longer she lives within its walls, the more Rosie begins to wonder about the decades of horrifying accidents and crimes that make up the dark history of her new home.
And then more death visits the Windermere. Within a week, two residents meets their demise. Worried for her own safety, Rosie takes it upon herself to get to the bottom of what has been occurring behind the building’s doors. Can she uncover the truth before she too meets a horrible end? Or was her fate already decided the moment she moved into the apartment? One thing is for sure, Rosie better watch her back. Especially since others just might be watching it as well.
Holy cannoli! What a strange yet captivating tale. From nearly the start, The New Couple in 5B was a total departure—but also not—from Unger’s prior books. Working in plenty of details pertaining to the supernatural, anyone with a penchant for horror will absolutely love what they find within these pages. At the same time, it was also yet another one of Unger’s typical suspense-laden plots, filled with growing unease and characters that hit just the right chord.
Speaking of those characters, I was captivated by Rosie. Complex and finely layered, her persona revealed how her past left an impression upon her and how she so desperately wanted a future separate from it as well. It was the rest of the cast, however, that truly brought this one home. An eclectic group of wealthy individuals, they were kind and welcoming to start, but each morphed as the page count grew into darker versions of themselves. But even as I second-guessed their motives and looked at them with suspicion, there wasn’t a chance that I was going to be able to guess where this plot was headed.
Just like the characters, the plot shifted from merely creepy to a more claustrophobic, adrenaline-pumping beast. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t exactly a horror novel, even though it was inspired by Rosemary’s Baby. No, it was instead a well-written exploration of what else might exist beyond what we can see with our own eyes. With clear-cut occult vibes and a definite gothic atmosphere, Unger nailed it in one with the setting. After all, the Windermere could easily count as a character itself in all of its spine-chilling, The Shining-esque glory.
By the end, however, I was thrilled to find that the mystical aspects weren’t the end-all-be-all to the plot. With plenty of tricks up her sleeves, Unger brought the rising crescendo of suspense home with an even better climax, all said and done. And while it wasn’t anything like I was expecting, it was everything that I wanted and more. An addictive, binge-worthy book, I was lost in the pages until I finished the very last word. Bravo, Ms. Unger, you’ve done it yet again! Rating of 4.5 stars.
Thank you to Lisa Unger, Park Row, and NetGalley for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
While you might have already heard the premise of Sager’s newest novel, I strongly recommend going into this one 100% blind. Even though the synopsis While you might have already heard the premise of Sager’s newest novel, I strongly recommend going into this one 100% blind. Even though the synopsis doesn’t exactly give anything away, I found my love for it was altogether bolstered by being completely in the dark. If, however, you’re one of those people and need the promised blurb no matter what, just skip down to the end of this review where you’ll find it in full…
Layered with mysteries. Captivating, flawed characters. A deep poignancy. All of the above describes Middle of the Night to a T. In true Riley Sager fashion, this psychological thriller was wholly unguessable as well as utterly creepy. What I didn’t expect to encounter, however, were the more moving touches. From the masterful character building to the emotional insights within multiple subplots, there wasn’t a thing not to love in what was merely an extension of this author’s preexisting brilliance.
My absolute favorite piece to this downright sensation of a novel were easily the characters, however. Realistic, imperfect, and genuine, they each came alive on the page. I was particularly enamored at the ease at which Sager managed to craft true-to-life tweens and adults. After all, the thought processes and behaviors were pure perfection for both. Compelling and hypnotic, they won me over hook, line, and sinker. Especially young Henry, who was the star of the cast.
The plot itself was everything I could ever want in a Sager book and more. Eerie, atmospheric, and with an addictive paranormal edge, it was immersive storytelling at its best. Told via dual timelines and multiple POVs, the complex storyline bobbed and weaved until the final timely revelation. And let me tell you, there was propulsive foreboding and a definite The Sixth Sense feel that nailed it in one. So much so, in fact, that the possibilities of where it was all leading were endless. I must add, though, not to let the paranormal element throw you. It was subtly done and allowed for quite the spellbinding twist.
