Another thrilling read from AR Torre!!! Kept me engaged the entire time! I hated outlets FMC (by design) and was totally uncomfortable, but in the best way!

I am a big fan of A.R. Torre's writing. I really had no idea where this was going, but in a good way. It made sense, but kept me on my toes and told an interesting story.

A dark, twisty thriller that kept me racing through the pages . A mother with a long kept secret meets present day true -crime obsession . This was my first from this author, but definitely not my last !

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the chance to read The last party by A.R. Torre. This author is on my must read list ever since I read The ghostwriter. I followed it up with A divided heart, written under Alessandra Torre. The author is known for her twists and turns, and disturbing dark characters. The last party had me on the edge of my seat, and while I wasn't a fan of the characters, I couldn't wait to finish it. As the author states it's not for everyone, and if you are looking for feel good story, this is not it! 31/2 stars rounded up.

I absolutely loved this book! I have not read another thriller with this story line and boy was I HOOKED! Definitely recommended this to others already!

I've read other books by A. R. Torre and have enjoyed them, so I was exciting to start reading this. I didn't love it but i also didn't hate it. It was just okay. Sometimes it dragged on longer than necessary and found myself having a hard time following along. The last third of the book was when it seemed to get better. Giving these 3 stars.

Haunting and tense, a twisty mystery with excellent pacing and tone. I couldn’t put it down! I loved the diabolical POVs, the atmospheric settings, and the complex characters. Really well done!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy. These opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read this ARC: The Last Party by A.R. Torre.

This is the second book I’ve read by this author. I am looking forward to reading all of the other books she has written.

This domestic psychological thriller centers around the Wultz family: Perla, Grant and their 12 year old daughter, Sophie. Perla is an evil, calculating and extremely disturbed woman. Her husband and daughter are oblivious to this, as Perla hides her devious acts and thoughts very well.

The pace is fast, and once you get started, you won’t want to stop reading. Loved everything about this book!

THE LAST PARTY was a compelling if confusing thriller. The first 50% was well written and interesting, but difficult to figure out how the pieces fit together. The latter half of the book started answering some questions, which was very needed! There were still some twists and motivations that felt over the top, but overall appreciated the ambitious flow of this story and creativity.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read and review THE LAST PARTY.

**Many thanks to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and A.R. Torre for an ARC of this book!**

"Sometimes it's not the people who change. It's the mask that falls off."

In the eyes of her posh Pasadena community, Perla Wultz certainly lives up to her name: glamorous, well-to-do, and happily ensconced in a relationship with husband Grant, she is truly the pearl of his eye. 11 year old daughter Sophie completes the perfect image of familial harmony, giving the appearance of a 'fresh off the cover of a magazine' family that would make ANYONE envious. But beneath this facade, Perla has a fascination not with Balencianga or Botox...but with murder. And not just any murder...she has become all but obsessed with the Folcrum murders. At a birthday party, more than 20 years ago, Leewood Folcrum is believed to have murdered two young girls at his daughter's birthday party...and to this day, nobody is exactly sure WHY. Perla's fascination runs deeper than anyone knows...but is it simple, morbid curiosity....or something MUCH more?

Meanwhile, Leewood is living out his sentence in prison when he begins to get regular visits from a doctoral student Dr. Timothy Valden, who is determined to get to the heart of Folcrum's motivations...and finds the only way to get him to open up is by bringing his favorite food from Arby's. (I mean, can you blame him? After THAT many years of prison food?) Although Folcrum confessed when the crime first occurred, Valden feels there is much to uncover...and although he may not know the extent of it, his instincts are spot-on. As the horror of the past is slowly uncovered, Perla's obsession with the grisly murders reaches new heights...and let's just say a certain 11 year old has a birthday party RIGHT around the corner. What exactly could Perla have in mind...and is there ANYONE paying close enough attention to step in before the clock strikes midnight at yet ANOTHER birthday party sleepover...that just so happens to have only TWO guests?

I haven't had the chance to pick up a book from Torre in QUITE a while, but I felt fairly confident going in that the hallmarks of this versatile author (who bounces back and forth between pen-names: Alessandra Torre for her romance novels, and A.R. Torre for thrillers) would all be present in this book: quick chapters, multiple narrators (each more devious and devilish than the last), and interlocking plot lines that would give me MORE than a bit of whiplash as I raced to untangle them all...and color me relieved to find that Torre didn't miss a SINGLE beat with this effort, which is also EASILY the darkest, creepiest, and most disturbed book of hers I've EVER read!

