LAST ONE LEFT

by Scott Dyson

A month after the horrifying conclusion of their "Cabin Weekend," Paul and Amy are planning their wedding and trying to overcome the trauma inflicted by Roger Sinclair upon their friends and themselves. Worse still, Roger is still at large, and the secretary whom he'd kidnapped was still missing.

But they don't remain missing for long. When the police inform them that a certain ex-girlfriend of Roger's has been found murdered, Paul fears the worst -- that Roger is back and he is out for vengenance. As the body count mounts, Paul and Amy take steps to guarantee their continued safety, but will it be enough?

Unstoppable vengeance meets immovable devotion in this followup to the events that occurred in ODD MAN OUT.

136 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 30, 2024

Reviews

[Milt Theo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Scott Dyson's direct sequel to "Odd Man Out," which was a short thriller about Roger, a dysfunctional man getting upended by his own absurd and insane plans of taking out the competition for a woman's heart. The story told in "Last One Left" is a thriller no longer; Roger has to face the consequences of his actions and live through the unpredictable twist at the previous book's ending - what unfolds is a tale of (mildly) extreme horror, somewhat graphic (if not vulgar), where Roger is forced to play second fiddle to the crazy person who took over when Roger realized what true insanity looks like. In this part of the story, he's a weak, embarrassingly inert character, whose perspective serves as a nice contrast to the one holding the reins. Roger's competition, Paul, also has an important role in the story, though, even after the shocking events of the first volume, no character development has occured on his side. Amy is also mostly part of the background; I'd say that only Roger shows some significant character changes, but it's too little, too late, as the saying goes. The ending is very abrupt; still, incredibly satisfying! I wonder if there's gonna be a part III. Dyson's writing has grown by leaps and bounds: the narrative is far tighter, the pacing impeccable, though the twisty plot and the short length of the book did not allow much space for atmosphere or characterization. The book is under a hundred pages, but I doubt it would have benefited from being longer. All in all, reading it was an enjoyable experience.