Only One Gets Out: A Gripping Psychological Thriller

by Paige Brooks

She isn’t who she thinks she is.

Samantha Everly has the perfect life. She’s engaged to the man of her dreams. Everything feels quiet. Safe. At least, that’s what she believes.

Until the day a plain envelope lands on her doorstep. Inside, a photograph of a dead woman who looks exactly like her. And a key to a house she recognizes but doesn’t remember.

Curiosity pushes her deeper, even as every step feels wrong. Inside that crumbling house, twin beds. Carved initials SE. Shadows of a childhood she doesn’t remember. Then a detective shows up asking about the sister she never knew she had.

Each discovery drags her deeper—cassette tapes, missing files, and questions that make her doubt everything she’s ever been told.

Someone doesn’t want her to remember. Someone has been rewriting her life.
And the truth waiting for her is far more dangerous than the lies.

Because some memories protect you. Others will destroy you.

321 pages, Paperback

Published October 29, 2025

About the author

Hi, I’m Paige Brooks—and I write psychological thrillers that dig deep into memory, fear, and the secrets we bury.

Thrillers have always been my favorite kind of story—the kind that leave you unsettled, second-guessing reality, and flipping pages late into the night. The Cage Within is the first in a growing collection of twisty, emotionally layered suspense stories that I can’t wait to share with readers who love that slow-burn tension and eerie atmosphere.

I’ve been married to my husband for over 30 years, and we have one incredible son and two slightly spoiled dogs. We recently moved from the West Coast to the East Coast—a change that definitely inspired the quiet unease and creeping tension in my writing.

If you enjoy thrillers with sharp turns, emotional depth, and that feeling that something’s just out of reach… then I think we’re going to get along just fine.

Reviews

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lucky to be one of the 1st to read Paige Brook's new book, "Only One Gets Out. "
It's the type of book that makes you wonder what you would do if you were in the same situation as the lead character. Her situation seems to change faster than you can read. I hope I would have the same hutspa she has. This is one fantastic book.
Cheers
Lynn 🇨🇦

[Kellyanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Samantha Everly had always prided herself on her perfect life. But the illusion shattered the day a plain, unmarked envelope arrived. Tucked inside was a grainy, unsettling photograph: a dead woman, her face eerily identical to Samantha's own. And with it, a tarnished brass key, a key that unlocked a door in her mind she didn’t even know existed. It was the key to a sprawling, dilapidated house on the outskirts of town, a house she recognized from old, half-forgotten dreams, yet held no conscious memory of ever stepping foot in.

A cold dread settled over Samantha, quickly followed by an insatiable curiosity. Sam finds herself drawn to the crumbling edifice, the key heavy in her palm. The air inside was thick with dust and the scent of decay, a forgotten past lingering in every shadow. Twin beds stood side-by-side in a small, dusty room, and carved into the headboard of one, the initials "SE" – her initials. Shadows of a childhood she couldn’t recall flickered at the edges of her awareness, tantalizingly close, yet frustratingly out of reach.

Just as the silence of the house began to feel suffocating, a knock at the door startled her. A detective, his face grim, stood on the threshold. He spoke of a cold case, a decades-old disappearance, and then, the words that sent a jolt of ice through Samantha's veins: "We're looking for information about your sister." Her sister. The sister she never knew she had.

Each subsequent discovery dragged her deeper into a labyrinth of lies and secrets. Faded cassette tapes, filled with whispered conversations she couldn’t quite decipher, hinted at hidden truths. Missing files raising more questions than answers. Every person she spoke to seemed to hold a piece of the puzzle, yet no one was willing to reveal the full picture. The perfectly constructed narrative of her life began to unravel, making her doubt everything she had ever been told, everyone she had ever trusted.

Someone, she realized with chilling certainty, didn’t want her to remember. Someone had meticulously orchestrated her amnesia, carefully rewriting her past, shaping her present, and perhaps even dictating her future. And the truth, she sensed with growing dread, was a far more dangerous and terrifying reality than any of the comforting lies she had been living. The quiet safety she had cherished was an elaborate façade, and the real world, the one she was just beginning to uncover, was a place of shadows, secrets, and an undeniable threat that lurked just beyond her grasp.

Tune in to see what awaits Sam.

[Mandy Britt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Mind-Bending Trip Full of Great Twists!
​This book takes you on a psychological trip that messes with your head in the best way. Samantha Everly is engaged to the man of her dreams, living a life that feels quiet and safe—until a plain envelope arrives with a photograph of a dead look-alike and a key to a house she recognizes but doesn’t remember. This discovery shatters her reality.
​Every chapter compels you to question what’s true, what’s memory, and what’s manipulation. The plot twists are great, and just when you think you’ve figured it out, you realize you haven’t. As Samantha uncovers twin beds, carved initials, and a detective asking about a sister she never knew, she realizes someone has been rewriting her life.
​I highly recommend this for the sheer suspense. She isn’t who she thinks she is, and the truth is far more dangerous than the lies.
​I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Chere Gruver · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is exactly what a psychological thriller should be!

