It all started with giving an authors book a 1 star rating which I have never done and don't intend to now 😁 it was a good fast paced thriller not as good as the previous book but I still enjoyed it 4 stars from me and the dog was OK

Als Emma Carpenter endlich das Ende ihres aktuellen Buches erreicht hat, war sie nie so froh. Sie hatte es sich auf Empfehlung eines Nachbarn für nur 99 Cent auf den eReader geladen. Ein bizarrer Horror Roman, der zwei College Studenten auf ihrem Rucksack Trip durch Appalachian folgt. Sie hat es überhaupt nur zu Ende gelesen, weil sie es interessant findet, dass es komplett aus der Sicht des Bösewichts geschrieben ist. Wie immer fragt Amazon nach Beendigung der Lektüre nach einer Bewertung. Auch wenn sie kurz zögert, schickt sie eine ein Sterne Bewertung ab. Es ist die erste Rezension zum Buch und sie fragt sich noch kurz, ob der Autor sie wohl persönlich lesen wird. Dann geht sie mit ihrem Golden Retriever Laika am Strand spazieren. Dann hat ihre Rezension schon einen Kommentar. Der Autor selbst findet das nur positive Kritiken veröffentlicht werden sollten und bitte sie ihre zu löschen, damit er keinen finanziellen Schaden nimmt. Gegen ihre besseren Instinkte antwortet sie und es kommt zu einem unschönen Austausch.

Vor drei Monaten hat Emma sich in diesem einsamen Strandhaus eingeigelt hat ihre sozialen Kontakte abgebrochen und lässt sich Einkäufe an die Türe liefern. In ihrer Zeit liest sie schnell und viel oder kommt kaum aus dem Bett. Sie dachte sie könnte als Introvertierte so am besten ihre Batterien wieder aufladen, aber irgendwie scheint sie sich so ganz zu verlieren. Das Haus ist voll mit Gegenständen ihrer Vermieter und es gibt seltsame Geräusch und Begebenheiten.

Man lernt Emma und ihre Situation immer besser kennen, wobei vieles rätselhaft bleibt. Dann nach dem relativ ruhigen, aber atmosphärischen ersten Drittel bricht die Hölle los. Die Ereignisse überschlagen sich. Es geht fesselnd weiter und mancher Twist macht einen fassungslos. Ein Katz und Maus Spiel entwickelt sich. Für mich als sehr sensiblen Leser etwas zu brutal und grausam. Das Ende kann total überraschen. Eine sehr interessante Buch im Buch Geschichte mir sogar doppeltem Nachwort.

Man fühlt sich als Leser bei der nächsten Angabe einer Rezension sicher an das Buch erinnert.

An isolated house, a heroine with a troubled past and an author out to seek revenge for a one star review. Well, I was excited and Taylor Adams delivered a brilliant and original thriller that set my heart racing till the last page. The Last Word is an edge of the seat thriller with a brilliant plot and a well executed storyline. With a unique setting, the book is atmospheric and engaging from page one. The backstory of the protagonist had a lot of unexpected twists. As the story unravels, the author reveals more twists making this book an unputdownable read for me. Kudos to the author for keeping the suspense and tension high throughout the book. Like No Exit, this is definitely a must read and I can’t recommend it enough for fans of atmospheric thrillers.

Taylor Adams has become my go to for horror/thriller and once again I am not disappointed!!! The plot was so unique and I think this may have beaten ‘no exit’ for me!! Cannot wait for more 🥰

Wow, glad it wasn’t a one star read as I’d be too scared to be honest!!

In all seriousness though, another gripping thriller from Taylor Adams. The main character, Emma, is going through some personal troubles and escapes to a secluded beach house for some privacy. Spending her days reading and reviewing books until she gets into an online discussion with the author she just gave a one star review to. But how far will he go to get her to retract her review?!

