This chilling, gothic thriller has tension as high as the house its set. Twists and turns aplenty are found in this brilliantly written, well thought out book.
1929: Three gruesome murders. Parents stabbed. Sister hung with a rope. One sister remains. The prime suspect. Lenore
Flashforward to 1983, and, after suffering a devastating stroke leaving her in a completely debilitated state, except for the use of one hand. Her last caretaker left suddenly. Its now the job of Kit. She has her own past. Also accused of killing her own sister. As the two begin to communicate using an old typewriter. Lenora decides she she wants to tell Kit what happened. "It wasn't me" she says.
More twists than a coiled spring, this book was a genuine page-turner. I have nothing but high praise for this author having read a few of his previous books.

I have enjoyed all of this author's books that I have read (I do have a few still to catch up with) and this, his latest offering was no exception.
A schoolyard child sets the scene for this book - I quote from the blurb.
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
That was way back in 1929, and it was never proven. Just assumed. And Lenora still, in 1983, lives in the same house it all occurred in.
But she is now very old and infirm and in need of round the clock care. Her previous nurse did a moonlight flit for reasons unknown leading to the vacancy that home help Kit McDeere has, reluctantly, filled. I say reluctantly as she had absolutely no choice in the matter being as how her previous position ended. She has her work cut out for her as Lenora is mute, confined to a wheelchair and has very limited movement. But she can communicate as Kit discovers. And, what's more, she now, after all these years, wants to tell her story. The whole truth...
This book is brilliant. And best gone in as blind as possible just in case of spoilers as it, like most of his books, has "that moment" in it. And you need to not know for maximum impact.
But, and this is important. The whole book does NOT rely on said moment. It stand up in itself very well. Just, that jaw drop. Perfectly delivered. Curve ball I didn't see coming but one that didn't come out of left field. It was sublime.
The characters are all brilliant and play their parts well. Especially Kit who I took to immediately. Her situation, her background and that thing that shaped where she found herself at at the start of the book. Lenora was also intriguing but in a whole other way!
It's not all fast paced either - a slow burn which layers the intrigue on as it starts and then peels it all back to expose the truth at the end. And then there's the gothic setting of Hope's End which just adds another layer to the mix.
All in all, another winner from one of my now go to authors. I really must bump up the missing back catalogue.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I love Riley Sagers novels and this was exceptional.

We meet main character Kit, a care giver and having being wrongly accused of something during her work she is now disgraced and the only job offered to her is working at Hope's End for Lenora Hope, a recluse and unresponsive patient.

Kit takes the job and we get to understand the mystery behind Hopes End. You see there was a massacre many years ago of the Hope family and Lenora was the only remaining survivor, she was accused of the murders but nothing was ever made official.

Lenora lives in the house with a crew of staff members who run the home. I really enjoyed the staff members characters and I thought that the air of mystery surrounding them was super good.

Kit moves in to the very large home and I felt bonded with Lenora as they have both lived through accusations. Lenora can only communicate through tapping on her wheelchair but she wants to share her story with Kit about what happened and so she types it out on a type writer.

I found the concept of this novel really interesting and I invested fully in this novel.

Thanks to Netgalley, Riley Sager and the publishers for allowing me a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

A decaying mansion on a rocky cliff side with a dark history and a whole lot of secrets. This is the house where a happy family was murders, all... except one. Did she kill them all and if not, who did?

Riley Sager did it again, a brilliant suspense with some great gothic vibes. It's a slow burner in the beginning as one of the protagonists Kit McDeere slowly gets introduced to the house of Hope's End and its inhabitants. Something feels wrong from the start, a feeling that was justified. No one is who they seems and Sager is an expert in dropping almost unseen hints and clues throughout the story.

The story picks up quickly after the first quarter of the book and it impossible to put it down. The twists are unexpected and surprising, and I never saw that conclusion coming. I really liked to learn about the second protagonist's story in her own words. Lenora is paralyzed and is only about to communicate through writing on her typewriter. We have Kit's perspective but we also have Lenora's story told in her own words. It was a masterful way to make the story even more involving and suspenseful.

Seeing the growing bond between Kit and Lenora was one of my favourite parts of this book. It's an unlikely friendship that develops into something deeper as Kit begins to question everything about that faithful night where all of Lenora's family is murdered.

