“Never take anything you haven’t earned, my father used to say. You always end up paying for it one way or another.”
Riley Sager is the pen name of American novelist Todd Ritter and is easily one of the most famous thriller authors in the world. Having grown up in Pennsylvania and worked as a journalist, editor and graphic designer before becoming a full-time novelist, Ritter has so far penned eight books under the name Riley Sager since 2017. According to Ritter, he chose to use a pen name for his thriller novels because publishers were more willing to back a fresh name rather than an acclaimed established individual with a spotty sales record. Hotly regarded as one of the best thriller writers in the world, join us at What We Reading as we run you through the best Riley Sager books in order!
Final Girls (2017)
Kicking off our list with the first Riley Sager book is 2017’s Final Girls. Ten years ago, college student Quincy Carpenter went on holiday with five friends. After a horror movie-scale massacre, she returned as the only survivor and found herself as the newest member of a group the media dubbed the Final Girls along with two other survivors of similarly bloody encounters.
In the present day, Quincy is doing well on the back of her Xanax prescription, successful blog, loving boyfriend and the enduring presence of Coop, the police officer who saved her life. That is until one member of the Final Girl club is found dead. Sam, another one of the survivors, then arrives on Quincy’s doorstep. But, as Sam becomes increasingly obsessed with making Quincy relive the horrors of the past, her life soon becomes a deadly race against time to unravel the truth from the lies and remember what really happened at Pine Cottage all those years ago.
The Last Time I Lied (2018)
Fifteen years ago, summer camper Emma Davis watched sleepily as her three cabin mates snuck out in the middle of the night. The last she – and anyone else – saw of them was Vivian closing the door behind them, shushing Emma with her finger. Emma is now a rising star in the art world, turning her troubled past into paintings.
Emma’s art soon catches the attention of wealthy socialite Francesca Harris-White, who also just so happens to be the owner of the same Camp Nightingale Emma attended. When Francesca asks Emma to return as a painting counsellor, Emma sees an opportunity to finally find some closure. Yet, it immediately seems clear something isn’t right with the camp. And, when three girls once again go missing, Emma is forced to confront both man and nature to uncover long-buried secrets and ensure the past doesn’t repeat itself again.
Lock Every Door (2019)
Another global bestseller, Lock Every Door is undoubtedly one of the best Riley Sager books. Jules Larsen picks up a job as an apartment sitter at the Bartholemew, one of Manhatten’s most affluent and mysterious building. Along with the position, Jules is instructed to have no visitors, no nights spent outside the apartment and never disturb the other residents.
Initially taken by the glamour of her surroundings, Jules soon encounters Ingrid, another apartment sitter. But, when Ingrid confides in her that the Bartholomew is not what it seems, the dark history lurking in the shadows begins to unnerve Jules. And then Ingrid vanishes. Digging into the mystery, Jules learns that Ingrid is far from the first sitter to disappear. Jules is forced to race against the clock to unmask a killer, expose the building for what it is and escape Bartholomew before her temporary stay becomes permanent.
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Home Before Dark (2020)
Twenty-five years ago, Maggie Holt and her parents, Ewan and Jess, moved into Baneberry Hall, a grand Victorian mansion in the Vermont woods. They spent just three weeks there before fleeing in the middle of the night. Ewan would go on to write about the ordeal in his nonfiction book, House of Horrors, which would go on to become a global phenomenon.
In the present, Maggie is a home restorer and too young to remember any of the events in her father’s book. She also doesn’t believe any of his stories about ghostly occurrences and malevolent spirits. When she inherits Baneberry Hall, she returns to the estate to begin renovations ahead of its sale. Nevertheless, burned by House of Horrors, the local community are far from pleased to see her. Even more unnervingly, Baneberry is full of old relics that point to a long history of dark deeds. And, as she begins to experience the same supernatural happenings as in her father’s book, Maggie starts to believe that what he wrote contains more fact than fiction.
Survive The Night (2021)
Charlie Jordan is being driven across the country by a serial killer. Potentially. Driving the car is Josh Baxter, a stranger Charlie met by the college ride share board, and who also appears to have a good reason for leaving university in the middle of term. As they hit the road, the two of them begin to share stories. They also make a point of avoiding the hot topic of the Campus Killer, who has bound and stabbed three students in the space of a year. And who has just struck again?
As they make the trip from university to their final destination, Charlie begins to spot holes in Josh’s story. The sort of discrepancies that make her convinced he’s the killer. Before long, she suspects Johs knows exactly what’s she thinking too, meaning that she could soon find herself as his next victim. Another one of the most claustrophobic-feeling Riley Sager books, Survive the Night is an addictive page-turner about a road trip from hell.
The House Across The Lake (2022)
Casey Fletcher, a recently widowed actor attempting to escape a run of bad press, has retreated to her family’s lake house in Vermont in search of some peace and tranquillity. With a pair of binoculars and several bottles of liquor, she begins to spend her time spying on Tom and Katherine Royce, the desirable couple who live in the house across the lake.
One day on the lake, Casey saves Katherine from drowning and two strike up a close friendship. But, as the pair get to know each other better and Casey continues to watch from afar, the more she begins to see how Tom and Katherine’s marriage is far less glamorous than it appears. When Katherine suddenly disappears, Casey becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to her. As her investigation unfolds, a tale of voyeurism and suspicion soon gives way to a darker story of guilt, control and how looks can always be deceiving. Another one of the best books by Riley Sager, The House Across the Lake features his trademark blend of layered characters, psychological tension and jaw-dropping twists.
The Only One Left (2023)
Nominated for Best Mystery & Thriller in the Goodreads Choice Awards, The Only One Left is arguably the most famous Riley Sager book to date. The Hope family murders shocked the Maine coast back in 1929. Most assume then-seventeen-year-old Lenora was responsible, but the police were never able to prove it. Other than her initial denial, Lenora has never commented on the killings and continues to live as a recluse in her family’s cliffside manor, Hope’s End.
Now in 1983, home health aide Kit McDeere arrives at the decaying Hope’s End to care for Lenora. In her seventies, hit by a series of strokes and confined to a wheelchair, Lenora is only able to communicate via an old typewriter. Nevertheless, one evening, she shocks Kit by claiming that she wants to tell her everything. But, as the two write about the events that led up to the massacre, new details about her predecessor’s departure come to light. Kit begins to suspect Lenora may not be telling her the whole truth and that the old woman in her care might be far more dangerous than she first thought.
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Middle Of The Night (2024)
The latest novel by Riley Sager, Middle of the Night is a 2024 mystery thriller. The worst thing to ever happen on Hemlock Circle occurred in Ethan Marsh’s back garden. One night, ten-year-old Ethan and his friend Billy fell asleep in a tent on a lawn in their quiet, quaint New Jersey cul de sac. However, when Ethan woke up, he was alone. Billy was never seen again.
Three decades later, Ethan has begrudgingly returns to his old childhood home. There, he begins to witness strange things happening in the middle of the night. Billy’s presence appears to be everywhere, and someone appears to be stalking the cul de sac at strange times. The mysterious occurrences lead to Ethan investigating what really happened that night, a quest that soon reunites him with former friends and neighbours. Ethan is led into the woods that surround Hemlock Circle, a place Billy once claimed contained all manner of monsters and where a strange institute does nefarious research in an old estate. The closer he gets to the truth, the more Ethan learns that nowhere, be it a peaceful forest or a quiet suburban street, is ever truly safe.
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
