The Only One Left by Riley Sager

I recently read The Only One Left by Riley Sager, and while it’s not my favorite of his books, it still reminded me why he remains one of the biggest names in the thriller space right now.

The premise alone immediately pulled me in. The story follows an in-home caretaker who takes a position caring for an elderly woman accused of murdering her entire family decades earlier. Naturally, this woman has become something of a local legend over the years, surrounded by rumors, suspicion, and the kind of gothic mystery atmosphere that practically begs you to keep reading “just one more chapter” at two in the morning.

Riley Sager really knows how to create that atmosphere.

There’s this creeping sense throughout the book that something is deeply off, even beyond the obvious “possibly living with a murderer” situation. The setting feels isolated and eerie in a classic thriller way, and even during the slower stretches of the novel, I remained fully engaged because I wanted to know what had actually happened all those years ago.

That said, I had seen quite a few people online mention that the first seventy-five percent of the book moves pretty slowly, and I think that’s a fair criticism. This definitely isn’t a thriller that opens with nonstop twists and chaos from page one. It takes its time building the mystery, layering in details, establishing the relationships between characters, and creating tension through uncertainty rather than constant action.

For some readers, that pacing may feel frustrating.

For me, though, I think the payoff mostly justified it.

Because once the story starts revealing what’s really going on, the entire energy of the book shifts. There’s a major twist around the later portion of the story that completely recontextualizes things, and from that point on, I became fully locked in. Suddenly, all the slower setup started feeling much more intentional, and I found myself flying through the remaining chapters trying to piece together what was actually true.

Importantly, I really didn’t see the ending coming.

This is becoming increasingly rare for me with thrillers.

My one major complaint, oddly enough, was actually the very end. While the final reveals and explanations tied up the loose ends well, I did feel like the last ten percent slowed down a little too much after the momentum of the bigger twists. There’s a point where the book almost feels like it pauses to carefully organize every remaining thread before crossing the finish line.

Now, to be fair, I’d much rather have a thriller that takes the time to explain itself than one that collapses into confusion and leaves half the story unresolved. And this book definitely avoids that problem. Everything ultimately comes together in a way that feels satisfying and complete.

I just think the pacing at the end lost a little bit of the adrenaline the middle section had finally built up.

Still, even with that criticism, I had a really good time reading this one.

Riley Sager continues to excel at writing thrillers that are incredibly readable and immersive. Even when the pacing drags slightly, there’s something about his storytelling style that keeps you engaged. His books always feel cinematic to me, like they’re designed to pull you into a mysterious atmosphere and keep you there until the final reveal.

The Only One Left absolutely succeeds in that regard.

I also think this book will especially work for readers who enjoy slower-burn gothic mysteries rather than ultra-fast-paced thrillers. If you like creepy old houses, buried family secrets, unreliable narratives, and stories where everyone seems suspicious in different ways, this is very much in that wheelhouse.

Overall, while this may not rank at the very top of Riley Sager’s catalog for me personally, it’s still another strong entry from an author who consistently knows how to keep readers invested.