This book was certainly interesting and, at certain points, very disturbing. The four separate narrators each had their own distinctive voices and i found them to be compelling to follow. The action was done well and it was a mix of psychological and physical horror. The pacing was done well and there weren't any real moments where the book had unexpected lulls. The final section was exciting and horrific and i had to stop it in a few places as it was too much. This was certainly the most horrific book i've read for ages and i love it for that.

Slow going to start with but improves as it goes along; very twisty and dark that keeps the reader wondering.

This was such a unique reading experience!

At the beginning of this novel I had absolutely no idea what was going on and I was so confused. As the story goes on you start to piece things together and it was such an interesting ride.

This was just a different horror/thriller that I highly recommend.

This ingeniously plotted,beautifully written thriller is voiced from the perspectives of four vivid, diverse individuals. There's Dee who has dedicated her life to finding the person who kidnapped her six year old sister Lulu. The little girl disappeared one hot day in July,years ago when the girl's and their parents were on a day trip to the lake that is situated not far from Needless Street. Ted, a complex character who suffered from some serious issues, the reasons for which became apparent as his story unfolded. Lauren, his teenage daughter who was a perfect blend of teenage angst, switching in a flash between affection and temper tantrums. She appears to be a typical teenager but as the story unfolds,it becomes obvious that something isn't right within the walls of the apparently normal family home. Then,finally there is Olivia the cat, yep, that's right,a cat, one who has her very own unique personality and character traits. Olivia shares her thoughts and observations of life within the house,Ted,Lauren and the other Ted's that she sees on the tv and through the peepholes in the wood that Ted has used to cover all the windows.

The story very often slips back in time where amongst other things we are told about Ted's shocking childhood, events that happened on the day Lulu disappeared, Olivia's birth and the night that Ted rescued her and took her home. But as the twists and turns of the story unfold, the reader discovers that they have been cleverly manipulated by the author, that your first impressions were way off the mark and that people are not always who they appear to be and very often have a propensity for distorting the truth.

I loved the main settings for this story, the house and the forest who were individuals in their own right, atmospheric,creepy and harbouring spine chilling secrets.

This extremely well written, ingenious thriller is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma and I absolutely bloody loved it. I was totally captivated from the first page,drawn into the author's character's,realistic world and mesmerised by her words. The dark,serious issues covered within the plot were written about with care, understanding and sensitivity. I really, really enjoyed this spine chilling read, worthy of all the stars and many more and very very highly recommended.

This is the story of a serial killer. A stolen child. Revenge. Death. And an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street.

All these things are true. And yet they are all lies...

You think you know what's inside the last house on Needless Street. You think you've read this story before. That's where you're wrong.

In the dark forest at the end of Needless Street, lies something buried. But it's not what you think...

I love spooky stores, this was perfectly creepy and silly and engaging, highly recommend.

What a chilling, inventive, dark, engaging and somewhat heartfelt read.
A very hard book to review., not just because it would be very hard not to give away any of the plot, and for this book I would highly recommend to go into it with knowing as little as possible, as discovering they way the story unfolds is what makes this a really good read.. It is also an very complex and clever story. . If you like your fiction dark I highly recommend this book.

To illustrate how much I love 'The Last House On Needless Street', I have 4 copies of it. Viper Books kindly gifted me a signed proof, I had a hardcover from my Abominable Book Club which I gave to my friend, because she really needed to read it, I was gifted a finished copy of the paperback, and then got the Richard And Judy Book Club paperback (it was half price, you cannot go wrong!) as it had extra bits in it.


It is a horror story for those who think they don't like horror, a mystery and a thriller which will please the most hardened fan of these genres, and a love story which is unlike anything you have ever read. Trust me on this. I have been a big fan of her writing for some time and honestly, she is an incredibly fine writer who transcends genres and classification, she writes damn good books. In a time where gimmicks and hooks seem to be king , plot is often overlooked but in this readers humble opinion, without a plot, you cannot hope to support a burgeoning narrative, nor begin to care about the characters.


I am going to try my absolute best not to write about spoilers, which is tremendously hard if you have not read the book. Suffice it to say, that this would be the book I would recommend readers picking up if they were to buy one book this month. It is that good.
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Still with me?
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Here we go.


It begins with an introduction, of sorts, to Ted Bannerman, who strikes you as not altogether in the moment-he even confesses to mixing up past and present-and his memories which are linked to the disappearance of The Little Girl With Popsicle.
He and his family were at the lake, which is close to Needless Street when the girl disappeared, and 11 years later, has yet to be found.


