Riley Sager and the Art of Suspense
by David Jastrow
Riley Sager’s elixir of psychological suspense, voyeurism, and dark twists requires the discipline of a writer blended with the precision of a watchmaker. Sager skillfully captures the fears and complexities of the current American environment without being overtly political, a decision which is very much intentional. “I do like to address things in my books but hide it in the guise of a thriller,” Sager says. “I always refer to it as sneaking in vegetables into the dessert. There is a special treat but there also is a message there.”
Sager’s newest book, The House Across the Lake, tells the story of Casey Fletcher, a spiraling 35-year-old actress who moves from New York City to her family’s lake house in Lake Greene, Vermont to recover from a personal tragedy — the drowning death of her husband. While there in isolation, Casey plunges deeply into the bottle while becoming obsessed with Katherine and Tom Royce, the seemingly glamorous couple who moved across the lake. She spies on them with high-powered binoculars and becomes ensnared into a complex mystery of murder and deceit.
The author’s process for concocting these suspenseful stories starts by creating a compelling hook to seize readers’ attention. Sager refers to it as the “elevator pitch” — one or two sentences that establish the plot and essence of the story. For The House Across the Lake, it was “Rear Window on a lake.” When the writer has established the hook, he digs deeper and thinks about the characters and their pasts, finding ways to dig into the suspense while maintaining the tension. He fills in the details with settings, time periods, and atmosphere. From there, he starts the outlining and writing process. “I need that roadmap to tell me where I’m going at all times,” Sager says. “I might take a detour, but for the most part, I stick to what I have planned.” The outline goes chapter by chapter, from start to finish.
His real name is Todd Ritter, but it was the transformation to pseudonym Riley Sager that marked a profound turning point in the thriller novelist’s career. “It was a complete reset of my career,” Sager acknowledges. “I was resistant to it, but my books written under my real name weren’t selling at all. When I wrote Final Girls, my agent said this is the best thing you’ve ever written, it could be a breakout book. To do that you need to use a pen name.”
Now Riley Sager is truly a brand. He is the New York Times bestselling author of six novels, including Home Before Dark and Survive the Night. His first novel under the Riley Sager pen name, which was Final Girls, has since been published in 30 countries and won the ITW Thriller Award for Best Hardcover Novel. Now when readers see the name Riley Sager, they have been conditioned to expect twisty thrillers and unexpected plot twists. His book Lock Every Door was singled out last year by none other than suspense and horror master Stephen King, who tweeted, “Looking for a suspense novel that will keep you up until way past midnight? Look no further than LOCK EVERY DOOR, by Riley Sager.”
At the Collingswood Book Festival, the author seeks to meet readers and talk about the books, especially after being isolated from them since 2019 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Nothing replicates being there, speaking face-to-face with readers, and having them ask you directly questions and having a conversation,” Sager says. “That is so much fun, and I didn’t realize how much I missed it.”
Riley Sager will be joined by Skin Deep author Sung J. Woo at the Collingswood Book Festival on October 1 between 1:00 and 2:00 p.m. at the Adult Authors tent. He will be available for Q&A and to sign copies of his latest books, which will be offered by event sponsor Inkwood Books.
