Catherine (alternativelytitledbooks) - even more behind!'s Reviews > The Only One Left

"...But that's not what you're most curious about, is it?
You want to know if I'm as evil as everyone says I am.
The answer is no.
And yes."

Lenora Hope, Lenora Hope, Lenora Hope...nope, she's not quite Bloody Mary, but she IS held responsible for the Hope family murders...and has her OWN schoolyard chant to boot! (Now, how many of us can say that? 😏) Accused of hanging her sister with a rope, and stabbing her father with a knife, and 'taking her mother's happy life,' Lenora was found at the scene (quite literally) with blood on her hands and has been essentially in hiding at her home, the creepy and crumbling mansion known as Hope's End, ever since that terrifying day in 1929.

It's now 1983, and Kit McDeere has accepted her next home health care aide assignment: she's going to be LIVING at the literal scene of the crime as an in-home caregiver for none other than Lenora Hope herself. Lenora is now in her seventies, and a series of strokes have caused her body to deteriorate...but her mind? Not so much. Kit finds out one night that while Lenora is wheelchair bound and unable to speak, she CAN communicate...in a very peculiar way. She can type (albeit slowly) on a typewriter and one day she makes Kit a tantalizing offer: " I want to tell you everything."

Stunned by her request, Kit is hesitant to hear the all of the ugly details kept secret over the course of many years...secrets that seem to have driven Lenora's previous caregiver away in the middle of the night...but something inside her just CAN'T refuse Lenora. As the mansion at Hope's End literally begins to crumble beneath them, sliding ever closer to the sea, will Kit learn the terrifying truth and set the record straight on behalf of her newfound 'friend'? Why are the other inhabitants of the mansion STILL THERE, after everything time and tragedy has put them through? And is there someone out there so determined to keep Lenora quiet that they'll do just about ANYTHING to keep the truth from bubbling to the surface...even if it means Kit is the next one to die?

There are a few things you can count on when picking up a Riley Sager book:

1) There will be thrills, chills, (and in most cases) a TRULY terrifying setting.

2) The chapters will be short, driving, and will sometimes keep you FRANTIC for just one more chapter...and this might be his most addicting book yet!

3) The book as a whole is going to pay tribute to other greats in the genre or will serve as an homage to the some of the beloved tropes in the genre. Sager's tackled everything from haunted houses to final girls, and this one feels like one part gothic, spooky house book and two parts murder mystery.

But there's a fourth hallmark of Sager's that I WISH he would leave behind him, and this is the reason I once again cannot give this book 5 stars.

4) ONE twist too many. Every. Single. Time.

This plot is interesting, addictive, and after the main reveal, I was ABSOLUTELY taken by surprise. The characters were complex, the background and all of the diary entries we got to read were enticing, the setting felt REAL (and frankly, Hope's End was one of the most terrifying characters in the book! 😱)...all of the elements were there. All signs were go, and I was racing towards the end, full speed ahead.

...But then it happened.

And once again, I was left sort of scratching my head wondering WHY Sager just keeps...going there. It's almost like he doesn't trust his readers to think his books are 'twisty enough' without this sort of ending. The irony is that he excels in other areas, from atmosphere to character development, and doesn't need to rely on such EXTREME gotcha twists that involve paranormal elements and the like to hold his readers' attention.

This is not to say his books would be entertaining WITHOUT twists, because that is certainly a large part of his appeal as a writer and an element I've come to expect in his writing. I think it's just such a difficult experience as a reader to end on sort of a disappointed sigh rather than a true sigh of satisfaction, particularly when you're at the end of a book that started as a 5 star read...and despite the aforementioned issues, I do think this is Sager's strongest effort to date (although I must admit I've skipped a few! 🙈) Sure, there's some suspension of disbelief (okay, okay a A LOT of suspension of disbelief) involved for ALL of the coincidences to pan out just so, but at this point, it feels pretty much like the price of admission if you're going on this ride...so needless to say, you've been warned! 🎡

And although Beetlejuice and Bloody Mary might have this particular market cornered...just to be safe?

I would avoid saying Lenora's name three times in row... especially if you're in front of a mirror!

😉

4.5 stars

Nominated for Best Mystery/Thriller in the Goodreads Choice Awards! Now in paperback!