Riley Sager
Riley Sager is the pen name of American novelist Todd Ritter, known for bestselling psychological and suspense thrillers. He writes twist-driven stories centered on crime, secrets, and survival, with notable titles including Final Girls, Lock Every Door, Home Before Dark, and The Only One Left. His work has reached the New York Times bestseller list.
Biography & Author's Journey
Riley Sager is the pen name of Todd Ritter, a Pennsylvania native who came to fiction through journalism rather than through an overtly literary career path. He has said that he wanted to be a writer from an early age, and while attending Penn State he began work on an unpublished thriller during his senior year. Before becoming a full-time novelist, he worked in newspapers, including at The Star-Ledger in New Jersey, where the habits of deadline writing, clarity, and steady production became central to his method. Those professional foundations would later shape the clean, fast, highly readable style for which his thrillers are known.
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Community Voices
"Riley Sager delivers an utterly convincing, genuinely engrossing story"
— Mystery Scene Magazine
"Full of tension, urgency, atmosphere, and feeling—this is Riley Sager at his very best"
— Lee Child
"Riley Sager, king of twists, has done it again"
— Ana Reyes
"Riley Sager reimagines the classic haunted house tale in Home Before Dark"
— The Providence Journal
"Riley Sager furthers his reputation for innovative, highly original plots in The Only One Left"
— Shelf Awareness
"Riley Sager's Lock Every Door is a modern nightmare"
— PopSugar
"There's nobody writing scarier books than Riley Sager is right now"
— Josh Malerman
"Riley Sager is one of my favorite authors, and The Only One Left might be his best yet"
— Rachel Hawkins
"Riley Sager's spellbinding The Only One Left captures you in its snares from its first tantalizing pages"
— Megan Abbott
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From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
