If you need a thriller with turns and short chapters, this is for you (But check your trigger warnings)!

Perla Wultz seems to have it all - the perfect life, the doting husband, the best child - but does she really? Leewood Fulcrum has been in jail for 23 years after confessing that he killed young girls at his daughter's sleepover. Now, he's being questioned by a doctoral student and Leewood claims that there's more to the story. The two narratives start to intertwine in a story filled with twists and turns.

I'll admit, this wasn't my favorite thriller I've read. I was able to guess a couple of the big twists early on, which made it less fun of a read. This also felt like a longer book than it actually was, and I think it was because there were SO many chapters (over 90 in a 350 page b0ok - come on!). The chapters aren't all done the same (some have character name POVs and some don't) so that made keeping up with whose POV it was frustrating, as well as the switching back and forth from 1st person to 3rd person POV.


Once I was in the thick of the book (around 60% in), this book got really likable and fun to read! So if you can stick it out to that point, then you're golden!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for an eARC of this book! All opinions are my own!

Twisty, mysterious, and kept me guessing to the very end. Main character Perla is a lot of everything, over the top. She is also obsessed with the twenty year old murder of two girls at a party. We know the murderer is in prison. But we also get the impression that the danger is not over.

This was a fantastic read by A. R. Torre. That being said, I am adding her other novels to my TBR right now. The chapters are short and easy to read, and the book overall keeps you wanting more.

Perla and Grant live a rich life with their daughter Sophie in a classy neighborhood. Perla and Grant both had some terrible things happen when they were younger, and those things continue to haunt them both from their past.

Leewood Folcrum confessed to murder 20+ years ago, and there are still many people wanting to find out exactly what happened that night. Folcrum has been very private about what happened and has not told the full story, which leaves some people wondering what really happened.

This story will take you through how Grant and Perla are related to the night of the Folcrum Party. And it will make you question many other things and people throughout the book. What an amazing read!!

This was a dark thriller about a 20 year old murder and the connections that each character has to these events. Mainly told from Perla’s POV, the secrets that Perla is hiding starts to unravel. All of the characters were unlikable and had major issues, especial Perla and her daughter Sofia. There were some twists and turns but also some moments that were predictable. However, I was still intrigued by the plot and drawn into the story. I love that it was fast paced and full of obsession and manipulation.

We meet the Wultz family at a diner when Perla steps up to administer CPR to a woman in distress. Her husband Grant seems to be discouraging her and eleven year old daughter Sophie observes. Right from the start we understand the Perla is Over The Top. And not in a good way! What a character!

Perla appears to be obsessed with a crime from over twenty years ago, when a birthday party for a young girl went horribly wrong. Leewood Folcrum is in prison for the crime, and the novel alternates perspectives between Leewood, Perla, Sophie and Grant. There's a true crime podcast (of course there is) and a Greek chorus of quotes at the beginning of several chapters from neighbors, school friends, coworkers, etc. alluding to a bloody crime.

So we know something bad is going to happen, and that somehow the Folcrum murders from the past have something to do with the present.

This puzzle will keep you guessing as the plot gets tighter and tighter. I couldn't put this down. A.R. Torre is a genius.

My thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the digital ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

This was a crazy thriller with an ending that made my jaw draw drop! AR Torre knows how to write a thriller that will keep you up all night. Once you start one of her books, you will not want to put it down until the book is over. With that being said, the book was a little too creepy for my taste, but I seem to be able to read more creepier content than what I can watch in tv or movies....unfortunately I am a scaredy cat. However, even though this book made me uncomfortable, I think it was kind of written to make the reader uncomfortable, and I also think that the fact that I finished this book even made me uncomfortable is a testimant to how good of an author A.R. Torre is, because despite it making me uncomfortable, I was hoooked!

Make sure to check the trigger warnings before you read this book.

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Many Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

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A chilling psychological thriller about the perfect life of Pearla, her husband Grant, and their daughter Sophie. While Pearla portrays the image of an impeccable wife and mother, the darkness of her past self is planning to commit the perfect crime and get away with it.

Leewood Folcrum confessed to murdering two girls at a birthday party twenty years ago. Pearla is obsessed with this man and believes that after she’s finished with her plan, people will believe that Leewood is innocent and they’ll both live happily ever after, but Pearla’s thorough plan has a few faults that might bring it all crashing down.

