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BooksThe Unknown: A Novel
Cover of The Unknown: A Novel by Riley Sager

The Unknown: A Novel,

by Riley Sager

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Rating—
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Pages384
Reading Hours8h
Published2026
LanguageEnglish

§Synopsis

01

Struggling actress Marin Keane is shocked when she lands a role in a major motion picture about the unsolved mystery of New Avalon, an island on sprawling Lake Faraday in Vermont. She’s even more surprised when she learns that the role requires a weeklong research trip to that very spot.

Because New Avalon isn’t your ordinary island. A century ago, it was a commune for spiritual mediums—until they all vanished in 1926. The only trace of them was five dresses hanging from the branches of an old oak tree in the middle of the island, one for each missing woman. Some locals say they simply left. Others think they were murdered. But the prevailing opinion, thanks to a diary left behind by one of the vanished, a young woman named Daisy Rue, is that a séance gone wrong conjured something supernatural that took them all one by one.

Not long after arriving, Marin and her castmates, including legendary actress Violet Wright and white-hot director Ronan Peters, begin to realize all is not right with New Avalon. They hear strange noises in the night and notice mysterious symbols left behind by the island's previous occupants. And after a sudden health emergency leaves Marin, Ronan, and the other actors stranded on the island, the disappearances begin again.

Is it the work of someone trying to derail the movie? Or is the island’s alleged supernatural past catching up with the present? As fear and suspicion mount, Marin turns to Daisy’s diary, hoping it holds the key to figuring out what really happened to the women of New Avalon—and how to keep the island’s terrible history from repeating itself.

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§About the Author

Riley Sager

5 books in catalog

Suspenseful mystery and thriller fiction often relies on unsettling environments and psychological tension to keep audiences engaged. The breakout novel Final Girls established a prominent new voice in contemporary suspense, combining classic horror tropes with intricate plot twists.

Career & Background

Born Todd Ritter, the Pennsylvania native worked as a journalist, editor, and graphic designer before transitioning into full-time fiction. Early in his career, he published mysteries under his real name as well as the pen name Alan Finn. He achieved widespread commercial success after adopting the pseudonym Riley Sager, launching a series of bestselling thrillers that have sold over four million copies worldwide and appeared in 40 countries. His debut under the name, Final Girls, optioned for film development by Universal Pictures and Anonymous Content, marked his transition to writing novels full-time. He currently resides in Princeton, New Jersey.

Writing Style & Themes

His writing style is recognized for blending atmospheric settings, claustrophobic houses, and unsettling occurrences with subverted thriller conventions. Rather than relying on rigid pre-planned outlines, his process focuses on creating suspenseful scenarios where isolated protagonists confront lingering past trauma and hidden domestic secrets. Recurring themes include memory, dark local histories, and high-stakes psychological confrontation.

Major Works

  • Home Before Dark — A haunted-house thriller centering on a woman who returns to the estate made famous by her father's paranormal memoir to uncover the truth behind her family's past.
  • The Only One Left — A gothic suspense novel following a home health aide assigned to care for an aging woman who was famously accused of a brutal family murder decades earlier.
  • Middle of the Night — A neighborhood mystery in which a man returns to his childhood home to investigate the mysterious disappearance of his best friend years prior.
  • With a Vengeance: A Novel — A fast-paced psychological thriller featuring high stakes, shifting motives, and unexpected narrative turns.
  • The Unknown: A Novel — The author's latest book, set to be released on August 4.

Metadata

ISBN-139798217044092
ASINB0FZSB66TM

Editions and availability

Find The Unknown: A Novel Riley Sager in PDF, EPUB, ebook, audiobook, print, or library editions.

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