Everyone loves a good “ haunted house/ghost” murder mystery and Riley Sager always delivers!! There are so many twists and turns in this book you will not know which end is up and do not skip a single page! I love all of his books and look forward to his next one!

Thank you Penguin Group, Dutton for my early copy! All thoughts are my own.

I read about two thrillers a year and once is always Riley Sager’s latest. I love his tongue and cheek nature and how he writes for the genre. I rarely see his twists and turns coming and know I can’t skip a single word because it all matters. This book was a wild ride and one I read in about 7 hours covers to cover. I loved the Maine setting and almost wanted more of the history of the house. I also missed some paranormal! I know that’s not always popular with readers, but I love it.

Synopsis:

“At seventeen, Lenora HopeHung her sister with a ropeNow reduced to a schoolyard chant, the Hope family murders shocked the Maine coast one bloody night in 1929. While most people assume seventeen-year-old Lenora was responsible, the police were never able to prove it. Other than her denial after the killings, she has never spoken publicly about that night, nor has she set foot outside Hope’s End, the cliffside mansion where the massacre occurred.Stabbed her father with a knifeTook her mother’s happy lifeIt’s now 1983, and home-health aide Kit McDeere arrives at a decaying Hope’s End to care for Lenora after her previous nurse fled in the middle of the night. In her seventies and confined to a wheelchair, Lenora was rendered mute by a series of strokes and can only communicate with Kit by tapping out sentences on an old typewriter. One night, Lenora uses it to make a tantalizing offer—I want to tell you everything.“It wasn’t me,” Lenora saidBut she’s the only one not dead As Kit helps Lenora write about the events leading to the Hope family massacre, it becomes clear there’s more to the tale than people know. But when new details about her predecessor’s departure come to light, Kit starts to suspect Lenora might not be telling the complete truth—and that the seemingly harmless woman in her care could be far more dangerous than she first thought.” —NetGalley

What I Liked:

The Setting Descriptions—So clear, so grounded in reality. I could hear the waves crashing on the coast line as I read.

The Sager Flare—Sager is irrelevant and pisses off so many readers. As someone who wouldn’t consider herself a thriller reader in any sense, I love it.

What Didn’t Work:

Almost too much/Overwritten—One reason I picked this up when I did was because I needed something I could fly through. This was a slog at some points and I think could have been edited down. Kenny? We didn’t need him.

Not loving some of the language around suicide—maybe I’m overly sensitive, but this felt icky to me…but I don’t read the genre a lot so maybe it’s just me.

A Little Too Graphic For Me—See above. It’s bloody! It’s brutal, emotionally and physically. Proceed with caution.

Character Authenticity: 4/5 Spice Rating: N/A Overall Rating: 3.75/5

Content Warnings:

suicide, murder, mental illness, ableism, pregnancy, graphic birth, violence

Lenora killed her family members when she was 17. She denied killing then and now she is in her 70s confined to a wheelchair. Kit who is down on her luck becomes a reluctant home health worker. When Kit starts working strange things happen the strangest being that Lenora thought paralyzed wants to tell her the truth about what happened that night. Is she telling the truth and does Kit or anyone else believe her? Watching it all unfold is tantalizing!

Loved the setting of the house and the overall gothic feel to the book. Though this is not one of my favorite’s from Sager it’s better than some of the others.

I didn’t find myself rooting for one character and the “twist” wasn’t as shocking or unexpected as it could have been.

I've been dying to get my hands on The Only One Left since the day I seen the announcement about it, and it did not disappoint! One of my favorite things about a Riley Sager novel is the atmosphere, and this one gave me all of the eerie/creepy vibes I was looking for. I also loved the gothic feel of the old mansion.

There are so many twists and turns that kept me guessing throughout this entire book, but the last few chapters gave me whip lash! The very end?! What?! I already wish I could relive reading those last few chapters! I can't wait until more people get their hands on this one!

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Riley Sager, and Penguin Group Dutton for an arc of one of my most anticipated reads of 2023!

In my experience, Riley Sager novels are hit or miss. The Only One Left is a hit. I spent every free second devouring this story. On the subway, in the elevator, even at work. Just when you think you’ve gotten to the twist… there’s another twist and another. Every time I thought I had it all figured out, I was thrown for a loop. The setting, the mystery and the characters all had me hooked. It won’t take you long to get through this and if you’re anything like me, you won’t be able to put it down ‘til you reach the last page.

