The Last takes place in an isolated hotel in Switzerland after multiple nuclear bombs are detonated. The narrator, Jon, is an American historian at the hotel for a conference. After the bombs drop, the Internet fails. Most of the hotel guests make the choice to flee, attempting to get to the nearest city and airport. By day ten, only five staff and fifteen guests remain in the hotel. They stay, in vain, in hopes that help will arrive. When a body is discovered in the water tank on the roof of the hotel, Jon is determined to find the murderer. With supplies running low and the weather turning cold, the survivors begin to turn on one another.

I started this book expecting a fast paced cross between a dystopian thriller and an Agatha Christie mystery. While The Last has some elements of the above, is is set at fairly slow pace and takes deep philosophical dives into the possible implications of survival following mass disaster, questions of faith and humanity. I would classify this as literary fiction with dystopian overtones, rather than thriller or suspense.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for this complementary advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

“One hotel. Twenty survivors. One of them is a murder.” Historian Jon Keller is stranded at a mysterious Swiss hotel as the world descends into nuclear chaos. Jon is the unreliable narrator (my favorite kind!) and to keep his sanity during this dark time, Jon decides to journal all the creepy hotel happenings amongst the survivors while trying to keep his mind off the family he’s left behind. I loved the easy to read journal format! Such a hauntingly brilliant read that I couldn’t put down. If you’re a sucker for dystopian thrillers like I am, then this is one that you’ll definitely want to clear your schedule for.

The conclusion was one that I felt was a bit disjointed - this I can’t wait to discuss with anyone that has read it. Fortunately, it didn’t make me love the ride any less though. One of my 2019 faves thus far!!

Very interesting plot, scary at times due to the events described in the novel. Such a great dystopian, post-apocalyptic novel. I enjoyed the way things turned out and how we follow along a group of people and their instincts to survive. Quite interesting to see how people would react in given situations. I love the added mystery added to it, highly recommend!

The Last is astoundingly good and absolutely terrifying! It's good not just because of its much buzzed about plot, but because the writing is outstanding. It is one thing to have a catchy idea but so often, they aren't that well-executed. In this case, both the idea and the execution are damn near flawless. More than that, The Last succeeds because it is, both sadly and terrifyingly, something that I could see happening. And not off in the distant future, but in the present future, in this future. Timely, thought-provoking, and definitely suspenseful, The Last is, again, one of those hyped books that deserves all the praise. Very highly recommended.

I requested an ARC of this book based on the many positive reviews and the dystopian plot element. I’m a fan of literary dystopian sci-fi. I knew going in, there was also a mystery concerning a dead girl. Unfortunately this story did not work for me. I was expecting a dynamic and thought-provoking plot focusing on the end of the world that was grounded in a “who dunnit” mystery....however, that’s not what I got. The story was more of a character driven suspense with elements of dystopian challenges and psychological despair. It primarily centred on a group of survivors staying at a Swiss hotel and the impact that the end of civilization had on them. It delves into each of their lives, personalities and newly formed relationships that were tenuous at best and downright oppositional at worst. Amidst the relationship chaos, there was also the mystery of who killed a young girl....but again this element was weak and quite frankly implausible given that the murder occurs before the world ends.

I have to say that I didn’t really like or connect with any of the characters. The main character was particularly dislikable and shallow. The plot will probably appeal more to readers who enjoy a character focused story and connect with the characters. For me, the plot dragged, and given my character disconnect, made it impossible to care or engage in the book.

Thank you to publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I’m definitely an outlier in this one, but it just wasn’t what I was expecting - nor did it work for me.

Thank you to the publisher, and Netgalley for gifting me an E-ARC in exchange of an honest review.

I enjoyed this book, and gave it a 3 out of 5 Stars.

The writing was well done, the plot was executed well. While it had a similar prose to many other books, I feel like this one was creative enough to stand out. The cover was gorgeous, and I appreciated that Author didn't fill this book full of jargon, and stereotypical characters.

A dystopian/murder mystery put together for one crazy ride. This book was unsettling because it’s a realistic scenario which is freighting to realize. Overall, I really enjoyed the story I feel like some parts in the middle dragged but picked back up and the story never had a real dull moment.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for my copy!

**4.5-stars**

Jon Keller is attending an academic conference at the L'Hotel Sixieme in Switzerland on the day the bombs fall. Nuclear war has broken out and cities all over the world have been decimated. Through early news alerts he learns hundreds of thousands of people have been killed.

