Alex Sinclair (3)

THE LAST THING I SAW by Alex Sinclair is a gripping psychological thriller told in before and after. We know something happened to Emma Turner but, we are thrown bits and pieces to put together to learn the full story. Emma Turner seems to have a normal life. She has a husband, Darren and a teenage son, Jayden. They are a regular family with their ups and downs. Why then, does Emma Turner wake up in a psychiatric hospital with no memory of how or why she got there?

Through therapy sessions, show more Emma knows that something traumatic has happened to her but, her mind has shut down to protect itself. She seems to have had a psychotic breakdown brought on by post traumatic stress disorder. Little by little she starts to remember what happened on the day that changed her entire life.

The story really builds on the suspense. I was glued to the pages right from the start and I have to say, I had a really tough time trying NOT to flip the pages to the end of the story to find out what really happened! Alex Sinclair really knows how to write a psychological suspense. I was pretty much kept on my toes trying to figure out what the catalyst was that landed Emma in the hospital. Right when I thought I knew the answers, there was a twist that shot my theory down. I found that the mystery and suspense really kept me engaged and invested in the story.

Emma was such a well thought out character and you could feel all of the emotions she was going through. You could almost feel her hurt at not being able to see her family and wondering why her family were never there to visit her while in the hospital. You can sense the inner turmoil she is going through and it made me feel sympathetic towards her character. I wanted her to remember and at the same time I was hoping that the memory of the night in question didn’t break her even more.

All in all, THE LAST THING I SAW is one of the best psychological thrillers I have read in a very long time. It is a slow build up character driven story with just the right amount of twists that will blow you away when the truth finally comes out. Alex Sinclair really knows how to build up on the suspense and keep you guessing to the very end. show less

Enjoyed the book. There are some crazy people out there and this book definitely contains one of them. I was hooked from from the moment I started reading until the very end. I honestly wasn't expecting some of those twists.

John and Grace are celebrating their five year wedding anniversary, when John is killed right in front of Grace. Grace has a hard time coping. She feels guilty and blames herself. Grace has the support of her best friend Jennifer, until Grace starts getting strange emails show more and keeps thinking she is seeing her dead husband. Jennifer is convinced Grace is hallucinating and needs major psychiatric help. Then there is the insurance policy John had, which Grace had no clue about. Grace is shocked when she finally finds out the truth. I enjoyed how she handled it and got the mess cleaned up.

I enjoyed the story, writing style and characters. The book alternates between the present and the time leading up to the accident. Grace learned so much information on her anniversary leading up to the dinner and never confronted John with any of it. He lied to her about the whole day. There should have been so many red flashing lights and alarms going off but nothing. I really didn't understand that part. I felt more details could have been given about Grace's relationship with Layton, since he was one of the reasons for what happened. I had so many suspicions about Jennifer. I was convinced she was behind everything. She kept pushing Grace so see the psychiatrist and was convinced Grace was making everything up. The book over all was a good thriller and kept me in the dark. The ending was a little iffy for me. The reasons behind everything seemed a little crazy. I'm thinking that lawyer may have been in on it. I did love how Grace handled everything at the end.

Definitely recommend the book and look forward to reading more by the author.

Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author, Alex Sinclair, for a free electronic ARC of this novel. show less

I have mixed feelings about this book. Mostly all good. It is just that I wanted the wow factor to be amped up just a few more notches. In the last few pages of the book, it had me wide awake and in shock. If I had gotten a bit more of that, I could have been happier. Yet, I was still happy with this book.

Erika started out like a lamb but turned into a lion as the story progressed. She was truly a mother fighting to find her daughter. She had that "mom" strength. The one that you don't want show more to face if you get in a mother's way. The cast of other characters were not as strong as Erika and therefore this is where that intensity was lacking.

The tone of this book is more of a subtle psychological thriller. It does build up the further you get into the story. I am looking forward to seeing what Mr. Sinclair comes out with next. show less

Erika dreads returning to the penthouse home she used to share with her husband Michael. But her primary concern is for her daughter Alice, nicknamed Bunny, and how upset she will be not to have one of her favorite toys with her, left in the last visit with her father. Unfortunately, the elevator malfunctions, leaving Erika and the little girl stuck between floors. Erika manages to pry open the doors, leaving enough space for the girl to get out, but far too small for Erika. When she finally show more gets the elevator up and running again, she returns to the 7th floor and finds Alice nowhere to be seen. Frantic now, she searches the entire building with the help of the desk clerk, a retired maintenance worker, and the current head of maintenance. As they comb the building from top to bottom and in between, Erika is more and more convinced that her ex Michael has arranged for the kidnapping of his own child and has colluded with the retired worker and his son, an ex-con working also in maintenance there. During the hunt, Erika recalls the change in her husband's attitude toward her both during and after her pregnancy and the sense that he cared nothing at all for her now. A baffling shift from the loving and compassionate man who was working so hard to build an incredible future for them all. When Bunny is finally located, underneath a bed in the retired maintenance man's apartment, all Erika cares about is getting her home. Police remain on the scene to confront Michael's part in this plan......and the truth is revealed. Erika lost her baby at eight and a half months following a panic attack in the elevator when it got stuck. Doctors desperately tried to save her, but it was too late. And Michael finds Erika in the hospital, cradling their stillborn child. Even once taken from her, Erika insists that the child is still alive and she is eventually committed to a psychiatric facility. Sadly, after three and a half years, she is still not able to return to reality, resulting in her escaping while on a day trip from the facility and making her way to her previous home and, seeing the ex-con's daughter, immediately believes that he has been lured into kidnapping Bunny for Michael. A journey fraught with parental panic and guilt. Absolutely fantastic ending. show less