From the critically acclaimed author of No Exit and The Last Word comes a story of two friends who embark on an ill-fated caving expedition—and the dark truth of what happens deep underground.

After years of excuses, Tess has finally agreed to go caving with her best friend Allie. Their lives have diverged sharply since high school—Allie is a self-made travel influencer, while Tess is a shy (and claustrophobic) legal assistant struggling to pay for law school. Maybe she’s a little jealous of Allie’s globe-trotting life. Who wouldn’t be?

As Tess and Allie descend into the depths, they realize they’re not alone. A stranger who claims to be a fellow caver harasses them. Confident, take-no-shit Allie insults the guy—and he retaliates. Soon, Tess is trapped inside a narrow crawl space hundreds of feet underground, fighting to stay alive.

Twenty-four hours later, as a hospitalized Tess recounts her harrowing story of survival, the detective interviewing her shares new and shocking secrets about Allie’s true past. Together, they begin to suspect the brutal attack wasn’t so random after all.

Who was Allie, really? Why did this man target them? And did Tess really leave the danger behind when she escaped the cave?

I read and really enjoyed Taylor Adams’ “The Last Word” a couple of years ago, so I was really looking forward to this one. While I clocked what was likely happening about halfway in, the ride was still wild and I ended up really enjoying it.

Tess and Allie were best friends growing up, but theire lives took wildly different paths after the graduated high school. Allie is a self-made travel influencer living her best life globe-trotting and documenting everything. Tess is a shy legal assistant trying to figure out a way to pay for law school. Despite being claustrophobic and not very adventurous, Tess has finally agreed to go caving with Allie. She’s been making excuses for years, but she’s finally agreed to live a little and go with her. Allie is experienced, and Tess needs a little adventure in her life. Besides, what’s the worst that could happen?

As they descend into the cave, they realize they’re not alone. A stranger shows up claiming to be a fellow caver but ends up harassing them. Allie, who doesn’t take shit from anyone, insults the guy, and he retaliates in a big way. Suddenly, Tess finds herself trapped inside a narrow crawl space hundreds of feet underground, fighting to stay alive.

When the book begins, it’s 24 hours later and Tess is in a hospital recounting what happened and the detective shares shocking information about Allie’s past. Together, they piece together that maybe this attack wasn’t random and Tess may not be free of the danger.

The lead characters have a lot of depth and even the minor characters are just as important to the story as the major players. Everyone serves a purpose. We get the story from different POVs, which gives great perspective. You’re seeing things unfold from multiple angles, and each perspective adds another layer to what’s actually happening. It keeps you guessing and questioning everything and everyone.

As far as atmosphere, this book has it down. It is claustrophobic as fuck. I could never be a caver. I’m claustrophobic as hell, and this book makes you feel every tight space. I was tense the entire time. And if I wasn’t already claustrophobic, I think any desire to explore caves would have been completely squashed after watching “The Descent”. That movie terrified me.

Adams knows how to build tension. The pacing is tight, the reveals land at exactly the right moments, and even though I figured out the general direction the book was going pretty early, I still enjoyed watching it all play out. There were enough twists and turns that I wasn’t 100% sure I was right until closer to the end. And even when I was right about the big picture, the smaller details still surprised me.

Taylor Adams continues to be a reliable thriller writer for me. This is my second book by him, and I’ll absolutely be picking up whatever he writes next. This is a twisty, claustrophobic thriller where you never know who you can trust. If that sounds like your kind of book, I would definitely recommend it. If you love stories that mess with your head and keep you guessing, you’ll have a great time with this.

Book Club/Book Box: