What do you think?
Rate this book
The Final Victim
What she left behind hasn't just come back to haunt her it's come back to kill her. Best selling author Wendy Corsi Staub puts this book on the New York Times best seller list.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
88 people are currently reading
710 people want to read
About the author
Wendy Corsi Staub
81 books1,898 followersNew York Times bestseller Wendy Corsi Staub is the award-winning author of more than ninety novels, best known for the single title psychological suspense novels she writes under her own name. Those books and the women’s fiction written under the pseudonym Wendy Markham have also appeared on the USA Today, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookscan bestseller lists.
Her current standalone suspense novel, THE OTHER FAMILY, is about a picture-perfect family that that moves into a picture-perfect house. But not everything is as it seems, and the page-turner concludes “with a wallop of a twist,” according to #1 New York Times bestselling author Harlan Coben.
Her critically acclaimed Lily Dale traditional mystery series centers around a widowed single mom—and skeptic—who moves to a town populated by spiritualists who talk to the dead. Titles include NINE LIVES; SOMETHING BURIED, SOMETHING BLUE; DEAD OF WINTER; and PROSE AND CONS, with a fifth book under contract.
Wendy has written five suspense trilogies for HarperCollins/William Morrow. The most recent, The Foundlings (LITTLE GIRL LOST, DEAD SILENCE, and THE BUTCHER’S DAUGHTER), spans fifty years in the life of a woman left as a newborn in a Harlem church, now an investigative genealogist helping others uncover their biological roots while still searching for her own.
Written as Wendy Markham, Wendy’s novel HELLO, IT’S ME was a recent Hallmark television movie starring Kellie Martin. Her short story “Cat Got Your Tongue” appeared in R.L. Stine’s MWA middle grade anthology SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN and her short story “The Elephant in the Room” is included in the Anthony Award-nominated inaugural anthology SHATTERING GLASS.
A three-time finalist for the Simon and Schuster Mary Higgins Clark Award, she’s won an RWA Rita Award, an RT Award for Career Achievement in Suspense, the 2007 RWA-NYC Golden Apple Award for Lifetime Achievement, and five WLA Washington Irving Prizes for Fiction.
She previously published a dozen adult suspense novels with Kensington Books and the critically-acclaimed young adult paranormal series “Lily Dale” (Walker/Bloomsbury). Earlier in her career, she published a broad range of genres under her own name and pseudonyms, and was a co-author/ghostwriter for several celebrities.
Raised in Dunkirk, NY, Wendy graduated from SUNY Fredonia and launched a publishing career in New York City. She was Associate Editor at Silhouette Books before selling her first novel in 1992. Married with two sons, she lives in the NYC suburbs. An active supporter of the American Cancer Society, she was a featured speaker at Northern Westchester’s 2015 Relay for Life and 2012 National Spokesperson for the Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation. She has fostered for various animal rescue organizations.
Her current standalone suspense novel, THE OTHER FAMILY, is about a picture-perfect family that that moves into a picture-perfect house. But not everything is as it seems, and the page-turner concludes “with a wallop of a twist,” according to #1 New York Times bestselling author Harlan Coben.
Her critically acclaimed Lily Dale traditional mystery series centers around a widowed single mom—and skeptic—who moves to a town populated by spiritualists who talk to the dead. Titles include NINE LIVES; SOMETHING BURIED, SOMETHING BLUE; DEAD OF WINTER; and PROSE AND CONS, with a fifth book under contract.
Wendy has written five suspense trilogies for HarperCollins/William Morrow. The most recent, The Foundlings (LITTLE GIRL LOST, DEAD SILENCE, and THE BUTCHER’S DAUGHTER), spans fifty years in the life of a woman left as a newborn in a Harlem church, now an investigative genealogist helping others uncover their biological roots while still searching for her own.
