Last Girl Ghosted: A Novel

by Lisa Unger

Overview

"A five-alarm fire of a situation…the surprises keep coming." —The New York Times

Secrets, obsession and vengeance converge in this riveting thriller about an online dating match turned deadly cat-and-mouse game, from the New York Times bestselling author of Confessions on the 7:45

She met him through a dating app. An intriguing picture on a screen, a date at a downtown bar. What she thought might be just a quick hookup quickly became much more. She fell for him—hard. It happens sometimes, a powerful connection with a perfect stranger takes you by surprise. Could it be love?

But then, just as things were getting real, he stood her up. Then he disappeared—profiles deleted, phone disconnected. She was ghosted.

Maybe it was her fault. She shared too much, too fast. But isn't that always what women think—that they're the ones to blame? Soon she learns there were others. Girls who thought they were in love. Girls who later went missing. She had been looking for a connection, but now she's looking for answers. Chasing a digital trail into his dark past—and hers—she finds herself on a dangerous hunt. And she's not sure whether she's the predator—or the prey.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780778311041
Publisher:	Park Row Books
Publication date:	10/05/2021
Edition description:	Original
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	30,812
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Lisa Unger is a NYT and internationally bestselling author. Her books are published in 26 languages, with millions of copies sold worldwide. In 2019, she received two Edgar Award nominations, an honor held by only a few writers including Agatha Christie. Her work has been named on "Best Book" lists from Today, People, GMA, EW, Amazon, IndieBound and many others. She has written for the NYT, WSJ, NPR, and Travel+Leisure. She lives in Florida with her family.

Editorial Reviews

★ 08/09/2021

Advice columnist Wren Greenwood, the protagonist of this enthralling psychological thriller from Thriller Award finalist Unger (Confessions on the 7:45), meets Adam Harper after she joins the online dating app Torch. Wren and Adam begin an emotional affair that she believes will last, but three months later Adam vanishes, ghosting Wren by deleting all his contact information, including his Torch profile, and disconnecting his cell phone. Wren is further devastated when a private investigator shows up at her Brooklyn townhouse claiming that Adam may be responsible for the disappearance of three women, who, along with all their money, have never been located. The search for Adam forces Wren to confront her turbulent childhood, which included a violent father who insisted his family live off the grid. Readers will root for the appealing, intelligent characters, even when they’re not acting in their own best interest. Believable plot twists related to questions of identity and the value of friends who become family further elevate the story. Unger is on a roll. Agent: Amy Berkower, Writers House. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Chilling…you won’t be able to stop turning the pages!” —Shari Lapena, New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door

"Staggering. Unsettling. Vivid and intense. Lisa Unger is our most inventive suspense author, and she's created another fascinating, timely, and insanely good story with LAST GIRL GHOSTED. Wren Greenwood is one of Unger's most nuanced characters, and her story, her life, her secrets, explode off the page. Clear your calendar and lock the doors. You will not be able to stop reading." —J.T. Ellison, New York Times bestselling author of Her Dark Lies

From the Publisher

★ 10/01/2021

In her 19th novel (after Love the Way You Lie), Unger introduces readers to Wren Greenwood, who seems to have her life together except for a lack of romantic love. She downloads the dating app Torch and, after a few lukewarm dates, meets and falls in love with Adam. Then he ghosts her. Readers soon learn that Wren has a complicated and painful background, and that Adam may not be who he says he is. Wren sets out to find the truth while working with Bailey, a private detective searching for a woman who seems to be connected with both Adam and Torch. In the process, Wren must confront her past and try to make things right for herself and for others. The well-drawn secondary characters make Unger's mystery even more dynamic, and the plot twists come fast. VERDICT Unger keeps readers guessing, with revelations that will make them stop and question what they thought they knew. She might also make them think twice about online dating. Recommended for those who like psychological thrillers with women protagonists, such as Andrea Bartz's We Were Never Here.—Terry Lucas, Shelter Island P.L., NY

Library Journal

★ 2021-09-15
A psychological thriller spins a dark tale of hidden identities and buried pasts.

Wren Greenwood is skeptical about looking for love, or even for a hookup, online. But one of her best friends, vivacious Jax, presses her. At 28, Wren is totally focused on her job writing and podcasting an advice column called “Dear Birdie.” She’s so intent on helping her audience with their personal lives she barely has one of her own. So Wren signs up for a Tinder-like service called Torch, and there he is. Adam Harper, broodingly attractive, enigmatic—and quoting Rilke in his profile. Rilke fan Wren falls for him as soon as they meet, and for a few months it’s bliss. Then he vanishes. She’s hurt and bewildered—and then she’s frightened, as what she thought she knew about his identity seems to be an opaque mask. But why is she getting strange texts from unknown numbers, catching glimpses of a tall figure watching her from a distance? Then a private detective named Bailey Kirk starts asking questions about another woman who connected online with a man who looks like Adam—a woman who has disappeared. Unger crafts Wren’s first-person narration skillfully, creating an engaging, witty character and drawing the reader into her life and only slowly revealing that she has secrets of her own. Almost no one in this thriller is who they appear to be. Unger always ratchets up the tension, and the revelations, in her final chapters. But in this book, she spins like Simone Biles—and sticks the landing.

A young woman’s foray into online dating becomes a heartbreak—and then a deadly nightmare.

Kirkus Reviews