Nic Joseph’s psychological suspense novel is filled with some twists that you will not see coming. Once I picked this book up and started reading, my life pretty much came to a standstill until I finished because I was completely absorbed in the story and finding out what happened. Check out my review and then enter to win your own copy of this thrilling book.
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About the Book:
The past intertwines with the present…but how exactly do they connect?
Detective Steven Paul is haunted by night terrors, always of the same thing–prison bars, a mysterious symbol, and a rotting smell. They have even started to manifest themselves as visions during the day. He has always desperately tried to cover up the effects of these on his family, friends, and anyone around, but they cost him his marriage and may end up costing him his job unless he can get a handle on them.
In the past, a group of children are held in a locked facility. Extreme measures have been taken to keep these children secured and safe. They are raised by “mothers” and treated well, but they are not allowed out of their rooms on June 2 each year, and as they get older the children want to know why. They begin to make plans for escape on that day in order to determine just what is going on.
Blogger Emily Lindsey is found in her living room by her husband and neighbor, catatonic and covered with blood, holding a knife. Whose blood, and where that person is now is anyone’s guess, because Emily isn’t talking. Emily is taken to the hospital and begins to obsessively draw the symbol that Steven sees in his dreams. He determines that he needs to talk to her and get to the bottom of what that symbol means, but he can’t get through to her, and he is stymied at every attempt.
As Steven and his partner Gayla begin to look into Emily’s life, they find that she has a number of enemies based on what she has written on her controversial blog. They need to unravel what happened and why, before Steven’s life spirals further out of control.
My Thoughts:
As I said above, there are no shortage of twists in this book! Some of them aren’t too difficult to figure out, but others I didn’t see coming at all, which is the hallmark of a great psychological thriller. Joseph’s pacing is spot on, she reveals things at just the right moment for superior shock value. I particularly connected with the present-day story, because it flowed well and had a good give and take of surprise vs. revelation of secrets. I never felt like I had to wait too long for the reveal of another clue, or another connection in the story. I really liked the character of Steven, although I thought he should have just told people about his dreams and maybe they could have helped him understand them. But he doesn’t, so I just went with it and grew to care a great deal about him and hoped for his mental healing.
The story from the past wasn’t as well-developed, although it still kept my interest. I was hoping for just a little better payoff from all of the build up of the kids’ escape, but that was kind of glossed over. I am still a little puzzled as to the tale’s ultimate outcome and how everything all connected together in the present day, particularly with Steven. The ending is satisfying, so I don’t want to take away from the enjoyment of the story by picking apart the small things that didn’t work for me. I just want to point out that it had potential to be even better by making a few more connections, but it’s a solid story that kept me engrossed from beginning to end.
Bottom Line:
Solid psychological thriller filled with suspenseful surprises. Nic Joseph’s clever plot and characters to connect with and care about add together to create a captivating read. If you like this type of book, The Last Day of Emily Lindsey will keep you intrigued from the first page until the last.
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I received a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes. All opinions are my own.
No purchase necessary to enter or win. A purchase does not improve your chances of winning. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
Open to legal residents of USA who are 18 years or older. Giveaway begins October 27th and ends November 3rd. Enter the Giveaway during the Promotion Period online by submitting the entry form. The entry form can be found on the following website at. Winner will be notified by email. Winner has 48 hours to respond before a new winner is selected. 3 winner(s) will receive 1 finished copy of The Last Day of Emily Lindsey (approximate retail value or “ARV”: $15.99US). By providing your information in this form, you are providing your information to Sourcebooks. Sourcebooks does not share or sell information and will use any information only for the purpose of this giveaway. (Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads) are in no way associated with this giveaway.