Written as Wendy Markham, Wendy’s novel HELLO, IT’S ME was a recent Hallmark television movie starring Kellie Martin. Her short story “Cat Got Your Tongue” appeared in R.L. Stine’s MWA middle grade anthology SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN and her short story “The Elephant in the Room” is included in the Anthony Award-nominated inaugural anthology SHATTERING GLASS.
A three-time finalist for the Simon and Schuster Mary Higgins Clark Award, she’s won an RWA Rita Award, an RT Award for Career Achievement in Suspense, the 2007 RWA-NYC Golden Apple Award for Lifetime Achievement, and five WLA Washington Irving Prizes for Fiction.
She previously published a dozen adult suspense novels with Kensington Books and the critically-acclaimed young adult paranormal series “Lily Dale” (Walker/Bloomsbury). Earlier in her career, she published a broad range of genres under her own name and pseudonyms, and was a co-author/ghostwriter for several celebrities.
Raised in Dunkirk, NY, Wendy graduated from SUNY Fredonia and launched a publishing career in New York City. She was Associate Editor at Silhouette Books before selling her first novel in 1992. Married with two sons, she lives in the NYC suburbs. An active supporter of the American Cancer Society, she was a featured speaker at Northern Westchester’s 2015 Relay for Life and 2012 National Spokesperson for the Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation. She has fostered for various animal rescue organizations.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
August 29, 2014
This is the latest in several books by Staub I've read over the summer; I've loved every other one and this was my least favorite. While I enjoyed many of the characters, I found this particular plot extremely convoluted; there were SO MANY PLAYERS that it just got confusing at times and became rather hard to follow. Still suspenseful and anxiety-filled and Staub still kicks literary ass; this just wasn't a favorite of mine.
April 11, 2008
I didn't love this book. The story was pretty good, just a little too disjointed at times. I felt that she should have developed certain characters more, and others less. The last couple of chapters were the best though.
December 13, 2008
I enjoyed this book but I found it very confusing at first because the book kept jumping from one persons story to another's story and it wasn't clear at first when another person's story took over. I had already read two other books by this author and liked them much better.
May 20, 2014
This book would make a good beach read. There are many, many twists and turns in the story and the ending is rather surprising. It wasn't my favorite book, but it passed the time and wasn't a total waste.
August 2, 2012
I really should quit reading her books. Too much ridiculous violence.
May 5, 2021
They’ve all come home to hear the reading of the old man’s will. That heart attack he suffered while bathing was sad indeed. They all need money, these cousins, who have returned to a remote Georgia island plantation replete with abandoned slave cabins. They all expect to get a fiscal piece of the action. When the attorney reads the will, only one of them, Charlotte Remington Maitland, inherits anything, and she gets the entire estate.
Before this ends, the bodies pile up thanks to a secretive murderer, and the deception, secrets, and entanglements of this family is like so much Spanish moss encumbering the eaves of the old mansion. It’s up to Charlotte to save her daughter before it’s too late.
So, here’s the thing: There was a time when I loved books that had that gothic thing going for them. I once devoured Phyllis A. Whitney and writers like her. I’m embarrassed to admit that now, but that’s true enough. Time and whatever else soured me on those, and this feels very much like one of those dark gothic books with telltale clues sprinkled throughout and a dark and somber spirit everywhere. I spent three days sleeping through this and rereading what I’d slept through largely because I found none of the characters particularly appealing—except Melanie, the perky nurse for the old demented relative who lived—you guessed it—in the attic. Melanie fascinated me, and the reader knows almost nothing about her.
I don’t want to give you the impression that this is a complete loss. It’s not at all. Normally, when I fall asleep numerous times while reading something, I feel my sleepiness taints the book. That’s not at all fair to the author, but that often happens. At least with this book, I cared enough about it to regroup and reread what I missed. I needed to see how things turned out, and I didn’t expect any of those outcomes. So, to that degree, it was well worth my time. I just didn’t like any of the characters, and the whole gothic pall depressed me and turned me off.
Before this ends, the bodies pile up thanks to a secretive murderer, and the deception, secrets, and entanglements of this family is like so much Spanish moss encumbering the eaves of the old mansion. It’s up to Charlotte to save her daughter before it’s too late.
