The Last Caretaker is a fine suspense thriller, but even better as a platform to examine the most difficult and under supported policing in the criminal area of domestic violence. Although, Strawser presents a suspect perspective on this issue, a reading of the novel does open up a debate on ways to combat this violence.

There are some ends left untied at the end of the novel, which makes the reader think of various options for the characters in the future. This is all good. There is an admirable reader's guide attached, whose prompts can lead to more nuanced discussions of this issue.

The characters are varied and complex, although I wished to know more about how Katie functioned in her previous life. The leap into Bess' world seemed too unexplained without a first person POV. I longed to "feel" her more in the outdoors and see a connection to her earlier life, even if Katie herself wasn't aware of the connection.

The plot works, with the one drawback that the reader becomes aware that the amount of dialog was too long for the urgency of a deadline - leaving a child unattended, for example. I'm not exactly sure how an editor could have helped this, but that is the only area I could see for improvement.

Good job, and a needed POV on a current issue. Many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Premise of the book is good and i liked the setting however fell kind of flat for me. I didn't find it suspenseful at all.
Apart from her marriage breakdown, all i know about Katie is because she tells us what Bess is and says she is the opposite. For paragraphs. And of course, she didn't feel good enough. Sometimes i wished she'd just shut up and do something and when things started ramping up, i didn't really care enough for the character to be worried.
I would have preferred to read about all the other characters in the book than being stuck in Katie's head.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
I read "The Next Thing You Know" by Jessica Strawser last year & loved it so when I saw her latest book, "The Last Caretaker" was available to review, I had to request a copy.
I enjoyed the characters, location & the author's writing style.
It's part women's fiction & part mystery/thriller.
It was a nicely paced story & the last 12% of the book had a great unexepected twist.
I'll definitely be on the lookout for Ms. Strawser's next book.

This was the first book I’ve read by this author and I enjoyed it immensely. The plot is fast moving with a good twist! It keeps you guessing and the characters are easy to empathise with. Definitely worth a read and you’ll be hooked after the first chapter. I will be reading more of Jessica’s books going forward.

Kate’s life needs a reboot as she moves from web pages to caretaking in The Last Caretaker by Jessica Strawser that was published December 1. Recently divorced, Katie is lucky enough that her best friend Bess has recommended Kate for caretaking at the 927-acre Grove Farm Nature Preserve in Ohio. While not a big outdoor fan, Katie guesses the job would be a nice change of pace.

The job comes with a farmhouse in which to live, but it looks like the last caretaker left in such a hurry that many personal items abandoned. Katie and house cleaners pack up Grace’s things in hopes she returns for them.

When a scared and battered woman arrives at the caretaker’s farmhouse in the middle of the night, Katie is surprised the woman is expecting a safe place to hide. As Katie follows the clues, she becomes aware that Grace had been part of an underground network to move abused women to safe places.

Shall Katie fill Grace’s shoes in this endeavor? What has happened to Grace as calls to Grace’s sister go unanswered or returned? Why is the groundskeeper Jude, a police academy dropout, always finding reasons to be at the caretaker’s place? Who can be trusted: the hikers, the dog walkers, the nature photographers? Katie will have to dig deep to solve these mysteries. There is more to the job than meets the eye as Katie searches to find out about the last caretaker.

Jessica Strawser is Editor-at-Large for Writer’s Digest and a popular speaker at writing conferences, book clubs, and book festivals. Not That I Could Tell was a Book of the Month selection, and The Next Thing You Know was a People magazine pick for 2023. She lives with her family in Ohio.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting December 27, 2023.

I would like to thank Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

What a riveting read! Meet Katie, the newly appointed caretaker at Grove nature reserve. Fleeing from a traumatic divorce, Katie finds solace in the isolation and beauty that comes with her new role. It also helps that her oldest friend Bess works in the administrative side of Grove. When Katie arrives at her new lodgings, she is surprised to see that the last caretaker, Grace, left in somewhat of a hurry, leaving many personal items behind. There is also the cranky handyman Jude to contend with, a man determined to see Katie fail. The story becomes stranger still when a panicked woman arrives at Katie’s door in the middle of the night, clearly running from danger… What is going on at Grove?

I so enjoyed this novel. The storyline was unique and gripping, it focused on a worthy topic without using it to escalate drama, providing it with the dignity it deserves. Characters were well rounded and interesting. The pacing was fantastic, I looked forward to picking the story up every day. A highly recommended read!

