The Last Thing He Told Me: A Novel

by Laura Dave

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

The definition of a page-turner. It’s family drama and suspenseful thriller, and it explores deeper themes of found family, love and human connection. This is a title you don’t want to miss.

A Goodreads Top 60 Book of the Last 5 Years
Don’t miss the #1 New York Times bestselling blockbuster and Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick that’s sold over 3 million copies—now streaming on Apple TV+ starring Jennifer Garner!

The “page-turning, exhilarating” (PopSugar) and “heartfelt thriller” (Real Simple) about a woman who thinks she’s found the love of her life—until he disappears.

Before Owen Michaels disappears, he smuggles a note to his beloved wife of one year: Protect her. Despite her confusion and fear, Hannah Hall knows exactly to whom the note refers—Owen’s sixteen-year-old daughter, Bailey. Bailey, who lost her mother tragically as a child. Bailey, who wants absolutely nothing to do with her new stepmother.

As Hannah’s increasingly desperate calls to Owen go unanswered, as the FBI arrests Owen’s boss, as a US marshal and federal agents arrive at her Sausalito home unannounced, Hannah quickly realizes her husband isn’t who he said he was. And that Bailey just may hold the key to figuring out Owen’s true identity—and why he really disappeared.

Hannah and Bailey set out to discover the truth. But as they start putting together the pieces of Owen’s past, they soon realize they’re also building a new future—one neither of them could have anticipated.

With its breakneck pacing, dizzying plot twists, and evocative family drama, The Last Thing He Told Me is a “page-turning, exhilarating, and unforgettable” (PopSugar) suspense novel.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781501171352
Publisher:	S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books
Publication date:	03/21/2023
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	4,313
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Laura Dave is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of several novels, including The Last Thing He Told Me and Eight Hundred Grapes. Her novels have been translated into thirty-eight languages, and six of them, including The Night We Lost Him, have been optioned for film and television. She resides in Santa Monica, California.

Editorial Reviews

#1 New York Times Bestseller

“What starts as an intimate meditation on found families deftly turns into a heart-pounding mystery reminiscent of the best true crime stories. But both work so beautifully in this gripping, perfectly-paced novel. I dare you to stop reading.”
—Susie Yang, New York Times bestselling author of White Ivy

“Laura Dave is a master story-teller. Gripping, big-hearted and twisty, The Last Thing He Told Me grabs readers from the very first page and never lets go.”
—Greer Hendricks, New York Times best-selling co-author of The Wife Between Us and You Are Not Alone

"With dizzying suspense and gorgeous prose, The Last Thing He Told Me tackles tough questions about trust, marriage and what it means to be a family. A page-turner of the highest order."
—Riley Sager, New York Times bestselling author of Home Before Dark

“Laura Dave's The Last Thing He Told Me is a thrilling roller coaster of a novel. This smart, intimate exploration of love and family is the foundation of a beautifully constructed mystery filled with twists and turns. A must-read.”
—Jean Kwok, New York Times bestselling author of Searching for Sylvie Lee

“Dave pulls off something that feels both new and familiar: a novel of domestic suspense that unnerves, then reassures. This is the antithesis of the way novels like Gone Girl or My Lovely Wife are constructed; in The Last Thing He Told Me, the surface is ugly, the situation disturbing, but almost everyone involved is basically good underneath it all. Dave has given readers what many people crave right now—a thoroughly engrossing yet comforting distraction.”
—BookPage

“A page turner.”
—Associated Press

“The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave is a fast-moving, heartfelt thriller about the sacrifices we make for the people we love most.”
—Real Simple

“Light and bright, despite its edgy plot.”
—Vogue

“Gripping.”
—Entertainment Weekly

“Page-turning, exhilarating, and unforgettable.”
—PopSugar

"Dave’s neat trick is to unveil revelations at a brisk clip that does not overwhelm character development. The novel’s richness comes from the way Hannah and Bailey realize they need each other in the face of staggering loss; the mutual trust that grows between them is genuinely moving. As both daughter and stepmother come to realize, “That’s how you fill in the blanks — with stories and memories from the people who love you.”
—The New York Times Book Review

"You will not think that this is Laura’s first suspense novel as it's so sharp and well done."
—Book Reporter

