A review by jefferz
Final Girls by Riley Sager

tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 Continuing my reading journey through Riley Sager’s novels (completely out of order I may add), Final Girls is Sager’s first published thriller though technically not his first written novel as Sager is a nom de plume for Todd Ritter who had previously written a trilogy series and standalone book. The final girl is a common trope in various forms of slasher/horror media but Sager’s novel is an uncommon story that focuses on what happens to that said final girl after they experience one of the most traumatic moments of their life. Final Girls answers that question with Quincy Carpenter, a baking blogger who has put that traumatic event behind her until another mass slaying survivor Sam arrives at her apartment building’s front door. This is my fourth Sager thriller novel that I’ve read and despite it being published years before the other Sager novels, it showcases very similar hallmarks to what people have come to expect from his stories. Unfortunately this novel also has the same drawback as his other works, namely a slow beginning and a well-written, albeit uneventful first half. However like his other works, the strong and intelligent female main characters, twists on familiar narratives and scenarios, and truly unpredictable surprises yet again make Final Girls ultimately worthwhile in the end.

While clearly intended and billed as a thriller, Final Girls is a Riley Sager novel through and through in that if feels like a restrained slow-burn vs a fast or high-intensity read. While the ending sequence is certainly quite thrilling and a definite page-turner, the first two thirds of the story read more like a contemporary fiction, drama read. After being introduced to the “Final Girls” moniker given to these three survivors, most of the first half explores how Quincy, Sam and Lisa opted to move forward with their lives and recovery. Quincy represents a survivor who wants nothing more than to move past the experience, avoiding the attention, and burying any lingering trauma through professional and societal success. Lisa takes a different approach, using her platform and spotlight to give a voice to other survivors and women in need of help. And then there’s Sam who disappears off the grid only to show up unexpectedly a decade later with a chip on her shoulder. While the novel’s primary mystery revolves about the events at Pine Cottage and Quincy’s lack of memories, those storylines take a back seat for the first half of the book which focuses on the survivor trauma Quincy and Sam experience. The discussion around the attention the incidents gave them, the survivors guilt, the turmoil of different emotions caused by their pain, it’s all intriguing material that’s very well-written. Quincy and Sam serve as great foils to each other, representing completely different responses and outlooks despite sharing a similar experience. The way Sager contrasts how different people can feel despite the media’s attempt to force a shared narrative and headline is great material for a contemporary fiction novel.

Unfortunately that doesn’t do as much for a mystery thriller, one of the biggest points that many other negative reviews highlight. All of Sager’s novels that I’ve read so far are generally considered slow-burns followed by crazy plot twists as the mystery unfolds, and how seemingly mundane scenes and details quickly show their importance. However, Final Girls’ pacing feels the most uneven of his novels I’ve read, and the “thriller” section feels like it comes in very late, nearly two thirds in when a certain discovery shift the direction of the story. Having previous knowledge of his works, I am more than patient and attentive knowing the read will be worth the wait, however other readers or those unfamiliar with Sager’s writing may not feel the same way. The first two thirds of the book is objectively good, but a very different flavor and pacing to what’s expected from this genre. Additionally the final plot twists and reveal are likewise placed very late in the book with only about 30 pages left for the reader to react and piece things back together. While I felt Finals Girls’ ending was more satisfying, decisive, and understandable than Home Before Dark, it definitely felt rushed compared to some of my other favorites of his and even had me mildly concerned when it looked like it end on a cliffhanger. Rest assured, it doesn’t and the book even has a short epilogue-style chapter to cleanly bring the story full-circle.

Fortunately the plot twists reveal and ending are dramatic and on-par with Sager’s usual, which is unpredictable and above average for the genre. One thing Sager does so well is controlling the deliberate direction the mystery clues and reveals lead, laying out certain details and perfectly choreographing where the readers’ suspicion is going. This being the fourth Sager novel I’ve read, I thought I had a good idea of where the reveal and missing flashbacks to the Pine Cottage were going. However as soon as the book started moving in the direction I was thinking, I knew I was off-track and falling for a deliberate and scripted false theory. I’m usually quite intuitive and can predict a lot of mystery thrillers culprits, but with Final Girls I’m now 0/4 to Sager. Similar to his other novels, this is another story that once completed, begs for a re-read in order to catch all the missed signs and clues on the first pass. Compared to other Sager novels I’ve read, Final Girls is solid, more believable and satisfying than Home Before Dark (published mid-way in his bibliography) but less so than his recent The Last One Left and Middle of the Night. Not only are the clues and signs set up better, they have far more consistent pacing and tone.

Like Sager’s other works, the characterizations, variety, and character logic do wonders at helping carry the novel’s slower sections. As is the norm for Sager, the main character Quincy is smart, ambitious, and despite having moments of panic and understandable emotional outbursts, has quite sound character logic that’s so often lacking in mystery thrillers. One subtle subjective note I had that I personally found very impressive was how much I could empathize with Quincy’s feelings in her disagreements with her public defender boyfriend Jeff. Besides sharing a wonderfully cool and iconic name (just kidding, I don’t think Jeff is a cool name at all), I typically prefer characters that are logical thinkers that don’t see issues as black and white compared to more emotionally-driven characters like Quincy. I usually gravitate towards the logical character but in this case Jeff’s decision-making and points in their disagreement left me siding with Quincy which is a testament to the quality of Sager’s writing and finesse at managing the reader’s experience. Both Quincy and Sam have layers of characterization that are peeled back as the novel progresses, and Quincy in particular goes through quite the transformation. Her slow descent into the parts of her lives she locked away and her coming to terms with who she has become is excellent. The last two chapters lasting impression and final lines are thematic solid while having a good edge to them (bad pun fully intended). Like other Sager novels, every prominent character has an important contribution and place in the novel, though in this one some of the minor supporting cast feel a touch underdeveloped or underutilized compared to others that use their cast of characters to the fullest. For example I would’ve loved if Quincy’s mom Sheila had more presence in the first half of the book (though she’s shut out from Quincy life so at least it makes sense narratively) and reversed, Jeff in the second half of the book. I originally predicted Jeff would have a major surprise reveal relating to either Quincy’s past or Lisa’s death and was surprised that he was pretty irrelevant to both.

I feel like I’ve written too many times in this review but to recap, Final Girls is a Riley Sager novel through and through. If you’ve liked any of his past works, Final Girls is likely to be one of his safer picks and is straightforward and doesn’t require as close attention as his other dual timeline works do. As Sager’s first mystery thriller novel under Sager’s publishing name (Ritter’s fourth published book overall), it’s also interesting to see how many of Sager’s signature writing trademarks and “bag of tricks” are clearly present nearly a decade ago. On the flip side for those that have tried and disliked other Sager books (except Survive the Night, his weakest), Final Girls is probably unlikely to change that opinion (my choice for that would be The Last One Left). For me personally, Final Girls is solidly in the middle of my ranking as a competently written and unique thriller, though you can tell it’s an early and less developed Sager novel that’s brought down by his same usual points, exhibited to a greater degree. Speaking of Sager novels though, I’ll be back soon very soon with With a Vengeance out soon, jumping from his oldest novel to his newest because I sometimes like a little bit of unnecessary chaos in my life-
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