I can't lie: I've had a hankering for a dark, disturbed, and mentally unhinged female narrator in a thriller read for, oh, MONTHS now...and trust me, Perla is all I could ever want in this department. Her murderous streak is pretty evident from the off (it's hard to even write a synopsis for this one without alluding to her 'tendencies', so to speak!) but let's face it...nobody is THAT into true crime stories unless there's more at play there, and as a reader? I was COMPLETELY here for it. Despite the fact that she has a whole BUCKET full of screws loose, Torre also took care to make Perla a fairly believable character...and at times, ALMOST a sympathetic one at that. (Yes, ALMOST...I promise you'll still (mostly) hate her!) There are plenty of layers to uncover here, and even by the book's end...I can't promise you'll feel like you'll FULLY know her...but let's just say you'll know ENOUGH!

On top of the dark and twisted 'genius' of the Perla character, Torre neatly presents a concurrent plot exploring the Folcrom backstory, and this narration never gets too stuck in the weeds either, which for a story line that could have EASILY gotten repetitive and stale is truly saying something. The book is also interspersed with little snippets of interviews from those who were interrogated along the way about the crimes and suspects at play, and all of these bits are cleverly chosen to whet your appetite and also inspire your subconscious to explore a MULTITUDE of possibilities along the way. Are they cleverly hidden clues...or simply red herrings? We are also treated to journal entries from Sophie, which serve not only as a clever diversion, but also get us emotionally invested in this character, even at times from afar. Although I think this device COULD have played a bigger role in the way the story played out, it was a welcome relief from the straight-up malicious inner monologue of one Perla Wultz.

That's not to say there aren't aspects of this novel that felt a little predictable, and this is one reason this was a solid 4.5 star read for me rather than an emphatic 5. Without giving anything away, there ARE aspects that you'll most likely piece together (especially if you are a thriller aficionado and consider the 'basic' possibilities), as well as plot points that are a tad convenient at times (and also improbable, to an extent). But there's a reason why popcorn thrillers WORK...and are just such delicious, guilty FUN! I'd be lying if I said that Torre didn't just keep me guessing, but made that process so well, THRILLING, that this is absolutely the kind of read that gives you a tiny book hangover...evidenced by the fact that even when I started a new thriller right after this one, I kept having to remind myself that nope, this one was over. It was unfortunately that same sad feeling you get after Christmas is over and you have to settle in for a long, grim January-March. (But hey it's only Labor Day...I refuse to think that far ahead!)

At every party, there's the first to arrive, the last to arrive, and everyone who pops in between...some with snacks and drinks, some empty handed, and some who just can't help but light up the room with their magnetic, unique, and irreplaceable presence. And in a metaphorical party of thriller authors, I would say Torre reminds me a bit of a Kesha lyric:

The party didn't start till SHE walked in!

4.5 stars

I truly love all of her books but THIS one was truly unhinged and way more twisted than her other books. I kept wanting more even when I was getting anxious being in the MC’s head. Perla Waltz is the FMC that we all love to hate. She’s a nuisance but she’s so clever and riveting that it’s hard to look away. I loved this one!!

My chest felt heavy reading this, intense as it was. My heart cleaved in two---how could she and knowing why he did.

Wow! Just wow!
This is such a clever and brilliantly addictive and intriguingly juicy book.
Without going too much into this as I think it's best to go in as blind as possible but it's about a murder party 23 years earlier and the people obsessed with it. It is written with 4 different POVs (Leewood - the man convicted of the murder party 23 yrs ago, Perla - who is obsessed with the murder party, Grant - Perla's husband and Sophie - Perla and Grant's daughter) we also get snippets of interviews with many different people after the events of whatever goes down in the book, giving us breadcrumbs along the way.
Let me tell you the chapters are short, which just leaves you wanting more "just one more chapter" will definitely be said. It will have you trying to connect the dots as you act out the possible scenarios in your head and then when you figure it out at around 70% because you will it is designed that way, the book will evolve into a cat and mouse game that will have your heart racing and thinking how is this going to end!!!!!
Amazing, amazing I loved it!
100% recommend!

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer for providing me with a copy for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Geez, this story is dark!

It's difficult to review this book without spoilers, so maybe skim this if you haven’t read it yet. I’ve tried my best. The simple summary is that a tragic event called the Folcrum Party murders occurred over twenty years ago when three twelve-year-old girls were attacked at a birthday party, leading to the murder conviction of the birthday girl Jenny’s father, Lee Folcrum.

