This is the second Riley Sager book I've read and the second to get four stars from me. That being said, I do think it's better than The Last Time I Lied. I loved the setting of a creepy building. Whether it's a house, hotel, apartment, castle...set a book in a creepy living space, and I'm going to be interested in that book.
The author has a great ability to create atmosphere through his settings. I love that the Bartholomew has this history that is explored throughout the book. I actually would've liked to see a little more of that, like maybe some scenes from that time. Maybe snippets from a journal or something. We do get newspaper stories, but I would've liked something from the perspective of a character from decades earlier.
I thought the ultimate twist/explanation of what is happening was really intriguing. I think I can safely say I'd never read a thriller with that twist (TBF, I am relatively new to thrillers as a go-to genre) and it was surprising. That being said, I didn't find much else surprising as far as who was ultimately behind all of the disappearances. I felt like it was relatively obvious, so none of the smaller reveals throughout the book shocked me. I had the same feeling with The Last Time I Lied. But as with that book, I found that being able to piece together what was going to happen (minus the Big Twist) didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book. I think it's because the author is still able to evoke an unsettling tension that kept me hooked.
One more issue I did have was that the main character made some decisions that went against all common sense. It ended up feeling like she was making these decisions specifically to propel the plot along, rather than because it's what a normal human being would do. But honestly? I don't really care. I'm wasn't going into this book expecting anything more than what I got. A fun, creepy, suspenseful book that I flew through.