The Last Word
A Novel
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3.9 • 175 Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
After posting a negative review of a horror novel, a woman staying at an isolated beach house begins to wonder if the author is a little touchy—or very, very dangerous—in this pulse-pounding novel of psychological suspense and terror from the critically acclaimed author of No Exit and Hairpin Bridge.
Emma Carpenter lives in isolation with her golden retriever Laika, house-sitting an old beachfront home on the rainy Washington coast. Her only human contact is her enigmatic old neighbor, Deek, and (via text) the house’s owner, Jules.
One day, she reads a poorly written—but gruesome—horror novel by the author H. G. Kane, and posts a one-star review that drags her into an online argument with none other than the author himself. Soon after, disturbing incidents start to occur at night. To Emma, this can’t just be a coincidence. It was strange enough for this author to bicker with her online about a lousy review; could he be stalking her, too?
As Emma digs into Kane’s life and work, she learns he has published sixteen other novels, all similarly sadistic tales of stalking and murder. But who is he? How did he find her? And what else is he capable of?
Displaying his trademark command of rapid-fire pacing, unnerving atmosphere, and razor-sharp characterization, Taylor Adams once again delivers a diabolically disturbing—and deadly—game of cat and mouse.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This outstanding psychological thriller from Adams (Hairpin Bridge) finds schoolteacher Emma Carpenter house-sitting at Strand Beach, Wash., where she avoids thinking about her problems by walking her dog along the beach and by binge-reading the never-ending supply of 99 cent self-published books she downloads from the internet. Then she reads Murder Mountain, a serial killer novel by H.G. Kane. The download site asks readers to rate the book. Emma—after making sure zero isn't an option—gives the book one star. Two hours later, she gets a reply from the author asking her to take down her review. Kane's messages become menacing after she refuses. Emma's creeping horror at being targeted by a madman increases when he arrives at her door, quoting lines from their internet exchanges. As the tension rises, spectacular plot twists open up new possibilities while effectively demolishing existing expectations. Along with the nail-biting suspense, the book provides some genuine fun by treating readers to overwrought excerpts from a unpublished manuscript about the crimes that take place at Strand Beach. Adams remains a writer to watch.
Customer Reviews
The last word
Slow start but good suspense and fast paced. Definitely recommend
Started out pretty good…
When she ends up stabbing Deek, I was done. She said there was one last firework, and there was not enough time for Deek to leave his house from firing off the fireworks to coming over along with Deek coming into the same position as Kane would be coming from the basement I just can’t let that go. Further, I skipped most of Kane’s writing of Murder Beach being written between the true story. Also, Murder Beach actions (in opposite of the actual events) wouldn’t always match up with the actual story, this was confusing and irritating. Lastly, several holes in the story as well, leaving the reader to assume or have to just move past what was missing.
Buy this book
Such a page turner! Every time you think you have it figured out, something new and unexpected happens. This book kept my attention until the very end!