This is a challenging book to review because it would be easy to ruin it, and I want to be very careful about spoilers. This is definitely one that you should go into without a lot of preconceived notions.

I'm not sure I'd agree this story has a lot of twists and turns. Something is definitely wrong with everyone and everything from the start, and the hints start dropping about what exactly that is early on. It's more of a slow, steady, dreadful reveal by several narrators - all of whom are clearly questionable from the start. It becomes clear how their stories fit together, how they are all telling their own truth. I wouldn't necessarily say "unreliable," but each of the narrators has a very specific angle on what unfolds and helps put the puzzle together in their own way. Oh - and one of them is a talking, bible-reading, well-intentioned cat. I thought that whole talking cat thing would annoy me, but Olivia's chapters were my favorites.

The author does a great job at characterization. A really great job. It is also very atmospheric with just enough peeks at the world we recognize to show how off everything really is.

This left me less scared than unsettled and thinking about the struggle and trauma that is around us. This was definitely not the escapist, thrilling, horror tale I expected going in. As crazy as it is, the scary stuff, in the end, feels very real.

This is not my usual fare. My rating reflects how well I think this author accomplished what she set out to do, for this genre, this type of book. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC and the chance to pick up something I normally wouldn't.

Wonderfully creepy audiobook version, well read by the narrators. The story draws you in from the beginning with a nice little twist towards the end with a downbeat but satisfying ending. Highly recommended.

This is a different book, the plot goes deeper and is darker than first glance at the synopsis. The narrators on the audio book were not my favorite, they didn’t seem to fit the story or mesh with each other.

For some time poor and orphaned children have been disappearing from the area around Needless Street. The abductions didn't get much publicity until a child from a good home vanished. This happened 11 years ago, when a six-year-old girl named Lulu disappeared during a family outing to the beach.

A man called Ted Bannerman - who had a troubled history - was questioned but had a solid alibi. There were no arrests, and the public took to throwing rocks through Ted's windows, which are now covered with plywood.

As for Lulu's family, they couldn't cope with the loss. Lulu's mother left and father died soon after the abduction, and Lulu's older sister Dee was left with unassuageable grief. Now Dee is determined to find the person who took her sister.

The story revolves around Ted Bannerman, who lives in the last house on Needless Street. In addition to himself, Ted's household includes his adolescent daughter Lauren who - during her weekend visits - zooms around the house on her pink bike and balks at doing schoolwork; and Ted's cat Olivia, who consults the Bible for philosophical insights.

Ted drinks too much, is sloppy and overweight, and has a patchy scalp and long beard. Ted sometimes makes dates with women on dating sites, but then only watches them and doesn't go over and speak. Most of Ted's outside interactions are with a neighbor he calls the chihuahua lady and a therapist he calls the bug man.

Ted dearly loved his (now) deceased mother, and frequently recollects her gauzy blue dress and their times together.

One day Ted finds he has an intrusive new neighbor who doesn't wish him well.

That's about all I can say without spoilers. Billed as gothic horror, this is a tricky story with layers of secrets. Some parts of the book are slow and overcomplicated, but it's a fascinating novel. Highly recommended.

I listened to the audiobook version and Christopher Ragland is an excellent narrator.

Thanks to Netgalley, Catriona Ward, and Tor Nighfire for a copy of the book.

The Last House on Needless Street is one of those extraordinary books that tell a compelling story in the constant haze of uncertainty, with a gripping dark psychological intensity and fascinating characters that are cleverly blended with beautiful writing.

From the start, there is a dark and menacing atmosphere to the story, but you are not sure if you can automatically jump to the obvious conclusion. As the story continues, you wonder, is this a bluff, a double bluff, a triple bluff, a quadruple bluff? – I’m completely bluffed out – my head hurts. The psychologically damaged characters provide their perspective, including Ted, his visiting daughter Lauren and his religious cat Olivia. The other main character is Dee, the sister of a young girl Lulu, who went missing 11 years previously and whom she believes Ted was the abductor and possible murderer. She intends to prove his guilt and moves into Needless Street to follow his every move. Each character is an unreliable narrator, which adds brilliantly to the ambiguous levels of suspicion and deception.

Ted is a loner, living in the last house on Needless Street, beside a forest, with windows boarded up and minimal contact with his neighbours. He is a big guy, not to be messed with, and he is left well alone with an air of danger. Ted was a suspect at the time of Lulu’s disappearance, but having a solid alibi couldn’t be charged; however, Dee is convinced that he was the kidnapper. Olivia is an interesting character with a disassociative personality disorder when she becomes aggressive or needs to hunt for food. Her alternate personality of ‘Night-time’ deals with the more unpleasant aspects of hunting and killing.