Jon's wife and two children are home in San Francisco but he can't really worry about that now, he needs to focus on his own survival. Jon and twenty other survivors hunker down in the relative safety of the hotel and that's truly where our story begins.

A historian by trade, Jon takes it upon himself to begin writing the account of the survivors and that is how the narrative is told. For me, this worked so well as a way to tell this story. I loved the feel of it and how we were able to learn not just what was going on currently but also a bit of the survivor's back stories, as well as some of the history of the hotel itself.

While opening up the top of some water tanks in an effort to start catching rain water, they find the body of a dead girl. It is clear she ended up in the tank by nefarious circumstances and Jon becomes obsessed with finding out who killed her. He starts a legit investigation and that is how he focuses most of his energy.

Tensions are running high and the survivors begin to form alliances and develop a social system unto themselves. When supplies begin to dwindle and winter is approaching the survivors start to send out mini-expeditions in search of food and other supplies. As you can imagine, these are dangerous undertakings and add quite a bit of tension to the plot.

I had a great time reading this book. I was absolutely entertained the whole time. I felt there was just the right level of tension the whole way through to keep you on the edge of your seat. I loved the exploration of human's pushed to their limits and how they would organize themselves in order to function with some baseline of decency.

The last little bit seemed a little rushed to me but I wasn't disappointed with how it ultimately turned out. I would recommend this one to anyone who likes post-apocalyptic stories. This is nice and modern and fitting for our times. Very well done!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Atria Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I appreciate the opportunity and look forward to reading more by Jameson in the future!

The premise of The Last grabbed me immediately. Away from home during a Nuclear Event, unable to communicate, travel, no social media, no media at all....
That's the dilema that faces out hero, trapped in a hotel in Switzerland (with others), he has the resources to survive, but can he live with unresolved issues outside? This book is truly character driven, and the characters are complex and layered. There is an element of suspense, but it seemed detached from the main story for me, and in fact, took me out of the story at times. I think this novel would make a great book discussion selection. Overall, I was extremely entertained, and I would read more from Hanna Jameson!
I received me copy through NetGalley under no oblligation.

This book was nothing like I expected, but that didn't detract from it at all.
Maybe because of the cover I was expected a more Edwardian or Victorian mystery, but that was on me. Not at all what was actually happening.
This is a straight up dystopian mystery that speaks to the heart and soul of the reader. It is oh so possible, plausible and frighteningly real. I imagined myself at every turn trying to decide what I would do. Risk going into the abandoned grocery to scout for food? Stay in the hotel? Barter for guns? Make a run for it?
I enjoyed this book immensely, and recommend it highly to anyone who is living in our current political climate.
I received a digital copy of the book courtesy of NetGalley, and the publishers Atria Books, for an honest review.
thelithaven.com

Historian Jon Keller is attending a conference in Switzerland. He is staying at L'Hotel Sixieme when he begins receiving phone notifications that a nuclear war has begun. Bombs have destroyed major cities and killed off most of the government.
He tries to contact his wife and daughters in San Francisco, but cannot reach them.
Jon is stranded at the hotel, along with twenty other survivors. He begins documenting his stories, and theirs, to have an account of what happened, and learns of the bizarre history of suicides and violence at the hotel.
When they find the body of a young girl in the rooftop water tank, he starts investigating the murder.
Jon searches the vast, sinister hotel for clues, as threats from starving people and gangs of looters jeopardize their safety.
This dystopian psychological thriller presents intriguing moral dilemmas faced at the end of the world. A suspenseful, realistic and terrifying tale that ended rather unexpectedly.
Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

My mind is still reeling from Hanna Jameson’s post-apocalyptic mystery novel, The Last! This book just defies a genre, if I’m being honest. Is it post-apocalyptic? Locked-room mystery? Psychological thriller? I’d have to say it is a blend of all three, with a focus on the deep psychological impact of humanity pushed to it’s breaking point. A truly captivating writing style made this one unputdownable for me. I loved it!

About the Book

For fans of high-concept thrillers such as Annihilation and The Girl with All the Gifts, this breathtaking dystopian psychological thriller follows an American academic stranded at a Swiss hotel as the world descends into nuclear war—along with twenty other survivors—who becomes obsessed with identifying a murderer in their midst after the body of a young girl is discovered in one of the hotel’s water tanks.