This is my favorite Riley Sager book! I stayed up ALL NIGHT reading this. Excellent thriller. I am jealous of anyone that has not read this and gets to experience this story for the very first time!

Really enjoyed this one. It gripped me from the start. Very atmospheric and unlike his other novels. I was really entranced and wanted to know exactly what is happening here. I thought at one point that i knew what was going to happen and then the twists hit and i didn’t know anything at all. So he shocked me! Love when that happens. There’s so many secrets that everyone is hiding. And no one is who you think they are.

I think this is my fav of his so far

Ohhhhhh Sager does it again! Truly could not put this down. It was a bit confusing at times keeping all of the storylines and characters straight but man, I had a great time reading this.

Thank you to the publisher & Netgalley for an advance copy of this title! By this point, who doesn't love Riley Sager! Sager yet again manages to create an original suspenseful novel that feels familiar at the same time!

If the chant based on suspected Murderer Lenora Hope doesn't entice you to want to read...I don't know what will?

At seventeen, Lenora Hope
Hung her sister with a rope
Stabbed her father with a knife
Took her mother’s happy life
“It wasn’t me,” Lenora said
But she’s the only one not dead

After thinking I had figured out the true story of that fateful 1929 night about 4 times....Riley Sager decided to take me down a different path!

Definitely one of my favorites of 2023 so far!!

Publisher Description:
Now reduced to a schoolyard chant, the Hope family murders shocked the Maine coast one bloody night in 1929. While most people assume seventeen-year-old Lenora was responsible, the police were never able to prove it. Other than her denial after the killings, she has never spoken publicly about that night, nor has she set foot outside Hope’s End, the cliffside mansion where the massacre occurred.

It’s now 1983, and home-health aide Kit McDeere arrives at a decaying Hope’s End to care for Lenora after her previous nurse fled in the middle of the night. In her seventies and confined to a wheelchair, Lenora was rendered mute by a series of strokes and can only communicate with Kit by tapping out sentences on an old typewriter. One night, Lenora uses it to make a tantalizing offer—I want to tell you everything.

As Kit helps Lenora write about the events leading to the Hope family massacre, it becomes clear there’s more to the tale than people know. But when new details about her predecessor’s departure come to light, Kit starts to suspect Lenora might not be telling the complete truth—and that the seemingly harmless woman in her care could be far more dangerous than she first thought.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

It seemed for awhile that Riley Sager could do no wrong -- he launched his thriller career with a bang with Final Girls, an excellent thriller that promised great things. He followed that one up with The Last Time I Lied, Lock Every Door, and Home Before Dark, each book fantastic in its own right. Sadly, he stumbled with Survive the Night, and while I personally enjoyed The House Across the Lake, it's a very divisive book that seemed to disappoint many of his fans.

Does "The Only One Left" serve as a return to form for Sager? Not entirely... but it IS a much better read than "Survive the Night," and eschews the elements that made "The House Across the Lake" so divisive. And it's a twisty thriller that kept me guessing to the very end.

In 1929, the wealthy Hope family was all found murdered in their home... save the daughter Lenora, who was never charged with the crime but remains accused by the entire town. Now it's 1983, and caretaker Kit has been sent to Hope's End, the crumbling mansion that Lenora hasn't left in decades, to look after her in her old age. Kit herself is running from her own personal demons, and finds a strange kindred spirit in Lenora. But Hope's End is hiding a tangle of secrets, and unraveling them could solve a decades-old murder... or put Kit in the crosshairs of a killer.

This is a nicely paced book that manages to keep the suspense going to the very end, and comes complete with a plethora of twists that will keep readers guessing. Some of the twists feel a little over-the-top, but I enjoyed them nonetheless. The book also alternates between Kit and Lenora's points of view, helping to build both the present-day story and the past tale of the Hope murders and the events leading up to them. This helped to lay the backstory of the book without resorting to info-dumping and slowing the story down.

The characters are all hiding their own secrets throughout the book, and pretty much all of them are flawed to one degree or another. But this helps them feel more real and fleshed-out, and on the flip side even characters you would think were entirely hateful and despicable have some sympathetic traits. Some of them feel a little like throwaway characters, like their absence wouldn't have affected the plot at all, but that's a minor complaint.