The twisted psychological uncertainty of Ted takes us on an uneasy journey from horror to pity and back again. How well reality compares to Ted’s version of reality is the mystery. He affectionately refers to his daughter as ‘Kitten’, yet the forest is full of dead kittens. Never sure what the truth is, and constantly wondering where the guilt lies in this dark, mysterious, and menacing story is what distinguishes it. A lot can be said about this book, but too much detail risks giving away the twists and surprises that await.

The Last House on Needless Street will be one of the standout books of 2021, and I would highly recommend it. I was provided both the book and audiobook and had the great fortune of enjoying each as I progressed through the story. The narrator, Christopher Ragland, was outstanding, and his range of abilities had me checking several times to see if he was the only narrator, especially with the female characters. The only thing I hated was when he sounded the Eeeeeeeoooooeeeee clawing from Olivia. I want to thank Macmillan Audio, Macmillan-Tor/Forge and NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC in return for an honest review.

I decided to listen to this on audio due to all the buzz and the Library Reads promotion and I was not disappointed. The writing of this is unique and brilliant. The plot comes together in a way that I haven’t experienced before. As other reviewers have stated, this book may seem confusing and disturbing at the beginning, but if you stick with it, you will be highly rewarded. The narrator does a fabulous job of depicting multiple characters and their various voices. I will be recommending this to library patrons.

DNF @ 35%, listened through the NetGalley app.

I think I'll give this book another try after publication via hard copy, but the audiobook just didn't work for me. I loved the diverse cast of characters, but the female narrator spoke much more quickly than the male narrator, who I found to be too slow. Speeding up the audiobook worked well, but then made the female narrator too fast. As I was listening while driving, I really didn't want to toggle back and forth endlessly to speed the book up or slow it down.

I think the main issue I had with the book was far too. much build-up and not nearly enough action. I found Ted particularly to be an incredibly annoying character, and while I was interested in Dee's storyline, I wish the book had led with her and focused on her. We will still likely order a copy of the physical book, but getting an audiobook of this will be a particularly hard sell given our patron demographics and desires.

Let me start this review by saying, if you’re thinking about reading this one, GET THE EBOOK OR HARDCOPY!! Don’t listen to the audio. I was sooo excited to dive into this one after reading the synopsis!! BUT…I really did not like the narrator. The storyline towards the end takes so many turns that having something in front of you to physically read may help you not be confused. Maybe not 🤷🏼‍♀️ When I was done listening I was like WTF did I just listen to?! It kept me entertained up until like 75-80% in and then I was just like 😒 Anyways in my opinion this one was blah and only gets like 🌟🌟🌟 purely because I was entertained for most of the book.

I have heard all of the hoopla about this book and I was actually afraid to read it for fear it was all hype.

Boy...was I wrong.

It's okay, if as you're reading this you feel like you have no idea what is going on. Just hang in there because like jello, it all comes together spectacularly. Holy cow, this was SO good.

Thank you to the publisher for gifting me an audio version to enjoy. It was my pleasure to write an honest review.

Last House on Needless St…At first I was like, What the heck is this??? A little later I was like OH, I see. Little did I know that I only saw half and by the end it all made a very, very terrifying, tragic sense after all the unputdownable suspense and mystery. This was a really good thrilling and mysterious read that, by the end I was surprised and delighted by. I recommend this 100% to anyone who loves a good suspenseful but mysterious read!

**4.5-stars**

In a quiet town, at the end of a typical neighborhood street sits a well-worn home with boarded-up windows. In the house lives an eccentric man named, Ted. Ted has a daughter named, Lauren, who sometimes visits. Although never seen playing outside, the neighbors can hear her sounds of joy and sometimes discontent, well enough, ringing through the walls. Also, residing in the home, is Ted's little furry companion, Olivia the cat.

Told through the alternating perspectives of Ted, Olivia and a neighborhood woman who just moved to the street, their intertwining tales of horror begin to unfold and their connections are laid bare. It's clear Ted's musings may be unreliable. Can you trust what he is thinking? The way he wants you to see the story? What about Olivia? She's just a cat. Could she possibly understand the intricacies of the human mind? And what of the neighbor woman? She seems to have an unhealthy obsession with Ted, but is she correct about what he is?

Y'all, this is definitely one of those books that it is best to go into knowing as little as possible. I listened to the audiobook and feel it's an excellent way to take in this story. I was pulled in from the very start. The narrator was fantastic!!

The writing style is quirky and a perfect fit for this story. In my experience, it added to the overall sense of unease, because it took my mind a couple of seconds after each sentence, or statement, to string it all together. That sounds like a negative, but it's not. It's like my mind was clicking through all it had heard, trying to figure out the truth, but couldn't.

You know intensely from the start that all is not as it appears to be. It's not cut and dry. It's a headscratcher and beyond compelling. There are clever misdirections, shocking revelations and soul crushing snaps back to reality. It's a dark and heavy tale that breaths sinister unknown out of every pore.

