"If many thrillers suffer from an inability to live up to their initial promises, The Last Word is the opposite: It gets more clever and interesting as it goes along. It’s not just a suspenseful story about a woman in extremis fighting for her life, but a fine exercise in authorial misdirection and an incisive metacommentary on crime fiction and true-crime writing. Also, it’s unexpectedly moving." — New York Times
“A white-knuckle, read-in-a-sitting thrill ride. In The Last Word, Taylor Adams ratchets up the tension to an unbearable pitch—then keeps going. Thriller fans, take note: You need to read this book!” — Riley Sager, New York Times bestselling author of The House Across the Lake
“An outstanding psychological thriller…As the tension rises, spectacular plot twists open up new possibilities while effectively demolishing existing expectations. Along with the nail-biting suspense, the book provides some genuine fun by treating readers to overwrought excerpts from an unpublished manuscript about the crimes that take place at Strand Beach. Adams remains a writer to watch.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Adams does a phenomenal job of using classic horror tropes to poke fun at the way some authors write…This is another fast-paced, action packed thriller with fantastic writing and a badass final girl. You can’t count anyone out, and even when you think you know where the story is going, Adams throws in one more twist. I recommend this book to people who love a terrifying thriller with humor sprinkled in to cut the tension.” — Mystery and Suspense Magazine
"Knives are out, as well as swords and stun guns, in this breathlessly paced, head-spinning tale." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Taylor Adams does a masterful job of telling this unusual tale. It has so many plot twists and turns that oftentimes it feels like it’s doing back flips and cartwheels, tying the reader’s brain in knots trying to predict what will happen next.” — Bookreporter.com
"Inspired and intelligent, The Last Word offers a propulsive plot layered with grit and gloom, death and deception." — Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star
"Adams' plotting is relentless, making The Last Word one of the scariest mysteries of the year." — Florida Sun-Sentinel
"The imaginative and thoroughly original plot features bewildering and bizarre twists and a totally unexpected ending. Adams' modern-day Gothic effectively blends horror and thriller and is guaranteed to keep readers off-balance with its intensity and overall creepiness." — Booklist
“Moves at about 150 miles per hour. . . . A novel that’s part action flick and part affecting rumination on moral responsibility within families.” — Washington Post on Hairpin Bridge
“The carefully layered drawing-room psychology of Agatha Christie cross-pollinated with the pure squishy terror of Stephen King. . . . [Taylor Adams] nails his setup and builds some truly distinctive characters.” — Entertainment Weekly on No Exit
“Hairpin Bridge reads like a Stephen King novel and is especially reminiscent of Misery in how the characters shape-shift as the narrative progresses, leaving the reader wondering who is more dangerous—and more importantly, which one will prevail.” — BookPage
“There’s a cinematic propulsion to No Exit that commands the reader’s attention, and Mr. Adams times his shocks with a sure hand.” — Wall Street Journal
“What a box of tricks! This full-throttle thriller, dark and driving, rivals Agatha Christie for sheer ingenuity and James Patterson for flat-out speed. Swift, sharp, and relentless.” — A. J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window, on No Exit
"A shot of adrenaline straight to the heart! Propulsive and unpredictable, Hairpin Bridge will have you on edge from the first page to the last." — Riley Sager, New York Times bestselling author of Home Before Dark on HAIRPIN BRIDGE
★ 2023-02-08
Downloading a 99-cent e-book morphs into a costly mistake for a young woman who posts a scathing review that pushes the unstable author over the edge.
Former junior high math teacher Emma Carpenter holes up in a remote beach house on the Washington state coast binge-reading e-book horror novels as she tries to forget a terrible event that happened five months ago. Her sole companion is her golden retriever, Laika, and that's how Emma, an introvert, likes it. Her only human contact is washed-up writer Deacon Cowl, who lives next door. They've never met, but they communicate using whiteboards and telescopes. Cowl recommends she download Murder Mountain by H.G. Kane, but Emma hates everything about the poorly written thriller and its clichéd story of an angry man who tortures and kills young women. After she posts a negative review, Kane messages her and insists she take it down. Emma refuses. Kane won't take no for an answer. Soon, the power goes out, the internet goes down, and Emma, like the women in Murder Mountain, is in a full-on fight for her life. Classic stalker tropes are upended in this twisty tale of a psychopath who, believing he's invincible, wants Emma's death to be the center of his next novel. But Emma, the indomitable heroine, takes control of the narrative and tilts the story in her favor as she fights to protect herself and Laika. Knives are out, as well as swords and stun guns, in this breathlessly paced, head-spinning tale.
Prey becomes predator in this unnerving thriller.
