The Last One Home by Victoria Helen Stone #bookreview #thriller

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Title: The Last One Home

Author: Victoria Helen Stone

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Publication Date: March 30, 2021

Page Count: 303

My rating: 3 stars

About the book:

A razor-sharp novel of suspense about the lies families tell—and those we choose to believe—by the Amazon Charts bestselling author of Jane Doe.

Lauren Abrams wants nothing to do with her damaged mother, whose spurious testimony sent Lauren’s father to prison for murder years ago. After a serial killer’s confession to the crime restored justice, Lauren chose to live with her father and grandmother. Now an adult, Lauren has come home to the Sacramento family estate for good, her mother’s lies be damned…

It’s been decades since Donna made her cheating boyfriend pay, but she hasn’t forgotten the past. She knows her estranged daughter has made a terrible mistake by returning to the estate. There’s more to the story of the welcoming old homestead—and her childhood—than Lauren knows.

As Lauren settles in, she is haunted by the questions of what really happened with her father, what her mother might be hiding, and what secrets the family ranch holds. It’s getting so dark, Lauren may not be able to see the truth to save her life.

The Last One Home by Victoria Helen Stone is a thriller novel. The story in The Last One Home is one that is told by changing the point of view between the characters and also by alternating between a past timeline and the current timeline.

Lauren Abrams has always had a rocky relationship with her somewhat erratic mother but now she is choosing to leave her for good. Lauren’s mother had once put her husband, Lauren’s father, behind bars but after all that time a serial killer admitted to the very crime Lauren’s father had been accused of so Lauren is going to live with her father and grandmother.

Having read Victoria Helen Stone before and really enjoying her work I was surprised to find myself having a hard time connecting to The Last One Home. The story was an incredibly slow build in my opinion as it flashed between the past and present timelines. When finished I didn’t think this was a bad read but I was left with wanting more as I had found it before with the author pulling me in with her work.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online:

Goodreads  /   Amazon

About the author:

Victoria Helen Stone is the nom de plume for USA Today bestselling author Victoria Dahl. After publishing more than twenty-five novels, she is now taking a turn toward the darker side of genre fiction. Born and educated in the Midwest, she finished her first manuscript just after college. In 2016, the American Library Association awarded her the prestigious Reading List Award for outstanding genre fiction. Having escaped the plains of her youth, she now resides with her family in a small town high in the Rocky Mountains, where she enjoys hiking, snowshoeing, and not skiing (too dangerous).