The Only One Left

Riley Sager crafts a gothic chiller centered on Lenora Hope, who was accused of a Lizzie Borden-like massacre at Hope’s End in 1929. She has remained isolated in the cliffside mansion since that bloody night, never speaking publicly or leaving the property. The story shifts to 1983 when home-health aide Kit McDeere arrives to care for Lenora after her previous nurse fled abruptly. Lenora, now in her seventies and confined to a wheelchair, communicates by tapping sentences on an old typewriter. She offers Kit a tantalizing deal to tell everything about the past. As they write about the events leading to the Hope family murders, new details emerge that suggest Lenora may not be telling the complete truth. Kit begins to suspect the seemingly harmless woman she cares for could be far more dangerous than she first thought. This novel suits readers who enjoy psychological suspense and isolated settings. It draws on the tradition of domestic gothic fiction and true crime lore surrounding unsolved family massacres. The narrative relies on the tension between the mute caregiver and her silent patient, using the typewriter as a key device for revelation. Readers seeking lighthearted romance or fast-paced action thrillers may find this slow-burn mystery less appealing.