Name: The Last Word
ISBN: 9781399717953

Taylor Adams

Emma enjoys the isolation and quiet of house-sitting. The only company she needs is her dog and her books.

But when she leaves a one-star review for a poorly written and gruesome horror novel, her peaceful escape turns into a nightmare. Not only is she being harassed by the angry author online, she's noticing disturbing incidents in the house. Scratches in the night. A figure crawling around in the shadows.

It soon becomes clear that it's all connected.

This is a fight between author and reader. Who will have the last word? . . .

Expect the unexpected in this pulse-pounding novel of psychological suspense and terror from the critically acclaimed author of the TikTok sensation NO EXIT.

The Last Word

Kylie Robinson

 It's nice to submerge yourself in someone else's world, to luxuriate in the handcrafted details and admire the false ceilings.

 She's been told introverted personalities recharge with alone time, something like managing a social battery. And while that's accurate-because most people tend to exhaust the ever-loving shit out of Emma--she's always pictured herself more like clay, a shapeless form that reluctantly morphs to meet the daily needs of her surroundings. Smile at the neighbor's kids. Pay the car in- surance. Make a dental appointment. And here on this desolate coast, she's discovered a worse truththat without a job, tasks, friends, family, Emma Carpenter will happily float apart. Every molecule of herself will take the path of least resistance. Some- times she glimpses herself in mirrors or reflective glass, a gray and unformed face she doesn't recognize. Eyeless, mouthless, nose flattened to soggy mush. Her own ghost.

 Why is it so easy for some people to talk on and on? She feels broken sometimes. She tries to self-edit in her brain, and by the time she knows what she means to say, it's too late to say it. 

Being seen burdens you with an image you have to maintain.

Megan Murray 

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?

A Novel

This was a great book to get back into thrillers with! It was FULL of plot twists & is crazy basically the entire book! 

Mariah crawford

Too much back and forth for me, definitely could’ve been trimmed down, but I can’t say it wasn’t original

Emilee Keawe Oldroyd

Cortni Bell

I don’t think I’ll ever give a bad review again. There are so many twists and turns. Great book..I’m not just saying that!

kayla 

very convenient. lots and lots of plot armor. didn’t like the book nor the writing style. not my cup of tea. 

nuha ✨️

Ryan 

the main character is delulu. the author in this story is delulu. the neighbor is delulu. even the dog is delulu (and no, it didn't get unalived.). in fact, this book is delulu in ways i didn't expect before i started reading "the last word."

quite a let down from what the premise had to offer. 1.75/5 stars

This book was brilliant a faced paced thriller that kept leaving you wondering what would happen next. This bookngot me so many times. Another great read by Taylor Adams

Samantha King

Kenzi Linton

This book made me uncomfortable and nervous, but I also feel like I can’t give it one star because of the whole plot. I’ve heard about the books by this author, but this was my first time reading one. I’m hoping the next book I read by him is one I can enjoy more.

It took several chapters to grab my attention. For some reason, the author’s use of the word “e-reader” really really annoyed me… so that didn’t help bc he uses that a LOT in the beginning. It gets better and had some great twists toward the end that I didn’t see coming. 

Jennifer Palmer

Alexis Donahue

I thought this book was super suspenseful and some good twists. However, I didn’t like that the whole book happened in basically one setting. 

Megan Gaydash

From the author’s acknowledgements: “Last, a thank-you to my readers for your support and enthusiasm. I realize that, given this acknowledgement is in a novel about an evil author terrorizing a reader, that may sound like a threat, but I promise it’s not!” 

I usually LOATHE thriller/suspense/mystery/horror books written by men from the perspective of/about a female protagonist. But Adams made Emma the perfect multidimensional character that women are in real life. I would definitely recommend this read! 

Katie B.

From the author’s acknowledgements: “Last, a thank-you to my readers for your support and enthusiasm. I realize that, given this acknowledgement is in a novel about an evil author terrorizing a reader, that may sound like a threat, but I promise it’s not!” 

I usually LOATHE thriller/suspense/mystery/horror books written by men from the perspective of/about a female protagonist. But Adams made Emma the perfect multidimensional character that women are in real life. I would definitely recommend this read! 

I feel like this book is daring me to give it a bad review.

Amelia

A “reverse Misery” thriller where the author stalks a woman who posts a one star review for a horror book. It was okay, not memorable, and filled with some gore.

Cheri McElroy

A “reverse Misery” thriller where the author stalks a woman who posts a one star review for a horror book. It was okay, not memorable, and filled with some gore.

TW: animal abuse 