The Last Word By Taylor Adams Source Purchased
Published by William Morrow on April 25, 2023
Rating:
After posting a negative book review, a woman living in a remote location 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?
This book was right up my alley! I was in the mood for a fun, fast-paced thriller, and The Last Word delivered!
If you love a good thriller (and can suspend your disbelief a little), this is the book for you! I made the dubious decision to start reading this before bed one night, and stayed up so late reading it that I slept through my alarm the next day! I finished this in two sittings. It had a propulsive pace that and I was having a great time trying to figure out what would happen next and put the pieces together.
(Also, how could I not love a book that references my very favourite, The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle!)
The remote setting and Emma’s slowly-revealed past added to the tension and suspense, and there are twists a plenty (too many if you ask me, but for the most part I was happy to go along for the ride!). For mystery and thriller readers, this is a must read!
