On the anniversary of a savage mass murder, a survivor returns to the scene of the crime―and all its buried secrets―in a twisting novel of suspense.

Nearly ten years ago, five Ohio university students were murdered in an off-campus Victorian home. The media dubbed it the Midnight House Massacre. Ever since, survivor and novelist Margot Davis has wanted to forget it, and never again utter the killer’s name. Until she’s compelled to write her side of the story. To do that, she’s returning to Midnight House.

It’ll be a chance for Margot to reconnect with other survivors, heal the trauma, and dispel the ugly conspiracy theories of obsessed true crime fanatics. But when news of Margot’s book gets out, she receives a threatening note that demands she stop lying. Or else. It chills Margot’s blood. Because she hasn’t been telling the whole truth.

As the threats continue, each more sinister than the last, a journalist comes to Margot with new suspicions about that brutal October night. Now, to save her own life, Margot must reveal her well-guarded secrets―ones that, for good reason, she’s been too terrified to share.

Holy snickerdoodles! This is one plot driven and twisty thriller. Enjoyed from start to finish. Cannot wait to read more from the author.

This was such a fun psychological read full of twists and turns. Possibly a PLL for the newer generations?

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for a copy of this eARC for review.

This is a great thriller! The suspense builds fantastically and I was on the edge of my seat! The writing drew me in and I had a hard time putting this down. I would highly recommend this! Special Thank You to Emma Dues,Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Margot was involved in a horrific incident in high school, her friends were killed in the house they were living in. Fast forward to Margot as an adult, she is ready to share her side of the story.

I enjoyed this novel greatly! The narration was very good and I was intrigued immediately. I sympathized with Margot and her journey to remembering what happened. The novel floats between past and present timelines, you begin to see the past unfold and you can’t help but need to find out what’s next. I did feel the twist happened early and was a little predictable as the story was unfolding. I had been hoping for something a little more sinister, given how horrific the crime was. Overall, this was a good fast paced read and I would recommend this audio!

Return to Midnight follows Margot and a group of university friends/ roommates that go through the unthinkable. One night, five of them are brutally murdered, some survive. They call the house where the massacre happened, The Midnight House.

As it’s approaching the 10 year anniversary of that horrible night, Margot decides to come back to Midnight House to gather more info for the book she’s writing about that night. I’m not sure if I would be writing a book about my friends being murdered, but that’s just me.
The storyline reminded me of The Idaho 4, a true crime case that took the lives of four university students in 2022. The trial for that case is supposed to start August 2025.
As Margot tries to unravel some truth of what happened that night, she learns more than she had bargained for.

We don’t know until end of the story, who murdered the group. There are a few twists and turns along the way. The author does a good job of giving us reasons why a few characters could possibly be the crazed individual that took the lives of the students. Although at times the past and present storylines became a little annoying to me, I enjoyed this book, and would recommend!
3.5 🌟 rounded down for NetGalley

I was originally really excited about this book because it took place at a college in Ohio and I went to a college in Ohio and because it gave pretty little liars vibes. There were so many twists and turns and so much suspense that it was hard to put the book down. Reading before bed even creeped me out a bit. I’m so glad I found this book and I will definitely be reading her next book.

This was an interesting story that was from a different POV! We have somewhat of a final girl vibe going on with a little bit of whodunnit with lots of secrets. It wasn't quite what I was expecting and the end caught me slightly off guard.

This was definitely a multi layered story. There were secrets that crucial to the storyline that were revealed perfectly in my opinion. I think that my only slight struggle with this book was the multiple timelines and also the pacing. The multiple timelines had me a little lost at times because you have right before the attack, along with a count down, a year before, current events as well.

I feel like there was a little bit more that could have been done with certain characters to add depth but overall I could totally see this as a movie!

Return to Midnight

Wow

I think this little chatterbox might actually be speechless.

Good gosh, I love reading.

Emma Dues, was a new to me author but has instantly become an auto buy author.

This book completely consumed me and left me begging for more by this author!! I am shocked that this was a debut but I am literally PLEADING for more.

I love college thrillers and this one delivered! It left me guessing until the very end and monopolized my every thought for days after concluding .

Absolutely mind blowing!!

Check out this teaser :

On the anniversary of a savage mass murder, a survivor returns to the scene of the crime—and all its buried secrets—in a twisting novel of suspense.

Nearly ten years ago, five Ohio university students were murdered in an off-campus Victorian home. The media dubbed it the Midnight House Massacre. Ever since, survivor and novelist Margot Davis has wanted to forget it, and never again utter the killer’s name. Until she’s compelled to write her side of the story. To do that, she’s returning to Midnight House.

It’ll be a chance for Margot to reconnect with other survivors, heal the trauma, and dispel the ugly conspiracy theories of obsessed true crime fanatics. But when news of Margot’s book gets out, she receives a threatening note that demands she stop lying. Or else. It chills Margot’s blood. Because she hasn’t been telling the whole truth.

As the threats continue, each more sinister than the last, a journalist comes to Margot with new suspicions about that brutal October night. Now, to save her own life, Margot must reveal her well-guarded secrets—ones that, for good reason, she’s been too terrified to share.

