Her Last Breath
A Novel
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4.6 • 51 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
"What Stephen King did for an empty hotel in The Shining, Taylor Adams does for a treacherous cave in his bracing, breathtaking Her Last Breath."
—BookPage
From the bestselling author of No Exit and The Last Word comes a heart-pounding thriller that plunges readers into the suffocating darkness of a cave—and the even darker secrets that lie within.
When Tess reluctantly joins her adventurous best friend Allie on a caving expedition, she expects to confront her claustrophobia—not a stranger whose chilling retaliation traps her in a fight for her life. A man who claims to be a fellow caver harasses them at the cave's entrance. Confident, take-no-shit Allie insults the guy—and he retaliates. Soon, Tess is trapped in side a narrow crawl space hundreds of feet underground, fighting to stay alive.
Hours later, Tess emerges alive—but the nightmare is far from over.
As Tess recounts her harrowing story of survival, the detective interviewing her shares new and shocking secrets about Allie's true past. Together, they begin to suspect the brutal attack wasn't so random after all. In the hospital, as Tess pieces together the events with a detective, she learns shocking truths about Allie's past that reframe everything. Was the attack truly random? Who was Allie beneath her dazzling interior? And most chilling of all—has Tess really escaped the danger, or is it still closing in?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This intricate thriller from Adams (The Last Word) kicks off with a daring attempt to rescue a young woman trapped in a remote Washington State cave system known as the Devil's Staircase. Meanwhile, aging detective Layla Washington of the Stevens County Sheriff's Department grapples with the fact that she faces mandatory retirement at the end of the year. Sidelined during the rescue mission itself, she's sent to interview the survivor, Tess. During the interview, Washington teases out the harrowing story of what happened to Tess and her best friend Allie, a successful travel writer and influencer who organized the trip. What began as a bonding exercise, Tess says, quickly turned dangerous when the friends were pursued by an armed killer in the depths of the Devil's Staircase. As Tess's tale unfolds, however, Washington notices discrepancies and wonders what the young woman might be hiding. Adams expertly manipulates readers' expectations, neatly dropping in clues and surprises that cast suspicion in new directions. The result is a visceral tale of daring and deceit that will keep even seasoned suspense fans on their toes.
Customer Reviews
Very very good
I’m not a “caver” but this book was excellent. It’s a thriller with twists. 😉
Great book!
Loved this book!
So Good
I’m actually thinking about immediately reading this book again, and I literally just finished it. I had my suspicions so I wasn’t necessarily surprised by the twist; but as I kept reading until the end I knew I needed to read it with a new perspective. If for no other reason, just to see how cleverly the author wrote it.
Another reason I loved this book is due to how Taylor Adams made the cave and the caving experience come alive. I really want to go explore a cave now… just maybe not one named The Devils Staircase, 🫣Definitely should be added to any thriller genre lovers TBR list.