Scan barcode
marsetta's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 out of 5
I was given a copy of Last to Die by NetGalley and Bookouture for a honest review.
Jessie Conway survives a horrific mass high school shooting, in the aftermath she finds herself thrust into the media spotlight, drawing all kinds of attention. But some of it is the wrong kind.
Caleb Switch, a sadistic serial killer has been watching her every move. A skilled hunter, he likes his victims to be a challenge to him. Jessie is strong, fearless, a survivor, and now…she is his ultimate prey.
Although it says in the blurb that "Caleb picks off his current victims one by one, chasing, killing and butchering them with his crossbow", that's about as much as you get concerning the other victims. So it was a bit strange having a serial killer that doesn't kill anyone in the book.
The book is told from two different POV - Jessie, who is a strong and fearless and Caleb, our serial killer which gives the story a different feel throughout. While the story is predictable it was a good read and I would definitely consider reading more by this author.
http://crimeandmysterybookreview.wordpress.com
I was given a copy of Last to Die by NetGalley and Bookouture for a honest review.
Jessie Conway survives a horrific mass high school shooting, in the aftermath she finds herself thrust into the media spotlight, drawing all kinds of attention. But some of it is the wrong kind.
Caleb Switch, a sadistic serial killer has been watching her every move. A skilled hunter, he likes his victims to be a challenge to him. Jessie is strong, fearless, a survivor, and now…she is his ultimate prey.
Although it says in the blurb that "Caleb picks off his current victims one by one, chasing, killing and butchering them with his crossbow", that's about as much as you get concerning the other victims. So it was a bit strange having a serial killer that doesn't kill anyone in the book.
The book is told from two different POV - Jessie, who is a strong and fearless and Caleb, our serial killer which gives the story a different feel throughout. While the story is predictable it was a good read and I would definitely consider reading more by this author.
http://crimeandmysterybookreview.wordpress.com
nannyf's review against another edition
4.0
After a few reads I had been disappointed in, I went into this one with high expectations. I love a good psychological thriller and really needed a decent storyline to pull me out of the book slump I had found myself in.
This story starts with a horrific event in a school, leaving several people dead and turning a teacher into a hero for the community. They see Jessie as someone who is a credit to the local community. She receives a lot of attention from local people, but also from further afield when news reporters begin to cover the story. One in particular wants to dig deeper into her past and finds out something which changes everything.
The story is told in dual perspectives. The first is Jessie. The second is that of Caleb Switch, a serial killer who loves nothing more than hunting his victims down. It was his part of the story which I was slightly disappointed in if I'm being totally honest. I love reading about the murders committed in books, seeing glimpses of the killers mind at the same time. In this story, we hear about his crimes but we don't see them up close until the last part. The other deaths he has caused weren't featured enough for me.
Saying that, the whole book did grip me throughout. A copy was received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This story starts with a horrific event in a school, leaving several people dead and turning a teacher into a hero for the community. They see Jessie as someone who is a credit to the local community. She receives a lot of attention from local people, but also from further afield when news reporters begin to cover the story. One in particular wants to dig deeper into her past and finds out something which changes everything.
The story is told in dual perspectives. The first is Jessie. The second is that of Caleb Switch, a serial killer who loves nothing more than hunting his victims down. It was his part of the story which I was slightly disappointed in if I'm being totally honest. I love reading about the murders committed in books, seeing glimpses of the killers mind at the same time. In this story, we hear about his crimes but we don't see them up close until the last part. The other deaths he has caused weren't featured enough for me.
