Introduction
The Last Lie is a psychological thriller, written by best selling author of the thriller After Anna, Alex Lake, being published in 2018. This book is full of twists, mystery, lies and secrets which are all unveiled one by one. Alex Lake is not a widely known author but those who are familiar with his books will know just how talented he is at creating the most disturbing stories, in the best way possible.
Storyline/ plot
Claire and Alfie Daniels have what looks to be the perfect marriage, good careers, nice house in a nice part of London, except Claire is unfulfilled with one aspect. She really wants a baby but, so far, has been unsuccessful. Claire assumes it is just a matter of time and is staying optimistic, whereas husband Alife knows exactly why she isn’t pregnant and it has nothing to do with her.
After a long week of attempting to tolerate his wife, Alfie slips into his secret persona, Henry Bryant, and goes on a date with another woman who is blissfully unaware of who her date really is. Things progress with the date and they decide to take things further, Alfie however took it too far.
With his first murder victim under his belt, Alfie now has two huge secrets to keep, his multiple affairs and how he commits murder. With Alfie practically drowning in his own pool of lies everything suddenly comes to a halt when Claire is abducted, upon return she claims her abductor was none other than Henry Bryant.
With private investigators on the case paid for by Claire’s father, and time slowly running out for Alfie, will he come clean and confess to what he has done, or will it be his last lie?
Writing style
Alex Lake has such a way of creating these intense storylines with even more gut wrenching plot twists. The dual POV within this book particularly is what makes it so gripping as we see the thoughts behind Alfie through his lies and how he can shield his true thoughts to manipulate those around him, but we also see Claire as she slowly uncovers all of her husband’s lies and deceits.
Throughout this story we are introduced to a couple side characters too but, every single character within the book somehow has a link, even if Alfie first thought there was no way he could ever be linked to the crimes he has commit.
The way the story is laid out is also convenient as it displays the thoughts of both main characters but keeping the storyline on track so the plot twists intertwine with the plot, making for an incredibly gripping read.
Pros/ cons
I loved this book, I thought the plotline was incredible, the depth in the characters made them and their relationship seem so real which made the book so easy to read and it really became a real page turner, especially within the second half of the book. I really enjoyed seeing the dual POV as I thought it helped up the suspense of the book as we know what the other characters don’t know, which makes you so eager as a reader to find out how everything will unfold.
Conclusion
This was one of the first thrillers I read, and it has stuck with me ever since. I gave this book four and a half stars, it was disturbing, graphic, and at some points gut wrenching but, it really is a fantastic psychologically testing novel. The characters had so much depth and every single thought and action was incredibly thought out to make the reader feel as though they really are in the mind of the characters. It had one of the best plot twists I have read and would recommend this book to anyone who is either looking to start thrillers or someone who is just looking for their next intense read.