The Last Word - Taylor Adams - Book Review

 

                    When I browse unknown books and authors at the library or book fairs, I look for interesting covers with the one-liners on them When I am impressed by a cover, it feels like the book has chosen me. And believe me, most of the ones selected through book covers worked well for me. This was one such book that gave me the same vibe during my recent visit to the library. A simple book cover but I was genuinely interested enough to choose the one for reading. Plus I was smitten by the blurb as well.

                    Emma Carpenter is house-sitting in one of the private beachfront houses along the Strand Beach area with her dog, Laika. The only other contacts are the house owner Jules via phone and her neighbour Deek living half a mile away through telescopes in their houses. Emma has isolated herself due to something bad that happened in her life. She spends her days binge-reading on ebooks from Kindle Unlimited. One day, Deek recommends a book that she dislikes so much that she gives a one-star review on Amazon. Soon, the author contacts her over mail to take down the review which she does not. He warns her that this is not the end and soon after she starts realizing that someone is stalking the house. Does she survive? Is it the deranged writer or is it another of the serial killers targeting people in near-isolated areas? forms the remaining plot. 

                    To start with, a highly engaging read. A great and interesting premise. I have always considered the scenario in this novel each time I write a book review.  The novel gives us the vibe of a home invasion movie. I liked the way the author succeeds in getting us invested in the story. The writer has done a good job of maintaining the tempo of the story as well. Things are happening every few pages. Just when we think that the story is going to end or proceed one way, it goes the other way completely taking us by surprise. In some books, we get a feeling that things are happening in a forced way. The narration does feel like that towards the end but the way it is written does not give us time to mull over it. That's what made the read exciting enough for me. The language and style are simple enough to keep us reading. The few characters were nicely written and their emotions were well etched and the author succeeds in passing them over to the readers. Being a work of fiction, there are logical lapses that can be overlooked. Like I said earlier, there are moments where we feel that the story is getting dragged voluntarily. Even though we may overlook that in the flow of the story, the thought lingers once we complete the book.

                    In short, a very engaging book that keeps us rooted till the end. The book promises an exciting read that we can binge upon. I would like to see this being adapted into a movie in the future.