So, here’s the thing: There was a time when I loved books that had that gothic thing going for them. I once devoured Phyllis A. Whitney and writers like her. I’m embarrassed to admit that now, but that’s true enough. Time and whatever else soured me on those, and this feels very much like one of those dark gothic books with telltale clues sprinkled throughout and a dark and somber spirit everywhere. I spent three days sleeping through this and rereading what I’d slept through largely because I found none of the characters particularly appealing—except Melanie, the perky nurse for the old demented relative who lived—you guessed it—in the attic. Melanie fascinated me, and the reader knows almost nothing about her.
I don’t want to give you the impression that this is a complete loss. It’s not at all. Normally, when I fall asleep numerous times while reading something, I feel my sleepiness taints the book. That’s not at all fair to the author, but that often happens. At least with this book, I cared enough about it to regroup and reread what I missed. I needed to see how things turned out, and I didn’t expect any of those outcomes. So, to that degree, it was well worth my time. I just didn’t like any of the characters, and the whole gothic pall depressed me and turned me off.
Read
July 18, 2022I had been reading all of Wendy Corsi Staub's books. As for this book, it is the first Wendy Corsi Staub book not to be set in New York State or New England. It takes place in and around Savannah, GA, particularly on a fictitious island off the coast. Much of the action takes place in an old mansion that had belonged to the recently-deceased Gilbert Remington, who supposedly died of a heart attack in his bathtub. But of course that is not what happened. As with many wealthy people who die, there are people who feel they should have gotten more of an inheritance from the deceased. Also, there turn out to be characters who are not who we are originally led to believe they are. Of course, everything gets tied up at the end, but it is a fun journey through the mystery if you can get past the murders and other deaths that occur every so often.
-Patron R.L.
-Patron R.L.
December 15, 2019
Pretty solid. I was waffling between two or three villains, but I was pleasantly surprised with the twists and turns leading up to the Big Reveal. My favorite character was definitely the crazy aunt.
The biggest problem I had was trying to keep track of who was who in the family tree side of things. Also, I think the ending was a shade abrupt and left a few loose ends.
The biggest problem I had was trying to keep track of who was who in the family tree side of things. Also, I think the ending was a shade abrupt and left a few loose ends.
May 2, 2020
This is Wendy Corsi Staub in her heyday as a great thriller writer. While she sometimes devoted a little too much plot to an only-a-mother-could-love daughter raising hell (and I’m never a big fan of these side plots; they just add to the word count and make the book seem twice as long), she’s great at perplexing the reader by adding characters that seem superfluous until they all get tied together at the end. And she really pulls out a few plot twists in this one that I didn’t see coming.
April 14, 2021
This is the 2nd book by Wendy Corsi Staub that I have read and I have to say that I enjoyed it more than the first book. It was difficult at the beginning to keep track of all the characters but I found as it neared the end things / people fell into place. I wish that she would have told us more about The Aunt that lived upstairs, I felt that I was left really wondering about her life. I look forward to the next book by this author
January 16, 2018
I enjoyed this book. Charlotte Remington is haunted by the drowning death of her son. Eventually she remarries and finds happiness. After her grandfather dies and makes Charlotte the lone beneficiary of his will, her happiness is threatened. Her new husband is shot and her cousin is accused of the shooting.
February 23, 2024
This book was just ok for me. It was very slow to start off. The last 100 pages or so were fast paced. About mid-book I almost DNF’d it. Follows the story of the Remington family and secrets of their past which lead to multiple murders in the future.
July 13, 2017
They had me all the way to the end, and I had no idea who the killer was....love that.
December 16, 2017
Didn’t hold my interest and too many characters to keep track of.
February 19, 2018
Beach read with shivers
Southern modern Gothic, well written, some nice twists. Not too gory, no graphic sex, plenty of dead bodies. Quite entertaining.