All in all, it was no surprise to me that this book was yet another slam dunk success. Already one of my auto-buy authors, Sager delivered a novel that felt a step above the rest. Thought-provoking but also one heck of a spine-tingling rollercoaster ride of suspense, there was more depth to this one than I was expecting. I mean, it actually brought me to tears. While this may perturb a Sager fan or two, for me it was a much loved bonus. Nostalgic, tense, and well-written, it was ultimately darn near perfection. Rating of 5 stars.
Thank you to Riley Sager, Dutton Books, and NetGalley for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
PUB DATE: June 18, 2024
Trigger warning: dementia, mention of: drug overdose, death of a spouse
As promised, the publisher provided synopsis:
The worst thing to ever happen on Hemlock Circle occurred in Ethan Marsh’s backyard. One July night, ten-year-old Ethan and his best friend and neighbor, Billy, fell asleep in a tent set up on a manicured lawn in a quiet, quaint New Jersey cul-de-sac. In the morning, Ethan woke up alone. During the night, someone had sliced the tent open with a knife and taken Billy. He was never seen again.
Thirty years later, Ethan has reluctantly returned to his childhood home. Plagued by bad dreams and insomnia, he begins to notice strange things happening in the middle of the night. Someone seems to be roaming the cul-de-sac at odd hours, and signs of Billy’s presence keep appearing in Ethan’s backyard. Is someone playing a cruel prank? Or has Billy, long thought to be dead, somehow returned to Hemlock Circle?
The mysterious occurrences prompt Ethan to investigate what really happened that night, a quest that reunites him with former friends and neighbors and leads him into the woods that surround Hemlock Circle. Woods where Billy claimed ghosts roamed and where a mysterious institute does clandestine research on a crumbling estate.
The closer Ethan gets to the truth, the more he realizes that no place—be it quiet forest or suburban street—is completely safe. And that the past has a way of haunting the present....more
A dysfunctional family gathered together on a private, isolated island to celebrate a birthday. A long-held prediction that the family matriarch will A dysfunctional family gathered together on a private, isolated island to celebrate a birthday. A long-held prediction that the family matriarch will die. One by one, family members begin to meet their end. Who is behind the deaths? And what secrets are they trying to hide?
When four generations of the Darker family assemble together on a tiny, private island to celebrate the eightieth birthday of the family matriarch, Nana, it immediately becomes an uncomfortable reunion. Frank and his ex-wife Nancy can barely remain in the same room together and be civil. Then there are their three daughters: Rose, the clever eldest; Lily, the spoiled and entitled middle child; and Daisy, the often overlooked and sometimes tortured youngest. Rounding out the family is Trixie, Lily’s daughter and Nana’s only great-grandchild, who as the best of the family, is a kind and sensitive soul. And finally, Conor Kennedy, a neighbor who grew up with the three girls, shows up surprising all but Nana. Not exactly the recipe for a good time. And as if that wasn’t enough, Nana decides to reveal her will because what could go wrong with that idea? But the awkward dinner is just the beginning to this harrowing gathering as one family member after the other begin to die.
This story has all of the elements of a great locked-room mystery, after all it worked for Agatha Christie in And Then There Were None, but the problem with imitating a famous and beloved story by a renowned author is that the copy is rarely superior to the original. Unfortunately, this is just such an instance in my opinion. While Nana has some hilarious quirks (for example, an entryway full of eighty clocks, one of which is an antique punch clock that Nana makes every visitor clock in and out with so that she knows how frequently, or infrequently, each guest visits her including her own family members), she is murdered relatively quickly and the dry humor evaporates soon after. The one big difference between this novel and Christie’s is the repeated flashbacks of Daisy’s childhood, but the two stories (the past and the present) felt disjointed and almost schizophrenic to me. What is purported to be a mystery comes off more as a domestic drama with some murder thrown in around the edges until the last fifty or so pages. But if you like dysfunctional family drama, you will probably love this book. As each memory is revisited, the characters are built upon revealing a truly messed up family with all of the characters memorable, deep, and complex, especially Daisy, who narrates the book. Ultimately, however, I was even disappointed in the dénouement which felt contrived. A book with huge hype that sadly fell flat for me. Rating of 2 stars....more
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