This book had me on the edge of my seat, clutching my pearls, jaw dropped. I didn’t see it coming, I was stunned & that’s so rare for me. Needless to say I loved this book because of its many twists. I won’t spoil anything, let’s get to this review!
The Only One Left by Riley Sager
- Category – Gothic Mystery Thriller
- Length – 385 Pages
- Read Time – 2 Days
- GR Rating – 4 Stars
We’re in Maine, it’s the 1980’s & we follow Kit McDeere to her new job assignment, caring for the infamous Lenora Hope, accused & believed to be the killer who slaughter her family 60-ish years earlier in the very same home when she was just 17 years old.
“At seventeen, Lenora Hope, Hung her sister with a rope“
Lenora is frail in her old age, wheel-chair bound she is unable to move most of her body, & after her last home aide seemingly disappears without a trace in the middle of the night, Kit grieving the death of her own mother & already not in good standing at her job, due to an incident with her last charge, has no choice but to accept the assignment. Upon arriving she is greeted by the estates housekeeper Mrs. Baker, given a tour of the manor and grounds & a run down of what’s expected of her while caring for Lenora Hope. Kit is no stranger to the legend of Lenora, she knows the story very well having grown up hearing the tale repeated many times throughout the years, as town gossip usually is.
“Stabbed her father with a knife, Took her mother’s happy life“
The assignment began normally for Kit, routine daily assistance & care for an elderly person with very limited mobility. She assisted Lenora in getting up in the morning, daily grooming, eating, drinking & finding the small entertainment she could manage. However pretty early into her new role Kit puts on her detective hat, endeavoring to find out the truth of that infamous night.
& I’ll interlude to say real quick this was my peeve with the storyline, Kit went into this job assignment not with her home aide hat on but with her super sleuthing monocle instead. Her care & company of Lenora seemed like a secondary task of finding out the truth in hopes of figuring out something about herself. Selfish & not right because someone else who had nothing to do with her & her personal situation was involved. I digress, back to the review…
With the help of a type-writer Kit gets Lenora to share her story of that night, the events that led up to it & what happened after.
““It wasn’t me,” Lenora said, But she’s the only one not dead “
Kit’s day to day takes a dark turn quickly after Lenora begins sharing her story with her, strange noises, things moved or missing, shadows in windows & hallways that should be empty. Someone doesn’t want Kit finding out the truth of the Hope family murders, or anyone for that matter as Kit discovers Lenora’s last aide disappeared in the middle of the night while she was investigating leads into the fateful night as well. In the end she does learn the truth after the biggest plot twist of all plot twists! I am not joking or exaggerating when I say my jaw actually dropped, in public, in a crowd of people, for all to see, mouth wide open, face full of shock. That was a damn good plot twist, so sinister, so thorough. The truth of what happened in the Hope home that night in 1929 is the culmination of a family full of betrayals, lies & secrets that didn’t stop there, becoming yet another twist in the story.
I am an avid book cover judger, this is one of those books that I decided to pick up simply because the cover attracted my attention & it turned out to be one of my best reads of the year. Definitely recommend. Thank you for joining me for another review, happy reading.
- Have you read this book?
- What was your favorite part? (The big reveal!)
- What was your least favorite part? (The Kit (& her dad) connection, felt unnecessary)
- How many stars do you rate this book?
Hasta la próxima – V
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