NetGalley Top Reviewer

NetGalley Top Reviewer
NetGalley Top Reviewer

Monday, July 3, 2023

The Only One Left by Riley Sager

 "At Hope's End, the past is always present." 

3.5 stars rounded up.


This mystery thriller had more twists and turns than a wild rollercoaster! Just when you think you have finally gotten the real story and have figured it all out, there's a new disclosure taking you by surprise. The narrative definitely kept me glued to the pages as I tried to make guesses about the truth. I'd say I didn't quite predict it all.


With a menacing Gothic atmosphere, the house named Hope's End is practically a character itself. Once a magnificent cliffside mansion, it's now barely hanging on to the edge, teetering and threatening to tumble into the ocean below. It's where the murders occurred. 


In 1929, when the Hope family lived there, their wealthy peace was shattered when then 17-year-old Lenora Hope was thought responsible for the killing of her parents and younger sister, Virginia. Circumstances prevented an arrest or conviction, and Lenora never left the house again. No one knew what happened there that night.


Then, in 1985, Kit McDeere, a caregiver, is hired to give nursing care to Lenora, in her seventies, who is confined to her room and bed after a series of strokes has resulted in her needing assistance with activities of daily living. She cannot speak but she is able to "talk" with a typewriter. And... the tales she tells leave Kit reeling. But Kit is not sure she can trust what she's reading. 


No spoilers. Suffice to say that this was a fun, fast read. I grew to like Kit more as I got to know her better. The others in the story were also interesting as the layers of the past fall away in the revelations. 


Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend.

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.

Genre - Gothic mystery thriller

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