“Mysteries unspool at a steady pace... riveting.”
—Publisher’s Weekly

"A stunner with a heart and an ending you'll never see coming."
—AARP Bulletin

“Fast-paced ...but heartfelt."
—The New York Times, "Inside the Best-Seller List"

From the Publisher

03/22/2021

In Dave’s suspenseful latest (after Hello Sunshine), a Bay Area woman copes with her husband’s sudden disappearance. Owen Michaels, a coder for a prominent tech company, vanishes just before his boss is arrested for corruption, leaving his 16-year-old daughter, Bailey, over half a million dollars in cash. Bailey and her stepmother, Hannah Hall, aren’t close, but they work together to uncover what made Owen flee, convinced he is innocent. Still, Hannah remains uncertain, and after she remembers how a man claimed to have recognized Owen from high school in Austin, Tex., despite Owen having said he’s from the East Coast, Hannah and Bailey travel there in hopes of triggering Bailey’s early childhood memories. Bailey does remember Texas, though her memories don’t track with what Owen had told both of them. Meanwhile, a U.S. Marshal who’s familiar with Owen’s past encourages Hannah to cooperate as Hannah and Bailey find themselves in danger. The first two-thirds are riveting, with mysteries unspooled at a steady pace and believable stepfamily angst, but unfortunately the final act slips into some loopy turns. The author’s fans, though, won’t have a hard time forgiving the flaws. Agent: Suzanne Gluck, WME. (May)

Publishers Weekly

Rebecca Lowman’s methodical performance will hook listeners until the very end of this contemporary mystery. Hannah wakes up one day to find her husband of one year, Owen, has vanished, leaving her a puzzling note: “Protect her.” Hannah assumes that “her” refers to Owen's teenage daughter, Bailey, who has despised Hannah from day one. While this is a typical story of two individuals who are at odds being forced to work together, Lowman’s portrayals of the characters and the mystery surrounding Owen’s secret life will intrigue listeners. Hannah is presented as an intelligent, headstrong protagonist. Bailey is reluctant to work with Hannah to find her father, but as they eventually become closer, listeners will enjoy some heartfelt moments. G.M. 2022 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

MAY 2021 - AudioFile

Rebecca Lowman’s methodical performance will hook listeners until the very end of this contemporary mystery. Hannah wakes up one day to find her husband of one year, Owen, has vanished, leaving her a puzzling note: “Protect her.” Hannah assumes that “her” refers to Owen's teenage daughter, Bailey, who has despised Hannah from day one. While this is a typical story of two individuals who are at odds being forced to work together, Lowman’s portrayals of the characters and the mystery surrounding Owen’s secret life will intrigue listeners. Hannah is presented as an intelligent, headstrong protagonist. Bailey is reluctant to work with Hannah to find her father, but as they eventually become closer, listeners will enjoy some heartfelt moments. G.M. 2022 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

MAY 2021 - AudioFile

2021-02-10
When a devoted husband and father disappears, his wife and daughter set out to find him.

Hannah Hall is deeply in love with her husband of one year, Owen Michaels. She’s also determined to win over his 16-year-old daughter, Bailey, who has made it very clear that she’s not thrilled with her new stepmother. Despite the drama, the family is mostly a happy one. They live in a lovely houseboat in Sausalito; Hannah is a woodturner whose handmade furniture brings in high-dollar clientele; and Owen works for The Shop, a successful tech firm. Their lives are shattered, however, when Hannah receives a note saying “Protect her” and can’t reach Owen by phone. Then there’s the bag full of cash Bailey finds in her school locker and the shocking news that The Shop’s CEO has been taken into custody. Hannah learns that the FBI has been investigating the firm for about a year regarding some hot new software they took to market before it was fully functional, falsifying their financial statements. Hannah refuses to believe her husband is involved in the fraud, and a U.S. marshal assigned to the case claims Owen isn’t a suspect. Hannah doesn’t know whom to trust, though, and she and Bailey resolve to root out the clues that might lead to Owen. They must also learn to trust one another. Hannah’s narrative alternates past and present, detailing her early days with Owen alongside her current hunt for him, and author Dave throws in a touch of danger and a few surprises. But what really drives the story is the evolving nature of Hannah and Bailey’s relationship, which is by turns poignant and frustrating but always realistic.

Light on suspense but still a solid page-turner.

Kirkus Reviews