The Only One Left.

 

 

★★★★

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 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 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. 

 

 🌼

 Haunting. 

I should have seen this coming. I've heard about Riley Sager for a while and should have read his books sooner. I am glad I checked one of his books at the library. I’m happy that The Only One Left is the book I decided to check out; I’m unsure if I can even begin explaining my thoughts on this book. The Only One Left combines everything I enjoy about thrillers and mystery novels. Like Kit, I was curious about whether Lenora murdered her family and why. Kit was brave; if I were in her situation, I wouldn’t have lasted as she did, especially if I didn’t believe Lenora was innocent. I couldn’t help but wonder about Kit’s motivation for staying and why she wanted to know the truth. Like Kit, I was intrigued by Lenora’s story and needed to know what happened that night. 

I loved the bond that Lenora formed while Kit cared for her. She wanted to know her story because part of Kit thought Lenora was innocent. There were a few twists in the book that I had anticipated ahead of time, but I didn’t see most of them coming, especially the ending. I still can’t get that ending out of my mind; it’s not something I’d ever guess. Even though I loved the ending, I felt the book took too long to get there. I spent hours reading this book and sometimes had to force myself to put it down. 

Out of all the characters in the book, Kit was my favorite. I loved how determined she was and how much she cared for Lenora even though she pretended not to; I know she did. Kit had the most character development among all characters in the book. The emotions in this book were so real; I felt as if I was going through everything myself. Now that I’ve read one of his books, I can’t wait to read the others. I am excited to see what he has in store for us next.