A unique plot line which keeps you guessing throughout, are there really such things as coincidences and how do you know who to trust. The isolated location adds to the creepy vibes and nicely builds tension during the early chapters. It’s shocking right up to the last chapter with plenty of gore. Highly recommend.

A massive thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Net Galley for this advanced copy in return of an honest review! Pre order your copy today!

Emma whiles away the days housesitting on the rainy coast by working her way through cheap kindle books. When her reclusive neighbour jokingly recommends she try Murder Mountain by HG Kane it is so bad she just has to leave a review. Warning off potential readers with her one star review was all she wanted to do but now the author has replied and will not let it go..

This was one of my most anticipated reads as No Exit is one of my absolute favourite thriller reads. It started off well and certain parts creeped me out early on. The isolated coastal setting, the weird neighbour and nightly scares had me strapped in for a scary thrill ride but then the action really got going and for me it started to go downhill. I think I can pinpoint this for two reasons. First I liked the insertion of a future true crime based on the events unfolding but then it started to grate and put me off the flow of the tension that should have been building up. Then the actual action that took place did not grip or scare me in the same way that the start had alluded to. I did race through the pages but probably because I was desperate for shocks and surprises that never came. It doesn't garner a one star review from me so no need for the author to hunt me down but I will just keep recommending No Exit instead.

Emma is house-sitting at Strand Beach, Washington. It's an isolated place with mostly currently empty vacation homes, & there's only Emma & her dog, Laika, plus nearest neighbour, Deek, an old man who plays Hangman with Emma via telescope. Emma spends most of her days reading ebooks & when she reads a poorly written horror novel by H.G. Kane, she thinks nothing of firing off a 1-star review. When she receives a reply from the author asking her to remove the review, Emma is annoyed & refuses, & over a couple more exchanges this explodes into direct threats from the author.

Then odd occurrences start to happen including the feeling someone is inside the house watching her. Emma doesn't really take things seriously until the homeowner messages her saying that an intruder has been captured outside the house on the motion cameras. Is this a coincidence or has the author tracked her down?

I'm a bit mixed in my views about this. It is well-written, pacy, & there are lots of twists & turns (although I guessed the main twist, some of others I definitely did not see coming which is always a good thing). Did I actually enjoy reading it though? Not sure. I will reiterate in the TWs but let me tell you here that the dog survives. I saw this in some reviews before deciding to read it as I'm always cautious with thriller books with pets in, but that's not to say poor Laika doesn't go through some horror, but ultimately she's okay. Me - not so much as I could have happily gone on avoiding knowing about the fate of real-life namesake Laika who was sent into space, for the rest of my natural life. I have deliberately avoided ever Googling anything about this so, yeah, thanks for that I guess. Verdict: well-written, fast-paced with lots of twists & turns but the couple of animal-related bits were difficult to read for me. 3.5 stars (rounded down)

TWs: violence, death, stalking, animal cruelty (fortunately the dog survives), animal death (you read about the real-life Laika who didn't).

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Hodder & Stoughton, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

I was really looking forward to The Last Word but unfortunately I really struggled to get into it. I did persevere and finish it but it was just too dark and did not work for me, sorry.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

The Last Word by Taylor Adams

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 neighbour, Deek, whom she trades messages with via a telescope and the house’s owner, Jules who she contacts via text. Emma likes the isolation, the peace and quiet, and the opportunity to get lost in her latest read.

Emma next reads a book recommended by her neighbour, 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?

Amazon has the audacity to ask her to rate the book. Out of five stars? One. She makes sure that zero isn’t an option. Then she types a brief review – likely better written than all of Murder Mountain – but before clicking submit, she hesitates. Why? The e-book is still unrated, so her one star review will be it’s first and only. Will the author personally read it?

This book came at the right time for me, I have been in something of a reading slump / lost interest in reading… until now! I became almost obsessed with reading (in the physical sense) and also listening to audiobooks (when sitting still wasn’t an option) and I realised that I was constantly distracting myself (or trying to) After a brief period of depression, self-reflection and giving myself a good talking to, I began picking up my kindle again, but since then, I’ve not really enjoyed any of the books I’ve attempted to read – some by author’s I usually love. And… strangely, this book, the book that pulled me right out of my reading slump – is (in part) about a girl named Emma who is living a reclusive life, distracting herself with reading! Should I expect a maniac to turn up soon? I know what I won’t be doing any time soon – writing one-star reviews…

Coincidences are fine in real life. But in fiction, they’re just bad writing.

This book grabbed my attention straight away and actually really made me laugh. It was interesting, suspenseful and full of twists. I loved the isolated atmosphere and the old school cat and mouse feel, it was like a slasher film but in book form. I also loved the set-up of a book within a book and the switching pov’s. The main concern I had while reading this book was – I hope the dog’s going to be ok (bites nails) I wish I had the forethought to do, what I’ve realised other readers did, and flip (scroll) to the end to put myself out of my misery – but I didn’t – so was on the edge of my seat even more because of my worry for the poor dog.

MINOR SPOILER BELOW

I’ll be kinder to you than I was to myself – the dog survives.

She expected Jason Voorhees. She got a life-size Chucky doll. Somehow, this was still worse.

Taylor Adams is fast becoming one of my favourite horror/thriller authors, i loved No Exit, it was another book that gripped me from the very beginning. He writes great female protagonists and great story’s to go with them. Keep it up Mr Adams, and i’ll keep coming back for more.

She’s been told introverted personalities recharge with alone time, something like managing a social battery. And while that’s accurate – because most people tend to exhaust the ever-loving shit out of Emma – she always pictured herself more like clay, a shapeless form that reluctantly morphs to meet the daily needs of her surroundings. Smile at the neighbour’s kids. Pay the car insurance. Make a dental appointment. And here on this desolate coast, she discovered a worse truth – that without a job, tasks, friends, family, Emma Carpenter will happily float apart. Every molecule of herself will take the path of least resistance.


My thanks to the author and Hodder & Stoughton for my advance copy to read and review via Netgalley. Due out 18th May 2023.


Four twisty stars

Thanks to Net Galley and Hodder & Stoughton for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
I think we have all at one point finished a book and thought , what was that about? I have never left a one star review, like Emma Carpenter does, upon finishing ‘Murder Mountain’. When the author, H.G.Kane the comments on her review, she asks herself was she too harsh.
Emma is house sitting at Strand Beach,Washington, she is silently grieving, she has her golden retriever Laiki for company. She has one lonesome alcoholic neighbour, whom she doesn’t talk to other than to play hangman through telescopes.
The house creaks and groans, especially at night, was she dreaming or was there a figure in her room, watching her, when she opened her eyes. She has been on high alert following further unsettling comments from the author about her negative review, begging her to take her review down. Strange things begin to happen, H,G Kane is out for revenge. The WiFi is down, telephone line dead, tension is in the air.
This is a rollercoaster read, lots of blood shed, the author builds the atmosphere of the story very cleverly, there is one jaw dropping twist after another right to the end. Who will win this cat and mouse game. A very clever unique plot, if a little unbelievable.

This is a highly entertaining and terrifying book, I was on the edge most of the time and couldn't help feeling int he role of the vicitim as the stalker is persecuting her for an unfavorable rating.
Fast paced, dark, twisty, and a lot of fun.
Surely not a one star.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Even if you wanted to give this book a one-star review, you wouldn't dare after reading this! But of course, you'll be silly to want to rate this book so lowly, as it's an exhilaratingly fun and heart-pounding horror thriller that is sure to keep you up or night (both from not wanting to put it down and being too scared of the shadows lurking in the dark!).

The first part of this book is brilliantly creepy and tense, like straight out of a horror film. It genuinely gave me chills and I loved the sinister atmosphere in this isolated setting. Sadly, the creepiness didn't last long enough for me once everything started to come to light, but the final parts are just as impressive all the same.

While I personally would have liked the horror elements to remain stronger throughout, what we instead get is a clever and twisty psychological thriller, and it's definitely still a very tense read that will leave you desperate for answers.

Most of all, I really enjoyed the way the story was told, part through Emma's first-person narrative and part from the perspective of the author, telling their own story. It's a very original technique that added a lot more suspense and intrigue, making it feel like you were witnessing the story from a cinema seat with a bowl full of popcorn.

Emma is house sitting for a friend and enjoying the isolation on the coast. However, when she leaves a one star review for a bad thriller, she becomes the target of its sinister author...

I can honestly say that I spent most of this book sh*tting myself. My advice would be not to read it at night, since it caused me a sleepless one. Excellent and atmospheric horror!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The Last Word focuses on reclusive Emma, who along with her beloved golden retriever Laika has ran away from a traumatic event and taken shelter whilst house sitting.

She spends her days binging through discounted books on her e-reader, until she finds herself entangled in an exchange with a horror writer that she dared leave a one star review for. What follows is an intriguing game of cat and mouse.

An engaging and fun read. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for this advanced copy. I promise this is my honest feedback and I’m not just giving more than a singular star for fear!

If you give this book one star, you might end up dead….

Emma is house-sitting on a lonely isolated beach with only her dog and e-reader for company. When she leaves a one-star review on a terrible horror novel a message comes back from the author, H.G. Kane, asking her to remove the review.

When Emma continues to refuse strange things start happening, scratches in the night, a figure in the shadows. But H.G. Kane has written 16 novels all about stalking and murders and he knows he's a good writer but now he needs to make sure Emma knows this too.

Talk about a way of grabbing your attention! What an amazing marketing strategy and description!

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words, significant text in red and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Thank you Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for the arc. And thank you to my buddy readers so it was also fun.
I was obsessed with finding out what happened and why happened. There is a story in a story that was quite confusing for me but I liked the present story a lot for balance. I had a feeling and I could not understand why and at the end was clear. Nothing was like it was supposed to be but this time I loved the authors writing, the characters and again was something different I liked and couls not put down.

This was so meta. Because the way Emma Carpenter felt about the author in the book was sort of similar to how I felt about "No Exit". Taylor Adams does have certain elements he likes to use in all his books like the fictional author and can be a bit cliched but he's grown on me.

This was tough to get through in between because it read like a slow moving action movie but I'm glad I stuck with it because not only was the beginning creepy, the ending is all kinds of twisted fun.

I loved the whole setting of the novel, the idea and ultimately while the middle drags a bit, overall it's a wild, fun ride that I'm glad I went on.

Thanks to Netgalley and Holder & Stoughton for the advance e-copy. I appreciate it as always :)

3.5/5

SHUT THE FRONT DOOR! I PREDICTED IT I WAS RIGHT ALL ALONG!
It feels so good to be right.
This is such a fun read, like yes it’s far fetched but still kind of believable. Wasn’t the biggest fan of Emma but that wasn’t a breaking point when the plot is this brillant.

The Last Word has quite a unique set up - woman gives a 1 star scathing review and gets stalked by the author. The synopsis had me super excited. This book had me hooked - I wanted, no, needed to know what happened next. The Last Word was a thrill ride, with a twist at the end.

After a traumatic event Emma decides that house sitting in a remote coastal house. Her only neighbour lives
some distance away and Emma is isolated; exactly what she desires. However, after reading a particularly bag slasher novel she leaves a scathing review. The Author becomes enraged and when Emma starts to hear strange noises and believes that someone is entering the house she starts to think that the Author may be more deranged than she thought.

The novel was extremely tense and had many twists and turns, Emma's stalker and her resilience to survive as well as her slowly revealed past was very intriguing and the ending had me on the on the edge of my seat. No one star review left here!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.