Saying that, the whole book did grip me throughout. A copy was received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
clairereviews's review against another edition
4.0
Review: Last to Die by Arlene Hunt Publisher: Bookouture (24th June 2016)
ISBN: 9781910751992
Source: Netgalley
Rating: 4*
Synopsis:
He watches. He waits. He kills ... When Jessie Conway survives a horrific mass high school shooting, in the aftermath she finds herself thrust into the media spotlight, drawing all kinds of attention. But some of it is the wrong kind. Caleb Switch, a sadistic serial killer has been watching her every move. A skilled hunter, he likes his victims to be a challenge to him. Jessie is strong, fearless, a survivor, and now…she is his ultimate prey. As Caleb picks off his current victims one by one, chasing, killing and butchering them with his crossbow, he’s closing in on Jessie... But will Jessie defy the odds and escape with her life? Or will she be Caleb’s final sacrifice...
Review:
Last to Die is an edge-of-your-seat game of cat and mouse that builds in tension on every page. Jessie is a ballsy girl who is determined to escape with her life, she's a great character to read and the perfect match for violent sociopath Caleb.
There is plenty of action to keep the reader entertained and is the kind of compelling, well-crafted thriller that can easily be read in one sitting. Well written, with believable and interesting characters, this is the first book by Arlene Hunt that I've read. I'm rather impressed with her storytelling and addictive writing, so it definitely won't be the last.
Special thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for providing an ARC in return for my honest review.
ISBN: 9781910751992
Source: Netgalley
Rating: 4*
Synopsis:
He watches. He waits. He kills ... When Jessie Conway survives a horrific mass high school shooting, in the aftermath she finds herself thrust into the media spotlight, drawing all kinds of attention. But some of it is the wrong kind. Caleb Switch, a sadistic serial killer has been watching her every move. A skilled hunter, he likes his victims to be a challenge to him. Jessie is strong, fearless, a survivor, and now…she is his ultimate prey. As Caleb picks off his current victims one by one, chasing, killing and butchering them with his crossbow, he’s closing in on Jessie... But will Jessie defy the odds and escape with her life? Or will she be Caleb’s final sacrifice...
Review:
Last to Die is an edge-of-your-seat game of cat and mouse that builds in tension on every page. Jessie is a ballsy girl who is determined to escape with her life, she's a great character to read and the perfect match for violent sociopath Caleb.
There is plenty of action to keep the reader entertained and is the kind of compelling, well-crafted thriller that can easily be read in one sitting. Well written, with believable and interesting characters, this is the first book by Arlene Hunt that I've read. I'm rather impressed with her storytelling and addictive writing, so it definitely won't be the last.
Special thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for providing an ARC in return for my honest review.
victoriahoperose's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
4.0
Finished reading: July 2nd 2016
“Hero. People didn't even know the meaning of the word.”
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Bookouture in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
Spoiler
Last To Die definitely left the best for last! The last part of this novel by Arlene Hunt starring Caleb the hunter and his final hunt of the story is without doubt terrifying, intense, graphic and well written. In fact, the whole storyline focusing on this character is something that comes straight out of your worst nightmare, and in a good way. But why the lowish rating for such a good ending, would you ask? Unfortunately, the story started off slow and the many different storylines and POVs were quite confusing in the beginning. It takes a while to figure out what the main plot is and which two characters are most important, but once the background stories start to merge with the main plot things start to become really interesting. Creepy, terrifying, sick, but without doubt a great thriller/horror ending to what was a slow start. I'm not sure I was able to connect to all the characters right away, but especially Jessie's character made it up to me. I'm still not sure I actually like her, but she is one strong woman! The pace started out slow, but I guess that was mostly because of the different POVs each chapter, because the pace picked up considerably later on and soon I found it hard to stop reading. The prose is easy to read and 'graphic', describing the horrifying scenes really well. If you are looking for a good thriller and don't mind a slow start, Last To Die is definitely for you!
Jessie Conway thought she was starting a new life in the small town her husband was born, but the quiet life is roughly interrupted when the school Jessie works is involved in a horrific mass shooting. Jessie survives while others don't, and she ends up becoming the local hero after it comes out she actually confronted the young shooters during the killings. She suddenly finds herself in the media spotlight and draws all kinds of attention, but that is the last thing Jessie wants. And not just because she was injured herself and lost people close to her; it looks like she might be having something to hide. But that is not her biggest problem, because the media attention also caught the wrong kind of audience. Soon she might be in a lot more trouble, because Caleb Switch is both a skilled hunter and a sadistic serial killer, and has his mind set on a new human hunt with a very special prey...