Southern modern Gothic, well written, some nice twists. Not too gory, no graphic sex, plenty of dead bodies. Quite entertaining.
June 18, 2018
An interesting easy read with lots of twists and turns. Didn’t figure out who-done-it until the end. The only reason I didn’t rate it higher was it was too wordy.
never-finished
June 5, 2021This book didn't really grab me, so I never finished. First 100 pages and couldn't get to like it.
November 28, 2021
meh. super slow & just meh
September 23, 2022
Staub will have you guessing until the very end.
December 24, 2023
Had a good storyline but there were so many characters that it became hard to keep them all straight.
July 11, 2024
Wowza! The ending was shocking, but overall a good find
September 25, 2024
Well..this certainly was a book to keep me reading! Good style to write from each character.
January 30, 2017
For Charlotte Remington Maitland life has been hard, despite her family’s vast wealth. The old Southern Plantation still hosts the former slave cabins, away from site but the memories of those slaves still haunt the place, as does the memory of her mother and the family skeletons that rattle their chains, threatening exposure.
They say what doesn’t kill you only serves to make you stronger; but Charlotte has her doubts as she had spent five years in a fog of guilt, pain & loss; she thought she would never again raise her head past her own culpability. Then, the unthinkable occurred again, another child drown, another soul lost to the rampant ocean waves, another guilt ridden parent bogged down by culpability is brought into the arms of her support group. Through the haze of grief came acknowledgement, understanding and love. Charlotte, after all those years is striving once again towards happiness; but happiness is an elusive emotion, one that is difficult to hold onto.
From the outside looking in, life appears perfect as usual; at times Charlotte allows herself to believe that one day it just might be perfect, if only her daughter didn’t hate her because of her younger brothers drowning accident. Maybe things will get better when Charlotte, her new husband Royce and her daughter Lianna move from Granddaddy’s estate, Oakgate and into the home that was presently being renovated for them in Savannah.
When Granddaddy is found dead in the tub, everyone believes his heart had given out; but when the will is read and Charlotte’s two cousins had been cut out, people begin to wonder…
When Charlotte notices a dark figure across the street from the house they are renovating, she begins to worry. When she hears what she thinks is a car backfire she reaches for Royce’s reassurance; but Royce is no longer right in front of her, he is laying on the ground, having taken a bullet to the leg.
And, the nightmare has only just begun!
They say what doesn’t kill you only serves to make you stronger; but Charlotte has her doubts as she had spent five years in a fog of guilt, pain & loss; she thought she would never again raise her head past her own culpability. Then, the unthinkable occurred again, another child drown, another soul lost to the rampant ocean waves, another guilt ridden parent bogged down by culpability is brought into the arms of her support group. Through the haze of grief came acknowledgement, understanding and love. Charlotte, after all those years is striving once again towards happiness; but happiness is an elusive emotion, one that is difficult to hold onto.
From the outside looking in, life appears perfect as usual; at times Charlotte allows herself to believe that one day it just might be perfect, if only her daughter didn’t hate her because of her younger brothers drowning accident. Maybe things will get better when Charlotte, her new husband Royce and her daughter Lianna move from Granddaddy’s estate, Oakgate and into the home that was presently being renovated for them in Savannah.
When Granddaddy is found dead in the tub, everyone believes his heart had given out; but when the will is read and Charlotte’s two cousins had been cut out, people begin to wonder…
When Charlotte notices a dark figure across the street from the house they are renovating, she begins to worry. When she hears what she thinks is a car backfire she reaches for Royce’s reassurance; but Royce is no longer right in front of her, he is laying on the ground, having taken a bullet to the leg.
And, the nightmare has only just begun!
April 10, 2009
Okay, seeing that I've read TWO books in one evening and half a day...I'm a little too tired to think on this one, so...I'll just write the blurb about the book from the back cover. I know, I know that's cheating but what can I say? lol
Back cover:
"Everyone in Savannah, Georgia knows the Remington estate. The rambling old house bears blatant testimony not just to the esteemed family's vast wealth, but to unbearable tragedy and whispered secrets. Soon, the Remington's will all come home to this secluded plantation nestled deep in the shadow of moss-covered trees. Then they will have to die...one by one...
