The Last Word by Taylor Adams

 

First Lines: The End. Emma Carpenter drops her e-reader. Like surfacing from a deep dive with aching lungs, she has never been so grateful to see those two words on her paper-white screen.

 

Emma Carpenter prefers her life of isolation, house-sitting with her dog in an old beachfront house on the Washington coast. The only humans she comes in contact with are her cranky old neighbor, Deek (through telescope and whiteboard games of Hangman), and Jules, the house owner (through texts).

 

Emma spends her time voraciously reading Amazon's free and bargain books on her Kindle, and when she reads a poorly written horror story, she posts a one-star review that drags her into an online argument with the author. When disturbing things begin to happen at night soon after, Emma believes that it's not just a coincidence. It was weird enough that the author would argue with her online about one measly review... could he be stalking her, too?

 

Emma begins researching the author's life and work, and in no time at all, she's drawn into a deadly game of cat and mouse.

 

~

 

How could a book blogger specializing in crime fiction not read a book about the dire consequences one character has when she posts a one-star review? I certainly couldn't resist the temptation!

 

The Last Word feels like it was written to be turned into a movie, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. In fact, I think it would be better as a movie. Emma Carpenter is a sympathetic character, and I was quickly drawn into her solitary life on the rainy Washington coast. Her golden retriever Laika made a good companion, and her telescope-and-white-board games of Hangman with her nearest neighbor did give her some human contact. But the more I read, the more questions I had. What was Emma hiding from? And that neighbor of hers was a bit strange, too. Why would an author seemingly go off the deep end over a one-star review?

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.

 

The Last Word by Taylor Adams

eISBN: 9780063222915

Harper-Collins © 2023

eBook, 352 pages

 

Standalone Thriller

Rating: C-/D+

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

Hairpin Bridge by Taylor Adams

First Line: "You look...exactly like her."

 

It's been three months, and Lena Nguyen refuses to believe how her identical twin sister, Cambry, died. The official police story is that Cambry drove to a remote bridge seventy miles outside Missoula, Montana, and jumped two hundred feet to her death. Lena is determined to uncover the truth, so she gets a cassette recorder, packs up her sister's car, and drives to the bridge. 

 

First on her agenda is talking with the highway patrolman who discovered her sister's body. Corporal Raymond Raycevic agrees to meet Lena at the scene. He's sympathetic and forthright, but the more he talks, the more Lena believes his story doesn't add up. 

 

Lena will do anything to learn the truth, but as her sister's final hours begin to come into focus, Lena finds herself fighting for her own survival... and learning that she didn't know her sister as well as she thought she did.

 

~

 

Author Taylor Adams certainly knows how to set a scene and ratchet up the suspense, and he was wise to let readers occasionally hear Cambry's voice as her final hours on earth unfolded. However, what could have been a white-knuckle, edge-of-my-seat read turned into a bit of a mess.

 

First and foremost, I didn't care one little whit about any of the characters. The bad guys didn't even drum up much of a response, and Lena-- although some of her plans showed signs of genius-- was so hostile that I gave up on her, too. What kind of a reader am I? One that has to have at least one character in a book that holds my interest, even if it's the bad guy. This didn't happen in Hairpin Bridge.

 

Second-- and most important-- was the plot. The first half of the book was good. The pace was steady and everything flowed well, but then the second half of the book came unglued. I'm probably dating myself with the analogy I'm going to use, but as a reader, I felt like a playing card stuck in the bicycle spokes: I kept getting slapped upside the head by one plot twist after another in rapid succession until the whole thing became unbelievable.

 

There are some good things in Hairpin Bridge, but ultimately, I found it weighed down by an unbelievable plot and unlikable characters. Your mileage may certainly vary.

Hairpin Bridge by Taylor Adams

ISBN: ‎ 9780063065444

William Morrow © 2021

Hardcover, 320 pages

 

Thriller, Standalone

Rating: C-

Source: Purchased from The Poisoned Pen

 

 

https://youtu.be/7qgG7zIoVFI