I usually do not read authors other than Stephen King or Dean Koontz, but decided to expand my reading and was impressed with A.R. Torre’s, The Last Party. It was convoluted enough to keep me on my toes, but not so much for me to lose interest. Character development was on point as was plot development. The story was interesting and readable. I recommend reading this book.

This book kept me engaged the whole time. I will say it’s a little predictable, but still a great read!

Torre knows how to keep me guessing in her psychological suspense novels, especially in The Last Party. The high-grade angst never lets up, and attempting to work out ‘whodunit’ was challenging. I should have known better because this is the queen of masterful trickery. She successfully took me on a helter-skelter ride with its wildest twists and turns in one of the most mind-blowingly ingenious plots. Get this! If there were one MC I utterly loved to hate, it had to be Perla Wultz. She wants for nothing and has taken precious time to become highly respected in her tight social circle. But, by now, I’d cottoned on to her manipulative ways which she’s good at. Motherly love and affection towards her husband she does flawlessly. But who’s she fooling and is the homelife she’d built so perfect? Her family certainly seemed to want to please her. Yet I still gave her pause despite her dark thoughts, and having an unhealthy obsession with whom you may ask makes for a gripping read. I liked how Torre included beginning-of-shortish-chapter epigraphs, and how she’d woven the story together from multiple points of view. One, of course, is Perla’s, the other being an interested party who questions a convict assumed of committing a despicable crime years back. While being interviewed, the subtle cues of sarcasm and hints that are dropped are nothing less than word-clever. And then Sophie, Perla’s daughter, writes down unnerving thoughts in a diary I would never have expected from a pre-teen. However, the character I really took to was her father. Although he has an ace up his sleeve, neither he nor I could have known about the shocker to come.  Torre certainly leaves everything up to your imagination in her latest offering. Lovers of darkish, fast-paced thrillers, pick up this book. You won’t regret it! Bravo, Torre!

Spoiler warning…… This was a quick read with no surprises. It was easy to see that the dad was serving time for his daughter’s psychopathic ways very early in the story. The only surprise is that the husband was able to block her plans of killing her own daughter. 2.5 stars for being intriguing enough to finish despite the predictability. I also like seeing into the mind of a psychopath. That was entertaining.

This was insane. A creepy and kind of gross psychological thriller. The story was great and the characters fit very well. Perla and Grant Wultz are a married couple, united by a tragedy that happened in the past. Leewood Folcrum the murderer that ties them together. Or is he? Secrets and lies start to unravel, and the more the truth begins to surface, the better the twists and turns. Kept me engaged and entertained the whole way through.

The Last Party by A. R. Torre A compelling read about Perla & Grant Wultz whose daughter Sophie has her 12th birthday party coming up. Most of the story is from the POV of Perla, a fascinating complex character. The story revolves around the sensational Folcrum Party Murders committed more than 20 years ago by Leewood Folcrum. He's being interviewed in prison by Dr. Timothy Valden for his PhD dissertation on “Confessions and deceptions”. The twists & turns keep coming, subtly sneaking up on you so that you want to go back to see what you might have missed or misread. So many things are not what they seem to be.

This book is definitely different from the same old storyline that us readers so often come across. I did enjoy the different take on the storyline. One thing I think that maybe could have been done away with was the little perspective stories from people around town. Some of them were valuable to the story but others just confused me with additional characters to keep track of. Overall a good read.

The Last Party by A. R. Torre Jaw dropping beginning to end! This is my fourth approach to Torre’s writing and she never ceases to amaze me. She has the ability to transform a pristine and gorgeous setting into the most heinous and bloody mess you’ll ever find. Moving on to character, they were so skillfully developed, so meticulously crafted that was a pleasure to experience them. To flow with each of them on a path that was set from the very first chapter. I have to give Torre extra credit for dealing with such sensitive topic! I was bold! To have your readers hooked from the beginning knowing what this evil lady is planning, that was simply wow! Even when there are lots of hints for us thriller lovers, the novel flowed and was so beautifully written! I can’t say I expected that plot twist neither that encounter but it felt so good giving them at least the chance to talk. After all, we should never underestimate father’s love.