While not as good as Sager's early work, "The Only One Left" is a huge step above some of his later books. It gives us a nicely twisty story and a thrilling plot, and it will keep you guessing to the very last page.

Excuse me, while I PICK MY JAW UP OFF THE FLOOR! WHAT?! Y’all. I have never read a book with so many twists in MY LIFE, and I can honestly say, every single one of them I NEVER SAW COMING. JUST WOW. I don’t know what else to say.

*3.5 rounded up for GoodReads scoring*
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group DUTTON for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I've read A LOT of Riley Sager. They're not incredible works of fiction but they're super quick to read, simple, and they don't require a whole lot of work on the reader's part. They're very much summer horror flicks in that they're self-contained and they've got a lot of tropes. Sager is really fond of writing from the perspective of a woman and there's usually something going on with her; she's an alcoholic, she's mentally ill, she's running from a dark past, etc. And there's always a twist or two. It's like a Scream movie. This isn't a bad thing, it just means that Sager has his writing down to a formula. Again, not a bad thing, it just means that if you're familiar with his writing and/or horror movies, the twists may be easy to guess.

All of that said, I really enjoyed his last book, "Survive the Night", which I thought was fun and simple. "The Only One Left" is no exception. We've got a possible haunted house on a cliff, a triple homicide, a suspicious sole survivor, a limited cast of characters, and a main character who may or may not have committed assisted suicide with her mother. For what this is, I enjoyed it. Again, Sager's writing is simple and doesn't require a whole lot of thinking on my part. I will say that I tend to guess twists and usually the only reason I keep reading is to see if I was right. Despite the formulaic almost procedural feel of his writing, Sager is really good at tone and creating suspense and intrigue. You as a reader can't help but keep reading.

I would definitely recommend this if you just want a book to tune out into. It's short, simple, and fun. Like a summer horror flick.

Thank you so much for giving me access to the advanced reader copy of this book.

This book was a wild ride! I like that I could not guess the ending and the creepy house vibes were great!

I did feel the ending was a little too much and over the top. This book was similar to other books- Misery, Verity and Mexican Gothic. I liked the story overall. 3.5 stars.

Rating 4.5

This book had me on the edge of my seat until the last 80%. I love a good twisty read but come on, a book doesn’t need over ten twists. This one started out so strong and immediately had me hooked. I was obsessed with the plot and finding out what was actually going on. I had fun thinking of different theories. The characters were whatever, I wasn’t really reading this one for them. Like I said, I was mostly obsessed with the plot and the spooky aspects of the story. This one was well written and had really good pacing for a suspense book. I feel as though the reader is given a good amount of information in a timely manner. My only problem was with the ending. It’s almost as though the author couldn’t decide on just one or two twists so he added in ones that weren’t necessary. By the last twist I was annoyed that the story wasn’t ending. I also am not a fan of a twist that the reader has no way of figuring out. I feel as though there should have been some hidden details in the book somewhere to justify that certain twist. But overall, I would still recommend this one even though the ending did disappoint me.

Thank you so much to the author and publisher for the gifted copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

THE HORROR BOOK OF THE YEAR. PERFECTION IN EVERY SENSE. HURRY UP AND PICK THIS UP ASAP!

RILEY EFFIN SAGER CAN DO NO WRONG!

I have read all of Riley Sager's books and they have been hit or miss for me. They have all been completely bingeable with some decent twists - but the ones that didn't work were big flops for me for one reason or another. Riley loves writing from a female main character that is unreliable or unstable - alcoholic/struggling with mental health issues or something else and his books have too many plot holes for me. This was my last shot with Riley Sager and was about ready to give up on him!

But - I'm so excited that this book is easily his best yet. This feels like his older books and deviates significantly from his more recent ones. This book has a likable, strong, female! There is an intriguing mystery to keep you hooked, good twists, and the pacing was right on. I had a couple theories that sort of panned out and a few good ones got me too!

Riley Sager always delivers on mystery/thrillers. I love the idea of a "Lizzie Borden" type character who was accused and believed to have killed her parents even though it was never proven. I like the characters - including the tilting mansion - Hope's End. The house becomes a character in itself. Great read.

Well hot dog, that was a wild ride. Riley Sager is the king of writing atmospheric thrillers, and this one was no exception.

