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Middle of the Night Review + Spoilers + Ending Explained

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This Middle of the Night Review + Spoilers + Ending Explained will delve into Middle of the Night by Riley Sager. Sager’s books range from thrillers to Gothic suspense to truly weird and baffling trippy trips into the paranormal, so what are you getting with his latest book? I’ll give you my spoiler free take and then, if that doesn’t help you decide, reveal all!

Graphic for Middle of the Night Review + Spoilers + Ending Explained shows the book's cover, which depicts a suburban neighborhood tinged with a dark green overcast light

Middle of the Night by Riley Sager: Overview

  • Published on June 18, 2024
  • 365 pages
  • I received an advance audiobook copy from LibroFM, but struggled with that (which I’ll explain below) and bought a print copy
  • More by this author: Final Girls, The Last Time I Lied, Lock all the Doors, Home Before Dark, Survive the Night, The House Across the Lake, The Only One Left

Middle of the Night: Jen’s Quick Take

Photo of Middle of the Night by Riley Sager on a bookshelf of thrillers next to a J mug with a pair of green sunglasses inside
  • Well, Middle of the Night served up a smorgasbord of great tropes. I’d call it psychological suspense with a side of Neighborhood Suspense.
  • Plus a hint of the paranormal. That familiar typeface on the cover isn’t lying: this has Stranger Things vibes, complete with a mysterious institute that studies paranormal activity.
  • Is this Riley Sager’s first male main character? I think so!
  • For audiobook listeners, I thought the narrator (Santino Fontana) was very good, with a soothing voice. Maybe too soothing, because the past-present structure and slow pace had me struggling to pay attention at times.

Middle of the Night: Jen’s Analysis

The reviews on Goodreads are a lot of five-star raves with a few two-star pans. So how do you decide whether to read this? I will try to help without spoilers in this section, then get onto the Middle of the Night Review + Spoilers + Ending Explained

Question One: is Middle of the Night a thriller?

No. Middle of the Night felt pretty slow-paced, which was why I struggled with the audiobook. The book uses a past-present narrative, a lot of which involved Ethan struggling with insomnia and thinking about the end of his marriage and the night that Billy disappeared.

Middle of the Night was as much a book about grief and survivor’s guilt than about suspense and mystery solving. As Billy vanished decades ago, so the sense of danger and menace is low.

Question Two: is Middle of the Night paranormal?

The good news? This book doesn’t turn all WTF paranormal at the end, like this Sager book.

But there IS paranormal content, which includes the mysterious Hawthorne Institute, where paranormal investigations were conducted. (I’m wondering if Hawthorne is based on this (former) but very real institute for the study of paranormal at Princeton, which is near where the book is set.)

If you want absolutely NO paranormal content at all, you might want skip this one or at least make it a no-rush library read.

If you’re unhappy with books that kind of waffle between paranormal and not, then you might be disappointed.

Question Three: are you okay with an emotional payoff rather than a big twist?

I will explain more in the protected spoilers below, but at its heart this is a book about relationships, about regret, and about moving forward (or not) from traumatic experiences. I was expecting more of a scary book, but it’s fairly philosophical.

If that’s enough information, I’m glad. Feel free to leave any questions in the comments. Now onto the:

Middle of the Night Review + Spoilers + Ending Explained

SPOILERS BELOW! To protect readers who HATE being spoiled you will need to click on the blue “Show Me” box below and log in with a Grow account, Facebook, or Google. By doing so, you will be added to my email list and receive weekly updates about new books! For more information on why I protect my spoilers, please read this post! If you are having any issues check this tutorial OR leave a comment below as I want to help!

Who killed Billy Berringer in The Middle of the Night?

  • The day before Billy’s disappearance, Billy and Ethan, plus their friends Ragesh and Ashley, were visiting the creepy Hawthorne Institute. (As the book opens, Billy’s remains are found on the Institute property.)
  • But Billy was presumed to have been abducted from a backyard tent where he was having a sleepover with Ethan. The tent was cut from the outside.
  • After trying to recreate that night, Ethen finally remembered near the end of the book that the tent was cut open by Russ Chen, a fellow kid who was jealous of Ethan’s friendship with Billy. But Russ didn’t harm Billy.
  • After Billy and Ethan had an argument at the sleepover, Billy left the tent and went wandering up the road toward the Institute when he was accidentally hit by a car driven by a drunk Ashley, who was leaving a party.
  • Another reveal: Ethan is not divorced. His wife Claudia died suddenly, which is part of the reason for his insomnia and general fragile psychological state. Wow, very The Woman in the Window!
  • At the end of the book, Billy’s brother Andy shows up and kidnaps Ashley’s son Henry. He’s the one who has been tossing the baseballs in Ethan’s yard, making him think it was the ghost of Billy. Andy thinks the Ethen must have had something to do with Billy’s disappearance.
  • Andy was also the one who left those creepy, mysterious notes with Billy’s last words all over the lawn. Yes, Ethan never told anyone what Billy’s last words were, but Andy was creeping around that night and overheard.
  • At the very end, Andy loses it and kidnaps Henry, Ashley’s son. Andy takes Henry to the Falls, the same spot where Billy’s body was found. Andy is hoping to get Ethan to confess. But… surprise! Ashley confesses.
  • Then Henry loses his balance and falls into the water. Ethan jumps in after him. They both feel like they are drowning when Ethan sees a ghostly Billy come to him and help him to safety. And Henry says he saw Billy too. That’s the paranormal bit, which in my opinion is much better than the lake book!

Were you surprised by the ending? I was! After the reveal about Claudia being dead, I was convinced that Ethan had imagined all of it: the baseball, the notes in the yard, even ghost Billy saving him. But no, the book seems to suggest that, in the spirit of friendship, Billy is still looking out for his struggling friend.

Please leave any questions or comments below and I will answer. Spoilers are fine!

About Jen Ryland

Over 12 years of book blogging and reviewing, I have read over 1500 books. A fair and honest reviewer who loves book discussions, I'm here to help you find a book you'll love to read AND give you a place to talk about it and ask questions.
Find me on Instagram and Pinterest as @jenryland!

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