The Last Word
Books | Fiction / Thrillers / Suspense
4.1
(59)
Taylor Adams
After posting a negative review of a horror novel, a woman staying at an isolated beach house begins to wonder if the author is a little touchy—or very, very dangerous—in this pulse-pounding novel of psychological suspense and terror from the critically acclaimed author of No Exit and Hairpin Bridge.Emma Carpenter lives in isolation with her golden retriever Laika, house-sitting an old beachfront home on the rainy Washington coast. Her only human contact is her enigmatic old neighbor, Deek, and (via text) the house’s owner, Jules.One day, she reads a poorly written—but gruesome—horror novel by the author H. G. Kane, and posts a one-star review that drags her into an online argument with none other than the author himself. Soon after, disturbing incidents start to occur at night. To Emma, this can’t just be a coincidence. It was strange enough for this author to bicker with her online about a lousy review; could he be stalking her, too?As Emma digs into Kane’s life and work, she learns he has published sixteen other novels, all similarly sadistic tales of stalking and murder. But who is he? How did he find her? And what else is he capable of?Displaying his trademark command of rapid-fire pacing, unnerving atmosphere, and razor-sharp characterization, Taylor Adams once again delivers a diabolically disturbing—and deadly—game of cat and mouse.
Buy Now
Buy now:
More Details:
Author
Taylor Adams
Pages
352
Publisher
HarperCollins
Published Date
2023-04-25
ISBN
0063222914 9780063222915
Community ReviewsSee all
"This was quite the atmospheric story within a story set in a desolate beach house with a reclusive woman grieving the loss of many things. Emma Carpenter wants to escape: this life, the people in it, and especially the ongoing treachery of reality. She drowns herself in alcohol and smokes to calm her frazzled nerves. Her only companion remaining is Laika, a golden retriever named for the first failed space mission to have a dog used as its subject. Laika comforts her where at the moment humans fail with a memorable sweetness. She and Emma are each other’s calm amidst the storm and they never stop fighting for each other with beautiful, undying strength.
But, soon, Emma eerily senses things are openly amiss and the house is coming to feel more than a little haunted. She can hardly get any shut-eye and struggles to feel safe in the home she is looking after for a woman named Jules. This all comes to fore after Emma pens a one-star review of an author’s work online, calling the work cliche and bad writing for being too obvious and the characters, in turn, too dumb for making stupid decisions of the life-or-death variety. Little does she know, just how personally the author will take it. He comes to have a personal vendetta against her and target and find her. The story only takes off from here.
Emma becomes the definition of a tried-and-true survivor, of trauma, pain, and the belief that things can't and won't get better for a long time. And while this was mostly very well-written, parts got a little difficult to muddle through with it being harder to distinguish where reality ended and fiction began. However, that’s an only minor complaint. I thought this was original and cleverly action-driven and will leave a lasting sense of bittersweet melancholy twisting through me for all of what Emma had to lose and grieve to come to a more peaceful, less tormented existence. Just be careful what you wish for because this author might just fulfill it and get the last word! "
"This was my latest BOTM pick and honestly I haven’t been disappointed by the thriller picks though this service. The writing style was very interesting and I enjoyed how the writing style switched as point of view changed throughout the story. I found myself wanting to feverishly finish this novel, which was a great change of pace since my last book. I would rate this story a 4⭐️ out of 5. "
Similar Books
4
4.2
3.9
4
3.8
3.6
3.7
3.8
4.3
3.9
3.7
3.4
4
3.5
4.1
4.2
3.9
4.2
2.4
3.7