Many thanks to Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
Katie is recently divorced and wants to start over, a residential caretaker job at a nature preserve sounds perfect, an added bonus is she will be near her best friend Bess. Katie’s arrives at her new home and immediately senses that something is off, the previous caretaker has left so many personal things,pictures, books, her coat, it feels like this person has just nipped out for something.
Katie is intrigued as to what happened her predecessor. Then when a scared upset woman arrives at her door late at night Katie discovers that there is more to the caretaker role than she had anticipated, it is a safe house for woman who have suffered domestic violence.
This story is full of suspense, who can Katie trust, she is even doubting her friend Bess.
Katie finds an inner strength and courage she didn’t know she had as she puts herself at risk to help others, woman’s lives are at risk.
The author captures the nature reserve so descriptively you can almost feel yourself there. The pages turn themselves as the suspense builds and Katie moves closer to finding Grace. A thought provoking read, good characters with background stories and a great ending.
4.5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union for the opportunity to read The Last Caretaker by Jessica Strawser, a timely, important story.

This was a great book with a fantastic storyline, there was a bit of a mystery side to it and I couldn’t put it down. Highly recommend!

This was my first book book by this author and I really liked it! Good storyline! Highly highly recommend.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest book by a favorite, Jessica Strasser - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Fresh out of her divorce, Katie needs a new start. Her best friend, Bess, offers her a caretaking job at the nature preserve where she works. It comes with housing, quiet, and nature - all things that will hopefully sooth Katie's soul. But something is a bit wrong - the previous caretaker seemingly left without taking any of her belongings and no one has heard from her. Then, on her first night there, she learns that her home is also an underground safe house for domestic violence victims. Suddenly, Katie's world turns upside down once again, and she's not sure who she can trust.

I loved this book and the strong women characters inside. The tension and fear echoed through the pages and I felt like I was along with Katie on her journey. Just like Katie, I wasn't sure who I could trust, but I admired how so many of these women lived the mantra that it's always better to do the right thing, no matter what. But will the cost be too high? Another wonderful book by Jessica Strasser!

Domestic violence is too often downplayed, overlooked, and still far too uncomfortable a conversation to have; we must do better in this area of life.

Jessica Strawser has crafted a great story about the Sequence, an underground group who help women in their last option in DV situations. If you need the Sequence, you are in the position similar to witness protection: You will leave everyone and everything behind, get a new name and new social security number, and get set up in an undisclosed location.

The group, who use code names and works on the basis of anonymity, even within the group — for plausible deniability reasons, assist these women to the Grove, a nature conservation in the middle of nowhere. Katie winds up as the caretaker on the property after her best friend, now boss, insists she is up for the challenge following her divorce. Little does Katie, or Bess know that Katie is stepping into the shoes of one of the underground workers.

Thrust into the unknown of working on the property and helping battered women who show up in the middle of the night, Katie is in way over her head. When her years as a tech worker solving problems leads her to ask too many questions, she finds not only is she now at risk, but so are the people she cares for most.

The Last Caretaker is a realistic look into the horrors of life on the run for battered women whose lives depends on becoming invisible. This is a tough subject and a near impossible one to write about successfully in a fictional way that keeps the reader interested while not disrespecting true victims. Jessica Strawser has found the sweet spot within which to master both these tasks.

A must read in our ever violent world.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC. My options have not been influenced and this is an uncompensated review.

Katie has just go through a bad divorce and she is having a hard time. But then her friend Bess tells her about a care taking job at at resident home so Katie decides why not. When Katie arrives it doesnt look like much care taking is occurring as the residents arent being moved much. And then one evening a young woman comes and is looking for refuge. At this moment Katie isnt really comfortable with this job or place or co workers and feels like something nefarious is going on behind the scenes.

This was a good book. I enjoyed the writing and thought it captured the depravity of the situation and what bad things were happening. I thought the character of Katie was definitely interesting and seeing her development through the book was captivating. I thought it was a well written book and I was guessing a lot through the book. I would recommend.

I absolutely loved the concept of this book. Despite covering topics that can be hard to swallow (domestic violence, assault, death, etc. Please check trigger warnings), it was easy to read. The characters where loveable and their stories were easy to follow.

The Last Caretaker is a story about resilience and women sticking together and supporting each other which I think is a very important theme. It is also a reminder for those suffering in similar circumstances that they are not alone.