For Charlotte Remington Maitland, the past five years have been a haze of pain and loss. Now, with her new husband and teenaged daughter, she's found a second chance at happiness-until the moment her grandfather's will is read. As the sole beneficiary of the vast Remington estate, Charlotte will get everything that's coming to her. A killer will make sure of that-no matter who has to die...
Trapped in a house of lies, searching for answers to deadly questions, Charlotte has never been more afraid. Someone knows her family's deepest secrets. Someone who will take Charlotte to the edge of sanity and the dark heart of her greatest fear in order to make her...THE FINAL VICTIM."
I will say however, that I have read every single book that Wendy Corsi Staub has written and this by far, was NOT her best.
Back cover:
"Everyone in Savannah, Georgia knows the Remington estate. The rambling old house bears blatant testimony not just to the esteemed family's vast wealth, but to unbearable tragedy and whispered secrets. Soon, the Remington's will all come home to this secluded plantation nestled deep in the shadow of moss-covered trees. Then they will have to die...one by one...
For Charlotte Remington Maitland, the past five years have been a haze of pain and loss. Now, with her new husband and teenaged daughter, she's found a second chance at happiness-until the moment her grandfather's will is read. As the sole beneficiary of the vast Remington estate, Charlotte will get everything that's coming to her. A killer will make sure of that-no matter who has to die...
Trapped in a house of lies, searching for answers to deadly questions, Charlotte has never been more afraid. Someone knows her family's deepest secrets. Someone who will take Charlotte to the edge of sanity and the dark heart of her greatest fear in order to make her...THE FINAL VICTIM."
I will say however, that I have read every single book that Wendy Corsi Staub has written and this by far, was NOT her best.
February 11, 2015
3.5 STARS
"Everyone in Savannah, Georgia, knows the Remington Estate. The rambling old house hears blatant testimony not just to the esteemed family's vast wealth, but to unbearable tragedy and whispered secrets. Soon, the Remingtons will all come home to this secluded plantation nestled deep in the shadow of moss-covered trees. Then they will have to die...one by one. For Charlotte Remington Maitland, the past live years have been a haze of pain and loss. Now, with her new husband and teenaged daughter, she's found a second chance at happiness--until the moment her grandfather's will is read. As the sole beneficiary of the vast Remington estate, Charlotte will get everything that's coming to her. A killer will make sure of that--no matter who has to die. Trapped in a house of lies, searching for answers to deadly questions, Charlotte has never been more afraid. Someone knows her family's deepest secrets. Someone who will take Charlotte to the edge of sanity and the dark heart of her greatest tear in order to make her the final victim." (From Amazon)
I really enjoyed this suspense thriller.
"Everyone in Savannah, Georgia, knows the Remington Estate. The rambling old house hears blatant testimony not just to the esteemed family's vast wealth, but to unbearable tragedy and whispered secrets. Soon, the Remingtons will all come home to this secluded plantation nestled deep in the shadow of moss-covered trees. Then they will have to die...one by one. For Charlotte Remington Maitland, the past live years have been a haze of pain and loss. Now, with her new husband and teenaged daughter, she's found a second chance at happiness--until the moment her grandfather's will is read. As the sole beneficiary of the vast Remington estate, Charlotte will get everything that's coming to her. A killer will make sure of that--no matter who has to die. Trapped in a house of lies, searching for answers to deadly questions, Charlotte has never been more afraid. Someone knows her family's deepest secrets. Someone who will take Charlotte to the edge of sanity and the dark heart of her greatest tear in order to make her the final victim." (From Amazon)
I really enjoyed this suspense thriller.
December 25, 2016
This author is known for her murder suspense novels. In this one, an rich, elderly gentleman has passed away. Unbeknownst to Charlotte and her two cousins is that the recently deceased has change his will by leaving everything to Charlotte.
