Riley Sager: Last Time I Lied (2018, Penguin Random House)
352 pages
English language
Published July 15, 2018 by Penguin Random House.
"Two truths and a lie. The girls played it all the time in their cabin at Camp Nightingale. Vivian, Natalie, Allison, and first-time camper Emma Davis, the youngest of the group. But the games ended the night Emma sleepily watched the others sneak out of the cabin into the darkness. The last she--or 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 New York art scene, Emma turns her past into paintings--massive canvases filled with dark leaves and gnarled branches that cover ghostly shapes in white dresses. When the paintings catch the attention of Francesca Harris-White, the wealthy owner of Camp Nightingale, she implores Emma to return to the newly reopened camp as a painting instructor. Seeing an opportunity to find out what really happened to her friends all those years ago, Emma …
"Two truths and a lie. The girls played it all the time in their cabin at Camp Nightingale. Vivian, Natalie, Allison, and first-time camper Emma Davis, the youngest of the group. But the games ended the night Emma sleepily watched the others sneak out of the cabin into the darkness. The last she--or 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 New York art scene, Emma turns her past into paintings--massive canvases filled with dark leaves and gnarled branches that cover ghostly shapes in white dresses. When the paintings catch the attention of Francesca Harris-White, the wealthy owner of Camp Nightingale, she implores Emma to return to the newly reopened camp as a painting instructor. Seeing an opportunity to find out what really happened to her friends all those years ago, Emma agrees. Familiar faces, unchanged cabins, and the same dark lake haunt Nightingale, even though the camp is opening its doors for the first time since the disappearances. Emma is even assigned to the same cabin she slept in as a teenager, but soon discovers a security camera--the only one on the property--pointed directly at its door. Then cryptic clues that Vivian left behind about the camp's twisted origins begin surfacing. As she digs deeper, Emma finds herself sorting through lies from the past while facing mysterious threats in the present. And the closer she gets to the truth about Camp Nightingale and what really happened to those girls, the more she realizes that closure could come at a deadly price"--
Did get into it, I don't like the way it drags out.
After serious thought, I just don't like this book. Haha. I'm a sucker for the film references throughout (Vertigo and the Lady Vanishes, both mentioned in the story, are in my top ten favorite films), but the book suffers from the comparison. The best of the suspense noir thrillers are more than just a series of twists and psychological difficulties, they try to reveal something about a more universal human experience around the motivations and judgements of crimes, and our inability to perceive truth. Although there is some reflection on loss and psychological trauma, in the end the book is far more interested in keeping you guessing about what's really happening than it is with the effect on the various characters, and for all the discussion that seemingly takes place, it doesn't seem to care much about the psychological state of anyone, really. Perhaps it comes down to my general …
After serious thought, I just don't like this book. Haha. I'm a sucker for the film references throughout (Vertigo and the Lady Vanishes, both mentioned in the story, are in my top ten favorite films), but the book suffers from the comparison. The best of the suspense noir thrillers are more than just a series of twists and psychological difficulties, they try to reveal something about a more universal human experience around the motivations and judgements of crimes, and our inability to perceive truth. Although there is some reflection on loss and psychological trauma, in the end the book is far more interested in keeping you guessing about what's really happening than it is with the effect on the various characters, and for all the discussion that seemingly takes place, it doesn't seem to care much about the psychological state of anyone, really. Perhaps it comes down to my general lack of interest in thrillers, but what matters is I will not be recommending this book in the future, to anyone.
Loved this. Inhaled this like gone girl. I’ve read better books but who cares. I saw the first big reveal coming a mile away but surprise isn’t everything. One of my top 3 of the year. (The other 2: Elizabeth is missing, my Emma healey, and little big lies, by liane moriarty).
My book preferences have changed so much in the last 5 years. (Movies and music too. I guess people keep changing as they age. Shocking.) I prefer thrillers and crime fiction. Complex women protagonists please. Literary merit optional.
Holy freaking moly! Everytime I thought I figured out what happened to the girls there was another twist in the story - until the very last page. Everyone seemed to be a suspect at least once throughout the book. Great book.
