The Last House on Needless Street

By: Catriona Ward

Narrated by: Christopher Ragland

Length: 11 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

The must-listen gothic thriller of 2021.

This is the story of a murderer. A stolen child. Revenge. This is the story of Ted, who lives with his daughter, Lauren, and his cat, Olivia, in an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street.

All these things are true. And yet some of them are lies.

You think you know what's inside the last house on Needless Street. You think you've come across this story before. In the dark forest at the end of Needless Street, something lies buried. But it's not what you think....

©2021 Catriona Ward (P)2021 Hachette Audio UK

Critic reviews

"I haven't read anything this exciting since Gone Girl." (Stephen King)

"Books like this don't come around too often." (Joanne Harris)

Very good & out of this world

I'm not going to say anything more about this book than that it's very good. It uses story ingredients that are not unfamiliar to fans of crime fiction but it is done in a way that makes the story quite original.
There's also not much to say about the narration: it's just incredibly good.

Gripping!

I have just finished listening to this dark, mysterious and exceptionally written gothic horror and am surprised at the pure visceral feelings it has left me with. No other horror has managed to have such an effect. A dark tale perfectly read by a very talented narrator, who made each character their very own. Sadness, enlightenment and a deeper understanding of the human mind are just a little of how I feel. I don't want to discuss the plot in this review, purely because I would not want to give a single thing away. I highly recommend The Last House on Needless Street.. Catriona Ward rocks as a writer and I can't wait to read what she comes up with next. I'm off to order the book, to read this time, so I can savour every word.

Awful

I wrote my review and deleted it before this version. My first draft went in quite a bit, funnily enough that being my main complaint about this book.

To summarise. Half of the story is in the POV of a kitty monologue. Yes a cat! The last few hours keep making you think that it's about to end, but doesn't.
Cut out the kitty chat and the never ending, ending and the story may have enough about it to keep the listener from frankly past caring about any of it anymore.

Creepy,horror, psychological thriller all words listed in reviews with an additional critc from Stephen King, can only make me think I must have got a different book from everyone else.

Dull, monotonous, padded, rambling and 10+ hrs of my life I will never get back AND I'm still listening with 44mins to go. Wow.

Really didn’t live up to the hype for me

I was really looking forward to this audiobook after reading all the fantastic reviews of the paperback. Unfortunately the animal cruelty in the first part didn’t go down well with me, especially since the character has a cat, as I found myself on edge in case something cruel happened to it too.

I found the narration irritating and whilst I feel like the childish sounding interpretation of the protagonist’s voice may reflect his demeanour, I just couldn’t buy into it. I found that I wasn’t engaged enough with the characters or plot to continue so this has become one of the very few books (audio or paperback) I have given up on before I’m even a quarter of the way through. Unpopular opinion I know, but I just couldn’t commit to another 10 hours of it. I have the utmost respect for any author and I truly don’t mean to cause offence. This just wasn’t for me.

Thrilling to return to.

I didn’t guess. The hints were there and I should have picked them up! I loved the suspense and the darkness was truly spine tingling. The narrative was clever and sensitive. I think this is a unique novel.

This book is like marmite

I can understand why this book has mixed reviews - it it one of those books that will have you divided; did I just read a really good book or a really bad one? I chose the former.... I loved it, particularly the narrator who bought the characters to life. 👍👍👍

Not great!

Lost 5 hours of my life. Was hoping it will get better, kept listening and finally had to stop it. The story was not going anywhere to grip further attention or excitement to continue. I am glad to put it down unfinished.

This book will blow your mind

Loved this. An insanely good & tightly plotted book. You will have never read anything like this before!
Excellent narration. Made it all the more enjoyable.

different

i was not sure about thos book when I started, but it soon got my full attention. different but enjoyable

Not what I expected but……..

………well worth a read/listen. The plot twists and turns, leading the reader right up the garden path. Literally. It’s all a question of perception - one point of view a full picture does not make! Struggled with the writing style initially but once I got going, couldn’t put it down. Just downloaded “Sundial” too.

Best avoided

A tedious story with disappointing writing, laden with clumsy metaphors and grandiose one-liners with no substance. Structurally lacking, the story’s resolution relies on overbearing explanation rather than showing. Relieved it’s over.