Once again, Samantha Everly is having that “dream” the one where she’s covered in blood and fire. Once again, her fiancé is standing at the bedroom door holding a glass of water and the pill. Once again, she doesn’t even try to fight it, she just takes the pill. Except, this time, she knows she shouldn’t be taking the pills. When she finds an envelope outside the door with her name on it, her whole life starts to unravel and she really begins to wonder who she is and about her so-called fiancé. This story is frightening. Every clue she finds makes Samantha wonder more about her true identity and about the sister she keeps remembering. The terror is real, up until the very ending. Paige Brooks really is a master at the genre.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Merry Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!! This book will grab you from the beginning and never let you go. The author has written an incredibly edge of your seat gripping thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Samantha thinking everything was going as smoothly as it can being happy and engaged to be married. But things aren't always what they seem and soon she questions her life and who she is. Not remembering too much of her past, an anonymous letter starts to change her idyllic life who is the woman in the photo that looks like her? Trying to figure things out puts her in danger from someone who doesn't want her to find out about her past. This is an amazing, thrilling book that keeps you turning pages to see what will happen next. If you like edge of your seat thrillers, this is the book for you! I received an ARC of this book but the opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Samantha seems to have the perfect life as she's engaged to the man of her dreams and everything is safe. Or at least it was until she discovers a plain envelope on her doorstep. Inside is a picture of a woman who looks like her but appears dead and a key. Samantha recognizes the key but not sure why. Samantha can't let it go but the inside of the house just causes more questions. Nothing that she remembers seems to be right but she isn't sure what is the truth. Can she get out of this mystery alive? Chills ran down my spine while reading this thriller. I could not put this down until I was finished. Just wow!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Katherine Cannone · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can’t imagine living a life only to find out none of it is real. This book takes you on a psychological trip that messes with your head in the best way. Every chapter makes you question what’s true, what’s memory, and what’s manipulation. Just when you think you’ve figured it out—you realize you haven’t.
I really wanted to like the book and it had great plot twists. Yet it was repetitive for me I felt the back history of the twins needed to be explained better in order to understand everything that was playing out.


I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Samanta Simão · Rating 5 out of 5]

Samantha’s life seems happy from the outside. But in the routine she’s grown used to, nothing stops the nightmares that haunt her every night, as if something’s still missing. One day, she gets an anonymous letter with a photo of a woman who looks exactly like her — and everything she’s tried not to see comes to the surface. Now, Samantha doesn’t know what to believe or what really happened. She’s no longer sure of who she is — or who she was.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kenzie Nolen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book overall is giving me some mixed feelings. I enjoyed that this story did keep me guessing and I really did want to know how things would play out, however, I was confused quite often throughout the story. I would be reading and things just seemed to jump quickly as if there was some detail that was missing. Some detail that helps the book read smoothly. The idea of the story was good.

[Shannon Binegar-Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh gosh, Paige has done it yet again. I am afraid to ask just where ideas like this come from….not sure I really want to know that answer. I absolutely without a doubt know that her stories will grab a hold of me and not let go until the very last word. Such a tangled web of deceit this one was. Outstanding. I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book provided by the publisher.

[Bren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lord have mercy! this book absolutely blew my mind there are so many twists and unexpected discoveries that make guessing impossible. It's beyond Intriguing you should at least add it to your TBR list you won't regret it. Paige Brooks will have you on tenderhooks from start to finish.

[Kenneth Lingenfelter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Samantha is starting to remember her time at an institution called Crestwood. She recalls two little girls, one named Violet. Someone does not want her to remember anything from that time. A psychological thriller that will maintain your interest.

[Reading_Utopia! · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75⭐️

Wow! This book was such a wild ride! It totally felt like a fever dream! I had a bit of trouble keeping everything straight, but the action and the vivid descriptions were absolutely next level!

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was a interesting thriller.
Good read
Kept you on your toes
Her parents and partner are messed up for what they did.
Good set of characters

[Sammye · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an intense psychological thriller that had me on the edge of my seat. It’s a chilling mystery full of twists and turns. It’s a thrilling page turner.

[Tanya Kolb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book will definitely mess with your head. There were times when I wasn't sure if she was figuring things out or if she was going crazy. I was pretty sure that I had it figured out, though, but it was still an intense read. I enjoyed it until the last page.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This his a twist and turn and who am I, very exciting novel. Paige Brooks keeps you thinking and wondering what will happen next and who can I trust in this story. Great psychological puzzle that keeps you wanting to find out the ending. I read this in two sittings. Great book!

This was an ARC read that I left an unbiased review.