I read thrillers for the plot. With middling frequency I'll read other genres - a little gay litfic, a bit of horror here and there - but too often I find myself missing the propulsive tumbling of events, the short cliffhanger-y chapters, the twisty ways things come together at the end that make up the best thrillers. One drawback is that more often than you'd hope character is sacrificed on that plot altar, with characters behaving in strange, unrealistic ways for the sake of making a plot point happen.

In this book, the main character Margot returns to the scene of the crime that changed her life. She's hosted there by two of her fellow survivors who now own the house where their friends were murdered. She wants closure. She wants to figure out what REALLY happened. She hasn't talked to these friends in years - they let her stay anyway, but then refuse to talk at all about what happened. In fact, they don't even really hang out at all, or act as hosts. Margot is just, like, there. At one point they leave her there alone for a night, explaining that they didn't think she'd be there for that long (it's been less than a week at this point, also, sorry, you didn't know how long you were going to have a houseguest?).

These things happen, ultimately, because Margot needed to be at the house to figure things out, and she also needed a night there alone (well, with her bad idea hookup) so more creepy stuff could happen. It makes no sense that her former friends would let her stay there at all when they clearly don't even want to interact with her. It makes no sense that they'd leave her alone there - seriously, she lives one whole hour away. Girl, go sleep in your own bed.

This can lead to characters that feel more like paper dolls placed where you put them rather than real people. And this is unfortunate, because this book had all the other ingredients that make for a good thriller. Just give me some characters who act like actual human beings, please!!

My thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the ARC.

Such an awesome thriller! There were so many twists and turns, and it kept my attention the whole time. Definitely pick this one up!

Return to Midnight deftly layers atmospheric creepiness with sinister betrayal in this page-turning debut where past and present collide. Emma Dues will have you side-eyeing everyone, trusting no one, and desperately seeking answers—this is an author to watch!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

This is definitely a solid vacation read -- something you could quickly and easily devour on the beach. I did fly through it; the story was engaging and Dues flip flops between past and present very well. I never felt confused or lost. That being said -- the grand reveal at the end was somewhat lacking. I don't know what I was expecting but it wasn't that. It could just be a me thing though and totally work for others!

I did really enjoy this though and I will be on the lookout for more of her books.

I was really into this one when it started. I loved the Final Girl-type angle and the back-and-forth in time (which I don't always enjoy) worked well as far as setting up tension and establishing an eerie sense of impending doom. But after a while I simply could not believe that Margot would continually behave as she did, after surviving such a horrible event. She seemed to have no common sense, no sense of self-preservation, and no consideration for the danger she kept throwing herself in the direct path of repeatedly. Suspension of disbelief is one thing, but honestly - at some point I started finding myself rooting AGAINST her, and that's when I knew it had jumped the shark for me... This wasn't a good fit for me as a reader, although from the reviews it appears most people don't feel the same way. I did really like the set-up here, but that just wasn't enough to hold my interest.

I love a good thriller, and I’m impressed that this is the author’s debut novel. Return to Midnight tells the story of Margot, a woman who survived a massacre at her college residence. It’s nearly ten years later and she has returned to finish up her book she’s been writing about the tragic murders.

Margot’s love Aaron was sentenced to prison for the murders, but did he actually do it? There’s also secrets that Margot has been keeping along with fellow survivors Remi and Kyle.

There were fun twists and turns but the end did feel a bit predictable.

Thanks as always to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thanks Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for this ARC.
It’s hard to review a whodunnit , a suspense / thriller without spoilers so I’ll first list the premise

**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.**


Emma Dues is an author whose work is new to me, and I have to say- IM A FAN!

At every stage in this book just when you think you might be able to figure out where the plot is heading, you’re in for a twist. With more hairpin bends than a hairpin… I couldn’t put Return to Midnight down - I just had to read it all in one sitting!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Margot's story regarding the Midnight House is a haunting one and drives home the reasons why healing trauma is so important. The ending of the book was slighly predictable but still well written. The plot and writing style are great and I will be reading more by this author.

Obsessed! I was on the edge of my seat turning the page needing more. I was completely captured by the story and drawn in. I was hooked from the first chapter!

This was a great book that kept me keeping the lights on at night. I was definitely scared a few times and had to put it down! I typically read more psychological thrillers and this was more of just a straight thriller/mystery with more gore than I'm used to. I missed some of the character development and twists and turns that usually come with that genre. But overall I really enjoyed the story and the dancer and college references felt very relatable for me.

