The Best Riley Sager Books Ranked by Super Fans

In the past few years, we have devoured all the Riley Sager Books. His psychological thrillers are spine-tingling. He is the best-selling author of six thriller novels and each is more twisty than the last.
As fans of Riley Sager’s books, we decided to rank them from great to really great! We have enjoyed EVERY single book on this list. None of the books relate to each other so, you can read them in whatever order you choose.
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Who is Riley Sager?
Riley Sager is the best-selling author of 6 books. He is a native of Pennsylvania who now lives in Princeton, New Jersey, and his real name is Todd Ritter! Todd writes under the nom de plume of Riley Sager. We are guessing that Todd picked the name Riley, a very gender-neutral name, for people who have preferences for the gender of the authors they read. He had been previously published under his real name but was relatively unknown. He, along with his publicist, agreed that a new name would give him a fresh start. We agree that Riley Sager’s books offer a fresh voice from a thriller perspective.
What are the Riley Sager Books in Order?
- Final Girls: A Novel (2017)
- The Last Time I Lied: A Novel (2018)
- Lock Every Door: A Novel (2019)
- Home Before Dark: A Novel (2020)
- Survive the Night: A Novel (2021)
- The House Across the Lake: A Novel (2022)
What is Riley Sager’s New Book?

The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager
Casey Fletcher is an actress who is fleeing bad press after the death of her beloved husband. She retreats to the family’s lake house, despite the fact that this is where he husband drowned.
Casey spends her days drinking and spying on the house across the lake. When she saves former supermodel, Katherine Royce from drowning, the two strike up a friendship, it becomes clear that Katherine and her husband are having some serious issues- after all, you find out a lot of things when watching the neighbors all day through binoculars.
Some points in the story moved slowly for me and at one point, the story nearly lost me. But, I am so glad that I kept reading. There were definitely surprises that I did not see coming.

Let’s Rank Some Riley Sager Books
So now, Kirsten and I decided to turn our love for Riley Sager’s books into a blog post in time for thriller season. We thought we should rank these books because we have them all! Surely it would be impossible to decide on rankings we could both agree on. It was actually much easier than we thought.
Our Favorite Riley Sager Books with reviews
#1

Final Girls by Riley Sager
This thriller was Riley Sager’s first book. It also happens to be my favorite book of his. It was the winner of the international Thrillers Writer Award for Best Hardcover Novel in 2018 and for good reason.
Quincy is a member of a club to which only three girls belong. Final girls are the only survivors of mass killings. Ten years after Quincy’s horrible nightmare in a cabin in the wood, she is being forced to relive the memories that she has completely blocked out since that night.
This book had completely unexpected twists that kept me guessing until the last chapter.
#2

The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager
I did not see this ending coming. I was so freaked out that I finished this thriller in 2 days, maybe because I visited my own overnight camp while reading it.
I just needed to know how it ended! Other people have told me they were shocked at the twists and turns too. It’s a truly excellent thriller and a perfect pick for lake books. You can also find it on our list of books set at camp.
#3

Survive the Night by Riley Sager
Riley Sager is back with a heart-pounding read about a girl who took a ride from a stranger to get home. She’s leaving college after finding out her best friend was murdered by a an unknown serial killer.
But as the night progresses, she begins to think that the stranger giving her a ride is actually the serial killer. Can she survive the night?
#4

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager
Riley Sager is quickly becoming a must-read author for me. I absolutely loved this last book, The Last Time I Lied, so I was eager to pick this one up. The story is told via a dual timeline about 4 days apart.
Jules is hired to apartment-sit at a ridiculously wealthy building in NYC. But there are strange rules to protect the residents of the Bartholomew – no visitors, no disturbing the neighbors, and no spending nights away from the apartment. There are also some concerning urban legends surrounding the lush residence. Let’s just say I was glad I was not alone while I was reading this creepy tale.
#5

The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager
Casey Fletcher is an actress who is fleeing bad press after the death of her beloved husband. She retreats to the family’s lake house, despite the fact that this is where he husband drowned.
Casey spends her days drinking and spying on the house across the lake. When she saves former supermodel, Katherine Royce from drowning, the two strike up a friendship, it becomes clear that Katherine and her husband are having some serious issues- after all, you find out a lot of things when watching the neighbors all day through binoculars.
Some points in the story moved slowly for me and at one point, the story nearly lost me. But, I am so glad that I kept reading. There were definitely surprises that I did not see coming.
#6

Home Before Dark by Riley Sager
It is so strange that I have read four paranormal fiction this month! Maggie Holt spend three weeks in a house that became the subject of a best-selling novel written by her father.
During the three weeks in the house, the family was haunted by ghosts before there were eventually forced to flee. 25 years later, Maggie is shocked to learn that her father still owned the house when he died and the house is now hers.
As Maggie returns to the house to find out what really happened, she might be in for more than she bargained for.
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