A Chilling Tale of Long-Buried Secrets and Deception
There’s something deliciously eerie about old mansions perched on windswept cliffs, their crumbling facades hiding decades of dark secrets. Riley Sager taps into this classic Gothic setup with his latest psychological thriller “The Only One Left,” weaving a twisted tale of murder, lies, and shifting identities that will keep readers guessing until the very end.
Like the creaky floorboards and shadowy corners of the ominous Hope’s End mansion at the heart of the story, Sager’s prose creeps along with an unsettling tension, building an atmosphere thick with dread and paranoia. You can almost hear the howling wind and crashing waves as kit McDeere, our plucky but damaged protagonist, arrives to care for the mansion’s sole remaining inhabitant – the enigmatic Lenora Hope, sole survivor of her family’s brutal massacre over 50 years ago.
A Murder Mystery Spanning Generations
The year is 1983, and Kit is a home health aide still reeling from accusations that she caused her own mother’s death by overdose. Desperate for work and a chance to escape her small town’s judgmental whispers, she accepts a position caring for the elderly and mostly paralyzed Lenora Hope at the isolated cliffside mansion where her entire family was slaughtered one bloody night in 1929.
Though Lenora was the prime suspect, she was never charged with the killings that left her parents and sister dead. Now in her 70s and rendered mute by a series of strokes, Lenora can only communicate by tapping out messages on an old typewriter. When she offers to finally reveal the truth about that fateful night to Kit, it sets in motion a twisting journey into the past that will upend everything Kit thought she knew about the Hope family murders – and force her to confront some uncomfortable truths about her own troubled history.
Sager Crafts a Masterful Slow-Burn of Suspense
Like his previous bestsellers “Final Girls” and “Lock Every Door,” Sager demonstrates his talent for crafting nail-biting suspense that creeps under your skin. The dual timelines of 1929 and 1983 are deftly woven together, with Lenora’s typed confessions slowly revealing the events leading up to the murders while Kit’s investigation in the present day peels back layers of deception.
The pacing is deliberate, allowing the foreboding atmosphere to build as Kit becomes increasingly unnerved by strange noises in the night and cryptic warnings from the mansion’s few remaining staff. Is Lenora telling the whole truth about her role in the killings? What happened to Kit’s predecessor, who fled in the middle of the night? And why does Kit feel an unsettling connection to the troubled young Lenora of the past?
Sager keeps readers off-balance with well-timed twists and red herrings, dangling tantalizing clues before yanking the rug out from under our feet. Just when you think you’ve got it figured out, another revelation forces you to question everything that came before. It’s the kind of deliciously frustrating mystery that compels you to keep turning pages late into the night.
Complex Characters Haunted by the Past
At the heart of the novel, The Only One Left, is the compelling dynamic between Kit and Lenora as they forge an uneasy alliance. Kit is a wonderfully flawed protagonist—compassionate but carrying her own emotional baggage that clouds her judgment. Her desperate need for redemption and human connection makes her sympathetic even as her choices sometimes veer into questionable territory.
Lenora proves an equally fascinating figure, alternatingly vulnerable and manipulative as she doles out pieces of her story. Sager does an excellent job capturing her voice in the typewritten sections, hinting at the vibrant and rebellious girl she once was. The rest of the Hope’s End inhabitants are vividly sketched, from the stern housekeeper Mrs. Baker to the handsome but secretive groundskeeper Carter.
Each character feels like they’re hiding something, adding to the pervasive sense of mistrust and keeping us guessing about their true motives. The ghosts of the past loom large over all of them, shaping their actions in unexpected ways.
Gothic Tropes Get a Modern Twist
While drawing inspiration from classic Gothic literature and true crime, Sager puts his own spin on familiar tropes. The crumbling mansion on a cliff may seem like well-trodden territory, but Hope’s End takes on a life of its own as its structural instability mirrors the psychological fractures of its inhabitants. Little details like the tilting floor and shifting furniture create a surreal, off-kilter atmosphere that keeps characters and readers alike constantly on edge.
Sager also subverts expectations when it comes to the “madwoman in the attic” archetype. Lenora initially seems to fit this mold as the reclusive, potentially murderous woman hidden away in a decaying mansion. But as layers of her story are peeled back, she emerges as a much more complex and sympathetic figure than we first assumed.
The Only One Left grapples with weighty themes of identity, family trauma, and the stories we tell ourselves to survive. Sager doesn’t shy away from the darker aspects of human nature, exploring how desperation and fear can drive people to shocking acts. At the same time, there’s a undercurrent of hope in the connections forged between broken people trying to heal.
A Few Minor Quibbles
While the dual timeline structure is generally effective, there are a few instances where the pacing in the 1929 sections drags slightly. Some readers may find themselves impatient to get back to the present-day mystery. Additionally, a few of the twists towards the end feel slightly rushed in their execution, not quite landing with the impact they could have had with more buildup.
These are minor complaints, however, in what is overall a tightly plotted and engrossing read. Sager’s prose hits a nice balance between atmospheric description and brisker sections that keep the story moving, though occasionally a metaphor or simile feels a bit overwrought.
The Verdict: A Must-Read for Mystery Fans
With “The Only One Left,” Riley Sager cements his status as one of the most exciting voices in contemporary thriller writing. This twisty tale of long-buried family secrets and mistaken identities will keep you guessing until the final page. Fans of Sager’s previous works like “Home Before Dark” and “Survive the Night” won’t be disappointed, while new readers will find this an excellent entry point to his addictive brand of suspense.
The novel should appeal to a wide range of mystery and thriller fans, from those who enjoy classic Gothic setups to true crime aficionados. Readers who liked the dual timeline structure of Kate Morton’s “The Lake House” or the unreliable narrators of Gillian Flynn will find much to appreciate here. Sager’s deft handling of period details makes both timelines feel equally vivid and immersive.
A Chilling Exploration of Truth and Identity
At its core, “The Only One Left” is a story about the stories we tell—to others and to ourselves. It forces us to question how well we truly know those closest to us, and how far we might go to protect the narratives we’ve constructed about our lives. Like the shifting floors of Hope’s End, the ground of truth is never quite stable beneath our feet.
Sager leaves us with plenty to ponder long after the last page is turned. Can we ever truly escape the sins of our past? Is redemption possible for those who’ve done terrible things? And in the end, are any of us really as innocent as we’d like to believe?
Dark, twisty, and compulsively readable, “The Only One Left” is the perfect summer thriller to keep you up late into the night—just be sure to leave the lights on. Riley Sager has delivered another winner that will linger in your mind like the echoes of long-ago screams in an empty mansion. Don’t miss this chilling journey into the heart of human darkness.