The Only One Left

Author: Riley Sager

Date Published: June 20, 2023

Pages: 383

🧵 Synopsis

It’s 1983 and Kit McDeere, a carer for the elderly, has employment issues. The only job her agency will offer her is to care for a lady renowned in her local area as a mass murderer! Lenora Hope is the only one left after her entire family were massacred in 1929, and Lenora is the suspected murderer. Reluctant to take this job whist also dealing with her own family trauma, she realises she has no choice other than to accept the role. On the plus side it will give her the space from her dad that can’t seem to forgive her and her waste of an ex. After a stroke, Lenora now in her 70’s cannot speak or walk. She only has the use of her left hand. The hand that will gradually, with Kits help, type out the truth of what happened that fateful night.

🔖 Memorable Quotes

“But that’s not what you’re most curious about, is it? You want to know if I’m as evil as everyone says I am. The answer is no. And yes.”

🧠 My Thoughts

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The twists and turns were enthralling and endless. One minute you think someone is innocent, then guilty and this goes on in your mind like a seesaw. Twists are revealed right up until the last pages!

The story is set in a gothic mansion resting on a clip top, above the crashing waves of the Atlantic Ocean. The descriptions of the house, aptly named Hopes End, and setting were my favourite parts of this story. The house that slightly slopes towards the sea, adds to the feeling of uneasiness and instability. The cracks in the wall that grow over time. Never being able to trust any character, everyone is under suspicion at one point.

This book was a classic whodunnit. I loved it! I highly recommend if you’re looking for a twisty, fast paced, gothic thriller where you’re never quite sure where it’s going until the very last page.

⭐⭐⭐⭐