Over the years, Lee has had many admirers. Unbeknownst to her family, Perla Wultz is one of them, and she’s been harboring a growing obsession with him and those long-ago events. What is her motivation? To everyone on the outside, she’s the devoted, well-to-do wife of Grant, and mom to precocious pre-teen daughter Sophie. Image is everything, right?

All I can say is that spending time in her head is one of the scariest places I’ve been in quite awhile!

The story rotates between the perspectives of Perla, Grant, and Lee, with some journal entries from Sophie and snippets of interviews with various people who are relaying aspects of a crime that has taken place after the fact. There’s also a secondary thread with Lee and an enigmatic male grad student who keeps visiting him in prison ostensibly as part of his doctorate studies. Watching all the threads weave together to form the picture made this a riveting story!

A.R. Torre has once again shown her talent for writing a deviously twisted tale. Every major character in the story was a mystery within the bigger mystery waiting to be revealed. It had tension, intrigue, meticulous plotting and one of the coldest characters I’ve ever encountered on the page. Seriously … brrrr. Ice cold.

My one and only reason for not being able to give it the full 5 stars is that it was simply hard for me to be in Perla’s relentlessly dark headspace at times, and being privy to what those thoughts were about only intensified that feeling. The writing is fantastic, and I still really enjoyed the story, so it’s a “me” issue and not a book issue. For those who like their psychological mystery-thrillers black as night, this should satisfy you!

★★★★ ½

It's been some time since I've finished a book and said "wow" to myself. I'm happy to say that The Last Party is one of those books. I really liked this story, especially how it was told, in spite of it having some very dark themes.

No one is who they seem to be in this story, and their secrets are expertly revealed as the tale proceeds. I can't get into details so I don't spoil things, but I really liked how the bits and pieces were presented to me as a reader. The story is told via short chapters in multiple points of view, and that helped to keep things moving along at a terrific pace. While the story did leave me guessing at parts, there was only one huge reveal that I didn't see coming, but that was okay. Part of the fun is guessing the hidden relationships.

Even though there were some cringe-worthy parts to this (for good reason), I found the presentation engaging and it had me hooked quickly. There were a few slow spots where the reader gets to catch their breath. Overall, this was a terrific thriller/suspense / mystery and it will be on my favorites of 2024 list!

4.5/5 stars

The Last Party is a chilling psychological thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat.

The book focuses on husband and wife Grant and Perla Wultz. We get lots of Perla's POV. They have an almost 12 year old daughter Sophie. We get some of her journal entries. Then there is Leewood, a killer in prison.

It was clear from the start that Perla was a unique and complex woman. I was very intrigued by how she acted. And I was very invested in her family.

This is a dark and disturbing story. And I was equally obsessed, fascinated and unsettled. I was definitely very curious to see where the story was headed. And I did like that we got to see Leewood in prison. I liked finding out more about his crime from 20 years ago.

This book features evil twisted characters, big reveals and shocking outcomes. It was a riveting story. And even though I started figuring out some of the truth I was completely engrossed in the story. But I did find parts quite disturbing. It was a bit hard to read at times. It's not graphic, but whenever bad things happen to children it is upsetting. My heart was definitely racing. The last parts of the book were quite shocking and I could not wait to see how things would play out. Overall this was a thrilling book that I could not put down.

4.5 stars - thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ebook ARC of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts!

Wow, this book was deeply unsettling. Dark, twisted, brutal, calculated, and nearly impossible to put down. If you’re a parent, proceed with caution. Didn’t guess a thing, loved it.

Not my favorite read of the year, I had trouble liking any of the characters. The plot had good potential, but fell short a bit for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. This book officially publishes on 8/20/24!

This book gripped me from the first page and I pretty much read 90% of it in one sitting. This is a very fast-paced read, with short chapters and multiple POVs to further the plot. This is not my first book by this author and it definitely won’t be my last. Giving this one 4 stars because I did guess one of the larger twists; however, it was not the only one. Overall this was a roller coaster of a ride and I would recommend giving this one a read. If you do, please check any relevant trigger warnings before doing so.

Soo good! I put this on my shelf for a while and it was a big mistake. I should have known this author should be read immediately. I really like this author. Her books are twisty and turney and super fun. Highly recommend! Love this author.