• The Last Thing He Told Me

  • A Novel
  • By: Laura Dave
  • Narrated by: Rebecca Lowman
  • Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (57,166 ratings)

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The Last Thing He Told Me  By  cover art

The Last Thing He Told Me

By: Laura Dave
Narrated by: Rebecca Lowman
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Publisher's summary

A 2022 Audie Award Finalist

The instant #1 New York Times bestselling mystery and Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick that’s captivated more than a million readers about a woman searching for the truth about her husband’s disappearance…at any cost.

“A fast-moving, heartfelt thriller about the sacrifices we make for the people we love most.” —Real Simple

Before Owen Michaels disappears, he smuggles a note to his beloved wife of one year: Protect her. Despite her confusion and fear, Hannah Hall knows exactly to whom the note refers—Owen’s sixteen-year-old daughter, Bailey. Bailey, who lost her mother tragically as a child. Bailey, who wants absolutely nothing to do with her new stepmother.

As Hannah’s increasingly desperate calls to Owen go unanswered, as the FBI arrests Owen’s boss, as a US marshal and federal agents arrive at her Sausalito home unannounced, Hannah quickly realizes her husband isn’t who he said he was. And that Bailey just may hold the key to figuring out Owen’s true identity—and why he really disappeared.

Hannah and Bailey set out to discover the truth. But as they start putting together the pieces of Owen’s past, they soon realize they’re also building a new future—one neither of them could have anticipated.

With its breakneck pacing, dizzying plot twists, and evocative family drama, The Last Thing He Told Me is a riveting mystery, certain to shock you with its final, heartbreaking turn.

©2021 Laura Dave. All rights reserved. (P)2021 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"Rebecca Lowman's methodical performance will hook listeners until the very end of this contemporary mystery. Hannah wakes up one day to find her husband of one year, Owen, has vanished, leaving her a puzzling note: 'Protect her.' Hannah assumes that 'her' refers to Owen's teenage daughter, Bailey, who has despised Hannah from day one. While this is a typical story of two individuals who are at odds being forced to work together, Lowman's portrayals of the characters and the mystery surrounding Owen's secret life will intrigue listeners." (AudioFile Magazine)

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What listeners say about The Last Thing He Told Me

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    33,310
  • 4 Stars
    14,977
  • 3 Stars
    6,251
  • 2 Stars
    1,747
  • 1 Stars
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Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    33,233
  • 4 Stars
    10,801
  • 3 Stars
    3,833
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    1,207
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Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    28,185
  • 4 Stars
    12,633
  • 3 Stars
    5,724
  • 2 Stars
    2,007
  • 1 Stars
    1,122

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great story, well told!

I almost didn’t listen to this book because of negative reviews. But I am so glad I did! The people who criticize the narrator have probably never raised a teen-age daughter. If they had, they would have understood the intonations. Brilliantly done!

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

This should be the first thing you tell your friend

Great great book. Loved every minute. Loved the story…wasn’t expecting the story line when I started listening.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Just okay

The plot kept me listening, and the reader was good! However, it was just okay, especially the ending!

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Page turner

This was very enjoyable! If you were flipping book pages and not listening, you would be able to stop. Not your typical suspense with a murder mystery… more of a sweet love story mixed with a challenging decision because of a secret past.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Terrible Ending

The majority of the story was great and the narration even better, that ending though…. Yikes.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

entertaining but unrealistic

entertaining story but a bit unrealistic. the main character is not believable and the story is outlandish

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable

Fantastic narration. Really enjoyed this book. It isn’t a genre I typically focus on so I found it even more enjoyable.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

About the stepparent/child relationship

This book was overall just fine. The characters are flat. The mystery is somewhat predictable. The plot is fine. I was going to write this off as a mediocre summer read.

BUT. The book develops this absolutely beautiful stepmother/child relationship. It is unexpected and poignant. The absolute best part of this book is the masterful way in which this relationship is developed. It is not a relationship many books dive into, but this book does it unflinchingly and it is, by far, the most exceptional thing about this book. It makes me wonder why it was not marketed as such, because it is really what the story is about.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Sweet without all the sugar

This book is a balm for all of the step parents of teenagers. The main character is the Mother Theresa of the instant family generation. The plot is just background for the story of the these two coming together. The narration is good enough and the action is adequate.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

excellent

loved it loved it loved it
excellent


great listening
great story. intriguing read thanks

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