-20% 🔥 Bestseller The Last Time I Lied — Psychological Horror

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🧠 Psychological Horror −20%

The Last Time I Lied

Name: The Last Time I Lied
Price: 19.00 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9781524743093

✍️ Riley Sager

Reader Score

4.3

(7 reviews)

$19.00 ~~$24.00~~ Save $5.00 (20%)

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📚 WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT

A woman returns to her childhood camp to solve a fifteen-year-old disappearance mystery.

Emma Davis uses her art career as a bridge back to Camp Nightingale. Francesca Harris-White hires her to teach painting, offering a chance to investigate the past. Emma finds surveillance equipment and hidden messages from Vivian. The tension rises as she confronts the camp's dark history and current threats.

Key Themes

missing persons summer camps artistic expression

Literary Context

The book is set in the United States, focusing on a specific summer camp environment. It draws on traditions of camp life and mystery fiction. The narrative connects past tragedies with present-day consequences for the characters involved.

Riley Sager

📚 all books by this author (30) →

Difficulty

●● Medium

Recommended For Fans Of

Tana French · Gillian Flynn · R.L. Stine

🧠

Psychological Horror

🏛 Dutton 📅 2019 📖 400 pages 🌐 English 📔 Paperback ISBN: 9781524743093

📝 Description: The Last Time I Lied

Riley Sager, known for his New York Times bestseller Final Girls, presents a psychological thriller centered on Emma Davis. Fifteen years after her friends vanished at Camp Nightingale, Emma returns as a painting instructor to uncover the truth. The narrative follows her investigation into the disappearance of Vivian, Natalie, and Allison, which began when Emma watched them sneak out of their cabin one night. Emma’s career in the New York art scene has led her to create large canvases depicting ghostly figures in white dresses. These works attract Francesca Harris-White, the wealthy owner of the camp, who invites Emma back. Upon arrival, Emma faces mounting mistrust and discovers a security camera pointed at her cabin. She also finds cryptic clues left by Vivian regarding the camp’s history. The story weaves together past events and present dangers. Emma sorts through lies while facing threats from both people and nature. The plot moves toward a deadly confrontation as she seeks answers about the twisted origins of Camp Nightingale. This novel suits readers who enjoy suspenseful mysteries involving missing persons and isolated settings. It may not appeal to those seeking lighthearted summer reads or historical fiction without supernatural undertones.

💎 Our verdict on The Last Time I Lied

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🩸

Horror Reads editorial team

Horror desk

Sager delivers a tightly wound psychological thriller that excels in atmosphere but may frustrate readers seeking deep character development or supernatural elements. The plot relies heavily on the familiar 'return to the scene of the crime' formula, which feels somewhat derivative for seasoned horror fans. Those looking for lighthearted summer reads or historical fiction without modern suspense will likely find the tone too intense and manipulative. The reliance on cryptic clues and surveillance adds a layer of paranoia that works well for mystery lovers but may feel contrived to others. It is a competent entry in the genre, offering steady tension rather than groundbreaking innovation.

✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

📖 Why choose it

📖

Why this book is worth reading

Readers who crave tense, atmospheric mysteries set in isolated locations will find this novel highly engaging. Emma Davis’s return to Camp Nightingale offers a compelling blend of art world intrigue and childhood trauma exploration. The narrative structure, which interweaves past disappearances with present-day threats, keeps the suspense high for those who enjoy piecing together clues alongside the protagonist. Fans of Riley Sager’s previous work, particularly Final Girls, will appreciate the consistent tone of dread and the focus on female protagonists navigating dangerous histories. It provides a satisfying puzzle for those who like to question every character's motive while enjoying the claustrophobic tension of a setting where everyone seems to have something to hide.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Horror Reads —

⭐ HorrorReads editorial review Editorial rating 4.5/5

★★★★★

Fans of psychological thrillers like Final Girls will love this camp mystery. If you prefer cozy romance or slow-burn literary fiction without suspense, skip it; this story demands your attention with its high stakes and relentless pacing.

Reader rating

4.3

Based on 7 reviews

Kevin J.

July 29, 2026

Exactly as described

First order from this shop. The monster is scarier for how little you see of it. Well worth it.

Linda J.

June 16, 2026

First order from this shop. The dread is in the pacing, not in gore, which is exactly how I like it. The font runs small in this edition. Recommended with reservations.

Tom B.

May 9, 2026

Decent

First order from this shop. The audiobook crowd will want the paper copy for the margins. The atmosphere builds slowly and then does not let go. The font runs small in this edition. Happy enough with the purchase.

Rosa W.

April 25, 2026

Decent

Added this to the shelf next to the ones I reread. The atmosphere builds slowly and then does not let go. There's real craft in how much is left unsaid. A couple of the side characters are thinly drawn. Solid, if not essential.

Kevin W.

September 12, 2025

Arrived quickly and well packaged. Genuinely unsettling in places, and it earns it without cheap tricks. Will be gifting a copy to a friend.

Beth D.

June 9, 2025

Excellent find

Grabbed it for a long flight. Read it in two sittings; the second one ran past midnight. Glad I finally picked this up.

❓ Frequently asked questions

Yes. It shares Sager’s signature blend of unreliable narrators and high-stakes survival, though it swaps urban settings for an isolated camp atmosphere.

Not typically. The horror stems from psychological dread and suspenseful investigation rather than sudden shocks or traditional monster encounters.

📖 Who should read this

📜 Historical context

Riley Sager firmly sits within the modern revival of the claustrophobic thriller, echoing the traditions of Shirley Jackson’s isolated horror. By merging the camp fire genre with domestic noir elements, he updates classic tropes for contemporary audiences. This work bridges the gap between vintage mystery-solving and modern psychological tension, honoring legacy authors while carving out a distinct, suspenseful niche in current speculative fiction.