Overall really liked this book! It genuinely scared me. It had a bit of a slow start but really picks up in the second half. I only wish we would have seen Aaron get out of prison earlier on in the story, I would have wanted to hear his story.

This is the perfect example of how thrillers should be. Return to midnight has some similarities to the ohio murders of the college students. the story is told from days before the murders and present day as MC is getting threats linked to the past.
This is a hard toput down novel. And the type that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The mystery of what happened that night slowly builds, and so does the present days’ mystery while making it hard to put down. It is one of the best thrillers of 2024.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc. All thoughts and feelings are my own.

If you are looking for a great fall psychological thriller to read, might I recommend this one? Return to Midnight follows a girl who has survived the horrific massacre of her friends, returning to the house and town it happened in years later. Except the killer isn't finished, and Margot may be in another fight for her life.

This is the perfect fall read for anyone who wants to binge a thriller. It has diva ballerinas, killer plot twists, and leaves you with the feeling that perhaps you should double check if you actually locked the doors. And that maybe you should never lie about what happened when a massacre occurs.

This one was a tough one for me. I found it very difficult to get into, but I felt the need to keep reading because I was waiting for an epic twist that unfortunately never came. Overall, it was a crime story, but to me nothing left me incredibly shocked or amazed.

I had high hopes for this book. It began with a great small-town setting, autumn vibes, hot coffee....and a return to that town years after a massacre. Only, it didn't deliver. It felt like it stayed on the surface. We got a lot of "something felt off" but no writing to show that, the ambiance was written in words, but repetitive, and there was no connection being made between the ambiance (cool, brisk, fall, spooky) and Margot. In the present time, we hear a lot about how Margot is so close with her mom, but for much of it, the mom is ignored in any of the past scenes. There was some unbelievable dialog and action as well. I didn't feel like I got to know the characters, and was ultimately disappointed by this book. It didn't feel like the writing was up to the task of the story.

3.5 stars rounded up. This was a mostly fun, twisty thriller about a survivor returning to the scene of a mass murder. It felt like a movie at times with the characters making dumb decisions and the ending definitely had slasher movie vibes.

I didn't always like the characters in this one, but the story held my attention and kept me guessing. That always makes for an entertaining read.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

Fantastic readi think it’s. A great fall pick for readers looking for a thrill, an unreliable narrator, and a dark academia vibe. Similar to Bright Young Women!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of the book drew me in but once I started reading it, I just couldn’t get into it at all.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

What to expect:

🩰 Toxic Ballerinas
🔪 Unreliable Narrator
🩰 Past & Present timelines
🔪 Halloween Small Town thriller
🩰 Secrets & Lies

Margot is back at the Midnight House, the site of where her friends were brutally murdered nearly a decade ago. She’s returned to write her side of the story and what better place to write her book than at the very house that the massacre occurred?

This book is the perfect fall thriller read. The book layout is done so that you are switching between present day Margot and the past marked by the amount of hours before the massacre happened. It made me unable to put it down. I just had to know what was going to happen next.
Being able to see the day of the massacre as it unfolded really pulled me into the story and makes each of the victims into characters. I loved the ballerinas groups dynamic. It just added a bratty young adult edge to the book in the best possible way.
I loved that this book didn’t seem unrealistic in the slightest. It’s what made it all the more creepy. I could picture it perfectly, from the feeling of being watched to decisions you make that alter the rest of your life to navigating friendships as young adults. The “it could happen to anyone” sort of feeling. It was creepy, twisty and so freaking bingeable. Highly recommend checking out Return To Midnight.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for the eARC.

I was so excited for this book, but I could not click with the main character. I found her hard to relate to and grew frustrated with her decision making and inner monologue.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a little backlogged with my ARC’s but working diligently to get caught up. The really liked the premise of this story! A group of friends studying ballet encounter tragedy in college and come together years later, staying in the same house where the unthinkable occurred, to try to put the pieces together. There were lots of twists and turns and the book held my attention the entire time. I would recommend to anyone who likes mysteries, thrillers, and a touch of horror!

*Return to Midnight* by Emma Dues is an enthralling blend of mystery and suspense that will keep readers on the edge of their seats from start to finish. The novel centers around the gruesome mascara of a group of friends in their house known as Midnight House. One of the survivors returns to the house since she is writing a book for the 10 year anniversary.

The narrative is skillfully woven, with alternating timelines that gradually reveal the secrets of the past while propelling the present-day investigation forward. Dues's writing is atmospheric and richly detailed, creating a palpable sense of tension and unease that mirrors Margot’s growing desperation to uncover the truth.

The pacing of *Return to Midnight* is expertly handled, with the suspense building steadily towards a climax that is both surprising and satisfying. While some readers may find certain plot twists predictable they will be wrong! the overall execution is so well-crafted that it hardly detracts from the experience.

Emma Dues has a talent for creating an immersive reading experience, and *Return to Midnight* is a testament to her ability to blend suspense with emotional depth. Fans of psychological thrillers will find much to enjoy in this gripping tale.

In summary, *Return to Midnight* is a compelling read that balances mystery and emotion, delivering a story that lingers long after the final page. It's a must-read for anyone who loves a good thriller with a strong emotional core.