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A wedding. A trap. And an ending… to everything.

For six months, Rileigh Bishop has received frowny faces and body parts from a ghost of her past. The person sending them almost killed her once. Now they’re dying, and they’re going to take their last shot.

With weeks left to live, the mystery assassin posts a deadly challenge on the dark Catch Me If You Can. The number for a Swiss bank account worth millions is tattooed on his body. The first assassin to kill him gets the prize. He even tells the other assassins where he’ll be by posting a

A wedding announcement for one Rileigh Bishop and Mitch Webster.

Rileigh and Mitch refuse to back down. Instead, they’ll turn their wedding into a trap. But multiple killers will be there, hiding in plain sight among hundreds of guests.

As the big day approaches, Rileigh isn’t just hunting the mystery assassin. She’s walking into a crossfire of murderers, each willing to kill anyone who stands in their way.

Guests.

Rileigh.

Mitch.

The Only Way Out is the twelfth and final book in The Bishop Smoky Mountain Thriller series by Lauren Street.

305 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 15, 2025

58 people are currently reading
27 people want to read

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Lauren Street

26 books34 followers

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5 stars
114 (72%)
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33 (21%)
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
Profile Image for Tiffany Sanders.
33 reviews2 followers
June 17, 2025
When you have weeks to live and you’re the most important assassin in the world what do you do? You play a game.

El Viento decides he is going to play his deadly game at Rileigh and Jillian’s double wedding.

For just jumping into this series on book 12, I feel like I picked up on the storyline very easily and didn’t get lost.

I would definitely not be getting married if I received a threat like that. A lot happens in this book. I think the author did a very good job at keeping things straight and clear.
Profile Image for Kelly.
363 reviews54 followers
May 20, 2025
I have lived this series and this final book wraps everything up. As Rileigh’s wedding approaches an assassin is after her. You get to find out who has been sending her body parts. You also get to see her and her sister finally get their HEA. This was a great way to finish this series!
1,391 reviews24 followers
April 30, 2025
THE BISHOP SMOKY MOUNTAIN THRILLERS:
THE ONLY WAY OUT, #12 - The last of the series and it was nonstop suspense and intrigue. A lot of falling dominoes involving a challenge to assassins and cat and mouse games using family, all while planning a wedding and helping hurricane victims. The pace never slows while the suspense and intrigue mounts. I love what Miss Lily did in the end. This isagreatendig to the series. Source: Netgalley. 5*

BECAUSE ONE OF US WAS WRONG, Novella - This is a funny, interesting, intriguing and entertaining introduction to the Bishop Smokey Mountains series. Likeable characters, crimes like crazy, good story lines, and good humor. A must read first. Basic editing would have been nice. Source: Download through Hide Me Away, book one of the series. 5*

HIDE ME AWAY, #1 - Interesting. Intriguing. Good pacing. Hard to put down with all the happenings, the variety of characters, and some intense story lines. It was easy to figure out the murders, even with all the suspects. Good team work between the acting sheriff and the veteran in solving the crimes. I like the writing style of the author. Basic editing would have been nice. Source: the author. 5*

FUEL TO THE FLAME, #2 - This story picks up four months after Hide Me Away ends. I'm not sure why the author though it was important to rehash HMA in the first four chapters, and others, which made it difficult for me to keep reading since I read HMA. The story kicks into gear and turns out full of gory but not graphic crimes, mixed with more crimes and plenty of action. Thar's a bit of crazy going on in those mountains. Intense story lines. Basic editing would have been nice. Source: BookSprout. 4*

CLOSER BY THE HOUR, #3 - Rather intriguing and a bit gory, but not graphically detailed, and definitely difficult to put down, the interesting, well written story lines and good characters made for an immersing, entertaining read. A good pace, terrible crimes and poor ole Rileigh getting herself into plenty of "Oh, snap" situations. Some humor, and Lily and Daisy are hoots. A little predictable but well worth reading. Now, a little bit of editing .... Source: BookSprout. 5*

A GAMBLE EITHER WAY, #4 - Interesting and hard to put down with all kinds of happenings, and on a paddlewheel steamboat. Hairy story lines with good characters and a constant pace. Intense. Intriguing. Editing is better. Source: The author, ARC. 5*