When I sat down to start this book, I didn’t expect that I’d finish it in one sitting! This doesn’t have the same feel of most books that I call page-turners, but it was a great book I just could not put it down. This touched on some sensitive topics, such as domestic violence, and starting things over with a fresh life, and that made this mystery/thriller something that was also thoughtful and unique.

Katie has just gotten divorced, and not really having anywhere to go, her best friend Bess gets her a job at a nature center, the Grove Reserve. This smallish place is in immediate need of a caretaker, and while Katie isn’t particularly an outdoorsy person, but the job comes with free room and board in a furnished house - she is willing to give it a shot!

The day Katie moves into the caretaker’s house, she soon realizes that the previous caretaker, Grace, left some items behind - items that seem very personal, like photographs and journals. Why would someone quit their job, but leave so much behind? As Katie keeps probing, she soon realizes that nobody has heard from Grace since she left. What happened to the last caretaker?

One night, Katie is awakened by her doorbell repeatedly ringing three times in a row. When she sees a bloodied woman through the peephole, she lets her come in, and inadvertently falls into The Sequence. This is a group dedicated to helping women escape their abusers, but nobody bothered clueing Katie in to the additional jobs she’d be carrying out alongside her Grove caretaking duties. Soon, she finds herself trying to find out more about this group, but the overall message is “plausible deniability”. Don’t ask things you may not want the answer to…

I thought this was fantastic from beginning to end. This book has good characters, great writing, an interesting backdrop, and a lot of suspense. I did figure out a couple twists pretty early on, but the ending was still a nice surprise. This was quite an enjoyable read - 4.5 stars, rounded up!

(Thank you to Lake Union Publishing, Jessica Strawser and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.)

Katie is going through a messy and humiliating divorce and wants to restart her life. Her best friend Bess offers her a perfect opportunity to start over as the new Caretaker at Grove Farm Nature Reserve.

But from day one, something feels off. Katie’s new farmhouse looks as if the last caretaker barely moved out at all. When a frantic, terrified woman arrives late at night, expecting a safe place to hide, it’s clear caretaking involves way more than Katie bargained for.

Katie can’t tell who she can trust: the brooding groundskeeper, the daily regulars—hikers, dog walkers, bird-watchers, photographers—even Bess.

I didn’t have to read the description on this before requesting this ARC after reading The Next Thing You Know by Jessica Strawser and The Last Caretaker did not disappoint. Oh the empathy I felt for main character Katie starting over in the unfamiliar after losing all she had known, Katie really could not imagine the role she was undertaking as the new caretaker at Grove. However, trusting that her best friend Bess had her best interest at heart, Katie stepped into the role she was offered and it turned out to be what she needed in more ways she could ever imagine. Cue into this storyline the mysterious loss of precious caretaker Grace, the maintenance man Jude and photographer Ryan…the end had me shocked and satisfied all at once. This is a must read and a 5 star review for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC is exchange for an honest review.

Wow! So when I started reading this, I was thinking it was going to be a great “fluff” story. Heartbreak, followed by new love interest…..great ending. Well, let me tell you….this was completely unexpected. What a great story! This does touch on heartbreak, but the overwhelming theme is someone providing help to the most desperate. There were periods of time when I had no idea how it was going to end. What a wonderful look inside the caring hearts of some when facing the horrifying situation of domestic abuse.

To make changes as part of a new beginning after a divorce is a fairly standard response to such a major life change. Rather less common is the decision to move out into the sticks by taking a job as caretaker in a nature preserve.

But after the humiliating break up of her marriage, that is precisely what Katie - with the support of her best friend Bess, who's already working there - decides to do. And when a panicked woman shows up on her doorstep late at night, expecting a very different kind of help from the caretaker, Katie has to wonder what she's let herself in for. And how much Bess might know about this part of the job description.

I loved Jessica Strawser's earlier book Not That I Could Tell, so I jumped at the chance to review this one. And Jessica Strawser has done it again.

This is a brilliantly atmospheric story which brings alive the pleasures of the outdoors. It also asks difficult questions about what we accept as normal, and how far we are willing to go in the service of justice - especially when it may involve personal risk. Read it. Please.

Read trigger warnings first, but I enjoyed this and flew through it. I have enjoyed this author's previous works so I knew sort of what to expect going in. She is a great storyteller and keeps me turning the pages.