In a boarded-up house on a dead-end street at the edge of the wild Washington woods lives a family of three.
A teenage girl who isn’t allowed outside, not after last time.
A man who drinks alone in front of his TV, trying to ignore the gaps in his memory.
And a house cat who loves napping and reading the Bible.
An unspeakable secret binds them together, but when a new neighbor moves in next door, what is buried out among the birch trees may come back to haunt them all.
Advanced Praise for The Last House on Needless Street:
An Indie Next Pick!
“The buzz building around Catriona Ward’s The Last House on Needless Street is real. I’ve read it and was blown away. It’s a true nerve-shredder that keeps its mind-blowing secrets to the very end. Haven’t read anything this exciting since Gone Girl.” —Stephen King
“Sensational….I can’t recall another novel in recent years that dares so much and succeeds so wildly.” —A. J. Finn, #1 New York Timesbestselling author of The Woman in the Window
“A chilling and beautiful masterpiece of suspense, cunningly plotted and written with the elegant imagination of a Shirley Jackson or a Sarah Waters. I was completely enthralled.” —Joe Hill, New York Times bestselling author of The Fireman
“A breathtakingly ambitious book, gorgeously written, and never once shies away from showing you its fangs and its beautiful blood-filled heart. Stop reading this blurb already and open the damn book.” —Paul Tremblay, author of A Head Full of Ghosts
“A masterpiece. Beautiful, heartbreaking and quietly uplifting. One of the most powerful and well-executed novels I’ve read in years.” —Alex North, author of The Whisper Man
“This masterful horror novel packs an emotional wallop that lingers.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Ward ably handles the series of nested revelations of the truth about the house’s inhabitants and how they connect to Ted’s own childhood, all the while maintaining a propulsive, suspenseful tone. Recommended for anyone interested in horror with well-realized characters and a claustrophobic, intense setting.” —Booklist
“The new face of literary dark fiction.” —Sarah Pinborough, New York Times bestselling author of Behind Her Eyes
“Full of twists and turns, this high-concept gothic horror is going to be huge.” —Guardian
My Review:
The Last House on Needless Street surprised me. I just wasn’t sure what to expect. But when Stephen King says, “I’ve read it and I was blown away,” you don’t question it. You just read it! So what do I have to say about a book where the cat reads, the narrator keeps shifting and there’s really more mystery and intrigue than my puny brain can process all at once? Yes, blown away is a good descriptor.
Dee’s sister Lulu was kidnapped from a local beach 11 years ago. And she’s never forgiven herself for not doing more to have protected her sister. When her sister disappeared, her family fell apart and since then she’s been a bit of drifter, unable to put down strong roots and just going through the motions of life, hoping that she can find her sister.
Ted has issues. He lives alone with his cat and his daughter visits on the weekends. Only thing is, who would ever marry him? He seems like a mama’s boy who was never going to get over the psychological damage he personally suffered as a child.
But Dee decides there is something more sinister at play and moves down the street from Ted to keep an eye on what is going on. She thinks he has something to do with what happened to her sister. And she’s going to figure out exactly what that is.
The Last House on Needless Street is a crazy, spooky, twisted page turner that you don’t want to miss. This one is out September 28. Get your copy!
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