Like I said before, Last To Die started off quite slow and it took me a while to get a proper feel for the story with all those different characters and storylines that don't really seem to connect in the beginning. But as soon as the different POVs started to merge, I was hooked. This story by Arlene Hunt is without doubt twisted and has a really strong (and terrifying) ending. Worth the read if you enjoy reading these kind of books!
P.S. Find more of my reviews here.
mebbs's review against another edition
5.0
Gripping from start to finish- I've not been able to put it down, snatching a chapter here and there in any spare moment I had!
I love dark fiction, however, thrillers aren't usually something I'm drawn to. I have recently got back into my kindle, and was intrigued by the plot description. It far from disappointed, instead igniting an interest I didn't know I had in reading more from this particular genre!
A very good read.
I love dark fiction, however, thrillers aren't usually something I'm drawn to. I have recently got back into my kindle, and was intrigued by the plot description. It far from disappointed, instead igniting an interest I didn't know I had in reading more from this particular genre!
A very good read.
nightingale's review against another edition
4.0
Review originally posted: https://thesnowbookhollow.wordpress.com/2016/05/13/last-to-die-by-arlene-hunt/
The plot:
My experience:
What made me want to read this book was the sentence on the cover of this book.
“He watches he waits… dead or alive he wants her.”
That ladies and gentleman elves and dragons, that is how you hook me. I was very curious as to what would happen and my curiosity only grew bigger until it started to sit on my shoulder poking me to go read again.
I compare my experience with this book to a fresh day in autumn. You feel the light breeze you enjoy the last bit of warmth of that was is good around you. However, you can feel the winter approaching. You can sense the cold and danger ready to eat and incinerate all that holds warmth. When the winter arrives, you find yourself in the middle of a blizzard. You will be climbing mountains, tracking old arrows, searching through old newspaper articles fast but at a very balanced comfortable pace.
This is a bonafide thriller. It had me nervous, breathless and at times utterly absorbed where all sound of the world disappeared.
I enjoyed the way the characters interacted with each other and you could read out of each person’s point of view. You could scratch and dig in their brains and see what made them tick. The effect was dynamite and made me so much more invested in the story.
It is a gripping thriller. A book that will easily keep you up until 2 am to finish because to put it down is simply not an option.
What I liked:
I liked the way the story was balanced between the characters. You neither loved a character nor completely hated them. You knew each one too well to be judgemental. If somebody were to come and accuse the character you would almost feel an instant need to defend them. Even though they can defend themselves perfectly well.
Not to give anything away but something was used as a weapon in this book I could never have imagined for self-defense. Well done Arlene Hunt. Very original.
What I did not like:
I suppose there were some paragraphs that were less than entertaining. Some background characters were clearly meant to be disliked which made them less real to me. They did not become real they stayed flat on the paper for me.
I would have liked to have one last chapter from Darla to know how she felt after all was said and done.
My rating:
"A book that will easily keep you up reading until 2 am because to put it down is simply not an option."
The plot:
"He watches. He waits. He kills ...
My experience:
What made me want to read this book was the sentence on the cover of this book.
“He watches he waits… dead or alive he wants her.”
That ladies and gentleman elves and dragons, that is how you hook me. I was very curious as to what would happen and my curiosity only grew bigger until it started to sit on my shoulder poking me to go read again.
I compare my experience with this book to a fresh day in autumn. You feel the light breeze you enjoy the last bit of warmth of that was is good around you. However, you can feel the winter approaching. You can sense the cold and danger ready to eat and incinerate all that holds warmth. When the winter arrives, you find yourself in the middle of a blizzard. You will be climbing mountains, tracking old arrows, searching through old newspaper articles fast but at a very balanced comfortable pace.