Overall, I found this to be a satisfyingly unique and stirring Horror novel. It's 100% memorable and will stick with me for a long time to come.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. It was an ideal way to kick off my Spooky Season reading!!!

I finished this book a couple of weeks ago, but have been pondering my review. This is book that has to be read to understand. It is a strange and bizarre book, but one I did enjoy. Writing a spoiler free review does not allow me to tell you much about this book at all. From the blurb, you see there is a man, a teenage girl, and a cat who live in a boarded up house at the end of the street. The book also has a child disappear on a beach years before and her sister is trying to find out who took her and hoping she is still alive. How do these two stories fit together.

It took me a bit to get invested in this story. I was listening to the audiobook, and to be honest, I almost gave up on it, but all of a sudden, I was hooked. I went back and started it again as I knew I must have missed some pertinent information. This was a book that once I got hooked, I couldn't stop listening. There is a gloomy, depressing feel to the story, with some characters that seem trapped. Olivia, the cat, is a clever beast and the man's constant companion. Is it a horror story? A serial kidnapper? What is happening here? I did not figure out exactly what was happening until the final reveal at the end and then that twist, Wow! This is a story that if it interests you or tweaks your imagination you need to read, but pay attention to detail as it will help you figure out what is happening. I recommend it to lovers of twisted thrillers with a horror or gothic feel. The audiobook was very well done with Christopher Ragland giving voice to the characters that was a bit eerie. I definitely recommend the audiobook version.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing a free e-audiobook copy of this title in exchange for my review.

This is a difficult book for me to review - it popped up in my inbox when I wasn't really in the mood for this type of book, and I think that is a big factor for my reaction. The narration was well done, the story was a bit slow, but kept moving along. It was a big more graphic than I usually care for, and I wasn't prepared for that.

Overall I think if you can deal with graphic abuse in your book, and are in the right mood going in, you'll probably enjoy the book a lot more than I did at this time. I thought the writing was strong and pretty well timed. Maybe this just wasn't the book for me, or not the right book for me right now.

Normally I'd rate this at 2 stars, but between the narration of the audio and the writing style, I'm going to bump it up to 3 stars

While I usually prefer to actually read books for myself, listening to this one on audio was even more enjoyable than me reading it to myself. I both read the book and later listened to it. It was eye-opening to see how different it seemed through someone else's voice. I don't want to give anything away but will say the narrator's reading made the main character seem so much more normal than the voice in my head did. I have not listened to many books in my lifetime and have listened to and also read the same book separately never, until now. If you are either going to read the actual book or you're going to listen to it, I highly recommend you listen to this one. You won't be disappointed.

This is a very unusual book and not to be missed!
I have a policy - whenever I see something recommended by Stephen King I snap it up! I saw his byline in the synopsis and knew I had to have this book. The great King himself said it was a "nerve-shredder," and "mind blowing," and I so agree.

The Last House on Needless Street is a puzzle within a puzzle. There is a Russian doll set within the house and that may be the best metaphor for the plot of this book. Throughout the book you meet many, many characters but no one is who they seem! The narrator, for the majority of the book is Ted. Ted lives alone in a small house. You catch on pretty quickly that he is not your ordinary man - he has special recipes he makes and special nicknames for his neighbors. He is quirky and charming. His cat, Olivia and his daughter Lauren frequent the house and provide more background on the comings and goings of Ted. However, there seems to be a lot missing - it's a puzzle. In the background is a new neighbor named Dee. Dee is obsessed with finding her sister's killer from many years ago. She suspects Ted and she is watching him closely.

It's a slow unraveling of the story, not a quick moving thriller. This allows you to spend quite a bit of time with all the characters and begin to put together your own hypothesis. It's a puzzle and another puzzle as you slowly add pieces together.

I truly loved it! I enjoyed learning the indiosyncronies of the character and enjoyed the writing. The voices in the audiobook were excellent - clear and vibrant. Best yet, every part of the mystery of this story is tied up in the end.

If you like character development, slow burning thrillers, horror lite, and psychological games, then this is the book or audiobook for you! Thank you to #NetGalley and #TorNIghtfirs for the audio recording in exchange for a fair review.

Whoever said there's a carefully plotted, clever twist in this book straight up lied. For me and many others the details of the "big reveal" was cliche and it actually was blatantly obvious to me just a few chapters in. Just one word gave away most of the details for me. (I'll write the word at the end of this review for those who don't mind a spoiler). The constant mention of certain details made it easy to put together the rest. The appeal of this book is really in the way the story is told and not so much the story itself. There were a few details that may have been left in by the author as red herrings but for me they simply did make sense - especially since it was from Dee's perspective.