HERE YOU COME AGAIN, #7 - Very interesting and intriguing and too easy to solve, but still a good read. Enjoyable characters with a dark story line balanced with a possible romance brewing. I enjoy this series, eventhough I do not understand the lack of basic editing; closing a sentence before a partial quote, Bible Belt and such in lowercase, etc. Source: NetGalley. 4*

ONE BY ONE, #10 - I read this book a few days after reading Cime Back to Me, which didn't ruin this story, although I knew what was in the box. Interesting. Intense. Good story lines. A twist or two to add excitement but predictable as to the killer but not the helper. Source: Netgalley. 4*

COME BACK TO ME, #11 - Interesting but sad, with good characters and good story lines. Proper editing needed. Source: Netgalley. 4*
THE BISHOP SMOKY MOUNTAIN THRILLERS end.
Profile Image for Cathy Geha.
4,315 reviews116 followers
May 13, 2025
The Only Way Out by Lauren Street
Bishop Smoky Mountain Thrillers #12

Excellent conclusion to a fascinating series!

What I liked:
* Rileigh Bishop: retired military, ex-police sergeant, engaged to Mitch, lives with her mother and sister Jillian, bright, capable, caring, lethal, survivor, strategic thinker, calm under pressure
* Mitchell Webster: Sheriff, intelligent, good at his job, intriguing, has scars and history that were shared in book six, is engaged to Rileigh, capable caring, good leader, loves his brother
* Jillian: Rileigh’s older sister, survivor, returned after being trafficked 30 years ago, engaged to David
* David: Jillian’s fiancé now and in the past, strong, dedicated, never stopped loving Jillian,
* Lily: Rileigh’s mother, wise, caring, has dementia, quirky, big personality, came through for her girls more than once in this book – so glad she finally saw the light regarding her sister Daisy
* Georgia Stump: Rileigh’s best friend, asked to coordinate the wedding, loving mother and wife
* Hank Webster: Mitch’s younger brother, Navy SEAL, great sense of humor, would like to see him in a book of his own
* Mason Stump: One of Georgia’s five children, independent, quite a character, stole a few scenes
* Catching up with more than one person that has been in previous books
* Finding out who has been sending rather nasty “gifts” to Rileigh and the reason behind them
* The plot, pacing, setting, and writing
* Being surprised when I found out who the assassin El Viento was
* That the threads of the series were all tied up and none left dangling at the conclusion of this series

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* El Viento: assassin, evil, cold, callous, set up a deadly game that played out through the story
* Aunt Daisy: amoral, narcissistic, evil, murderess, deserves worse than what she got

Did I like this book? Yes
Would I read more by this author? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Sterling & Stone for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars
3,115 reviews
April 9, 2025
For six months Rileigh Bishop has received different packages in the mail with frowny faces and body parts. With just weeks to live, El Viento or the Wind, has posted on the dark web ‘ catch me if you can ‘ and a picture of Rileigh and Mitch’s wedding announcement along with her sister Jillian and her fiancé David Hicks because it’s a double wedding. Saturday is the big day. Rileigh and Jillian go and help people affected by Hurricane Helene and Rileigh leaves her best friend Georgia in charge of the wedding plans. It gets out of control and instead of a small, intimate affair, it’s four hundred guests. So Mitch and Rileigh decides to set a trap for the Wind. But it’s not just one assassin but several. The Wind has left tattooed numbers on himself to a Swiss bank account. All the assassins that saw that post are converging on Rileigh’s wedding day to get that account number. This is the last book of the series. Will Rileigh and Jillian get their happily ever after?

Suspense. Assassins. Mystery. Action. I hate that this is the last book in this series. I absolutely loved it. A mischievous little boy. Crazy Aunt Daisy. You will not be able to put it down.

* VOLUNTARILY READ AND REVIEWED FOR NETGALLEY *
162 reviews
April 29, 2025
Deliciously Suspenseful! An absolute must read! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the download!

The last book in the series makes me undoubtably sad. I loved everything about this book. The characters, especially Rileigh, Mason, & Matt, have already intrigued me. It has left me wanting more. I have not read the other books in the series but now this is a must and on my list. I feel it would help answer some questions I had in this book if I went back and read the others. Don't get me wrong though, this is definitely a book that can be read by itself. Inquisitive minds if you will....

The plot is well played out. The threats to Rileigh made on her life, have been coming in for months now. Will Rileigh and Matt finally be jointed in marriage after all the attempts made on their lives? Someone is out to get them, to make sure that doesn't happen. But who? Who would want them dead and why? Will the trap at the wedding to catch the attempted assassin be successful? The twist and turns will leave you on the edge of your seat and guessing until the end. I love a book that is not predictable with the "who done it" and this was not.

This is a MUST READ.
Profile Image for Jacquelyn Dohoney.
315 reviews7 followers
April 11, 2025
I’m so sad that this series is over! I’ve been reading it since the first book came out and I fell in love with all the characters. They were like friends I got to visit every few months. I was glad to see that, in the end, all of the most important characters got everything they wanted. And trust that Daisy won’t get away with her shenanigans! The storyline was great in this one, but I couldn’t help but feel like something was missing. It wasn’t just that the series is ending. It felt more like I was being told how to feel in some parts. I really liked the idea and how it played out, but the end seemed a little abrupt. I had hoped for more after the last line, but after turning the page, there was nothing else there. Of course, that could just be because I’m such a big fan of this series and I didn’t want it to end. I just feel like it could have added a little something more to not shove the reader over that cliff.

Huge thanks to Sterling & Stone and NetGalley for sending me this ARC for review! All of my reviews are given honestly!
Profile Image for Lili.
831 reviews49 followers
April 15, 2025
Phew! What a ride!
With every book in this series, I kept thinking it was odd that so much evil and murder could happen in such a small, close-knit community - but this is fiction, and it's the author's prerogative to build the plot and bring in characters.
But now, it all rounds up brilliantly. The whole series is suddenly brought together by a red line which had been twisting through the story all along towards the end of each volume, and which seemed to be back stage to each crime that Mitch and Rileigh solved.

Most of all, I liked the writing. The plot is unique and the unexpected is hidden around each corner, but the multiple POV and the narrative in each character's head is what hooked me the most. The insight into the feelings, thoughts and decision-making of people who have gone through trauma, tragedy, loss, PTSD, dementia and wars of all kinds (including nature), victims or survivors, is fascinating. The descriptions, the images, the smells, the atmosphere, the tension, the fear, the love, the metaphors - I appreciate them all.
And after all they went through and survived, despite the excellent work of so many people trying to protect their community and everything they love from evil, in the end it's a child's play which changes the outcome.

Well done!!!
137 reviews4 followers
April 27, 2025
There is a double wedding on the horizon, but the brides-to-be, Rileigh and her sister Jillian are out of town helping with the recovery efforts from the flooding of Hurricane Helene in Tennessee. Meanwhile, back in Black Bear Forge, the brides' mother and Rileigh's best friend (Georgia) are finishing the wedding plans in ways that Rileigh and Jillian never wanted, turning a small gathering into a county throwdown. Behind the scenes, danger lurks. An assassin hired by the previous sheriff of Black Bear Forge to kill Rileigh missed the first time and is now determined to finish the final weeks of his life by completing that mission. His evil plans lead to other assassins coming to the small town and a bullseye on Rileigh's back. The race is on to see who can outsmart whom. Will Rileigh and Matt, along with Jillian and David, finally be joined in holy matrimony? The suspense and twists of the plot keep you guessing until the end.
114 reviews1 follower
June 4, 2025
I'm not very good at writing reviews but I have LOVED this whole series!! It has been fun, exciting, scary, nerve racking, tender, and frustrating each time I've had to wait for the next book! I've spent time laughing and crying with these characters but mostly Rileigh and Jillian. The relationship of these sisters along with the love and care for their mother is one I can only hope and pray for as I feel like senility is closing in on me! I have especially loved the couple of times that Rileigh has had flashbacks of advice from basic training that have inspired and saved her! I'm really going to miss these characters... It would be fun to know who Aaliyah chooses or maybe a check-in book a few years from the weddings?

I think my most favorite line from this book was when the author used a line from "The Ten Commandments" that I use all the time that really says it all!

"So let it be written, so let it be done!"
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Margaret Yelton.
2,135 reviews39 followers
April 18, 2025
The Only Way Out by Lauren Street, this is suppose to be the final book in the series but I do hope we at least get a short novella or something to wrap it up more. This was an entertaining read, bringing in some modern day events the two sisters helping out for a week after the Hurricane Helene hit the mountains and left so much destruction behind. While doing that Rileigh left her wedding plans in the hands of her best friend Georgia, wow was that an interesting development. This final book was filled with all sorts of emotions, that kept me turning the page constantly. I would most definitely recommend this book and series to others.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher Sterling & Stone, I am leaving my review voluntarily.
Profile Image for Sue.
808 reviews
April 11, 2025
Rileigh and Mitch are finally getting married. However, a dying assassin has other plans - he has been threatening Rileigh for months.
He won't let other assassins get to him before he gets to her!

Sadly, this is the final book in the series. I have enjoyed them all, and this one did not have one dull moment within the pages.
Just a little far fetched - kill two guys and go about your business in a nonchalant way - lock the door on the bodies.
Loved Georgie, and of course Mason. Naughty little dude, but saved the day.
I do recommend for those that have followed Rileigh's adventures.
Profile Image for DJ.
483 reviews
April 13, 2025
How, how can this be the last of the series? Unanswered questions- you left us hanging!
Lauren- you need at least a novella to answer those.
So much action in this book!
Mason, once again the hero; how can you not love him?
Momma, sliding in and out of lucidity definitely makes you smile or laugh.
If you haven’t started this series; I urge you to get on with it.
637 reviews
April 14, 2025
A killer from the past. Can Rileigh stop him? This is a good, entertaining and suspenseful story but not my favorite one. A pity this is the last book in the series. I guess everything that could be told has been told. I'm sure the author will come up with other good books/series.
I received an advance review copy via NetGalley/Sterling & Stone and I'm leaving a voluntary and honest review.
Profile Image for Ash Laverty.
73 reviews1 follower
May 8, 2025
This entire series had me captivated from the beginning, leading me to devour all 12 books in just over a week - I just could not put them down!

This book centres around the wedding of Rileigh and Mitch, and the threat on Rileigh’s life. I love that pieces and clues from previous books all come together in this book, and we learn who the mysterious and disturbing parcels came from and why.

One thing I did not enjoy about this book in particular was the flashbacks - they were identical to flashbacks and events from other books, and didn’t add any new information to the story. I actually ended up skipping over most of these parts, and I wish the flashbacks could have incorporated new details that would help solve the case rather than being word-for-word of other parts of the series.

Overall I loved this series, and have more of this author’s books on my “to be read” list that I can’t wait to get to!

4 stars out of 5 ⭐️
Profile Image for C.L..
Author 1 book2 followers
September 7, 2025
Editor on vacation?

So disappointing that this series ended with bad editing. Names were changed in the same paragraph Joe to George and back to Joe. The green bridesmaid dresses that were mentioned at least a dozen times became blue at the end. Lack of attention to details pulls the reader out of the story and diminishes it.
868 reviews16 followers
April 20, 2025
At last the finale to this engrossing series ............... and what a finale !!

A failed assassination attempt , boxes with body parts and frowny faces - all
must come to an end for the assassin is terminally ill .
Determined to complete what he perceives as a failure , Rileigh Bishop
must die . To sow confusion he has set up a dark web site that invites
assassins to find and kill him for he has a tattoo with his bank account
numbers on his body - an account containing millions ....... his aim just
to be one of many when he kills Rileigh
Rileigh and Mitch's wedding has taken on a life of its own under the auspices
of her best friend and family and instead of a small event it now encompasses the
whole town . When they become aware of the dark web site they determine to use
the wedding to finally catch the killer , asking the townspeople to keep an eye out for strangers
........ for if they fail Rileigh just might die .
As bodies start to appear the couple come under increasing pressure ........ has the assassin
been killed already by one of his own or is he still hiding in plain sight ?

This series has been a highly entertaining read , full of sorrow , heartbreak and treachery from within but finally a glimmer of happiness is within reach ......... all Rileigh has to do is stay alive

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own
Profile Image for Mary Ott.
75 reviews
June 24, 2025
Please

Please read this whole series. I was delighted, surprised, humored and downright enthralled with each of them. The ending was absolutely perfect. I will miss all of these characters.
Well done, Lauren Street. I tip my hat to you.
Profile Image for Stormie Rae.
98 reviews
May 20, 2025
er great Bishop adventure, and this one more satisfying than before.

After months of near death experiences and criminals getting in their way- Rileigh Bishop and Mitch Webster are about to get hitched, that is- unless parts them first. With a hitman following Rileigh, playing games and lurking in plain sight - this book keeps you on your toes.

Not only is it a mystery, but so many characters are introduced and reintroduced in this latest installment that just brings everything full circle.
I’ve been a fan of Rileigh and Mitch since the first book and keep coming back for the next
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