The Last One at the Wedding
A Novel
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4.0 • 931 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
From the author of the runaway hit, Hidden Pictures, comes a stunning new work of domestic suspense
“Part conspiracy thriller, part family drama, The Last One at the Wedding kept my heart racing and my mind reeling.” ―Riley Sager
"The ultimate middle-class Dad battles the 1% for his daughter's soul in the best thriller I've read all year." ―Grady Hendrix
Frank Szatowski is shocked when his daughter, Maggie, calls him for the first time in three years. He was convinced that their estrangement would become permanent. He’s even more surprised when she invites him to her upcoming wedding in New Hampshire. Frank is ecstatic, and determined to finally make things right.
He arrives to find that the wedding is at a private estate—very secluded, very luxurious, very much out of his league. It seems that Maggie failed to mention that she’s marrying Aidan Gardner, the son of a famous tech billionaire. Feeling desperately out of place, Frank focuses on reconnecting with Maggie and getting to know her new family. But it’s difficult: Aidan is withdrawn and evasive; Maggie doesn’t seem to have time for him; and he finds that the locals are disturbingly hostile to the Gardners. Frank needs to know more about this family his daughter is marrying into, but if he pushes too hard, he could lose Maggie forever.
An edge-of-your-seat thriller that delves deep into the heart of one family, The Last One at the Wedding is a work of brilliant suspense from a true modern master.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
A regular guy sees how the other half lives—and how they’re putting his daughter in danger—in this taut thriller. When Frank Szatowski hears from his estranged daughter, Maggie, for the first time in three years, it seems like good news. She’s getting married and wants him to come to the wedding. But Maggie’s fiancé, Aidan, the son of a wealthy tech magnate, is cold and distant, and we were filled with dread from the moment Frank arrives at the luxurious New Hampshire compound where the nuptials are being held. Frank soon becomes convinced something is very wrong, and over the next three days, we get to witness how horribly right he is. Edgar Award–nominated novelist Jason Rekulak brilliantly guides his story from vague unease to pulse-pounding suspense, and in Frank Szatowski, he gives us a tough, good-hearted hero to believe in. Meeting your new in-laws can be tough, but in this sordid tale, it’s a nightmare.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bestseller Rekulak (Hidden Pictures) impresses with this engrossing tale of a widowed father who starts to sense darkness beneath his daughter's impending marriage. When Poconos-based UPS driver Frank Szatowski receives a call from his estranged daughter, Maggie, he's overjoyed to learn that she's engaged to artist Aidan Gardner, the son of tech billionaires Catherine and Errol Gardner, and wants Frank to attend the wedding. With the ceremony scheduled at the Gardners' New Hampshire estate in just three months, Frank attempts to develop a rapport with his future son-in-law, but Aidan withdraws. Soon, Frank receives an anonymous piece of mail that suggests Aidan was involved with the disappearance of a young woman named Dawn Taggart. When he arrives in New Hampshire for the wedding, Frank feels immediately suspicious—all guests must sign NDAs, and much of the event staff is ex-military. When the body of Aidan's art school friend, Gwen, is found under the dock on the estate, Frank decides to investigate the Gardners' tangled web before it ensnares his daughter—but what he finds recasts ideas about his own family. Certain twists are a touch predictable, but Rekulak's characters feel real, and the unwavering pace will keep readers up all night. This should please the author's existing fans and win him new ones.
Customer Reviews
Excellent
A captivating novel. I read it in a day. The characters are engaging and real. The dialogue was believable. The plot is certainly interesting. Every parent struggles to “see” their child as they truly are, as the characters in the novel portray.
Meh
Saw the twist coming a mile away. Dragged on and on. One dimensional narrative. Not the most thrilling thriller.
Not liking this book
Too far fetched! Don’t like the characters, totally inappropriate and so not realistic
Not finishing this book