Review: The Last Time I Lied

The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After three of her fellow campers go missing, Emma leaves Camp Nightingale without having closure. Fifteen years later, she's invited back as an instructor and chooses to try to solve the mystery of her disappearance.

Riley Sager may just become one of my favorite thriller authors. After enjoying Final Girls, I dove into The Last Time I Lied. I thought the two may parallel each other since they both had something to do with a mystery in the woods, but that is essentially where the similarities end.

I loved the writing style, the built up intrigue, and the way the plot unfolded. Having Emma as a semi unstable narrator made it easy to question the reality of the book, but in a good way. There were numerous set ups to make it seem like the plot was going in one direction, only for it to be swept out from under you and a brand new path opened up.

I loved the way the plot alternated between the present day action and reveals from what happened fifteen years ago. Major kudos to the author for not making Emma a lovesick puppy the entire book and making it clear she solved most of the mysteries herself!

There are really no dull moments in the book and everything serves to push the novel forward. That ending/epilogue edged it up from a 4.5 from a 5 in just a matter of pages.

Sager shows growth in his writing between Final Girls and The Last Time I Lied. My few criticisms in Final Girls are not evident here. I am eager to see what his third book, Lock Every Door, is all about. You can bet I'm starting on it just as soon as I finish this review.

I definitely recommend this book to fans of thrillers, as it's very reminiscent of a Harlan Coben novel.

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