This is the story of a home-health aide named Kit, who takes a job caring for the infamous Lenora Hope, a woman whom everyone assumes murdered her family in the late 1920s. But the police were never able to prove this. Now in her 70s, she is wheelchair bound, cannot speak and only has the use of one arm, which she has learned to type on a typewriter with. One night, she types out a message to Kit, telling her she wants to reveal everything to her. And so the story goes on. We are introduced to a small cast of characters who live and work at the notorious Hope's End, a stately mansion atop a crumbling cliff by the ocean. The state of the house seems to reflect the state of the turmoil within it. I love stories like this... a cast of characters stuck within confined quarters.... not knowing who you can trust. The twists were twisting in this one 🙌🏼. I very much enjoyed it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin House Dutton for the ARC!

Thanks to NetGalley for the free eARC!

In 1929, around the same time the stock market crashed, a horrific series of murders occurred at a seaside mansion in Maine. Eldest daughter Lenora Hope was the only survivor, and according to the Lizze Borden-esque chant, she stabbed her mother and father and then hanged her sister. Other than vehemently denying her involvement in the murders, Lenora never spoke to the press again, and since the police never found the murder weapon, there wasn’t enough evidence to convict her. Lenora withdrew from public life, and as home health aide Kit McDeere finds out, never left Hope’s End, the mansion where it all went down.

Turns out, Lenora suffered from a stroke, or maybe polio, not long after the deaths of her family. She’s been bedridden ever since, with almost no means of communication other than tapping her semi-functional left hand (twice for yes, once for no). She doesn’t seem to have any cognitive difficulties, although it’s hard to tell, given her limited means of communication. The household staff is down to a skeleton crew - a chef, a groundskeeper, a maid, and “head of household” Mrs Baker (who has never been married, but insists on the title anyway). Although the maid and groundskeeper are around Kit’s age, Mrs. Baker and Archie the chef have been at the house for years - dating all the way back to 1929.

Kit is hired to replace the previous nurse, Mary, who left without warning in the middle of the night. It’s not a great position - Kit’s grown up hearing the stories about Hope’s End and the infamous murders, but given her own recent work scandal, Kit doesn’t really have a choice. She reluctantly accepts, although she’s terrified of Lenora (which is illogical, given that she’s bedridden). Not long after Kit starts, Lenora reveals a secret - she can type. In fact, she had been using the typewriter Mary brought her to tell her story, and she tells Kit that she wants to continue with her. She’s going to tell her everything.

What follows is a classic Riley Sager thriller. The gothic setting, the house literally crumbling around them all. The potential supernatural element - is the ghost of Virginia Hope (Lenora’s sister) perhaps haunting the grounds? And of course all of the twists and turns. I always think I know where Sager’s stories are going, and I’m frequently wrong! I can’t really say more without giving too much away, but Sager’s great at convincing you that you’ve figured it all out early on, only to pull the rug (and then…replace the rug? This is a tortured metaphor).

One of the things that bugged me about his early books was that there was always a weird plot thread left dangling - usually the question of a supernatural element (I remember this most vividly with Lock Every Door). In this case, much like last summer’s The House Across the Lake, that question is definitively settled by the end.

My only issue is that I kept forgetting this book was set in the early 80s and the dates kept jarring me. Other than some mentions of technology, there’s not too much that really ties this story to the 80s, so it felt weirdly modern. Then someone would reference something that happened in the 1920s and I’d wonder how old these people were supposed to be before I remembered the year. I’m not really sure why it needed to be set in these particular timelines. I guess it’s more plausible that little police work would have been done, and a young woman wouldn’t have been seriously considered a suspect - given that this is all clearly inspired by Lizzie Borden. And the way the story works out, it has WAY less impact if a 2020s era character is finding all of this out 100 years after the fact; it has way more impact if these people are mostly still alive. But I feel like even in the 40s or 50s, we still weren’t in the golden age of evidence collection and preservation…

Either way, it’s an interesting twist on the Lizzie Borden tale, and it definitely kept me guessing.

Also (pedant alert!): it’s HANGED. She HANGED her sister with a rope, not hung. I can kind of see using “hung” for the rhyme, since hanged has a different cadence to it, but multiple characters use it when talking about the murders, and every time I saw “hung” instead of “hanged,” my eye twitched.