The Last Time I Lied, Riley Sager, 2018
My favorite quote: “Although their eventual fate remains a mystery, I’m certain that what happened to those girls is all my fault.”
Most interesting characters: Emma Davis, a painter with a past; Francesca Harris-White, a socialite who encourages Emma to return to the past
Opening scene: Camp Nightingale, fifteen years ago — and as always, Riley Sager sets the scene perfectly
The gist: The Last Time I Lied is Riley Sager’s sophomore suspense novel — and a shining success, if you ask me. Fifteen years ago, at Camp Nightingale, three of Emma Davis’ friends disappeared in the woods. Now a rising star in the New York City art scene, Emma puts her memories of that summer into her paintings, intriguing and frightening viewers. When her work catches the attention of Camp Nightingale’s new owner, who encourages Emma to return to the camp as a painting counselor, Emma thinks she’ll find closure. But what she really discovers are more secrets than you can shake a stick at — including the truth about what happened to those girls all those years ago. If you liked Riley Sager’s first suspense novel, Final Girls, The Last Time I Lied will be up your alley
Greatest strengths: Riley Sager builds intrigue as if he’d invented it himself. This is true of all his novels, but in The Last Time I Lied, I was like, “Whaaaat is going on!?” And I like books that make me go, “Whaaaat is going on!?”
Standout achievements: Of all the “Whaaaat is going on!?” moments in The Last Time I Lied, the unexpected ending was the most “Whaaaat is going on!?” moment of them all. This is my third Riley Sager novel and I’m thoroughly convinced: If anyone knows how to write a good “Whaaaat is going on!?” moment, it’s Riley Sager
Fun Facts: Riley Sager is a pseudonym for Todd Ritter, a former journalist and graphic designer. He’s also written as Alan Finn
Other media: I have no doubt that The Last Time I Lied is under contract for something or another and slated to come out at some point. If not, well, that just sucks
Additional thoughts: One of my favorite things about The Last Time I Lied (and all of the Riley Sager books I’ve read so far) is its nostalgic vibe. His work is reminiscent of the stuff I grew up on — the stuff that turned me into a writer myself. It’s nice to see those old-school-horror-ish elements recognized and treated with respect
Hit or Miss: The Last Time I Lied is a hit
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Alistair Cross 