I didn't think this was the best read from this author. I was expecting a murder mystery novel but instead I received a soap opera that takes place in the south. The author had a decent idea for its plot but the problem was its execution. I felt like the finale came out of left field and I wished the author gave up more hints for the twisted finale by giving us hints throughout the novel. What really affected my rating was all of the subplots that were not needed or resolved. They were not needed and this is where I felt the soap opera vibe. I felt like every time a character said they had a secret that there would be that pensive moment like we see on daytime soaps. Every character in this book had a major secret.
I have read other books by this author and I have enjoyed them. With all the choices that are out there for this genre, my word of advice would be to try something else as this missed on most marks.
I didn't think this was the best read from this author. I was expecting a murder mystery novel but instead I received a soap opera that takes place in the south. The author had a decent idea for its plot but the problem was its execution. I felt like the finale came out of left field and I wished the author gave up more hints for the twisted finale by giving us hints throughout the novel. What really affected my rating was all of the subplots that were not needed or resolved. They were not needed and this is where I felt the soap opera vibe. I felt like every time a character said they had a secret that there would be that pensive moment like we see on daytime soaps. Every character in this book had a major secret.
I have read other books by this author and I have enjoyed them. With all the choices that are out there for this genre, my word of advice would be to try something else as this missed on most marks.
October 2, 2008
The Final Victim was a wonderful book that kept you guessing until very near the end. I am usually pretty good at guessing who's really the killer, but I had a hard time with this one. That's usually a pretty good sign that it's well written. My only real qualm with this story is that it was extremely confusing. The killer, who was pretty psychotic in my opinion, kept talking to dolls and himself and it didn't make a lot of sense. Not to mention nearly every other page turned into someone else's point of view. I followed it pretty well, but every now and then I'd forget who was talking and have to flip back to look. Wendy is a very good writer and I encourage anyone who likes mysteries that keep you guessing to read this story.
February 3, 2012
If it weren't for the last 100 pages, it would get one star. The last 100 are actually a little suspenseful.
The intermittent use of "y'all" and sweet tea, and profound lack of other southern colloquialisms to give character to the speech I found incredibly frustrating. The y'alls were always really awkward.
Due to a lot of jumping around between characters in the first 300 pages, it was often difficult to tell what was supposed to be common knowledge, or what was known only to the reader/specific character.
Overall, it was ok.
If I had to choose between another book by staub and one by James patterson, it would be staub all the way. Between staub and Mary higgins Clark, I'd probably go with Clark...
The intermittent use of "y'all" and sweet tea, and profound lack of other southern colloquialisms to give character to the speech I found incredibly frustrating. The y'alls were always really awkward.
Due to a lot of jumping around between characters in the first 300 pages, it was often difficult to tell what was supposed to be common knowledge, or what was known only to the reader/specific character.
Overall, it was ok.
If I had to choose between another book by staub and one by James patterson, it would be staub all the way. Between staub and Mary higgins Clark, I'd probably go with Clark...
November 16, 2016
This was the first Staub book i have read, and from reading the reviews beforehand, many ppl said it wasn't as good as her others. Well, i am excited to read the other books cus i thought this book was really good! I only gave it 3 stars because from reading the back cover i was expecting certain events to play out differently than they did; also in the middle it got a little slow for me. However, towards the end you get to a certain page and WOW...you are all in till the end. I think my favorite part of the book is that everyone has a secret and you just want to know how it all ties together.
February 6, 2015
Though there were times I wanted to throw this book against the wall (excuse me, but I have lived my entire life as a Southern woman and have never heard anyone use "y'all" when speaking to one individual!) I have to admit the "whodunit" was a good one. There were plenty of viable suspects among the slightly-to-seriously twisted characters and more than once I was tempted to read the last 10 or so pages and end my misery. Sure, it was a little over the top and unrealistic but hey, it's fiction. If I wanted to read only believable writing, I'd stick to nonfiction.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews