After posting a negative book review, a woman living in a remote location begins to wonder if the author is a little touchy—or very, very dangerous—in this pulse-pounding novel of psychological suspense and terror from the critically acclaimed author of No Exit and Hairpin Bridge.
Emma Carpenter lives in isolation with her golden retriever Laika, house-sitting an old beachfront home on the rainy Washington coast. Her only human contact is her enigmatic old neighbor, Deek, and (via text) the house’s owner, Jules.
One day, she reads a poorly written—but gruesome—horror novel by the author H. G. Kane, and posts a one-star review that drags her into an online argument with none other than the author himself. Soon after, disturbing incidents start to occur at night. To Emma, this can’t just be a coincidence. It was strange enough for this author to bicker with her online about a lousy review; could he be stalking her, too?
As Emma digs into Kane’s life and work, she learns he has published sixteen other novels, all similarly sadistic tales of stalking and murder. But who is he? How did he find her? And what else is he capable of?
THE LAST WORD
Taylor Adams
Dear Taylor Adams,
Call me if you need a book review or just call me.
I would love more than anything to say this book sucked. I’m aching to say it. But it didn’t and so I can’t.
And instead of disliking the book and hating the man that wrote it I was left with the curious desire to read a few more books written by him. Just to watch the spectacle.
I DNF’d Taylor Adams NO EXIT and didn’t even look at HAIRPIN BRIDGE (my mistake) but when THE LAST WORD came out with this premise I couldn’t pass it up.
THE LAST WORD stars Emma.
Emma is a recluse in her house on the water. Most nights she lives the life of an shut-in with nothing but her dog Laika and her ebooks to keep her company.
One night after reading a terribly written book by an infamous author she leaves a one-star review. Although warranted, that choice has consequences she could’ve only imagined happening in the most horrible of horror books.
There is something frightening about living out the kill scene you have read before. An eerie episode of “lit-eral” deja vu where you know the ending before it happens.
The only way to survive it to rewrite the ending.
I ended at a FIVE-STAR rating but know that I don’t have the warm and fuzzies after reading THE LAST WORD.
I was somewhere between feeling insulted and rolling my eyes by the end but I enjoyed myself the entire time.
Emma is now one of my alter egos.
I found myself reading faster than ever. I had no idea what Adams was going to write next. Both in shock and in awe I was stunned into flipping pages and I COULD NOT WAIT to get to the final scene.
It’s a book within a book, with shifting perspectives that felt like an unveiling of a truth you already know. It is a book you can taste and smell. A book I could not put down.
It was written with readers in mind and I had so much fun reading it. I think you will too.
Thanks so much to William Morrow for the beautiful hardcover copy!
I can’t wait for you to read this one!
THE LAST WORD…⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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