Riley Sager delivers a cleverly constructed haunted house thriller that works on multiple levels, though it may frustrate readers seeking straightforward scares. The story follows Maggie Holt, whose father wrote a bestselling memoir about their family's terrifying 25 days in Baneberry Hall when she was five.

Now an adult who remembers nothing supernatural from that time, Maggie inherits the house and returns to separate fact from her father's potentially fabricated horror stories. Sager excels at building atmospheric dread while simultaneously deconstructing the haunted house genre itself.

The dual timeline structure—alternating between excerpts from her father's book and Maggie's present-day investigation—creates compelling tension as readers question what's real. The author handles themes of family trauma, memory, and the stories we tell ourselves with surprising depth.

Maggie is a well-developed protagonist whose skepticism feels genuine rather than stubborn, and her relationships with locals like groundskeeper Walt and mysterious neighbor Dane add layers beyond the central mystery.

However, the book's greatest strength—its meta-commentary on ghost stories—may also be its weakness for some readers. Those expecting traditional supernatural horror might feel cheated by Sager's more psychological approach. The pacing occasionally drags during exposition-heavy sections, and some plot revelations feel overly convenient. The ending, while thematically satisfying, may leave readers who prefer clear-cut resolutions wanting more definitive answers about what actually happened. This book works best for readers who enjoy unreliable narrators, stories that blur the line between psychological and supernatural horror, and meta-fictional elements that examine how we construct and consume scary stories. Skip it if you prefer straightforward ghost stories, dislike ambiguous endings, or want non-stop action rather than slow-burn atmospheric building. Fans of literary horror and domestic thrillers will find much to appreciate in Sager's thoughtful approach to familiar genre elements.