''The young feel pain intensely, I think,because they don't know yet how deep it can go.''


We are introduced to his daughter, Lauren, with whom he has a fractious relationship, and who he seems to share childcare with, although the mother and he have no ongoing relationship, Lauren is there, and then she isn't, it seems his relationship only exists, and he starts to live, when she walks through the door. When she is not there, and he visits what we readers presume is psychiatrist/therapist, who he calls 'the bug man', he secretly asks for help with Lauren under multiple guises as he is scared she will be taken away.


''Accidents happen in our house.''
The third resident of the last but one house on Needless Street, is the smart, Bible reading cat Olivia, who has a torturous crush on a female tabby cat who pops in and out of the garden, at a pretty regular time.
And there we have our trio, who exist within the sphere of this house, which is closed and unwelcoming (deliberately) to the outside world. It is clear that Ted is a bit off kilter with the outside world, and quite scared of it, which seems to go back in time to that little girl going missing-if it can happen to her, it can happen to anyone.


The house appears emblematic of Ted's personality-he keeps his treasures (Olivia, Lauren, a musical box, a picture of his parents, a Russian doll) inside, locked away from the outside world. In this place, Ted can control what he sees when he looks out, ad can keep those he loves safe. It discourages visitors, prying eyes, and suspicion, to Ted's mind, however, from the outside, it is an overgrown, under loved house with boarded up windows.


''I judge people two ways-on how they treat animals, and what they like to eat. If their favourite food is some kind of salad, they are definitely a bad person. Anything with cheese,they are probably ok.''
This fragile equilibrium is maintained  y routines that are gone through on a daily basis, without any unpleasant surprises. Until, the only house which is more dilapidated than his, the last house on Needless Street, becomes occupied.


Dee, the older sister of Lauren whose life has been in limbo since she disappeared, has dedicated her life to tracking down any and every person on the beach, by the lake , where Lauren disappeared. This has brought her to a faded photo of Ted, who could very well hold the key to what happened that fateful day.


Even more run down than Ted's house, we are introduced to Dee as she pulls off the wood which covers the windows, she is pulling the house down, inviting eyes inside, under the guise of being new and friendly. But she wants to move on, and she cannot until she lays her ghosts to rest.


What happens when Dee and Ted meet is for you, the reader, to experience as I do not want to spoil it for you.


It is a complex narrative with 4 distinct voices-Ted, Olivia, Lauren and Dee- which borders magical realism in the way that the very human interactions are contrasted with the way that Catriona explores the natural world. The verdant nature of the woods nearby, the bone white birches which form a skeletal canopy, the stillness of the lake versus the feeling of sand, these are things which can be moved, dug up, and hidden within. What looks like a relatively calm and soothing lake, could be a cover for a hidden danger that has teeth, and is not scared to bite.


What I saw was tiredness, a woman who wanted peace through resolution and revenge, and a man who wanted to live a life that he was too scared of. Both had spent their lives trying to keep danger at bay, in the respect of fear of the unknown, fear of being dislocated, taken away and finally, seen.


It is a gripping psychological horror with a massive heart, it will take you to pieces and put you back together again so that you can say 'Read this book. Please, read this book.'
And then you will want to start it all over again....

Great twisty thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed. The premise is excellent and the whole book was wonderfully dark and surprising. Would definitely recommend.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for the advanced copy of this book.
Creepy, gothic thriller to say the least. I really enjoyed this book, well written, great characters, good plot. I read it and so did my husband. We loved it and definitely recommend

My thanks to Serpent's Tail/Viper for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Last House on Needless Street’ by Catriona Ward in exchange for an honest review. My apologies for the late feedback.

What an extraordinary novel! Definitely one that I was very pleased that I read without prior knowledge of its plot. All I knew in advance was that there was a great deal of buzz about it and that a cat named Olivia was featured in some chapters. Feline-based perspectives are always fun (one of my favourite childhood novels is ‘Thomasina’ by Paul Gallico).

A Russian nesting doll also makes the occasional appearance and that actually is quite a good metaphor for this multi-layered, genre-bending novel that blends elements of literary fiction, horror, suspense, and the Gothic.

With respect to the audiobook edition, although Christopher Ragland is the only listed narrator there is also an uncredited female voice. Ragland is an actor with a considerable number of audiobook titles to his CV. His voice was very compelling and he drew me quickly into the narrative. An excellent reading/performance.