This is a bonafide thriller. It had me nervous, breathless and at times utterly absorbed where all sound of the world disappeared.
I enjoyed the way the characters interacted with each other and you could read out of each person’s point of view. You could scratch and dig in their brains and see what made them tick. The effect was dynamite and made me so much more invested in the story.
It is a gripping thriller. A book that will easily keep you up until 2 am to finish because to put it down is simply not an option.
What I liked:
I liked the way the story was balanced between the characters. You neither loved a character nor completely hated them. You knew each one too well to be judgemental. If somebody were to come and accuse the character you would almost feel an instant need to defend them. Even though they can defend themselves perfectly well.
Not to give anything away but something was used as a weapon in this book I could never have imagined for self-defense. Well done Arlene Hunt. Very original.
What I did not like:
I suppose there were some paragraphs that were less than entertaining. Some background characters were clearly meant to be disliked which made them less real to me. They did not become real they stayed flat on the paper for me.
I would have liked to have one last chapter from Darla to know how she felt after all was said and done.
My rating:
Fresh 4 snowflakes that fell out of my dreams after I finished reading the book at 1 AM.
yetanothersusan's review against another edition
4.0
Jessie leads a rather rough life. Even though she is happily married and comfortable with her job, trouble seems to find her. After taking down a student gunman, Jessie's hero status attracts undue attention from the media and a psychotic hunter who likes to prey on strong female targets. Through a well laid out storyline, the author creates the perfect backdrop for Jessie to fall in his clutches without alerting her husband. For a majority of the book, we don't get to really know Jessie. A lot more emphasis is put on her husband and her attacker. It is only when Jessie comes under pressure that she becomes a central character in her own story. And I almost think that treatment was intentional. Even if you think you know how the book will end, the story is well written and keeps you engaged. Great for a casual read or when you want something to draw you in!
A preview copy of this book was provided by NetGalley and Bookouture in exchange for an honest review.
A preview copy of this book was provided by NetGalley and Bookouture in exchange for an honest review.
sachahusken's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Nice! Narration of the audiobook is okay, not too much weird voices for different characters. Nice to see a healthy relationship between a man and woman as a given in the story. Enjoyable book!
not totally realistic that she survived though...
petra_reads's review against another edition
4.0
Teacher Jessie risks her life during a high school shooting and becomes a local hero. The ensuing media spotlight, however, reveals details of Jessie's past that not even her husband Mike was aware of. On top of that, it brings Jessie to the attention of a hunting-obsessed serial killer who believes Jessie would prove to be an exciting, worthwhile object for his next hunt.
This was quite a decent storyline and deserves some praise for being a bit different from the usual serial killer thriller. But it also had a couple of flaws. The side story about the reporter was left unfinished, and there was too much detailed information on some side characters that felt unnecessary for the progression of the plot, slowed the pace and never went anywhere. The beginning and the final third were pretty gripping, but in-between there was a bit of a lull.
Nonetheless, I liked all the characters and the different perspectives, including Caleb's, the serial killer's, worked well. For me, the star of the show was Jessie's brother-in-law, Ace, and his dog. Loved them. An enjoyable read if you like action coupled with a small town and wilderness setting and want something different from the police-based serial killer procedurals. 3.5 stars.
I received an ARC from Bookouture via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This was quite a decent storyline and deserves some praise for being a bit different from the usual serial killer thriller. But it also had a couple of flaws. The side story about the reporter was left unfinished, and there was too much detailed information on some side characters that felt unnecessary for the progression of the plot, slowed the pace and never went anywhere. The beginning and the final third were pretty gripping, but in-between there was a bit of a lull.
Nonetheless, I liked all the characters and the different perspectives, including Caleb's, the serial killer's, worked well. For me, the star of the show was Jessie's brother-in-law, Ace, and his dog. Loved them. An enjoyable read if you like action coupled with a small town and wilderness setting and want something different from the police-based serial killer procedurals. 3.5 stars.
I received an ARC from Bookouture via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.