The Only One Left by Riley Sager

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.

Published by Dutton
on June 20, 2023

Review:

This was my third Riley Sager book, and it did not disappoint. I loved the character dynamics and especially loved the Lizzie Borden vibe.

No one but Lenora Hope really knows what happened the night her parents were stabbed to death and her sister was hung from a chandelier in their mansion by the sea. Lenora was the only survivor, and because of that, many people in town believed she was responsible for the murders, though there was never enough proof to convict her. After the murders, Lenora became a recluse – no one had seen her for years. She and a few servants have stayed locked up in the big, creepy mansion at the edge of a cliff, relinquishing herself to urban legend status.

Kit McDeere is no stranger to murder accusations. Kit is a caregiver, and when one of her patients dies, fingers are pointed at Kit, though she swears she didn’t do it. After being on probation for several months, Kit’s boss calls and offers her a job taking care of the infamous Lenora Hope. Kit really doesn’t have a choice. She either takes the job or remains unemployed, and she needs money, so she reluctantly moves into the mansion called “Hope’s End” to take care of a potential murderer. Over the course of the next few weeks, Kit will begin to dig into Lenora’s past, and though Lenora can’t speak or walk after a series of strokes and only has the use of one hand, she will tell Kit her story using her one good hand and a typewriter, but is Kit ready to hear the truth?

This was a gripping and suspenseful novel that kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. Sager’s storytelling skills are exceptional, and his ability to create a haunting atmosphere is truly remarkable.

I’ve read The Final Girls and Home Before Dark by him and really enjoyed them. My favorite thus far has been Home Before Dark. It had the right amount of twists without going overboard. That one kept me guessing until the very end – I did not see the twist coming at all, which is surprising for me because I am notorious for figuring them out early on and then spending the rest of the book proving myself right.

What I liked most about the book was the structure. Through a series of flashbacks and present-day scenes, Sager is able to build tension and suspense, gradually revealing pieces of the puzzle through Lenora’s confessions which keep us guessing.

As far as twists go, there were several in this book. One of them wasn’t much of a twist for me – I had my suspicions early on. Sager through in a few other twists – one that I didn’t expect and another that I felt was a little too contrived and maybe unnecessary. It didn’t completely ruin things for me, but it felt a bit forced.

If you’re a fan of psychological thrillers with well-developed characters and an atmospheric setting, this book is a must-read.