Title: THE ONLY ONE LEFT
Author: RILEY SAGER
ISBN: 9781399712378
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Pages: 383
Source: Private Copy (Gift)
Everyone believes that Lenora Hope is a mass murderer.
When the Hope family was massacred decades ago, she was the only one left after that tragic night.
Mute, paralysed and confined to a wheelchair, Lenora has never been able to tell her side of the story.
Until her new live-in caregiver Kit brings her a typewriter.
And with one working finger Lenora begins to type:
I want to tell you everything.
Official Summary
18 March 2026
And just like that, a new author obsession begins.
I’ve wanted to read Riley Sager’s books for the longest time, and receiving a copy of The Only One Left was the perfect excuse for this one to jump straight to the top of my TBR pile.
This was a brilliant read that left me reeling from all the twists. I flew through the book in just two days (regular blog visitors will know that I am quite a slow reader), and I found myself genuinely disappointed when I reached the final page.
After being accused of murdering her terminally ill mother, Kit struggles to find work. When she is offered the position of live-in caregiver for the infamous Lenora Hope, she has little choice but to accept. But she can’t help wondering if she is truly capable of caring for someone widely believed to be a murderer. On her very first day, Lenora — mute, paralysed and confined to a wheelchair — begins typing a message to Kit with one working finger: she wants to tell her everything.
What follows is a heartbreaking and deeply unsettling story involving a manipulative father, an addicted mother, and two sisters whose relationship is far from loving. Add affairs, money, long-held resentments, and staff members willing to take advantage of their positions, and the result is a story packed with twist after twist.
I was completely drawn into this story from the very first page. Sager creates fascinating characters, and as the narrative unfolds he cleverly dismantles everything you thought you knew about them.
This was my first Riley Sager novel, but it certainly won’t be my last. I loved that there was never a dull moment — the story is fast-paced, tense, and completely unpredictable. A five-star read from beginning to end.
I highly recommend this one to readers looking for a twisty thriller that will keep them reading late into the night. I’ve now added all of Riley Sager’s books to my wish list, and I’m hoping to work my way through them all before the end of the year.
Also by Riley Sager
FINAL GIRLS
Ten years ago, college student Quincy Carpenter went on vacation with five friends and came back alone, the only survivor of a horror movie–scale massacre. In an instant, she became a member of a club no one wants to belong to—a group of similar survivors known in the press as the Final Girls. Lisa, who lost nine sorority sisters to a college dropout’s knife; Sam, who went up against the Sack Man during her shift at the Nightlight Inn; and now Quincy, who ran bleeding through the woods to escape Pine Cottage and the man she refers to only as Him. The three girls are all attempting to put their nightmares behind them, and, with that, one another. Despite the media’s attempts, they never meet.
Now, Quincy is doing well—maybe even great, thanks to her Xanax prescription. She has a caring almost-fiancé, Jeff; a popular baking blog; a beautiful apartment; and a therapeutic presence in Coop, the police officer who saved her life all those years ago. Her memory won’t even allow her to recall the events of that night; the past is in the past.
That is, until Lisa, the first Final Girl, is found dead in her bathtub, wrists slit, and Sam, the second, appears on Quincy’s doorstep. Blowing through Quincy’s life like a whirlwind, Sam seems intent on making Quincy relive the past, with increasingly dire consequences, all of which makes Quincy question why Sam is really seeking her out. And when new details about Lisa’s death come to light, Quincy’s life becomes a race against time as she tries to unravel Sam’s truths from her lies, evade the police and hungry reporters, and, most crucially, remember what really happened at Pine Cottage, before what was started ten years ago is finished.
Review coming soon
About the Author
Author bio from the author’s site
Riley Sager is the New York Times bestselling author of ten novels, most recently With a Vengeance, Middle of the Night and The Only One Left.
His novels have been published in 40 countries, with more than 4 million copies sold worldwide. His latest book, The Unknown, will be released on August 4.
A native of Pennsylvania, he now lives in Princeton, New Jersey.
Thank you for visiting. You can expect to see more Riley Sager reviews in the upcoming months. I just loved this book and cannot wait to read more from him. Are you a fan? Which is your favourite book? I would love to hear from you. Until next time…. Happy Reading!