Pearla is devious, unlikable, dishonest, two-faced, and unable to feel love. She was the villian in this story and she played her part very well. Do you root for the rouge character with the evil plan, or do you pray that someone intervenes before it’s too late?

This book did have a slow start, but once I hit the 10% mark, I ended up devouring it in just a few hours. There were several twists that caught me by surprise, and that ending was intense! I’ve only read one other book by this author, but I’m excited to read her backlist and can’t wait to see what she releases next!

I really loved this book. There are multiple twists to this story and A.R. did a fantastic job laying everything out. Perla’s chapters kept me on the edge of my seat. I loved the quick little looks into Sophie’s head/journal. And Leewood’s chapters were fantastic too. I am really hit or miss with multiple POV storylines but I found this to be really easy to follow.

I truly enjoyed this book and can say it’s one of my top for the year. If you like a good thriller, this is definitely one to check out. Thanks so much to NetGalley, Alessandra Torre, and Thomas and Mercer for allowing me to read and review.

WOW!! Another great book by A.R. Torre. This was another book I couldn't put down once I started reading it. I found that it was fast paced which doesn't always happen for me with thrillers but this one really had me entertained. This book has so many twists and turns your gonna feel like your on a rollercoaster ride! These characters and story are well written. This story is told by Perla, a mother who has a mysterious connection to the notorious murder, the points of view of Leewood, a prisoner, and 11-year-old Sophie Wultz, they all have issues and are not likable. This is a dark, disturbing read with a satisfying ending. I would definitely recommend this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest opinion.

The Last Party is a deviously dark and twisted thriller that’ll leave you shook! The author does an excellent job of painting the FMC as the kind of person you just love to hate. She’s manipulative, cunning, and downright villainous.

Filled with lies and deception throughout, the slow burn narrative of this book is as addictive as it is enjoyable. It’ll have you questioning everything you know! The continuous and strategic placement of clues throughout keeps you completely hanging on desperate for all the pieces to come together.

With short chapters that make it impossible to put down, readers can expect several unforeseeable twists in this addictively fast-paced thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read this digital ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the digital copy of this book. The opinions expressed are my own and freely given.

Perla is "obsessed" with convicted murderer Leewood Folcrum. He murdered his daughter and her friends at her birthday party.

A student comes to the prison to study Leewood and his story slowly unfolds. Throughout the whole book, I was trying to figure out what Perla's connection was, until that A-HA moment. I definitely recommend this story. It kept me guessing.

I have read a few of this authors books before, so I knew I really enjoyed her work, but this one was far and away my favorite! I read this book in two sittings because I could not put it down. It was dark and disturbing at times, but absolutely fascinating to follow along with. The last 25% had my heart racing because I had to know how things would end. This is the perfect thriller to binge, and I absolutely loved it!

This story pulled me in immediately and was such a fun and twisty ride. There are parts of this I could see coming (but still enjoyed) and then others that blew my mind. Perla is the type of character I love to hate - she is vengeful, smart and diabolical. I loved the addition of the aquaintanes to add some extra drama and insight into the characters. I went back and forth between reading and listening and would highly recommend either format. I’ll definitey be checking out Torres' other works now!

This is one action packed, jaw dropping, plot twisted book that I would recommend. This hooked me in the beginning so I sat down, buckled up and binge read this book.

You know the past and present are going to come together but not exactly sure how. Perle portrays the perfect wife and loving mother. Grant is still haunted by his past trauma. Sophie is a gifted liar and manipulator. How far would you go to protect your secrets?

Lee Fulcrum went to prison for killing two teen girls. Did he do it? He always claimed he was innocent but is spending his life in prison.

I enjoyed the pacing and the authors sense of humor.

The Last Party by A.R. Torre is a dark and gripping thriller that kept me on the edge with its twisted characters and shocking secrets. Perla Wultz appears to have the perfect life, but beneath the surface lies a disturbing obsession with a notorious murderer, Leewood Folcrum. As the story unfolds through multiple perspectives, including Perla's manipulative mind and her daughter's insightful diary entries, the tension builds up.
The book is unsettling at times, with its exploration of lies, manipulation, and evil, but it’s impossible to put down. While the twists may not be entirely unpredictable, the journey is still captivating, especially for fans of psychological thrillers. Torre's writing keeps the pace moving, and the flawed, unhinged characters add to the intrigue. Though the ending wraps up neatly, the novel remains a compelling read.
The Last Party is perfect for those who enjoy dark, character-driven thrillers.