A great mystery full of suspense and twists that will keep you turning the pages faster and faster until the end.

An interesting concept, if I was new to thrillers I think my mind may be blown. However I have recently read a thriller with a similar plot twist which meant it was fresh in my mind for the reveal!

I enjoyed the writing style, but the pacing could have worked a little better for me near the beginning third. Once I got past this point I sailed through the end.

Thank you for the advanced copy! Fans of Riley Sager are sure to lap this fun book up!

Sager is the king of thrillers. He’s done it again with this gem! There were so many clever twists and turns in this one I started to feel motion sickness I think! From start to finish you’ll second guess most of the characters and go through all the emotions with everyone of them. Another 5 star read by this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Only One Left by Riley Sager
Publication date: 4 July 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.25 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
This is the July pick for the Literally Dead Bookclub.
~~~~~
Everyone believes that Lenora Hope is a mass murderer.
When the Hope family was massacred decades ago in their mansion, Hope's End, she was the only one left after that tragic night.
Mute, paralysed and confined to a wheelchair, Lenora has never been able to tell her side of the story.
Until her new live-in caregiver Kit comes to Hope's End with secrets of her own.
~~~~~
This is my first Riley Sager and I approached it with trepidation as I've heard that his books can be really hit-and-miss.
But I thought this was OK. I loved the first three-quarter of this book, I appreciated the gothic setting of Hope's End and how the mystery was ramping up.
However, the pacing of this story was quite jarring; after a slow build-up, it really went off the rails in the last quarter, with plot twist after plot twist after plot twist, coming one after the other, fast and furious, so much so that I felt that this book gave me whiplash! I mean, the author threw everything at this reveal, bar the kitchen sink and it does make for a chaotic and slightly ridiculous ending, which no amount of suspension of disbelief could soften.
This being said, the story kept me hooked and I flew through it as I really wanted to know what happened, and isn't that the whole point of a thriller?
I'll definitely be up for reading more from this author in the future.
~~~~~

A slow burn mystery with a hint of a possible haunted house story. An unraveling of a 50+ year murder mystery with so many secrets and a few really good twists I didn't see coming. While it is a bit slow, the last 20% really kicked it into high gear and makes it a compelling read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this eARC.

"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"

It's 1983 & Kit McDeere is forced to take a live-in job as a carer to Lenora Hope, sole survivor of a family massacre from 1929 which took place in their cliffside mansion in the posh side of town. Most people believed that Lenora was guilty of the murders but she denied it & the police were unable to make a case, so Lenora has lived in her childhood home, Hope's End, ever since. Following some health issues over the years, Lenora is now in her seventies & needs 24 hour care but Kit is unenthusiastic about the job, although she does have some empathy with Lenora having been suspected of a crime herself.

When Kit arrives at Hope's End, it's obviously neglected & becoming more dilapidated by the day with roof tiles crashing to the floor & inside the whole house has started to lean dangerously towards the cliff edge. There are only a few members of staff left - the housekeeper Mrs Baker, a maid, a cook, & a handyman - & Kit soon discovers that her predecessor, Mary, left in the middle of the night & no-one knows why - or they're not saying if they do. Lenora is almost completely paralysed & non-verbal with the use of just her left arm, & over the first few days Kit surprisingly starts to warm to her charge. Then one day Lenora gestures to a typewriter in the room & Kit wheels her over to it & is surprised but pleased when Lenora taps out short sentences as at least they can now communicate effectively. She is shocked but intrigued when Lenora types her next sentence: "I want to tell you everything".

Opinions seem split on this one, but I thought it was a return to form following the disappointing (to me) The House Across the Lake. I thought it was absolutely gripping & couldn't put it down. I have noticed that there seems to be a stock figure repeated across the author's books: a ruggedly good-looking handyman/ neighbour/ex-boyfriend who may or may not be involved in whatever is going off. I digress: anyway, very little romance though thankfully (bit of an ick with the sexual relationship between Kit & the young neighbour next door to her childhood home). The narrative is mainly from Kit but we get flashback scenes via Lenora's memories where things start to become clearer, but it wouldn't be a Riley Sager book without some killer twists. There were quite a lot of them here, in fact I nearly got whiplash from the switchback of those never-ending twists but yeah, very entertaining read. 4.5 stars (rounded up)