This is a well written novel but those people giving this book 5 stars for a "shocking reveal" are probably new to this genre or not very perceptive. For me this is an average novel (but I now understand the hype is because of Stephen King's review).


I received this audiobook from Netgalley for free in exchange for my honest review. On that note, I would rather not use the Netgalley app to listen to an audiobook every again. I've already uninstalled. I'm not new to listening to audiobooks, I usually do through Libby. All the issues here relates to the user interface. First of all, it was not easy to navigate the chapters in the app - all you see in the chapter list is the title of the novel. No numbers, no chapter titles, no indication of where you are. You can only rewind/fast-forward in 30 second intervals. You can only customize the speed of the reading in 0.25 intervals, no fine tuning.
As it relates to the audiobook itself, I found that the narrator's spoke too slow for my liking. I listened at 1.5x speed and that was actually perfectly aligned with what I'm use to. With the speed I was listening, i didn't notice any issues with punctuation. I also didn't pick up on any grammatical errors. I was able to tell the difference between characters fairly easily (Olivia/Lauren was difficult but could be identified by their manner manner ). The audiobook itself was good, just not the experience with the app.

A lonely man lives in a boarded up house at the edge of a forest. His daughter Lauren visits occasionally before irritating Ted and getting sent away. His bible reading cat Olivia tries to protect Ted and doesn't care for Lauren. There is a missing six year old and her older sister believes the answer to her whereabouts lies with Ted.

Unsettling, a book that keeps one off balance. Everytime I thought I had a clue as to what is going on, a new revelation would send me spinning. Like riding on a tilt a world and when all was revealed, well I was completely gobsmacked. Unbelievable, what this author has accomplished. What characters what a plot. Horror yes but also a thriller, without graphic murders or blood soaked scenes.

I listened t the audio narrated by Christopher Ragland. He did a terrific job with the various voices, even the cat. I wonder if I would have had the same reaction if I had read instead of listened? I definitely suggest the audio.

ARC from Netgalley.

Wow!! This book was a wild ride! I was fortunate to be able to listen to the audiobook through #NetGalley. The story is incredible and the narrator was excellent. I thought that there was a male narrator and a female narrator but it was all done by Christopher Ragland.

The Last House on Needless Street is in the horror genre and this is the first book that I've read by Catriona Ward. I will be looking for more books from her! There is a man, there is a girl, there is a cat that reads the Bible and I was well past halfway before I started to put clues together. It's a mind bender. I've only had this feeling once before and that was after reading I'm Thinking of Ending Things. If you liked that one, you need to get this one! This is coming out at the perfect time for spooky fall reading.

Honestly, the less said about this book the better. It's mind boggling throughout, you'll be confused and frustrated at times, but in the end it all clicks together.

I alternated between listening to the audiobook with its full cast of character voices and reading the e-book. Both modes--print and audio--are excellent ways to experience this story, although I give a slight edge to the audiobook.

I went through many phases with my reading--I liked Ted, I was suspicious of Ted, I hated Ted, I sympathized with Ted..all in circles. The writing is so excellent that you just don't know what to think or what to believe until the end. And when you get there you just might want to go back through the book again with your full knowledge and catch the clues you missed the first time.

After you're finished (as it's filled with spoilers) make sure you read the author's note at the end. It puts a perspective on this book that you might not otherwise have. SPOILER: [ If you've ever read any of my reviews you know I HATE DID as a plot device, but in this case I will say that it is used beautifully and brutally honestly. ]

All in all this is a surprising, unsettling, dark, fascinating read and it is one that will stay with me for a long time. It isn't going to be a book that everyone will "get" or relate to, but those who do will love it and those who don't will likely hate it. Curious? I recommend you read it and find out. Choose it for your book club because there's a lot to unpack here.

I needed a moment to sit with this story before writing this review. There is a lot to absorb at the end of this book. The author did a wonderful job of weaving details throughout the story and it is interesting to go back through it all in your head and think about the small things that you missed or you might look at differently in the end.

I will not go into the details of the story in my review at all. It is too easy to give something away and this story is one that is best gone into without any spoilers. You may figure out some of what is going on as you read, but it is likely there will still be some surprises in store for you.

What I will say is that the writing is excellent. The story is excellent. The details are excellent. I did not feel that I was tricked at the end, but felt included by the story, as if I was let in. This happens when you are about 80% of the way through the story, but the last 20% is still interesting enough to keep you wanting to read and know what happens.

I had both the ebook and audio version of this book. The audio, narrated by Christopher Ragland, was very well done. You almost feel like there are multiple narrators and always know exactly which character is narrating the story. The only disadvantage to the audio is that there is an author's note at the end of the ebook that was not included in the audio version. The author's note is very interesting and worth reading.

This is the first book I have read by Catriona Ward. I will definitely be looking into more of this author's work. 4.5★