The Last Time I Lied

A Novel

By: Riley Sager

Narrated by: Nicol Zanzarella

In the latest thriller from the best-selling author of Final Girls, a young woman returns to her childhood summer camp to uncover the truth about a tragedy that happened there 15 years ago.

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.

©2018 Riley Sager (P)2018 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Narrator Nicol Zanzarella depicts Emma's thoughts gently and in character. Her slow, almost eerie, delivery echoes the suspense of the story. An intimate tone in her voice enhances the listening experience and adds suspense." (AudioFile)

“The author delivers the kind of unpredictable conclusion that all thriller readers crave - utterly shocking yet craftily foreshadowed.” (The New York Times Book Review)

“Sager’s second thriller is as tense and twisty as [his] best-selling Final Girls (2017), but this one is even more polished, with gut-wrenching plot surprises skillfully camouflaged by Emma’s paranoia and confusion, the increasingly creepy setting, and a cast of intriguingly secretive characters.” (Booklist - starred review)

Intriguing psychological mystery

The story kept my interest. It’s creepy but not a lot of action. The camp setting is fun and the author does a good job of conveying angst in the main character’s mind. I wish the story had less F**k swearing in it; listen with headphones if you’re around kids.

suspenseful until the very last word.

It is a great and very enjoyable edge of your seat thriller. It kept me guessing and it kept me reading well past bedtime:)

Underwhelmed.

I am a grown, married woman with two children and at times I felt a little embarrassed listening to this because I felt like a teenager again. The writing felt very juvenile. I would have loved this book if I was 16 but I am almost 30. A easy, quick read for the summer I suppose. It a good one to listen to while doing chores around the house and driving. You don't have to think or focus too hard.

plausible

I got bored in the middle, but glad I finished. the end was tied up with a bow

Fantastic and Creative!

Fantastic story! I can't even really explain how much I love this story! It's full of questions and full of mystery. I was so pleased I took a chance on this... well worth it!

good books

I was actually thinking this movie sequel to final girls but it's not but it's still a good book I was impressed

Shocking Until the End!

Wow! Just when I thought I had it figured out, another plot twist sent me reeling! Amazing storytelling! And the narrator was spot on perfect!

Great book!

This book was great! Kept me engaged from the very beginning. I loved the way the author switched the narration from current to 15 years prior. Kept me guessing until the very end! Highly recommend for anyone who loves a good mystery/psychological thriller.

it felt dragged on after while.

i an but sure why i didn't get captured maybe the readers voice times me out after a while. i felt like the strip story dragged on after a bit

Hold onto your canoe paddle!

Had me from the first chapter. I kept thinking that the "suspect" was someone other than that...spoiler alert caution. Whew, almost blew that one for ya'. Great story.