I sat down and read this book in one sitting. I was driven to finish this book because I wanted to know what it was about. While I had a serial killer/cult/supernatural idea at first, the real reveal was too far in for me to either care or not be irritated for being confused about what was happening.

Clearly, this wasn't for me, but I admit that the characters were very diverse and different and did hold my attention; it's why I wanted the plot to be my first guess.

When you think you’ve figured it out, keep reading because I guarantee you’re wrong.

Also, don’t let the horror tag scare you away if that’s not your thing - it’s much more of a psychological thriller with some horror crossover themes.

This is a book that defies description or genre. I guess I'd consider it a psychological mystery, but it encompasses so much more. It begins as a typical missing child/serial killer story, then goes off in unexpected directions, touching on deep emotions. Even after I suspected where it was going, it was gratifying to see it unfold. This will be an easy book to recommend to a wide variety of readers. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"I am made with pain, for it, of it. I don’t have any other purpose, except to die."

This is a book that I've been hearing a lot about. Readers kept saying that this book will shock and scare everyone who reads it. That it'll make you uneasy in all the best horror-filled ways. Then I noticed that Stephen King had a mini-review on the cover. I was definitely sold after that. After reading this book, I feel as if I have been duped.

At first, I didn't know where the story was taking me. So that made me more intrigued with the story and the characters. As I went to bed that night after reading a hundred pages or so, it finally dawned on me. I figured out what the big secret was. Well, I thought I figured it out, and let me say this... I like my ending better. The author took the soap opera way out and I hate that. It was some bullshit.

There's not much I can say because every little thing could spoil this for you. There were points of view from four characters and one is from a cat! A damn cat! That's what I enjoyed most about this book. The point of view from a cat who gets locked inside sometimes. Let's hear what the cat, Olivia, has to say! Everyone else bored me.

The Last House on Needless Street was a bullshit of a book. Everyone kept telling me how amazing this was and that I had to read it. I'm still wondering if we all read the same book? I feel as if I wasted my time with this because it wasn't worth it. Those secrets at the end were eye-rolling worthy. Ugh! I'm still angry about it.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a review copy! This was a unique one! It was not at all what I expected…but in a good way! Many reviews mention the twist at the end. I do feel like this wasn’t as much of a big twist/surprise. I had an idea of what was coming but that didn’t take away from the story at all. I can’t write too much without giving away too much info! This book sould be enjoyable for fans of psychological thrillers. I’ve seen it classified as horror but I would call it more thriller than horror.


This review will be posted on my Goodreads page.

Still not sure how I feel about this! I thought the book was going in one direction, which I didn't care for, but the twist took it in a different direction entirely, which I'm not sure I care for either. It deals with a lot of heavy topics and I'm not sure how I ended up feeling about the book overall, especially with how it dealt with mental illness. Overall, it did hook me and was well-written.

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...

This one shook me. It is a story of a serial killer and all of the above blurb. But it’s also the story of a girl who lost her little sister, a boy who was horribly abused, a parent who is a sociopath, a cat who reads the Bible and watches television, and a lot of lies.

I really don’t want to say any more than that. There was nothing nice about this story. It was horrific and chilling and all of the dark things no one talks about. There was no attempt to dress it up as a nice fairy tale. It was true darkness at its best.

I had at least 3 different ideas about what was happening and boy was I wrong! If this is the new dark Gothic, please bring it on!

Horrifyingly good!

NetGalley/September 28th, 2021 by Tor Nightfire

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book. I understand now, why Stephen King gave this such a good review. It really was a page turner from start to finish. When you thought you had things figured out, you really didn't. A family in crisis, a sister tormented with the kidnapping of her sister, Ted- one of the suspects in the kidnapping, and a serial killer! 11 years go by- be prepared to be WOWED by this story. Kudo's to the author, Catriona Ward- Well done!

THE LAST HOUSE ON NEEDLESS STREET, by Catriona Ward was unlike anything I have ever read before. I can honestly say that this book took turns that shocked me on many occasions. I can't give any specifics, because this is truly a book you have to simply read and experience for yourself.

I got to the point where I hated having to put it down, because everything I thought I learned made me want to read more.

There is an afterward, which brought the story home even more so--do NOT read this until the end. A fantastic, yet brutal, novel that I was GLAD I knew nothing about prior to reading.

Highly recommended.

"The Last House on Needless Street" is a dark and thrilling puzzle from beginning to end. Just when I thought I had it figured out, something unexpected would happen. The less you know going into this book, the better.

“The Last House on Needless Street” By Catriona Ward

Coming Soon…in September 2021

The Human Psyche is Scarier than Fear

Catriona Ward’s soon to be released “The Last House on Needless Street” is many things, but a horror story in the traditional sense it is not. It is not a screen-scratching bloody-knife holding boogey man trope where you're afraid to close your eyes at night. It's much more sophisticated and complex. This will leave you pondering long after the last page—and complete the novel—you must!

