I’ve always been a Riley Sager fan. I’ve read his new release every summer. While I’ve enjoyed most of them nothing has ever rivaled The Last Time I Lied. It’s always been my favorite. But it has some competition now because I loved The Only One Left. Let’s get to my review.
Synopsis
At seventeen, Lenora Hope
Hung her sister with a rope
Now reduced to a schoolyard chant, the Hope family murders shocked the Maine coast one bloody night in 1929. While most people assume 17-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 her family lived.
Stabbed her father with a knife
Took her mother’s happy life
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.
“It wasn’t me,” Lenora said
But 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.
My Thoughts on The Only One Left
I could see The Only One Left being my favorite book of the year. This is the perfect example of why I love Sager’s writing. The story felt familiar until it didn’t. Just when I thought I knew what was going on he threw a twist in out of nowhere. And it was a completely plausible twist that I should have caught all along.
I loved everything about The Only One Left. The characters were dynamic, the setting was oppressive, and I loved the subtle paranormal vibes thrown in. I can’t say enough good things about this book.
My Rating: 5/5
