Thank you to ThrillerBookLovers The Pulse, Thomas & Mercer, #partner, for an advanced e- copy of The Last Party in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Published: August 20, 2024
Summary:
A loving mother. A notorious murderer. They both have reasons to hide their secrets in a novel of escalating shock and suspense by New York Times bestselling author A. R. Torre.
Perla Wultz lives with her husband, Grant, and their precious daughter, Sophie, in a gated Pasadena community. Affluent, sociable, and accomplished, Perla plays the part of loving wife and mother to perfection. It seems an ideal life, if not for a decades-old crime that has become Perla’s dark and consuming secret obsession.
Twenty-three years ago, Leewood Folcrum confessed to murdering two young girls during a birthday party. Though he’s been condemned to a life sentence, his crime is not forgotten. Not by Perla, nor by an inquisitive doctoral student interviewing Folcrum for his dissertation. He’s getting the killer to open up—about his motives, his confession, and the truth of what really happened on that horrible night.
As the past and the present entwine, the deceptions behind the infamous murder begin to surface. But who’s deceiving who now? And why? And as an ingeniously twisted plan is set in motion, who will be the next to die?
My thoughts:
This is the second book I’ve read by A.R. Torre and I need to read more by her…her books are so twisted and creepy! I love them!
This book grabbed me from the get-go and that never once let up. I was so caught up in the characters – some that you immediately will develop strong feelings about – and how there was a mysterious undertone woven into the story. Perla is a devious, cunning individual and I loved the way the author crafted her…you just never quite know how to feel about her. But what is it about her secret obsession with a murderer? The other characters are equally well-drawn and developed and I loved that some of them also had their own secrets. While this book is not completely character-driven, the characters do a lot of the heavy lifting and it shows.
The story is told from multiple points of view as well as multiple sources and this just makes for such an exciting read. It really keeps things moving – it is quite a fast-paced story and one that I flew through! The twists really kept me guessing and boy when I tell you I was shocked quite a few times, I would not be lying! One of my favorite sources was the journal entry by Perla’s eleven-year-old daughter – can I just say how unsettling these are at times?
I knew by the time I finished the first chapter I was going to enjoy this one…little did I know just how much! This is definitely a book you don’t want to miss. It’s a book that you need to clear your schedule for before picking up because once you start reading it, you aren’t going to want to put down!
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