Jon thought he had all the time in the world to respond to his wife’s text message: I miss you so much. I feel bad about how we left it. Love you. But as he’s waiting in the lobby of the L’Hotel Sixieme in Switzerland after an academic conference, still mulling over how to respond to his wife, he receives a string of horrifying push notifications. Washington, DC has been hit with a nuclear bomb, then New York, then London, and finally Berlin. That’s all he knows before news outlets and social media goes black—and before the clouds on the horizon turn orange.

Now, two months later, there are twenty survivors holed up at the hotel, a place already tainted by its strange history of suicides and murders. Those who can’t bear to stay commit suicide or wander off into the woods. Jon and the others try to maintain some semblance of civilization. But when the water pressure disappears, and Jon and a crew of survivors investigate the hotel’s water tanks, they are shocked to discover the body of a young girl.

As supplies dwindle and tensions rise, Jon becomes obsessed with investigating the death of the little girl as a way to cling to his own humanity. Yet the real question remains: can he afford to lose his mind in this hotel, or should he take his chances in the outside world?

Reflection

Historian and academic Jon documents the story of a small group of strangers staying in a hotel outside of Zurich after nuclear attacks have taken out most of the major cities in the world. I loved the way the chapters were written, labeled in days after the world ended. The majority of the novel has a very locked-room, vintage Agatha Christie sort of feel to it, as Jon and some of the other men in the hotel discover a child’s body on the roof. The implication being that she must have died on the day or just after the world ended, therefore the murderer is one of them.

But the murder plot is in some ways secondary to the story of this post-apocalyptic world they live in. In fact, to me the murder was important to the story primarily because it was the mechanism that allowed Jon to interview and investigate the other people left behind in the hotel, and to document their stories. In fact, the sense that this might be some of the only documentation of people’s lives from before the world ended was so captivating, I could scarcely put the book down!

I thought Jameson did a masterful job exploring the psychology of people put in this situation. How do we retain a sense of morals, when our very survival is on the line and when there is very little risk of punishment for doing things we wouldn’t have dared to do before? And we see the full range of how people behave as the book goes on. People question who should be saved? What would we be willing to do to ensure our safety and survival? And what is our true character?

Indeed, towards the end of the book Jon has a fascinating discussion with another character about qualities in himself, both good and bad, that he would have never known he possessed before all of this. There’s also the sense that we don’t know our true priorities until we lose everything.

And of course, the mystery is solved, so I will say it comes full circle. But I wouldn’t say the dead body is the most intellectually fascinating part of this book! The characters themselves and the situations they are in are what drives this story forward. With a mix of futuristic apocalyptic survival thrills, and vintage locked room mystery, Hanna Jameson has written a unique and captivating novel.

Thank you to Atria for my copy. Opinions are my own.

I really liked the premise of The Last. Its set in our current timeline, where in a time of political division, a nuclear war starts. Large cities in America are hit first, followed by many other cities across the globe. When this happens, Jon is away from his home in America on a work trip in Switzerland. His hotel and the people in it have survived the attacks, but now have to figure out how to survive in a time with no government, no internet or phone service, and no news sources. Jon doesn’t know whether his wife and daughters have survived the attacks, but he does know that there’s been a murder at his hotel.

As the guests at the hotel descend into panic, they realize they’ll have to step up and find their own food, and act as their own government. I really liked the overall premise of the book, and honestly could see this becoming a reality, which is what intrigued me the most.

There was a sub plot about a murdered girl at the hotel that our protagonist, Jon took upon himself to try and solve. I have to admit, I wasn’t overly impressed with how this was resolved. The ending of the book in general wasn’t my favorite. It felt disconnected from the rest of the book, and I was hoping it would have tied more into the actual story, rather than being sort of separate. That’s all I’ll say about the ending, since I don’t want to give any spoilers.

The other thing I struggled with in addition to the ending, is that I really disliked all of the characters. Our protagonist wasn’t a good person, and neither were the majority of the other characters. Maybe this would be realistic in a real world scenario, but I wanted to be rooting for at least one character, and I just wasn’t. I couldn’t bring myself to care about any of them.

Despite that, I did enjoy the overall plot, and ended up rating this one 3 stars. If you’re a fan of dystopian fiction and unlikeable narrators, this will be a great choice for you. Thank you to Atria Books for my copy of The Last. It was my pleasure to provide an honest review.

