Ingredients for scaring the bajeezers out of me: spooky house with a history of spooky stuff ✅, spooky kids ✅, spooky adults✅, snakes ✅, thuds ✅, My mother-in-law. (Uhhh… ok 5 out of 6 🤷🏼♀️)
Shortest Summary Ever: Maggie Holt was 5 years old the last time she was in Baneberry Hall; it was in her mother’s arms as her family fled, terrified… never to return. So she thought. Her father wrote a bestseller about the incident and Maggie has spent her life claiming the book is all lies. Now she’s an adult who restores homes and low and behold – she’s baaaaaaaaaack. Was her dad writing fiction or could he, maybe, possibly, be right all along?
My thoughts: I’m in “escape” mode, reading- wise and this was the perfectly-timed book prescription needed (I ain’t afraid of no ghosts!) Twists and turns abound and the pace is fast, the scares plentiful, and the suspense well-drawn. My first Sager novel, and I definitely felt a “been there” vibe as far as plot creativity goes – the basis is a bit Stephen King-Amityville-esque (Pennyface? C’mon now yo), but Sager adds his own flavor to keep it fresh and thrilling. Though writing this review I just scared myself seeing my dog’s white tail in the window (I MIGHT be afraid of those ghosts). A 4.5 rounded on up to 10!
Loved the alternating POVs between the book Maggie’s dad wrote and what’s happening to Maggie now.
All my reviews available at scrappymags.com
Genre: Horror/Mystery – spooky old house
Recommend to: Ready to get the tingles? Jump at sounds? Yeah… you’re my people. Read this. Beach worthy too!
Not recommended to: oh it’s spooky, not cozy. If you don’t like to be scared. Uh huh, honey turn back now (drag queen voice and head shake).
Thank you to the author Riley Sager, Penguin Group Dutton, and Netgalley for the ARC and my always-honest review and making me fear waking at 4:54 a.m. (seriously, not cool!).
