by Laura Dave
SYNOPSIS IT WAS THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME: PROTECT HER
Before Owen Michaels disappears, he manages to smuggle a note to his new wife, Hannah: protect her. Hannah knows exactly who Owen needs her to protect - his sixteen-year-old daughter, Bailey, who lost her mother tragically as a child. And who wants absolutely nothing to do with her new stepmother.
As her increasingly desperate calls to Owen go unanswered, his boss is arrested for fraud and the police start questioning her, Hannah realises that her husband isn't who he said he was. And that Bailey might hold the key to discovering Owen's true identity, and why he disappeared. Together they set out to discover the truth. But as they start putting together the pieces of Owen's past, they soon realise that their lives will never be the same again...
A beautiful and thrilling mystery, perfect for readers of Lianne Moriarty and Celeste Ng.
REVIEW When Hannah met Owen, the only thing that stood in the way of them having the perfect relationship was his teenage daughter. After years of having her father to herself, Bailey struggled to accept that Hannah was now a part of their family. When one day, completely out of the blue, Owen doesn't return home from work - Hannah and Bailey are forced to put their differences aside and work through the events leading up to his disappearance.
As they begin to discover more about Owen's past, it becomes clear that he is not the person they once thought but the reasons behind this are still unclear - What was he trying to hide?, Who was he running from? and Where does Bailey fit into the story?
This is definitely a book that you will need to clear your schedule for. I only intended to read the prologue to get an idea of what the story would be like and then couldn't put it down until I had finished. I can see exactly why it has been picked up for a TV series - it's the perfect thriller to adapt - modern, high intensity, non-stop revelations and intrigue. In terms of the actual narrative, I thought it was really well thought out. I enjoyed all of the characters and thought that the way they reacted in different situations was very believable and real. There wasn't a single sentence that I thought was unnecessary, in fact, as I was getting towards the end of the book I was actually disappointed that it wasn't longer - I could have happily kept reading, even though I really enjoyed how the story concluded.
The most interesting aspect of the story for me was the relationship between Hannah and Bailey. It was an unusual dynamic to have in a thriller, (two people who in normal circumstances don't get along), but who are forced to call a truce to try and make some sense out of the bizarre situation they have found themselves in.
The Last Thing He Told Me is a tense and well plotted thriller, if you are looking for an addictive and engrossing story then you definitely can't go wrong here!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Laura Dave is the international bestselling author of several novels including Eight Hundred Grapes and The First Husband. Her work has been published in eighteen countries and five of her novels, including The Last Thing He Told Me, have been optioned for film and television. She resides in Santa Monica.
Thanks to @serpentstail and @ViperBooks for the opportunity to read and review.
Fiction: Crime Fiction / Thriller
Product format: Hardback
ISBN: 978-1788168571
Pages: 320 pp
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