Whitney

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I give Riley Sager's newest release, “The Only One Left” 5 stars. In this thriller/suspense novel, Kat travels to Hope's End to care for the infamous Lenora Hope. Kat is going through a rough spell and is hesitant to take the case due to the allegations that Lenora murdered her family in her youth. Kat may have more in common with Lenora than she thinks...

A spine-tingling thriller like no other, this intricately woven story transports readers to the decayed enigma of a rundown mansion perched upon a stormy seaside cliff. From the very first chapter, the author's prose sets the stage for a highly immersive reading experience. Each creaking floorboard, howling wind, and crashing wave interweave seamlessly with the narrative, intensifying the mystery that pervades every corner of this once-grand estate. The mansion, sullied by time and secrets, becomes a living, breathing character in its own right, raising goosebumps with every flip of the page.

The pacing in “The Only One Left” is a masterwork. Riley Sager maintains a perfect balance between heart-stopping suspense and moments of respite. As the plot unfolds, tension tightens like a coiled spring, ensuring that gripping revelations regularly punctuate the narrative at just the right moments.

In “The Only One Left,” Riley Sager has proven himself once again to be a masterful voice in the thriller genre. A true five-star triumph, deserving of a place on every thriller lover's bookshelf.

Rachel Hawkins is a must read author for me, so it was an easy choice when her new mystery, The Heiress, became available as an ARC. In her newest novel, Cam and Jules return to Cam's family's estate in the North Carolina mountains to confront his family and demons from his past. I finished this book in less than 24 hours, the pacing was good and it kept me interested throughout. There was some foreshadowing of twists throughout the book, and I'm still undecided if I like how they advanced the plot or not. This was definitely a plot driven book, which you'd expect from a mystery, so the characters weren't deep. However, I would have liked a bit more to make me care about them more. This isn't necessarily a criticism of the author, as it's common in mystery/thrillers.

Overall, this was an excellent addition (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️) to Rachel Hawkins' bibliography, and I highly recommend it to fans of the mystery/thriller genre. Thank you to Rachel Hawkins and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy of this book.