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Fiction. Suspense. Thriller. HTML: 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? Displaying his trademark command of rapid-fire pacing, unnerving atmosphere, and razor-sharp characterization, Taylor Adams once again delivers a diabolically disturbing�??and deadly�??game of c… (more)
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Thanks to the author, William Morrow and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.
The book Emma reviewed was terrible in her opinion, gave it a rating of ONE, and then the author wouldn't let up as he told her take down the review.
Emma refused, but then the author found her and terrorized her just like in the book
As Emma is living the nightmare of the killer one inch away from her, she hears poor Laika, her dog, whining upstairs in pain from the poison the killer fed her.
The tension in THE LAST WORD is so palpable, you will be jumping at any sound in your surroundings as you are reading.
The book is very cleverly written as the real drama unfolds and we read the story the author is playing out - Emma knows what will happen because she is living it.
Read it and find out what happens, but have a lot of time on your hands, and read this book in broad daylight.
It is pretty gruesome, but those who know the work of Mr. Adams don’t need to be forewarned.
Warning top reviewers - you never know who may retaliate from a bad review. :) 4/5
This book was given to me by the publisher for an honest review.
I've read all of Adams' previous books. He's perfected the 'everyday person in a really bad situation' type of tale that keeps me on the edge of my chair every time. However, this latest has knocked it out
Emma is housesitting a remote home. Odd things start happening - sounds, smells, things moved - or is it all just in her head?
Next question - have you ever left a one star review for a product? What if the author or vendor asked you to take down the review? And you said no. And... yeah, I'm going to leave it there for you to discover what's next. Great premise.
The delivery of this story is cunningly and deviously crafted. Who is the un-named narrator and his point of view? Emma also has a voice. And the two narratives definitely don't match. It feels like two different stories are being told. (which made me so curious!) A critical event happens more than once (almost every chapter, in fact) completely changing the direction of the story every time. I'd be sad or angry about what has transpired, only to be proven wrong in the next chapter. Kudos to Adams for this twisty, turny tale and how it was presented.
Yes, some of it is a bit over the top. Just go with it - you won't be able to put The Last Word down! I've often thought that Adams' books would make good thriller movies.
Relentless.
The Rest of It:
Emma escapes to a secluded beach house with a fully loaded ebook reader, her sweet Golden Retriever, and a backpack full of rocks. From the first pages, it’s clear that she’s battling some demons and a boat load of guilt. She’s also mourning an
After finishing a particularly lame .99 cent ebook, she decides to post a one star review on Amazon. What she doesn’t anticipate is that the author immediately takes offense and tells her so. He demands that she delete the review. Emma finds this ridiculously unreasonable. People are allowed to have opinions and so she adamantly refuses to cave to the request. Who does this guy think he is?
From this point on, the story goes absolutely haywire. Emma begins to hear strange noises in the house and she feels watched. Oddly enough a neighbor at the other end of the Strand befriends her by writing notes back and forth on a whiteboard. They are then viewed by each through a telescope. Emma takes comfort in this stranger’s messages and when things take a crazy turn at the house, she relies on this new friend to watch things from afar.
Is there really a threat? Is she overreacting? Can this author really be so bent over a review that he comes after her? The thing is, he’s a horror writer and the numerous deaths in his stories are grisly and graphic. Painstakingly so. He almost seems to relish “the kill”, so is it really all that far-fetched to think that he could carry that hunger into real life?
Taylor Adams must have had fun writing this one. He jerks you one way, then the other, provides the truth, only for the reader to find out that what he’s just set up is quite the opposite of truth. At first, there was a small piece of me that quickly grew bored with the teasing. A few times I literally cried out, “Really? Come on!” But I gotta tell you, I could not put the dang book down and read it in one sitting.
Plus, I don’t know how he kept it all straight. All the minute details that are revisited later in the story. It’s just wild how it all comes together. The intensity of this one is quite good. My advice to you? Read it, enjoy the craziness of it. Don’t spend too much time trying to critique it. I loved No Exit and this one has that same crazy pace.
The story follows Emma as she house sits
The book is unrealistic in a number of ways. Emma is elderly, yet she continues to elude and escape the grasp of the author to whom she one-starred his book, despite him being younger, stronger, and possessing weapons such as a sword and a gun. When the policemen come to the house on a wellness check, there is a shot heard from inside the house, yet not only was Emma not shot, the cop asks if anyone is in the house! Duh! No cop would ask that after just hearing a gunshot come from inside the house.
The owner of the house shows up and despite everything going on does not even go inside her own home after traveling a distance to get there. Had she done so, the mystery would have been solved much sooner. I found it realistic she turned around and left without checking the inside of the house, which is why she showed up in the first place.
Another unrealistic aspect is Emma tells of an automobile collision she was in where she rear-ended a semi at 70 mph, yet it is described as a minor dent. Really?! Despite being so minor or a collision, the impact kills a baby in the back seat. Must have been more than a fender bender. Not realistic.
The most disappointing issue with the book is the identity of the killer was easily determined early on, leaving no mystery remaining.
Overall, I was greatly disappointed in the book. But I will give it two stars as I don’t want the author coming after me. LOL.
Emma is grieving, blaming herself for a car crash when she wasn't paying attention. She decides to go to WA state, and house sit. Her neighbor, a local author, Deacon Cowl, advises her to read a mystery. She
This begins a terrifying story of Emma trying to escape the author who is trying to kill her. She trades messages with her neighbor Deek, hoping he can help her escape the killer.
What follows is a frightening tale where Emma has to determine who the real danger to her is, and how she can survive.
Entirely too long for what it is. If a book is going to be almost 400 pages it needs to be paced better. It got right into the action and then the action never stopped. It was like those action movies that never have any lulls. You just become bored eventually. I did think the
After a personal tragedy, Emma Carpenter chose to live in isolation in a house on the Washington Coast. Her sole companion is her golden retriever Laika, and her interaction with others is limited to the owner of the house, Jules and her elderly neighbor, Deek, with whom she communicates
The premise of The Last Word by Taylor Adams is original and enticing, to say the least. For me, the premise was the best part of this story. I really enjoyed how the author builds on the premise up to a point ( the first 100-odd pages are suspenseful, well-structured and fast-paced). However, as the narrative progresses, the pace does begin to drag, the elements that were meant to build up the tension begin to feel a tad repetitive and the characters all too unbelievable (and maybe a tad stereotypical, bordering on ridiculous?). The narrative is long-winded with too much going on. I enjoy twisty reads, but with too many twists, I found myself losing interest in the plot around the midway mark. I did love Laika, the dog, and though the ending did redeem the book to an extent, overall, I can’t say this was a satisfying read.
I have to say, early on I was wondering if picking
Oh, except for one part, because this is a point I'll always spoil: the dog lives. You're welcome.
The Last Word feels like it was written to be turned into a movie, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
The questions were piling up, and I was engrossed in the story until everything started unraveling at the halfway mark. This is when readers started being told the story from the point of view of a serial killer who kept dropping hints about what was going to happen to Emma.
At that point, the twists and turns of the plot started coming thick and fast. There were just too many of them, and I had two reactions to them. One, it felt as though the author was showing off. Two, I felt like Wile E. Coyote, getting repeatedly hammered by his latest ACME purchase.
Before the halfway mark, The Last Word was a winner. After that point, I was tempted to throw it against the wall (but I couldn't because I didn't want to damage my Kindle). If you've read, or intend to read, The Last Word, I certainly hope your mileage varies.