Survive the Night by Riley Sager
Riley Sager’s latest suspense novel, Survive The Night (Dutton), takes the “Never get into a car with a stranger” warning to a new, spine-tingling, hair-raising and goosebump-inducing level. As Brit from the podcast Crime Junkies would say, this book would give even the most levelheaded individual “full-body chills.”
It’s November 1991. George H.W. Bush is president, Nirvana rules the radio, payphones actually exist, and college student Charlie Jordan, a self-proclaimed movie aficionado, finds herself traveling down a long and winding road toward home with a man she soon suspects is the infamous Campus Killer.
A KIND GESTURE TURNS CHILLING
Whether it was his intention or not, Sager has given readers a very Ted Bundy-esque character in Josh Baxter. He is a man of mystery; older, a graduate student, or perhaps a teaching assistant, even. He’s charming, good-looking and unassuming — a nice guy. He’s someone you wouldn’t think twice about getting into a Pontiac Grand Am with and traveling six hours along deserted highways into parts unknown. Charlie certainly doesn’t. Until Josh starts giving her reasons to doubt his true identity, that is.
From the multiple drivers’ licenses to all the little things in his story that keep changing, Charlie soon begins to suspect there’s something more sinister lurking beneath the surface of this “nice guy.” Then again, is he really the person she should be afraid of?
Charlie has a secret as well. It’s one she’s lived with every day since her parents died. It makes her question her every move, even her every sentence. She wonders whether she’s actually living in the moment, or if she’s veering into fantasy territory — dreaming up alternatives for herself to cope with stressful or frightening situations the way she has ever since her parents’ tragic accident. Even more worrisome, Charlie’s secret may have cost her former roommate her life.
WHEN YOU LEAST EXPECT IT
The beauty of Sager’s writing lies in 1) his slow build, compelling readers to turn each page, and 2) the way he uses the setting and location of each story to increase suspense and make readers feel as if they are part of the action. With Survive The Night, it’s the road: It’s eerie and unsettling, and a fog reminiscent of The Mist surrounds the car, leaving the readers feeling almost as though they’re trapped in the car alongside Charlie. It’s very Agatha Christie meets Alfred Hitchcock with a little bit of Wes Craven mixed in for good measure.
From the beginning, there is that feeling that not all is as it seems. Readers know something is about to happen, but the question is when? Much like the movie Jaws, you feel it coming, but you can’t see it until it’s too late, until that grey fin is upon you and you’ve been partially devoured.
As with every Sager classic, there’s always a twist that will leave readers saying, “I did NOT see that coming.” With this story, in particular, readers will second guess accepting a ride from strangers, opting instead to make use of roads that are more brightly lit and less secluded. In fact, they will definitely want to limit travel to daylight hours only.
Survive the Night is a great read for those who enjoy psychological suspense-filled thrillers along with those who want to feel as if they’ve gone to the movies (without actually going to the movies). Readers who enjoy authors such as Stephen King and Simone St. James or directors like Wes Craven and Alfred Hitchcock will love this one.
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