“The Last House” is a psychological excavation into the darkly buried mind-mansions in the deepest hidden interior shadow caverns of the soul. This novel mines new expository frontiers into literary fiction. Part fantasy, part scientific revelation and true humanistic torture—literal, mental and physical!

Be prepared because you're going on a thrill-ride. At times the novel feels like you're spinning through multiple people's psychedelic acid trips taken during a carnival distortion mirror tunnel. Fantastical and perhaps phantasmagorical—other times nutty, creepy and scary? Yeah, a little. But always, just bat hat crazy in a good way.

Throughout the novel, one of our primary protagonists, Ted, enjoys a nip or ten. Listen closely then because “in vino veritas.” That's when honesty and truth, perhaps, is heard from tortured spirits and captured souls pleading for release and plotting their escapes by killing their vengeful host.

“The Last House” is multiple stories and mysteries. It's the virtual conundrum wrapped in an enigma. It's a sleuthing expedition because only by resolving the initial problem can one finally see the end results. Patience is a virtue.

========

The Book Maven’s Journal—Reviews for Word Connoisseurs
REVIEWER: J. Hunt
STAR RATING ⭐️⭐️⭐️

“The Last House on Needless Street”
By: Catriona Ward
General Fiction (Adult), Mysteries, Thrillers, Horror
Publication Date: 27 September 2021
Macmillan-Tor/Forge / Tor Nightlight

My Sincere Appreciation to NetGalley, Author Catriona Ward and Macmillan-Tor/Forge Tor Nightlight Publishing for Providing this Advance Reader's Copy for Review.

The nitty-gritty: A creepy, disturbing tale perfect for fans of twisty, psychological horror. I couldn't put it down!

All storytellers are liars, but Catriona Ward is a particularly good one. I have been lied to in the best possible way and I enjoyed every single moment. The Last House on Needless Street is surrounded by buzz and gushing blurbs from big name authors, and in my opinion all of it is well deserved. This is a psychological horror story that leads you to believe certain things, but then pulls the rug out from under you late in the story. I have to admit I was confused for quite a long time, but Ward does bury clues within her tale, and astute readers—or even readers who are well versed in thrillers—may be able to figure things out. I certainly didn’t, which I guess makes me the perfect reader!

To avoid spoilers, I’m only giving you the basic set up and will avoid talking about the plot too much. The story revolves around a handful of characters: Ted Bannerman is a single man who lives in a creepy, boarded up house on Needless Street. He has a black cat named Olivia who isn’t allowed outside the house, and a daughter named Lauren. The main story takes place eleven years after a six-year old girl named Lulu went missing down by the lake. Lulu was never found, nor was her body, so to this day her disappearance remains a mystery. Lulu’s older sister Dee is still upset by her sister’s disappearance and has continued to search for clues on her own, even after the authorities gave up. Now on the anniversary of her disappearance, Dee has tracked down a new lead, and that lead just happens to be Ted.

Dee moves into the vacant house next door to Ted and begins to spy on him, convinced that not only was Ted responsible for abducting Lulu, but that Lulu is still alive and being held inside Ted’s house. What follows is a mind-bending mystery where nothing is quite as it seems. 

Ward does a great job of creating an ominous atmosphere, especially surrounding Ted, his house, and Olivia and Lauren. Right away we see that things aren’t quite right with Ted. He “loses time” and makes frequent, nighttime trips to the nearby woods. He’s boarded up all his windows and can only see outside through the small peepholes he’s drilled into the boards. He seems to be obsessed with his dead mother, who he refers to as “Mommy.” Even more unsettling is his relationship with his daughter, Lauren. Whenever she misbehaves, Ted sends her away, leaving the reader with a lot of questions. From Ted’s first person narrative, we get the impression that he’s dealing with quite a few issues, although it’s not clear exactly what those issues are. But Ted has some endearing qualities as well: he loves animals, especially the wild birds that flock to his garden bird feeders, and of course, his beloved cat Olivia.

And speaking of Olivia, what a unique character! We’ve seen many stories told from an animal’s POV, but Olivia was something else. Olivia thinks she was sent to protect Ted by the LORD (always described in caps like that), and she occasionally knocks Ted’s Bible off the table in order to read a random Bible verse (if you’ve ever read the Bible, you’ll understand how unsettling some of it is). Olivia is in love with an outdoor cat that strolls by the window peephole, and she has an odd relationship with another cat named Night-time.

Then there is Dee, who is also shrouded in mystery. From the outside, she appears to be a woman who is still mourning her sister, and now that she seems to have proof that Ted might have been involved, she’s filled with rage and a thirst for revenge. Dee’s journey was surprisingly nightmarish—we learn she is afraid of snakes for example—and I thought her character added a nice dimension to the story. 