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

"Saving a life had been thrilling. Too bad it couldn't compare with the inverse."

A picture perfect family, wife, husband and daughter living in an affluent community and a murderer on death row who confessed to killing two young girls twenty three years ago. These worlds collide!

I don’t want to give too much away, because when I started reading this I had forgotten what it was even about, and the first chapter sucked me in immediately! Perla is one of the main characters and her point of view is....whew. I can honestly say I despised her. Being in her head is both fascinating and disgusting. Leewood, the prisoner on death row, is equally disturbing but for different reasons. Each of them harbor secrets. I quite enjoyed the diary entries of Perla’s daughter, Sophie, but I have to say, dark and twisted is definitely a theme here!

THE LAST PARTY is WARPED, full of secrets and lies and twists that will be sure to keep you riveted. Nothing took me by surprise, but it was still fun to follow the journey of the characters told through multiple POVs including letters. I AM a bit incredulous at the lack of clarity of a particular character. Really? C’monnnn. Okay, just go with it! Still, I love UNHINGED characters and over the top C r A z Y and that was delivered in spades! Near the end things seemed to drag just a tad while everything was neatly wrapped up. I would’ve preferred some ambiguity or even a shocking turn of events that left me hanging and thinking ‘WHAT?!’ All in all, immensely entertaining and I’d definitely read Torre again. Her brand of deranged is as tasty as chocolate cake!

Thank you Thomas & Mercer (Amazon Publishing) for the gifted copy. All opinions are mine.

Potential spoiler content warnings below.


































⚠️Content warnings by me: moderate language, violence, mild gore, death, Mention of: animal harm & CSA

This was a difficult read. The subject matter was disturbing. The characters were not likeable and the plot twists seemed unrealistic.

I loved this book. It was dual timeline and Multiple POVs. My kind of writing. I really enjoyed the twists and turns and how it kept me intrigued all the way through. Thank you for the opportunity to read this arc.

Tension, tension, and more tension with surprises and twists and revelations around every corner…A. R. Torre has written a tour de force that kept me riveted and reading “just one more chapter” until well past midnight. Not wanting to reveal the surprises in this book, suffice it to say that one of the main characters is so very inherently evil with a shocking connection. There are several red herrings thrown along the path in an effort to mislead the reader, again very well executed.
I truly cannot say enough positive phrases about this psychological thriller that seems so much fresher and more creative than the last few I have read. I loved A. R. Torre’s writing style which made it flow flawlessly from various characters points of view, creating and questioning then rejecting new hypotheses regarding what was going to happen next.
A. R. Torre kept me on my toes reading avidly for hours until I reached the satisfying conclusion. Many many thanks to her, Thomas & Mercer, and NetGalley for affording me the absolute heart pounding pleasure of reading an arc of this just published, August 20th, thriller. Would so love to see this one on the big screen one day. Please keep writing A. R. Torre as I am a huge fan.

Perla Wultz lives with her husband, Grant, and their daughter, Sophie, in a gated Pasadena community. Affluent, sociable, and accomplished, Perla plays the part of loving wife and mother to perfection. This novel looks at her connection to a crime committed 23 years ago, a crime to which Leewood Folcrum confessed and for which he is currently incarcerated.

My recommendation is for you not to read too much about this book before you start and also to read it in as few sessions as possible. I read most of it in bits and pieces, had to start over once, and was very confused through the first few chapters. Once I got to about 60% the pieces started to come together and I finished the last 25% in one fell swoop.

The story is told mainly from the points of view of Perla, her daughter Sophie and Leewood Folcrum interspersed with snippets of interviews with friends and neighbours after "the last party"! Lots of readers will guess what the truth is - I did so it must be pretty easy - but that doesn't take the shine off the enjoyment at all. I just had to know how it was going to end.

I'm a big fan of A.R. Torre and she has really outdone herself this time. Can't wait to see what's next!

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer via Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this novel. All opinions expressed are my own.
Publication Date: August 20, 2024