I can't believe this is a debut novel for Emma Dues! Return to Midnight kept me entertained through the entire book! Margot is one of three survivors of a massacre that took away her closest friends. Even after nearly ten years, Margot has doubts if the right person is in prison for the slaughter of her friends. While working on her book about that night, more secrets are coming to the surface. Will Margot figure it out in time?

Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to read this book before release!

Margot has returned to to the Midnight House, where she was left a survivor on the night her friends were slaughtered in their shared student housing. Is she telling the truth of what she remembers? Could the real killer still be out there?

"Return to midnight" is a thriller with so many twists and turns that doesn't fail to keep you on the edge of your seat. I've read quite a couple of thrillers so far, but this one is so amazing.

The build up of this story is well done, the characters are written in such an amazing way and I felt like I really knew Margot. Personally I was so invested in this story and I read it in only 2 days, everyone was on my list of suspects, but I never would have guessed what happened. I felt as if I couldn't read fast enough once I entered the last 75% of the book since I was so soaked up in the storyline.

This book is an amazing debut, I love how the timeline changes from past to present and my mind is blown by how everything just unravels. I also like how the different settings of everything are just so creepy and spooky (so don't read this at night lol).

Absolutely looking forward to reading more from Emma Dues!

My 6P review

“You’re still lying, lying so much. Confess before October 23. Ignore this and you’re next.”

Written from Margot’s POV in two timelines, this story follows the life of Margot. She writes about THAT day, nearly 10 years ago, as she is drawn back to the Midnight House. She’s also drawn back to the events of the past, events she isn’t keen to dredge up.

I found Margot annoying. There were so many times she should’ve called police but didn’t. She’s supposed to be a writer and not an investigator. Also, she’s supposed to be 30 in the present day, but she feels more like a teenager.

Julia is a petulant child and a real narcissist. I hated her.

The imprisoned Aaron is calm and not angry. How is this so?

The house was awesome. I felt like I was in the rooms with the characters. I could imagine hear, and feel its creaks and groans.

If Margot was as sleep deprived, and wasn’t eating as the author suggests, there is no way she could function the way she did. The story dragged for a bit, but the ending was great. I thought the author wrote the timelines really well. Both contained a lot of suspense. It was also nice to be set in ballet scene.

This was a really great debut novel

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced readers copy.

This book was so easy for me to fly through. I was hooked from the beginning and felt that way during my entire read. Didn't think I would love that the main character was unreliable, but it made it that much more intriguing to keep reading to find out the truth. I loved the amount of theories that popped up as Margot was trying to narrow down a new suspect. I normally don't read thrillers, but this book has just made me want to branch out and find more to read. I was literally on the last chapter thinking about how well the author had wrapped up the story and left us with no questions left unanswered and then BOOM another plot twist. The dual timelines were also presented so well and it wasn't difficult or confusing to follow along and switch back and forth.
Thank you Emma Dues for creating such an amazing debut novel and thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC. 100% recommend that everyone read this!

I loved the premise of this, but wow I did not enjoy it. It didn’t ever capture my interest, and I skimmed the last three quarters just to find out the ending.

This was an interesting take on modern life and how podcasts. Tik tok and tv figure into solving a murder whether it be for good or bad . Overall it was an engaging read

It is hard to believe this is a debut novel. It draws you in right away with 10 year anniversary of Midnight House Massacre coming up. Margot is a writer and now wants to tell her side of what happened the nights her friends were murdered. In order to do that she has to return to the Midnight House.

Remi and Kyle now live in the Midnight House and have agreed to let Margot stay with them. Only one catch she can't talk about the past that happened. Margot starts to get threatening notes asking her to tell the truth or she will be next.

I liked the two different time lines the past leading up to massacre and now of what is currently happening. The house with all the sounds and mystery of what is real and what is inside Margot's head lead to the creepy atmosphere. Some of the suspects were just so bizarre That I wasn't sure who the killer was.

Margot wants to discover the truth even though she puts herself in danger.

I really enjoyed this twisty story and couldn't put the book down until I found out what happened the night five University students were murdered. Some of the story felt a tad slow and repetitive at times like Margot's sleepwalking habits being mentioned frequently. But overall I was hooked throughout.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

This took a little while for me to get into--a bit slow moving at the start--but once it got going, it was really moving! I enjoyed that the setting wasn't what is expected (a small college town in Ohio) and the reveal of who committed the murders was definitely unexpected. A fun thrill of a ride.