The Last House on Needless Street Paperback – September 20, 2022

Twisted! You start this story and you think you know where it’s going, then the twists start, and then your mind is all over the place trying to figure out what’s happening! After a while you think you got it all figured out, just to find out that you’re all wrong again and it keeps the twists going! Great book!!!!

TRGGER WARNING: Book contains graphic descriptions of violence. physical abuse, adult and child, and profound mental health issues.This book shifts POV from chapter to chapter with multiple characters presenting their perspectives on the same events. This has become a somewhat overused technique, but it actually makes semse om this particular story and the author handles it competently. The story opens with the disappearance of a little girl from a nearby lake and since one of the POVs is a young girl, the reader is led to believe that they may be one and the same. Another POV is that of the missing child’s older sister who has continued to search for her younger sibling for years. She has concluded that her sisteer is being kept captive by a young man that the police exonerated early in the investigation and rents the house next door to confirm her suspicions. The author very deliberately points the reader in the same direction.In addition to the shifting POVs of various characters, we also swap timelines; some events are occurring now, others happen during the childhood of the alledged kidnapper, Ted. It’s confusing to keep track of the chain of events. At the book’s conclusion, everything mostly adds up and makes sense, although there were a number of events that did not ultimately have any real relevance to the storyline. It’s frustrating when you are left with unanswered questions.I do not recall exactly where I read that this book was in the horror genre, but I purchased it based on that information. There are no supernatural elements whatsoever. It is more accurately in the psychological thriller category. There are some extremely horrifying elements depicted and sensitive readers could find themselves triggered by the appalling abuse described.All in all, a solid 4 star read. It was a bit confusing to bounce between POVs and timelines and I was not left with that deep sense of satisfaction that comes when at last everything comes together. I find myself still struggling with unanswered questions and dead end plot points. It was definitely not one of those books where everything wraps up neatly in the end! Overall an engaging, well written story worth reading.

I don’t know how to fairly review this book. It’s amazingly well researched and well written. The characters seem to develop themselves. The prose is beautiful and descriptive and sets an atmosphere.I note that the major plot twist has been given away in many of the reviews written thus far, with no spoiler warning. I didn’t read the reviews before I acquired the book,I just saw the one-line recommendation from Stephen King, and that was enough for me.I hate giving this only 3 stars, but anything else would be dishonest. The way the book starts out, the POV from Ted, is brilliant writing! I LOVED the cat’s POV, I still smile remembering some parts of those chapters. It was hilarious as well as creative, descriptive. And I can see how many readers would love the truth that was revealed—the bad guy is really the good guy; the heroine is really the murderer, and what is real is actually invisible. And, of course, the victim is making a heroic recovery at story’s end. <—- How’s that for spoilers??I’m not among the many readers who feel that way. I felt cheated out of a story. I’m a retired clinical social worker, and I did my share of case studying DID. A very interesting diagnosis, fascinating even. I only observed people with the diagnosis on video, never in person.I wanted to read a horror story, or a thriller. Even a whodunnit mystery. I would have settled for a supernatural tale. I should have read the spoiler reviews!I felt like the story was going along great…all set up to find out who snatched Lulu and is she still alive? The bad guy is nearly dead…then Lulu’s voice comes out of him. Like the story did an about-face, or maybe the author finally figured out what she wanted to do with the story.I usually like novels that use a little-known diagnosis in the plot. I recently read a book where the bad guy had an advanced case of Erhlos-Danlos syndrome and I loved that it was well researched and fit so well into the plot. I didn’t feel that way about this one. I felt like I read 2 different books, and the first one wasn’t finished. It seemed to me that the very talented author was working on a story…a missing girl, the cat…yada yada…and was lost as far as where to take the story. Then she heard about DID and changed gears. I read the…afterword or acknowledgements… and that is exactly what happened.I struggled to finish the book. I just wanted to know where Lulu fit in at the end. More spoiler: practically nowhere, that’s where she fit.I agree with the author, DID is a fascinating disorder. Of course it makes for a great story; the person creates their own characters and settings and proceeds to live them, be them. Like most MH disorders, it starts out as something that helps a person and eventually does anything but help. It’s just…I didn’t set out to read a case study. For me, the switch to “DID not the bad guy” was not seamless. It abruptly became a different story.I would like to read something else by this author, not just because she is a skilled and talented storyteller, but also to see if she usually has more continuity in her writing.My experience with this book was a solid 3. Yours may be much higher.

Let's just say, I enjoyed this book so much (and the character point-of-view) that I have recommended is to friends and a couple of family members.Enjoyed so much, might I add, that my initial purchase was on my Kindle - and I really wanted a physical copy, so I purchased another!From the beginning I was drawn in - like a curious cat, and my attention stayed undivided for the whole book! Start to finish this book was easy to follow along with and kept me on my toes. The different time settings did not confuse me either.I haven't really read a book with an interesting point of view (I don't want to give spoilers) like this before that it was very enthralling. This was very much like watching a movie unfold, with some graphic moments and unsettling. Parts of the book made me uncomfortable but I was so drawn in, I haaad to stick around to find the outcomes!Wonderfully done, and will definitely re-read.