Title: The Last Time I Lied
Author: Riley Sager
Publisher: Dutton
Publication date: July 3rd, 2018
384 pages
5/5 stars
Goodreads Synopsis
Fifteen years ago, summer camper Emma Davis watched sleepily as her three cabin mates snuck out of their cabin in the dead of night. The last she–and anyone–saw of them was Vivian closing the cabin door behind her, hushing Emma with a finger pressed to her lips.
Now a rising star in the NYC art scene, Emma turns her past into paintings.. They catch the attention of Francesca Harris-White, the socialite and wealthy owner of the very same Camp Nightingale–and when Francesca implores Emma to return to the camp as a painting counselor, Emma sees an opportunity to find closure and move on.
Yet, it is immediately clear that all is not right at Camp Nightingale. Already haunted by surfacing memories, Emma is suddenly plagued by a security camera pointed directly at her cabin, mounting mistrust from Francesca, and, most disturbing of all, cryptic clues Vivian apparently left behind about the camp’s twisted origins. And as history begins to repeat itself and three girls go missing again, Emma must face threats from both man and nature in order to uncover all the buried secrets–including what really happened all those years ago.
Review
“Boys can break your heart and betray you, but not in the same stinging way girls can.”
Riley Sager, The Last Time I Lied
As my second Sager book, I had high expectations but was prepared to be disappointed again – like I was after reading Home Before Dark. But, I absolutely loved this one. I had no clue what was happening at any point during this book. The main suspect in my mind changed chapter by chapter and I could barely keep up with all the intrigue that was happening. The only constant – feeling bad for Emma. She really went THROUGH it during this book, both in the flashbacks and the present day. To be fair, somewhat her fault for allowing herself to be lured back to the camp.
Personally, I adore books that have a boarding school/summer camp setting – the no parents, acting more like grown ups, having free rein. I’m always here for it. But I mostly read it in the young adult capacity – so since most of this book takes place when Emma is an adult, I wasn’t sure how it would track with that. Shouldn’t have worried. The kids made her feel and seem like less than an adult anyway!
I can’t say enough how great this mystery was. But THE ENDING is truly where it shined. Yes, the big reveal was a huge shock to me personally but the epilogue killed it even further. I almost fell off my seat.
For huge mystery fans, I’m sure you know Riley Sager as he’s one of the biggest names currently. I still highly suggest this to you if you haven’t gotten to it yet. For my fledgling mystery fans : start with this one.
Can’t wait to read more of Riley’s backlist and his most recent release, Survive the Night.
Happy reading, folks!
Baltimore Bibliophile 