Riley Sager presents his seventh novel which gives us a fantastically weaved haunted mansion story that is the perfect book to curl up with and read during this cozy fall season. The story follows Kit McDeere, a home-health aide who was suspended from her job for a couple months after a serious incident regarding her previous patient. But when Kit finally comes back, she is informed with the most terrifying news: she has to take care of Lenora Hope as her next patient because it’s her only option.
Lenora Hope is widely known for being accused of the Hope family massacre of 1929 where her sister was found hanging from a rope, her father was stabbed with a knife and her mother died from an overdose of pills. Questions arose from police and citizens when Lenora was questionably the only one left alive. The police of the town tried heavily to build a case against Lenora but were never able to due to lack of evidence. 54 years later, Lenora is living out her days in a dark lonely bedroom sitting in her wheelchair and listening to her books on tape—unable to move or talk.
Things change when Kit arrives at Lenora’s Estate (known as the infamous “Hopes End”). Kit is overpowered with fear knowing that she’s going to be taking care of an accused murderer for quite some time. However, things take a turn when Kit and Lenora slowly build a communicative relationship, as Lenora hides the fact that she can roughly move her left hand. Their communication slowly escalates from yes or no taps with Lenora’s left hand, to a mint green typewriter, using which Lenora tells Kit the truth of what really happened during the night of the Hope family massacre.
This book was the perfect start to the beginning of the fall season. Dark shadows lurking behind windows in the dead of night and footsteps outside of Lenora’s bedroom really added to the gothic aura of Hopes End. The foreshadowing was amazingly weaved into the story’s plot, making you shout with shock at the last one hundred pages of the book.
The way in which the blame was put on certain characters of the story really added to the whole “who done it” cliche, but the way Riley Sager wrote it in his style didn’t make it repetitive. He gave us insight into a lot of the characters’ backstories—all in the same level of explicitness, making it harder to completely reject a character’s innocence. Sager’s success in not just this story, but all of them persistently maintained originality and creativity in his development of the characters, which is how he managed to pull it off.
Going into the story not knowing much is definitely a punch in the face, but in the best way possible. Being hit with the fall spooky vibes as Sager continuously describes the mansion’s age—detailing its proximity to falling off of the rock it’s perched on and tumbling into the ocean below—is just another reason to be afraid for your life being in the house.
Likewise, the mystery of the maid previous to Kit—who inexplicably left in the middle of the night, leaving all of her stuff behind—adds to the eager curiosity portrayed throughout the book.
Riley Sager hits it off again with a great release this year as each of his books get better and better. Keep em’ coming Sager!
