Member Reviews

A twisty, dark and imaginative take on gothic horror turned murder mystery. The whodunnit is a well worn genre so when it’s done well it deserves celebration.

Sager has crafted a taut and deeply addictive tale of betrayal, loss and family trauma.

The ending could have been tighter and less narrator at the chalkboard spelling everything out but the twists along the way are worth it.

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Riley Sager is definitely the master of twists and turns and this book proves no exception on his previous work. I loved how suspenseful it was, never quite sure whether there was something supernatural or just plain old mystery. I liked the character of Kit although I did get annoyed at times as she seemed to be her own worst enemy but you can’t help but admire that level of tenacity. I think my favourite part of the book was how seemlessly the past and the present blended together and the ending blew me away and even when I thought the shocks were done, there were still more to come.

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I was pleased to receive the ARC for this book as I have read some of Riley Sager’s other works and I enjoyed them. This book had me hooked and I did stay up late (on a work night!!) to reach the ending.

The book follows the proganist, a woman who is alluded to have done something as a care taker for a patient that led to her being investigated. With no other options, she takes on a job to live and work as a care taker for a patient who is notorious in their local community for crimes they were accused of in their youth.

The book goes back and forth between the main characters present day experiences and typed story from the patient she is taking care of who can only communicate via gestures with one hand or typing.

I enjoyed the book until the end. I don’t want to post any spoilers but there were too many convenient coincidences and one too many reveals for me. It took me out of the story and had me saying “Really!” as I finished the book. Due to the reveals being a bit too convenient and convoluted for my liking, I’m giving this three stars but I do feel that most people will enjoy it and I liked reading it regardless. I would certainly read more books from this author.

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This is a very atmospheric, creepy read that will keep you guessing until the very end. There were twists throughout, some I saw coming and others I didn't, and some very shady characters that you don't know who you should trust.
My only personal bug bear is the ghost/supernatural bits that are thrown in the book. It's unnecessary and I skipped those bits.

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I've said it before & I'll say it again… Riley Sager is one of the best thriller/mystery writers of our time. Every novel I read from him is enjoyable & clever & I simply adore his style.

'The Only One Left' was no exception. It was fantastic!

It was edgy, full on intrigue & a totally original story that had me hooked, so much so that I practically finished about 80% of the book in one afternoon. I could NOT put it down!

As with all of Riley Sager's works, the twists(!!) were gooood. I feel that I've read many thriller-with-a-twist type books now that it can be easy to see the turn coming, but with this book, I didn't stand a chance.

'The Only One Left' only left me wanting even MORE from Riley Sager than I already did.

A full 5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley, Riley Sage & Hodder & Stoughton for allowing me to read & review the ARC of 'The Only One Left'; all views are honest & my own.

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Everyone believes that Lenora Hope is a mass murderer. She is the only survivor of her murdered family, decades ago, now living mute and paralysed, confined to a wheelchair. Except now, she wants to tell her new carer, Kit, her story and they may have found a way with a typewriter. As Kit helps Lenora tell her story, she realises the mansion at Hope's End holds many secrets, but they are ones she is not going to like.

The format of this novel was perfect, with the interspersed typewritten notes by Leonora, telling of her past. The deserted mansion, with the sparse housekeeping staff and groundsman all added to the eerie setting and dark history of the location. Sager leaves a trail of breadcrumbs as you go along, hinting all the while at the secrets that are about to unfold. That said, I could not possibly have predicted those twists and the outrageously good ending that the author is so well known for. Another fabulous novel that I highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the gifted review copy.

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The Only One Left is a mystery thriller, flashing back and forth in time about the murders in Hope House and the only survivor Lenora Hope. Kit, a carer is assigned to the case after her own dark past. As soon as she gets there, she discovers things aren’t what they seem and there is more than just one mystery to solve. I loved the premise of this, an old house, a reclusive character who may or may not have committed a crime, flashbacks, and secrets, I love all of that. But I am very conflicted on my feelings about The Only One Left.

I did enjoy reading it, much more than House Across the Lake. I felt the first quarter of the novel was strong, the build-up to the first reveal engaging. Knowing Riley Sager’s work I was expecting twists in the plot, of which there were many. Kit was an okay main character; I didn’t have strong feelings towards her particularly but perhaps this was because of the intrigue the other characters had. The dialogue was also a bit off in places. In typical Riley Sager style, I was expecting some twists in the tale, one or two I did see coming, a few genuinely got me. Unfortunately, I just think there were too many twists that it got a bit chaotic and at one point I fully rolled my eyes. Towards the end it felt quite rushed which kind of spoilt it for me. However, this is still a highly entertaining read that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys mystery thrillers. And obviously, like many of us, we’ll all read what Sager writes next because there’s something in his stories that is engaging.

A big thank you to Net Galley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing an ARC
in exchange for an honest review.

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What an absolutely awesome read for my first book in May!!

This just had everything! Historical murders, a modern-day murder, intrigue, suspicion, a crumbling mansion, secrets galore, and a HUGE twist!!

When Kit returns to work after her suspension, she is assigned to be the live-in caregiver for a lady in her seventies. She is shocked to realise that her new patient is none other than suspected murderer Leonora Hope, who still lives in the mansion where her family were killed over 50 years ago. Leonora is mute and paralysed but is the only key to all of the answers, and Kit desperately wants to get to the truth! Is she living under the same roof as and caring for a murderer? What happened and why? What drove the previous nurse away?

The richness of the characters and the setting of this story really brings it to life and takes you right into the journey of the storylines, past and present.

There are several twists and turns with a fair humdinger of a one towards the end, none of which I saw coming at all!

I just loved this and would highly recommend it to anyone and everyone!!

xx

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This started as quite a slow burn and I wasn't sure it was going to be worth sticking with it but wow!! I couldn't have been more wrong

It's such a cleverly written story with this undertone of menace and a dark atmosphere the whole way through. It felt a bit gothic and dark with the setting and you can cut the tension with a knife.

The characters are so fascinating, they're well written and fleshed out and I found myself liking them one minute and then the next twists would happen and I'd be completely rethinking how i saw them. Its just so cleverly done!!! You don't see the twists coming either and I was so invested the whole way through and was never quite sure what to think. A brilliant piece of writing

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A bloody family murder in 1929 committed by 17 year old Leonora Hope has been shrouded in mystery since she was not convicted of the crime and has hidden away in her family mansion ever since the fateful night. However, by a twist of fate Kit McDeere a home health worker is in need of a new assignment and she agrees to work for Leonora. However, as Kit begins to care for Leonora she begins to doubt the version of that nights events and the tole Leonora played; as the story begins to unfold Kit realises that what happened all those years ago may not be over,

This may be tied with The Last Time I lied as my favourite Riley Sager novel; the story was really intriguing and the twists and turns kept me guessing. All the characters were to some extent a little flawed and more 'real' and read completely gripped until the ending was revealed; 4,5 stars.

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

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One of the best books I've read in a while!

As a huge fan of mystery thriller novels, it is getting increasingly hard to surprise me - I often find myself guessing the big mystery before the big reveal. But The Only One Left blew me away! And having read other works by Riley Sager, I knew I wouldn't be disappointed, but I definitely didn't expect to find my next 5-star read.

While I guessed some of the reveals, how they came to be completely surprised me. Page after page, a new revelation was exposed, and I couldn't put the book away until I reached the end (I read the book in a day! 368 pages!)

The novel reveals two stories, that of Kit, the protagonist and of, Lenora, a woman accused of a murder that Kit is sent to look after as her live-in nurse in Hope’s End, the decaying cliffside mansion where the massacre occurred. Confined to a wheelchair, Lenora is mute and can only communicate with Kit using a typewriter. One night, Lenora writes—I want to tell you everything. As Kit aids Lenora in writing her story, revelations bubble to the surface that threatens the world of both women.

A thrilling ride from start to finish, this book was incredibly atmospheric and unnerving, with good continuous pacing. The setting and the mysteries surrounding Hope's End and its inhabitants were engaging and kept you on your toes - as there was never a right or wrong answer as to what exactly was taking place within the walls of the cliffside mansion until the crescendo of the ending.

I also found the morally grey characters fascinating. Some were bad to the core, while others teetered on the line between good and bad, so it was interesting to feel sympathy one moment and disgust the next.

Overall, everything about this book was brilliant! GO READ IT!

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with the ARC of the insane book.

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The Only One Left - Riley Sager

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Set in the 1980’s, this novel follows Kit McDeeree, a 31-year-old caregiver from Maine, as she arrives for her new live-in position at Hopes End, a collapsing Gothic mansion set atop a coastal cliff. Here she meets her new patient, Lenora Hope, a 71-year-old who has suffered a series of health complications which have left her with little-to-no movement and unable to speak.
But Lenora is no typical patient. She has become local legend, Maine’s own bogeyman, for when she was 17 she was accused of a Lizzie Borden-style crime - the murder of her entire family in a single night.

‘At seventeen, Lenora Hope
Hung her sister with a rope

Stabbed her father with a knife
Took her mother’s happy life

“It wasn’t me,” Lenora said
But she’s the only one not dead’.

But the police could never prove it and Lenora was never convicted. So what really happened at Hope’s End that fateful night in 1929? Will Kit find the answers before the mansion finally falls? And what secrets might Kit be harbouring herself? Nothing is as it seems in this delightfully atmospheric and twisty thriller.

This one has a pinch of everything I love best: the isolated Gothic mansion; unreliable characters; a dark and suspenseful storyline; and plenty of clever twists and turns that kept me guessing till the very end. This novel delivers on all counts. Having read the entirety of Sager’s works thus far, I’m pleased to say that he’s back and he’s on top form! This one is right up there with what I believe are his strongest books, Home Before Dark and Lock Every Door.

The Only One Left gets a big 5 star rating from me ⭐️
This book was extremely hard to put down.
If you read any thriller this year, make it this one!

Huge thank you to @netgalley and @HodderBooks for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

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I am so impressed! Every chance I got, I was sneaking in a few pages of this thrilling book… Gripped my attention in a way not many books do

Thrilling, shocking, chilling, and unputdownable!… Not one to be missed!’

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This was solid! It was not great but it kept me guessing for at least 70-80% of the story. The ending kind of fell apart for me though, which brought the rating down to three. But it is a good mystery, with little to none of that "is this a haunted house or is there a real life explanation for the supposed haunting?" which I had found annoying in Home Before Dark. I liked it!

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‘Leonora Hope, hung her sister with a rope’. Everyone knows the childhood rhyme about the tragic events of one evening in 1929 where Leonora slayed her entire family, but no evidence to convict her. Now 50 years on Kit, a caregiver, who just back from job suspension can’t afford to turn down the appointment to care for Leonora, now paralysed and bed bound after polio and a series of strokes. Kit and Leonora form an unlikely bond and Kit encourages Leonora to use the typewriter with her one hand she has control of, and Leonora starts to tell the story of what happened that dreadful night. There is more to this family than meets the eye.
This book will leave you thinking about the characters long after you finish reading. Layer upon layer of twists and unexpected turns, another epic read from Riley Sager, a true gothic thriller, I completely devoured this book, needing to know what happened next and the truth about what really happened at Hope Ends.

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I have read every book of Riley Sager and i will continue to read every single book, they have never disappointed and ' The Only One Left ' is a truly amazing book that i devoured it when reading.

Kit McDeere a home health aide arrives at Hope House to be a carer for notorious Lenora Hope who is accused to of killed her family, Kit will be staying in said mansion where the murders occurred. Lenora doesn't speak so Kit gives her an old typewriter so they are able to communicate with each other only for Lenora to tell her story for the first time.

There is so many unexpected twists and turns, once you think you're shocked enough you'll be shocked with a turn of events once again. The beginning is a slow build but as the books goes on it only starts going up from there and keeps you so invested and intrigued to what else is going to happen.

The atmosphere and setting is very creepy which i really liked, i like thriller books to make me feel creeped out as it always adds to the thrill/suspense aspects. Overall the characters, setting, plot and the overall book is great, i enjoyed reading it a lot and would recommend to fellow book readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this amazing ARC in exchange of an honest review.

5*

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I loved Riley Sager's Lock Every Door, but have been a bit disappointed with Sager's most recent offerings, including The House Across the Lake.

A little worried about whether his newest book too would crossover into the paranormal like the Lake House story (which left me feeling cheated, as a hater of horror novels), I nevertheless decided to give in to my excitement over Sager's writing style and try out the new book. And I have to say, he has really bounced back with this one!

It is 1983, and Kit McDeere is a disgraced home healthcare aide who is given a second chance of sorts when she is offered the opportunity to look after the notorious Lenora Hope, now elderly and infirm. In Kit's hometown, the Hope family murders - which took place in 1929 - are still viewed with as much curiosity as condemnation.

There is even a creepy nursery rhyme about it that the children grow up reciting:

“At seventeen, Lenora Hope
Hung her sister with a rope

Stabbed her father with a knife
Took her mother’s happy life

‘It wasn’t me,’ Lenora said
But she’s the only one not dead”

After her father, mother and sister were found brutally murdered at their mansion, Lenora was discovered to be the sole survivor, still protesting her innocence. Lack of evidence may have prevented police from getting a conviction, but it has not stopped local inhabitants passing judgement on Lenora, despite her ill-health, strokes and partial paralysis occurring within a short time of the murders taking place.

Kit, who fell under suspicion after a patient in her care died under mysterious circumstances, is desperate for a job - which is the only reason she accepts the post of caregiver to Lenora after her predecessor Mary mysteriously departs the mansion in the dark of the night.

What Kit doesn't expect is her new patient's willingness to tell her what really happened the night of the murders, albeit through a tortuous process of typing out the story with Kit's help. But as Kit discovers, Lenora had earlier done something similar with Mary. So is that why Mary left so suddenly?

What was she afraid of?

And what is the real story behind the murders? Because if Lenora did not kill her family members, somebody else certainly did...

The suspense builds as Kit races against time to solve the mystery. Because amidst the curious cast of characters living in the house and grounds of the mansion, it is hard to tell friend from foe - and Kit's very life may depend upon it!

This was an exciting and atmospheric read, with a major twist in the tail. So it can safely be said that Riley Sager will probably not disappoint his fans with his newest offering.

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DNF - This is not for me. The writing is slanted, corny, and filled with cheese which makes the story sound more than it is. It's tricky to write stories like this one because they have already been explored from every angle - veteran readers have read this story before, they know Kit, and they understand every aspect of the person Lenora might have been (murderer or not). Because the writing style was so corny and almost disconnected from the mature subject matter, the plot dragged immensely. We are told with hints & then explicitly that Kit had trouble at her job - she was suspended - we do not need this presented more than once, twice if you want to cement the point that she is being held responsible for someone's death. To reem this point home, over and over and over, again is boring & adds pages without purpose.

One can certainly write a story that contains a familiar plot - authors do it all of the time - the tales of lore & horror that loom in culturally morbid cautionary verses are prime examples of that. The written approach is what counts & was ultimately what was lacking here.

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What the actual heck.
I physically gasped way too many times.
It was so good. The beginning is a little bit slow but this ending is so worth it. Yes, it’s extra but I like my thrillers to be a little crazy. I just wished that we had more moments with some of the characters to truly know the hows and the whys. I truly recommend for anyone who loved Home Before Dark.

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Absolutely fantastic. This was my first Riley Sager. Will not be my last. I found the plot, the setting and everything about this novel thrilling as I could not stop reading about what really happened to the Hope family. This was very clever. I am a fan.

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