Jon has left his family back home in America in order to attend a conference in an isolated hotel in Switzerland. We never consider that we won’t be able to go home and try to fix a situation we left behind, but this is the exact situation Jon finds himself in as nuclear bombs start going off all over the world. Suddenly people are left without a way to communicate to the outside world. Jon can’t reach his wife or his kids. He is left standing in the lobby of L’Hotel Sixieme as his life shatters around him.

Two months have passed. There are twenty survivors living in a hotel that has a history of suicides and murders. Some have fled in an attempt to get back to their homes. Some have decided they can no longer go on and have committed suicide. Those that have stayed have formed some small semblance of civilization. Jon, who was previously a historian, is now a survivalist willing to put his life in danger for those around him. What no one sees coming next is the discovery of the body of a young girl who was killed before the world changed. This can mean only one thing. There is possibly a murderer living at the hotel. Jon becomes obsessed with finding the identity of the killer, as well as the possibility of leaving the hotel and building a life in the outside world. Is he losing his mind?

I am a huge fan of post-apocalyptic books and knew I would be adding THE LAST to my TBR the minute I heard about it. As more publicity started to roll in for the book and comparisons started circulating that the story was Stephen King meets Agatha Christie, I immediately placed a pre-order. There are just some books a girl can’t live without! I also made sure I had a spot for this book in my April reading, because what’s the point of pre-ordering if you’re just going to shelve the book? (That’s not to say I’m judging anyone who has done this because I definitely have!)

THE LAST is set up as a sort of journal with entries for each day after the world has been rocked by nuclear bombs. Each day we learn a little more about what happened, the reactions of those who have survived, and how people are learning to cope in their new world. These narratives come to the reader courtesy of Jon, former historian turned survivalist. I loved seeing the relationships being built between the twenty survivors living in L’Hotel Sixieme. There is everything you can expect to happen: friendship, hate, love, romantic pairings, and enough drama to make you feel like you’re watching a television show.

Since there are only twenty survivors living in the hotel, the amount of characters the reader needs to become familiar with to understand the plot are limited. Jameson does not fully flesh out every single survivor, but there are a few key players who become well-rounded, vital characters to the narrative. Jon is our main character and therefore the person you would assume the reader comes to know best, but Jon has several things he’s holding back about himself. He initially chooses to show only one side of himself. Later in the story you come to learn that there is more to Jon’s past that is weighing into his present day actions.

My favorite element of THE LAST is just how realistic the plot to the story is given the present state of the world. The threat of nuclear bombing is extremely plausible. I can’t begin to imagine what I would do if something like this were to happen. For starters, I live in a large metropolis area, which means it would likely be a target. What if I’m not with my family? What if I can’t reach my husband? THE LAST and Hanna Jameson’s skillful writing will have you questioning “What would I do in that person’s shoes?” until the late hours of the night. THE LAST is a story that is both impactful while reading it, as well as meaningful after you put it down.

The Last by Hanna Jameson was not at all what I had been expecting, but so much more than I had thought I’d get at the same time.

The story follows an American Historian at a hotel in Switzerland when the world goes crazy and nuclear war begins. It seems all the major cities are gone, the skies turn orange, and a majority of the hotel guests flee in hopes to finding out what happen and getting home.

Jon is the main character here and we see everything from the point of view of his writing. He is telling us what is happening. Documenting, if you will. A small group of twenty or so people have stayed at the hotel. Months go by and links to the outside are slim. On top of the obvious problem of nuclear war, possible radiation poisoning, shortening of food and supplies, and feeling trapped, there are other crazy things happening. A young girls body is found and Jon gets embroiled in finding out who did it.

I liked all the different characters and learning about their personalities and quirks from Jon’s perspective. I thought that was very unique in how you see someone. A lot of times it’s just an overview of how someone looks and what they act like, but there was an opinion behind every description. Made it more realistic. You see a ton of books and movies about the end of the world or another World War and I felt like this was very realistic if I had to imagine what it would actually be like. Threats from every side, all while trying to grow and maintain new relationships. Jameson did a great job making me believe this is how nuclear war would play out.

My biggest issue with the story is that for the most part it was realistic. This could happen. But then they threw in the ghost twists and they felt out of place. It was as if they were just put there to make the book more exciting, but honestly it just made them more confusing. I would have much preferred the story without those. I also felt there were many times the story lulled to a point where I almost lost interest, but it always picked up right when I was gonna give up reading it. Not many, but there were enough of these instances that had me question finishing it at points.

With that being said, overall it was a good book. Definitely not like anything I have ever read before. Definitely for someone who likes thrillers, likes end of world type books, and like a little science fiction mixed in. I’ll be looking to check out the next book from Hanna Jameson.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the free ebook copy in exchange for my honest review!

3.5/5 stars - rounded up for star rating

I always love seeing how authors will give their perspective on the end of the world or the apocalypse. Something different from everyone and I love seeing the stories and characters unfold.

Jon Keller is in Switzerland, at an isolated hotel, for a work conference. News slowly starts coming in that major cities are being attacked, communication lines go down, and then...there's nothing.

Jon sets about to report on the day to day lives of the guests as they struggle to survive. Jon is somewhat of an unreliable narrator - which create a bit of tension and questioning by me as I read, and I found that it increased my reading speed as I needed to know what happened.

Hanna Jameson created tension so thick that it was like slogging through mud. This is a mystery, a dystopian future, a murder, a thriller - it's everything.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I don’t want to give TOOOOO much of this book away because I really want people to read it. But, try to imagine being on a work trip and then BOOM 💥 a nuclear war breaks out. You are stuck at a hotel with about 20 more people and have to figure out a way to survive with NO internet, NO access to the outside world, and not knowing how long the resources at the hotel will last.

THE LAST was an emotional roller coaster. The author touched on a very real threat that can happen in today’s world. Without being too political the story flows in a relatable way. I cannot even conceive the thought of being stuck in a hotel and having to directly face people committing suicide, murder and a very real danger of cannibalism.

Loved this one sooo much!

Washington D.C. has been hit with a nuclear bomb. This message comes across everyone’s phones in a Swiss hotel. Jonathan Keller, an American academic, is at a loss. Everyone in the hotel is stunned. As news of other bombs occur, many decide to leave and some decide to stay. Jon starts keeping a log of their days, in part to leave for someone in the future to find if they never make it. They begin living in the hotel, people running things, rationing food, when on around the 40th day, a little girl’s body is found in one of the water tanks. Jon begins a quest to find out who she was and just who killed her. Was it someone among his hotel mates?

This is such an interesting premise. With everyone from different walks of life and different cultures living together, you get to see the interactions, the fear, the resolve. There is also an eerie aspect as Jon searches through abandoned rooms and their are stories about the devil and a strange boy. Paranoia sets in, as you would think it would. We learn of everyone’s past stories before they became this ragtag group of survivors. You see the change in people.

The ending had me believing it went a certain way and NOTHING will make me feel any different!

This is a very interesting look at the nature and character of people. It makes you think about how you would react in this situation. I loved the different characters and I loved Jon, even with all his flaws. The hotel itself was a character. The descriptions of the rooms, stairwells, etc. were moody and dark. I felt as if I was walking around it with someone right behind me.

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria for a copy of this book.

3.75 Stars* (rounded up)

Let’s talk about HEART PALPITATIONS. The ones that feel like they are going to BURST right out of your chest (almost like the Alien from that movie with Ripley). - upon starting “The Last” by Hanna Jameson – and seeing the words “Nuclear Bomb” and “Nuclear Apocalypse”… well, my heart started beating so hard, I felt like it was going to explode. Those are not words I want to see in my lifetime. Thankfully this novel is fictional.

That said, what started out as a dystopian novel about an apocalypse, quickly became something else entirely. A mystery about a murdered young girl whose body is found in a tank. Surprise, surprise!

Jon is an American at a Conference at the L’Hotel Sixieme in Switzerland when DC and the rest of the world is attacked. Jon loses the ability to contact his wife Nadia and their two children, Marion and Ruth. His days are spent chronicling what happens.. then they find her. The little girl and he begins hunting for answers. Can he trust those he’s with? And let’s not forget that he’s in the middle of an Apocalypse!! Oh yeah, that!

“The Last” begs so many questions. How does one survive an apocalypse? Is this the end? What would you do? Run? Kill or be killed? This was a buddy read with Kaceey and we went back and forth asking a lot of questions (note, for the record killing never came up.. it was more like, escaping the hotel to look for a bookstore or library… note: searching for the murdered girl never came up either, lol!).

This was an intriguing end of the world scenario with some tabasco sauce thrown in that had us questioning and wondering. The writing was top knotch! I look forward to seeing watch Hanna Jameson comes up with next.

Thank you to NetGalley, David Brown at Atria Books and to Hanna Jameson for a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Published on Goodreads on 3.24.19.
Will be published on Amazon and Twitter on 4.9.19.