The Last Thing He Told Me
A Novel
-
-
4.1 • 11.5K Ratings
-
-
- $13.99
-
- $13.99
Publisher Description
The instant #1 New York Times bestselling mystery and Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick that’s captivated more than a million readers about a woman searching for the truth about her husband’s disappearance…at any cost.
“A fast-moving, heartfelt thriller about the sacrifices we make for the people we love most.” —Real Simple
Before Owen Michaels disappears, he smuggles a note to his beloved wife of one year: Protect her. Despite her confusion and fear, Hannah Hall knows exactly to whom the note refers—Owen’s sixteen-year-old daughter, Bailey. Bailey, who lost her mother tragically as a child. Bailey, who wants absolutely nothing to do with her new stepmother.
As Hannah’s increasingly desperate calls to Owen go unanswered, as the FBI arrests Owen’s boss, as a US marshal and federal agents arrive at her Sausalito home unannounced, Hannah quickly realizes her husband isn’t who he said he was. And that Bailey just may hold the key to figuring out Owen’s true identity—and why he really disappeared.
Hannah and Bailey set out to discover the truth. But as they start putting together the pieces of Owen’s past, they soon realize they’re also building a new future—one neither of them could have anticipated.
With its breakneck pacing, dizzying plot twists, and evocative family drama, The Last Thing He Told Me is a riveting mystery, certain to shock you with its final, heartbreaking turn.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Laura Dave’s excellent thriller unfolds like a suburban nightmare, putting a woman’s commitment to her new family to an unimaginable test. A year into her marriage to Owen, Hannah’s biggest concern is being a civil stepmom to her husband’s sullen teenager, Bailey. But then Owen disappears, leaving behind a note reading “Protect her.” This turbocharged setup launches us into a pulse-pounding story, as Hannah gets thrown for one loop after another—all while trying to uncover her husband’s secrets even as the FBI and U.S. Marshals are banging on her door. Dave does a great job with the gripping twists, but we also love how real she makes the fraught relationship between Hannah and Bailey feel. We couldn’t put The Last Thing He Told Me down.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Mary Deerfield, the indomitable, 24-year-old protagonist of this twisty thriller set in 17th-century Boston from bestseller Bohjalian (The Red Lotus), has been married for five years to Thomas, a well-to-do widower almost twice her age, whose abusiveness has escalated with her failure to become pregnant. In bed with her brutish, frequently drunk husband, Mary fantasizes about how different life might be with someone like seductive bachelor Henry Simmons, whom she meets when he pulls her out of the way of an oxcart that threatens to run her down. Gossip soon grows about the pair, at the same time Mary discovers items buried in her garden associated with witchcraft. Then Thomas's most violent assault yet propels Mary to petition for divorce, a step she knows will bring dangerous scrutiny from a populace primed to spy the devil's hand everywhere. Chapter-prefacing snippets from testimony at Mary's future court appearances fan suspense, but also make her painful journey there seem at times excruciatingly slow. With its exploration of themes including domestic abuse, toxic masculinity, and mass hysteria, the novel feels like anything but a period piece. Bohjalian fans and newcomers alike will be satisfied.
Customer Reviews
Solid
The payoff suuuuuucked. I couldn’t put it down though, so I guess I liked it well enough?
Such a good book!!!!!!
Couldn’t put it down for one second!!!!
Don’t get the hype
I read so many reviews for this book where 4 or 5 stars were given, and I sincerely do not understand how. Are the reviews fake? This book requires the reader to suspend reality a bit too much...a US Marshall getting you a family lawyer jic you need it? Flying to a state that you think he lived in and piecing together everything in one day? It gets more unbelievable as it continues. And then there was the bad editing and the inconsistencies...on one page they’re drinking bourbon and the next page she says there’s whiskey in her cup. Overall, I found it to be poorly written, poorly edited and was just wholly unbelievable. Maybe my standards are too high but this was awful.