Having both the book and audiobook allowed for a rich, immersive experience. The audiobook ends with the last chapter of the novel but the print edition has an Afterword that Catriona Ward describes as “one long spoiler.” I appreciated the background information that she provided in it as this gave me a wider perspective on the novel.

This is a book that will undoubtedly remain with me and one that I want to reread, hopefully in the context of a reading group given that its themes, structure, and characters would provide much scope for discussion.

Overall, ‘The Last House on Needless Street’ was unlike anything that I have read before.

Very highly recommended.

I thought I knew where this novel was going but I was very happily wrong. This is probably the best horror novel I’ve read in many a year. More please!

I found this to be very very strange! It took me quite a while to get in to it and actually get a sense of what was going on. It is written from different perspectives including Olivia the cat (yes a cat) and I thought this actually worked quite well even though I was confused! It is meant to be a creepy gothic horror but I didn’t get that vibe from it, I found it to be more of a slow burn mystery, and spent more time trying to work out what was going on rather than being creeped out.

There was a moment when it all just clicked for me and came together, just before the big reveal. I thought this was a good and clever concept but maybe just a bit overhyped for me. There was also some animal cruelty which doesn’t sit right with me.

Having read Catriona Ward's previous novels, I was so very excited to have the opportunity to read The Last House on Needless Street. With the hype surrounding this mysterious novel, I was a little concerned, but can honestly say there was not the slightest hint of disappointment.. Ms. Ward is a mistress of the craft! As others will attest, it is nigh on impossible to properly review this novel without giving something away. There is not just a single plot twist, but several. You will be kept wondering and guessing until the final, beautiful, and oh-so-satisfying page. Don't dither, just read it. Right now!

I’d heard such good things about this book and was intrigued by a feline narrative.

I’m not sure what I was really expecting but I found this really hard to read. Unfortunately for me it didn’t live up to the hype.

DNF at 20%

A twisting, turning novel that I haven't been able to stop talking about. This high-concept thriller has echoes of Stephen King and is executed skilfully. I loved the emotional depth that I didn't necessarily expect to find in this novel. A very clever piece of storytelling.

The Last House on Needless Street is a much hyped book at the moment so I had to read it. The story follows Ted who lives in his boarded up house. Other characters that the story follows are Lauren, Olivia and Dee.

This book is one of those that you will either love or hate. I didn't hate it but this book wasn't for me. Its is one of the most strangest books I've ever read.

At times I hadn't got a clue what was going on, then I found myself settling into the story and then I was completely lost again.

For me it was Dee's story that held a few surprises that I didn't see coming. The ending of the book does explain everything so it does make sense but by this time I had totally lost my interest with the story.

A very hyped book which isn't going to be for everyone but a lot of people have loved it. Not for me at all.

This was a startling book that dances the line between crime (who killed Lulu?) and horror (the decrepit house on Needless Street reeks of threat and something unsettled) and something literary.
Ted is a wonderful, unreliable, disconcerting character, living alone with his cat and occasionally daughter; he had been a suspect in Lulu's disappearance; he is the victim of Lulu's sister (Dee)'s obsession. The way that Ted experiences - and Ward writes - time is exceptional.
And any book that pulls off a feline narrator at least half-successfully must be worth at least one additional star!

I'm sure that many readers will absolutely adore this book. It's certainly well written and has plenty of twists and turns - as well as some really unique perspectives and an amazing premise. Unfortunately it was a DNF for me as it was just too disturbing and, in some places, too graphic. That isn't in any way a reflection on the author - it is clear she's done her research into the condition around which the book centres and she treats her characters with sensitivity and respect - but it's just a case of this being the wrong book for me. Whilst I knew Catriona Ward's books were quite dark, I wasn't expecting them to be quite as dark as they are. So whilst it's a no for me but I'm sure other readers will really love the book.

I love gothic mysteries and I really enjoyed this one, Engaging writing, great characters, suspenseful plot. Definitely recommended.
Thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for this copy.

I've heard so much about The Last House On Needless Street that I felt the only way to learn more was to read it myself. I'm glad I did, as it's very hard to describe without spoilers.

Ward's writing is really detailed and immersive and I could see Needless Street and the woods where the novel is set really clearly. Her plotting is immaculate, her research is thorough and I found the story really engaging. Having said that, I didn't know what was going on for about two thirds of the book, but I am pleased I stuck with it.

Most of what I'd heard about The Last House On Needless Street was about the twists throughout the novel. I do think I would have enjoyed it more without expecting the twists as it made it more difficult to accept the book on face value. I did look for twists and I did guess a few of them.

I am interested to see how the author follows this unusual debut!