Living in a small upscale Oregon community, Liz and Owen can’t help but admire their neighbors, Carole and David. They have it all, the perfect marriage, careers and a child, Charlie. But no one can envy the couple when Charlie disappears. As everyone searches frantically for the child, Liz is keeping an ugly secret about an accident and what really happened. Her guilt and secrets begin to destroy her marriage even as the loss of their child eats at Carole and David’s own relationship. But there is someone outside it all, someone who has seen everything, someone who has the power to destroy one couple forever. Olsen delivers his trademark thrills and chills

"They can pinpoint the split second when something they did changed everything in their world. Mistakes are dominoes, falling on one another in a mechanical, unstoppable progression."

The first mistake that Liz made could have been an accident. The second was a crime.

This was a fast-paced psychological thriller that kept me glued to the pages in suspenseful anxiety. On one hand, I detested nearly all of the characters in the book -- especially Liz -- and on the other, I was hopeful that there would somehow be justice and a satisfactory conclusion. Not sure I got my wish, actually, but NO SPOILERS -- I did enjoy the novel and loved reading about Bend, Oregon’s Deschutes River and could imagine myself there on the banks watching the whole story go down from the porch.

This well-written drama has great description and detail about the locale and the interactions between the characters is believable. I'm not a big fan of internal angst and was grateful it was somewhat limited as it annoys me quickly especially when repetitive. I did like the two Bend police detectives, Esther Nguyen in particular, and her younger male partner. In all, a compelling tale that reminds us that everything can change, lives can be destroyed, in a heartbeat.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the e-book ARC to read and review. I'm off to hunt for another title written by this prolific author!

The Last Thing She Ever Did – Gregg Olsen

What would you do?

That was the thought that was running through my head for virtually the entirety of this novel. Liz and Owen live an idyllic life in Bend, OR with close neighbors David & Carole. Owens business is thriving, Liz is on the verge of recognizing her dream of becoming an attorney, and they are on the cusp of having everything their hearts desire when, in an instant, an unforeseeable event occurs, which will alter their lives forever.

As Liz - running late in a panic to re-take her law boards – climbs into her vehicle, she begins to back out of her garage, and encounters a nightmare she never could have conceived. Fueled by desperation, she makes a decision in a split second that will alter all their lives forever. As tensions mount, and questions are asked, lie upon lie is told to protect decisions made, and we are helpless to watch (read) as two families disintegrate under the pressure of the event, giving us a glimpse into the hidden depths of each individual and their defects, all while time passes, questions remain, new questions arise, and the story rushes to a conclusion you may (or may not!) have predicted..
.
As psychological thrillers go, this one is another masterpiece by author Gregg Olsen, and is well worth the read!

I recently had the pleasure of reading Gregg's latest release. It is one of the best I've read (since his last one). I follow several authors regularly, and Gregg tops my list of favorites. In The Last Thing She Ever Did, the opening paragraph sets the stage for a ride you won't forget. I think I actually held my breath at times. His pace is driving and quick, the tension high from the opening pages to the end.  The questions kept coming but he is masterful at not giving the answers immediately which pulled me in deeper, a skill I would love to learn by reading his work. I enjoyed this immensely and dedicated two days to read it, knowing it would place me in a vortex the minute I opened the book. FYI- It didn't take two days...it's that good! I highly recommend this book!

Enthralling, engaging, torturous, and delightful... Get ready to be in for one thrilling read, and not be able to put it down until you are completely finished! Book hangover material has returned!

Liz has a scared past with the place of her youth. Surviving a flash flood which claimed the life of a friend, she has been careful to avoid the location for years. But returning to the house that her grandparents owned has given Liz and her husband Owen a new start. She is studying to be a lawyer and he is helping to develop a new program that will land him millions. Everything is going perfect, until Liz accidentally hits their neighbors child.

What starts out as a simple accident quickly escalates into a tangled web of deceit. While Liz does her best to console her friend, the guilt is eating away at her. Little does she know the secret that her husband is harboring, and the lies that are being spread. She can barely hold herself together, and would rather just tell the truth, but her husband keeps her at bay. Feeding her pills and wine to keep her sedate and somewhat calm, she slowly unravels even further. As her neighbor relies on her more and more, Liz is doing her best to keep everything under control, but the pain of what she has done is eating her alive. As the days tick by with no news, she begins to wonder what has happened to the little boy they so carefully smuggled out of the neighborhood.
As time goes by and Carole becomes even more unraveled, Liz knows that she cannot hang on for much longer, but the truth of what really happened to little Charlie will leave everyone in Bend Oregon scratching their heads at the truth...

I LOVED this book! I simply could NOT put it down once I started! Gget yourself a copy of this delightful book!! It will have you reading under the covers with a flashlight just to find out how it ends!

As with all of Gregg Olsen's books. This is a page turner. It's hard to leave at the end of a chapter, so on you go to the next one until you're late for work because you were up all night reading.
Once you've read this, you'll want to read all of his books. Fiction and True Crime.

*This ARC was received in exchange for an honest review*

This story centres round Liz and Owen and their neighbours Carole and David whose son Charlie has just disappeared and no-one can find him. But as this story takes a twist here and a turn there, we find that Liz seems to know more than she is saying and may know the whereabouts of Charlie, and then we see another neighbour who seems to have his own agenda and is keeping a close watch on Liz.
Will they find Charlie?
There is a lot of suspense in this and as soon as you think you know whats going to happen next, it takes a surprise turn about. It will keep you gripped right to the end with a very surprise ending.
This was a great thriller by Gregg Olsen and can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.

Where to start with this book? This book is by far the best book I have read this year! From the very first page all the way to the last this book has you on the edge of your seat! The way this book is written you find yourself turning page after page and wanting to just keep reading! The twists and turns in this book are outstanding they leave your mind to wander to what if's and who done it. If I were to rate this book on a scale of 1 to 10 I would give it a solid 10 the writing is outstanding and the story line is one that will having you asking at the end "wait did that just happen?" Once again Gregg Olsen has reminded me just why I love his books and why I cant put them done! A job well done! I strongly recommend this book to anyone!

-Armywife

I was hooked from the very beginning. of this suspenseful, past-paced thriller. Such a sad story starting out but then with so many twists and turns as the story kept moving right along. I loved the shallow egotistical men in this book along with the insecure doormat character Liz. This is a great read with a very surprising ending and I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good mystery/thriller.