TWs: age-gap relationship, infidelity, murder, pregnancy, strong language, suicide.

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

A classic Riley Sager thriller and setting it in 1929 and 1983 only made it feel more so! As usual the storyline is gripping, twisty and downright shocking at times with so many grasp out loud moments I was practically clapping my hands with glee! This felt authentically familiar to me but surprisingly fresh and new at the same time! Fans will lap it up and new readers will immediately want to read everything he’s written before. If you were a fan of Sidney Sheldon back in the 1980s then this will be right up your alleyway!

**Thank you to Netgalley & Hodder & Stoughton for this ARC. All opinions are my own.**

In 1929 shocking murders took place at Hopes End Mansion, the only survivor? Seventeen-year-old Lenora Hope.

"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"

Fast forward to present day 1983, the story starts off with Kit McDeere, a caregiver who after a suspension for some misconduct, is finally offered a new client, Lenora Hope. All her life she has heard the rhyme, and now she is to care for a so-called murderer.

Hopes End is nothing like Kit envisioned, a once immaculate mansion on the seaside cliffs, is now barely standing. The only inhabitants are the housekeeper, a handyman, a cook, a maid, and Lenora Hope herself.
Kit finds herself entangled in the mysteries of the house, and the need to know what happened all those years ago, whilst dealing with her own demons and traumatic past, but nothing is as it seems. The previous carer vanished without a trace, and no one has really gotten to the bottom of what actually happened in 1929, until now.

I enjoyed this book thoroughly, and I couldn't put it down. From the very first chapter, Sager hooked me in, and made me want to know "What actually happened".
I loved the idea of a whodunnit, mixed in with the eery vibes of the house, and the people all keeping secrets.
The twists and turns kept on coming, and when you thought you finally knew what happened?
You had no idea.

Each book gets better and better, and all the more captivating and gasp-worthy.
This is the third book of Sager's that I've read and I will continue to read his work.

I knew this book would be good before I had even read it and I was correct! It was absolutely wild and Riley Sager just nails it everytime!

After the death of one of her patients caregiver Kit is returning to work after a 6 month break. She takes a postion at the infamous Hope's End to care for the even more infamous Leonora Hope. The only suspect in the mass murder of her family in 1929 when she was just 17 years old.

It is now the 1980's Leonora has veen bed bound for fifty years, unable to talk, barely able to communicate and yet, she wants to tell Kit her story, after all these years will we finally know the secrets lurking within Hopes End...

The Only One Left has it all, murder, mystery, intrigue, a big ol 'creepy house shrouded in secrets and the people that live there are hiding even more.

Will the secrets of Hope's End finally be revealed?

This one is a multi pov, dual timeline story that is gloriously gothic, laced with mystery and full of page turning twists that keep you wanting more and more!

I loved it and I love Riley Sager!!

"You want to know if I’m as evil as everyone says I am. The answer is no. And yes."

Riley Sager is yet to disappoint me! This was an amazingly tense, twisty and creepy thriller, set in 1983.

Kit has just began to work again as a carer following a period of suspension after her last client died suspiciously. She has no choice but to accept her new placement in the home (and as the carer) of Lenora Hope, a woman who was once (and still is) suspected ofbrutallu murdering her entire family in one evening.

Kit enters the house feeling tense and awkward, knowing about the past of her patient but what she doesn't expect is to begin a spiralling decent into psycological terror, aided by strange noises in the night, creepy staff in a (literally) crumbling manor house and the building fear that she is beginning to lose touch with reality..

I've seen that some reviewers didn't enjoy the twist, however I thought it was just mad enough to be shocking but not totally out of the realm of possibility. I think with thrillers like this, there always has to be moments where you suspend your disbelief for a while but that's what makes it so exciting to read!

Thank you so much to @netgalley, @HodderBooks and @HodderPublicity for this e-ARC in exchange for my unbiased review!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

This was my first Riley Seger book and I really enjoyed it - I'm a convert!

This book is evenly paced until the last quarter until the twists keep coming right up until the end.

I liked the way that the book was set in a time where modern technology couldn't be used to expedite the story which increased the suspense. I also liked that the building was in the process of falling down through the book which gives a real sense of urgency.

While there is only a small cast of characters they were well developed and interesting.

wow! the first riley sager i enjoyed! i really hated final girls and didn't care for home before dark but this one worked for me. phew

Well this book had me hooked from the start! So many twists throughout that really kept me on my toes.

The story about a tragedy that struck a wealthy family in the 1920’s was intriguing but the back story about Kit is what really interested me. It’s clear that there is more to it but the outcome is something I couldn’t have predicted.

This is the first time I’ve read this author but I will be reading more. If you liked Colleen Hoover’s Verity, then give this book a read. You won’t be disappointed.

In The Only One Left we find ourselves in the early 80's, following Kit as she takes up a job as carer to Lenora Hope, a woman who has been confined to a wheelchair, unable to communicate after suffering a series of strokes. A woman so infamous she has a playground song written about her. So the legend goes she murdered her family in the 1920's but she was never convicted. Now, with the help of Kit and a typewriter, she's about to tell her story,

This was such an entertaining read, I wasn't convinced with Riley's last couple of books but I adored this. The ambience is perfect and the story will keep you tuning pages.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the chance to read The Only One Left.

'Yet there it is, a sort of anxious shock fluttering behind my ribs like a bird trapped in a cage. "The Lenora Hope?"'
-
My FAVOURITE Sager yet! Riley Sager always has a way of ingeniously weaving brilliant plots around a thrilling mystery and delivering powerful twists you truly don't see coming, but in his latest novel, he's really excelled in my opinion!!
-
Everyone believes that Lenora Hope is a mass murderer.
When the Hope family was massacred decades ago, she was the only one left after that tragic night.
Mute, paralysed and confined to a wheelchair, Lenora has never been able to tell her side of the story.
Until her new live-in caregiver Kit brings her a typewriter.
And with one working finger Lenora begins to type:
I want to tell you everything.
-
When I say I couldn't put this down, I truly don't mean that lightly, I was messaging friends who had already read it my theories, I was thinking about it when I wasn't reading it, I LOVED it so much. Sager has a clever way of dropping so many little breadcrumbs along the way in his books that you never know which ones to fully pick up and follow the trail of, and I can assure you most times you're gonna be wrong, this was a marvel of story telling in my eyes and I was consumed with the mystery the encapsulates this whole story. My advice for you is to run to your local and pre order this one for release on 4th July!! You won't regret it!!
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Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this one!!

Wow oh wow, another grand slam of a book by Riley Sager. So far, I've read three of his books, and I still do not see any of the twists coming which in my opinion is a good thing.
This story is a take off of Lizzy Borden, but asks the question, what if Lizzy Borden were alive in modern times and needed a home health aide? Well, Kit is that home health aide and she is tasked with taking care of the notorious Lenora Hope who is rumored to have killed her family one night in 1929. Kit is naturally nervous about taking care of Lenora, but the more time she spends with her, the more curious she becomes about the family's murder, the disappearance of the previous caregiver, and what of the supposed ghost haunting the house?
This was a terrific book, I could barely put it down! I love when I get so wrapped up in a story, I almost felt like I was at the house and if I went into my bedroom, there would be Lenora waiting for her turn at the typewriter.
I honestly can't wait to read another one of Riley Sager's books, every one of them have been absolutely amazing.

This was my first time trying Riley Sager and I really loved this and feel so lucky to be able to get an arc for this and this book to be my first one. I had never pick up Riley Sager before and didn't know what to expect and this was such a surprise book. I will be trying more of the author's books for sure.

I thought the plot was really intriguing and the isolated setting I really liked with the old house gave me feelings of the movie Crimson Peak vibes and also Rebecca . The characters were so interesting I liked Kit the main character and the relationship she builds with Lenora find out the whole story of what happened in her past. I really liked the side characters, the atmosphere made you feel so tense The typewriter dialogue I found so different and I felt it really added to the atmosphere and it was and a little bit creepy! Going back and find out her backstory but also Kit's backstory. The plot reveal I didn't see coming and the twists I loved. Which such a ride and would 100% recommend that people should pick up this book.

If you are looking for a new summer thriller read, pick this one up!