Ward dips back into the past at times and we learn more about Ted’s childhood, as well as the events at the lake the day Lulu disappeared. This is one of my favorite story devices and it works so well here. These little bits of information eventually reveal what actually happened—or do they? The other device the author uses is that she shows the same events from two different perspectives. You might have a chapter from Olivia’s point of view and what she’s observing from inside the house, and the next chapter might shift to Dee, who is in the house next door, watching the same event unfold. It’s another way to show how unreliable all of the characters are, since they never seem to agree on what they see or experience. And that is the beauty of this story—getting to the truth is a circuitous and uneven path, one I never grew tired of.

And there are even more mysteries to solve: who exactly is the Chihuahua Lady and how is she involved in all this? Why does the “bug man”—Ted’s therapist—seem so sinister? Who killed Ted’s songbirds? What really happened inside the freezer chest? And what exactly is Ted burying when he goes into the woods at night? By the end of the book you’ll have most of the answers, but not all, which I was OK with. The reveal at the end was sort of mind-blowing, and I loved the author’s Afterword where she gives some background on how the story came to be.

Overall, this was an excellent story, masterfully constructed and executed, and creepy as hell. I can hardly wait to read Catriona Ward’s next book!

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.

In a boarded up house at the end of a remote little street houses some interesting occupants and this story is told from their point of view. There is Ted (a recluse), Lauren (Ted's daughter), Dee (sister of a little girl who went missing years ago) and my favorite Olivia (a bible quoting cat). As the story progresses you think you know what is going on (but you don't) to an ending you've sure you've read before (but you haven't). To say more would spoil the whole thing. It is wonderfully dark, eerie, scary and really twisted and it is easy to see why Stephen King finds it remarkable. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

This book was spectacular. It's marketed as horror but it's more suspense with a creepy undertone. I wept throughout the last fifty or so pages. It was emotionally devastating. I can't stop thinking about the characters. I love Olivia.

Ward stacks mystery upon mystery, clue upon clue-- raising so many questions. Readers will need to stick with it and be patient until mysteries are resolved. When Olivia, Ted's cat, takes over the narrative she is very funny, as well as moving in her loyalty to Ted, and odd in her reasoning. Beautifully written and disturbing. Trigger warning: there is some violence towards birds and cats.

The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward is an interesting read that takes one on a rollercoaster ride of twists and turns in the process of solving the disappearance of a young girl many years earlier. The author does a great job of filling chapters with different point of views that keep the reader guessing until the very end. Several times I thought I had it figured out, only to have the story take yet another turn. As a mental health provider for decades, I can assure you that Ward has done a great job in researching for this book.
I had a slow start getting interested in the characters and storyline. In fact, at 10% of the way in, I seriously considered not finishing this book, a first for me! After reading the reviews before me, I decided to stick with it as many reviewers gave high praise. I’m glad I continued on as this book became much more interesting for me about halfway through. I was left wondering why the author introduced so many different characters, though and thought I might have missed their significance to the story when I finished the book.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Kindle Arc. The Last House on Needless Street wasn't what I was expecting. When I saw it mentioned on the web and social media, it was billed as "horror." It is a horrific story, but not in the vein of the type of horror I'm used to reading. The story follows Ted, a 40-something adult, who lives in isolation with his "daughter" and "cat." I won't put any spoilers here. Ted suffers from long-standing mental illness, dating all the way back to his childhood. Its difficult to say what is real and what isn't. The book was engrossing and I wanted to find out what happened but I felt it spiraled a little at the end.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC.

I'm not sure how I feel about this book. It was interesting and twisty and weird, but maybe too much? I don't know. But I will say that I'm still digesting it 2 days after finishing it. It did take me a long time to get through because I found myself getting frustrated by how off kilter I felt the entire time I was reading. I just had no idea what was happening. Some of the prose gets a little wordy and excessive, but all in all the book came together in the end in a way that made sense. I still don't know who the bug man is or what he was supplying, so if someone could explain all that to me I'd really appreciate it.

While, at times, a genuinely uncomfortable reading experience, this redeems itself handily by not being what you think it is - at least not in total.

The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward is an unsettling novel, as you read it seems nothing quite makes sense. A cat who reads the Bible? (I loved her!) Ted, a slob of a man who is obsessed with his mommy, sees a psychiatrist to get medication and lives locked in a house with boarded up windows? His daughter, a young girl named Lauren who is a nasty, spiteful child? It all becomes clear at the end but it's a bit of a slog to get there, even though I found it difficult to put the book down. But I have that problem with most books of this genre...I have to read to the end or the novel will haunt me.

The twist is interesting, but I had mostly figured it out by the end. A strange novel, but engrossing. Thank you to the author, Macmillan-Tor/Forge and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.