Customer Reviews

The Last To Know

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

If you truly love a really good suspense book that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand straight up then THE LAST TO KNOW is the book you must read.

Townsend Heights is a perfect, small town in New York. A peaceful suburban existence that Tasha Banks dreamed of living and raising her children in when she left her fast-paced career to become a full-time, stay at home mom. Now Tasha's perfect dream is turning into a terrifying nightmare she cannot escape. A serial killer is on the loose and looking for a specific kind of prey -- young stay at home moms just like Tasha. Tasha's friends are being killed in the most horrendous ways -- sometimes right in front of their children.

I was hooked from the very first page. THE LAST TO KNOW is a wild ride and an exceptional novel that will keep you guessing with twists and turns that make everyone a suspect right up to shocking finish.

I have read FADE TO BLACK, ALL THE WAY HOME, and THE LAST TO KNOW by Wendy Corsi Staub, and I must tell you that I think that this author is an exceptional writer. Sho writes of murders that keep you on the edge of your seat without resorting to explicit descriptions of the killer's crimes, which is very refreshing for a change.

I bought this book on the suggestion from Amazon. And, I am SO GLAD I did. This book was WONDERFUL. I kept guessing from the start on who the killer was and, I was NOT disappointed in the end! I NEVER did figure it out!! It is not my style to force people to read books, but I have made my friends read this one! And, they are still thanking me. The author must have children of her own, because she sure knows what its like to have them. Read this book you will not be sorry you did.

I seriously could not put this book down, I'm surprised I still have my job. This book reminded me a little of the Picket Fences series on T.V., It had little a little gothic creepiness about it and I kept changing my mind who the killer was. Although I finally figured it out towards the end, I couldn't wait to see how the story line would be resolved.

"The Last To Know" is one of those books that makes you say, "I am so glad that I bought this." This was one of the best psychological suspense novels that I have read for a long time. I loved Wendy's earlier novels like "All The Way Home" and "Fade To Black." In Townsend Heights, New York, young stay at home mothers are being killed. Sometimes the killer kills the mother with her child standing right next to her. The killer's signature is a puzzle piece left at the crime scenes. Tasha Banks is very scared since she is a stay at home mom and two of the dead mothers were good friends of her. She has three little children and a husband, Joel, who is too much into his work and other things to worry about Tasha and the kids. Margaret, the first victim's sister, is a little off in the head and was extremely jealous of Jane. The police and an investigative reporter named Paula, believe that perhaps the "Mother" killings were done by a teenager named Jerehmiah, who was seen in the vicinity of the second victim's house. There are suspects everywhere in this novel. Mrs. Staub takes us from group to group of people, some of them are being murdered along the way, one of them is a killer. WHO IS IT? The end will blow you away, I never would have guessed it. I can't wait for Wendy's next novel of suspense in 2002!

I loved this book. Many will recognize the towns named in this book.

A gifted story teller, Staub reels her audience in from the very first page. Eight month old Schuyler witnesses her mother fighting to save her life. A killer approaches them while on a jog and Jane, the child's mother is forced off a cliff to save her baby's life. The killer then parks Schuyler's stroller not too far from the murder scene.

Things go from bad to worse in the small, unnamed Westchester County New York community. Several young mothers are bludgeoned to death. The list of suspects is quite long. A bitter sister of one murdered woman; a strange boy in the neighborhood who has an even more bizarre hobby; a jealous husband; any number of possible relatives and acquaintances of the murdered women.

The characters are richly drawn and believable; the descriptions of interactions between parent and child was refreshing and delightful and the conclusion, while not surprising was very satisfactory and masterfully crafted.

I'm so glad I have this book!

THE LAST TO KNOW is a suspenseful, engrossing novel. Like Mary Higgins Clark, Ms. Staub has the knack for keeping readers on the edge of their seats.

Although the book involves a serial killer, Ms. Staub manages to build suspense without resorting to explicit descriptions of the killer's violent crimes.

Be sure to read Wendy Corsi Staub's other fine novels.

If you love suspense, this is the one novel you must read. Wendy Corsi Staub did a fantastic job putting together a novel that you are virtually reeled in from page 1 and the pull just doesn't let up until you finish this exceptional thriller. The small upscale town of Townsend Heights, NY becomes the killing ground for a serial killer of wives who don't work outside the home but who is the killer and why he is killing these women remains unanswered. Suspicion is cast on almost every character mentioned in the book. I kept saying "it's him, no it's her, no it's him" throughout the entire book. When the true killer was uncovered I was at the point in the book where everybody knows whodunit. " The Last to Know" is a must read. I was on the edge of my seat until the very end. Buy it or borrow it, just read it -- because believe me you will enjoy it.

I have to say that I disagree with the previous review. I thought that this was an excellent novel with a surprise ending that very difficult to figure out. I enjoyed the different pacing throughout the novel as it kind of reflected how life can be, sometimes flying at high speed, other times slowing down. The characters are well drawn and realistic, the difficulties in balancing long work hours versus family responsibilities are universal and easy to relate to. The Last to Know is a great peek into a different world filled with memorable characters.

The Last to Know is another fine book by Wendy Corsi Staub. She writes excellent contemporary heroines and has an excellent grasp of what it is to be a mother in todays hectic world. That said, I loved the book and for a while, I was truly scared. Unfortunately I think she choked at the end and didn't give the conclusion the same attention to detail as she did the beginning and middle of the book. Rather than continuing the leisurely pace that she set from the start, it seems like she rushes to an uncharacteristically trite and unsatisfying conclusion. I do recommend this book, just not as much as I recommend all of her other books.

This is one of the best books that I have read in a long time, It had suspense, along with everyday life living in the suburbs. I will recommend this book to everyone.