Thrillers & Suspense
![Catriona Ward - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B015CNZSLK.jpg)
The Last House on Needless Street
"The buzz...is real. I've read it and was blown away. It's a true nerve-shredder that keeps its mind-blowing secrets to the very end." ―Stephen King
An Indie Next Pick!
A LibraryReads Top 10 Pick!
A Library Journal Editors' Pick! STARRED reviews from Library Journal and Publishers Weekly!
"Brilliant....[a] deeply frightening deconstruction of the illusion of the self." ―The New York Times
Catriona Ward's The Last House on Needless Street is a shocking and immersive read perfect for fans of Gone Girl and The Haunting of Hill House.
In a boarded-up house on a dead-end street at the edge of the wild Washington woods lives a family of three.
A teenage girl who isn't allowed outside, not after last time.
A man who drinks alone in front of his TV, trying to ignore the gaps in his memory.
And a house cat who loves napping and reading the Bible.
An unspeakable secret binds them together, but when a new neighbor moves in next door, what is buried out among the birch trees may come back to haunt them all.
"The new face of literary dark fiction." ―Sarah Pinborough
An Indie Next Pick!
A LibraryReads Top 10 Pick!
A Library Journal Editors' Pick! STARRED reviews from Library Journal and Publishers Weekly!
"Brilliant....[a] deeply frightening deconstruction of the illusion of the self." ―The New York Times
Catriona Ward's The Last House on Needless Street is a shocking and immersive read perfect for fans of Gone Girl and The Haunting of Hill House.
In a boarded-up house on a dead-end street at the edge of the wild Washington woods lives a family of three.
A teenage girl who isn't allowed outside, not after last time.
A man who drinks alone in front of his TV, trying to ignore the gaps in his memory.
And a house cat who loves napping and reading the Bible.
An unspeakable secret binds them together, but when a new neighbor moves in next door, what is buried out among the birch trees may come back to haunt them all.
"The new face of literary dark fiction." ―Sarah Pinborough
Editorial Reviews
An Indie Next Pick!
A LibraryReads Top 10 Pick!
A Library Journal Editors' Pick! STARRED reviews from Library Journal and Publishers Weekly!
One of Library Journal's Best Horror Books of 2021
One of Bustle's "Most Anticipated Books of September"
"[A] terrifying exploration of human consciousness that excavates character like an ice pick chipping through an ancient glacier: The deeper one goes, the chillier it gets." ―The New York Times
"[T]he most powerful narratives in the genre manage to create an unshakable sense of unease, and that's exactly what this novel does ... a must-read for those who like the kind of labyrinthine narratives that pull the rug out from under you, sending you tumbling into a dark, dark room." ―NPR
"This masterful horror novel packs an emotional wallop that lingers." ―Publishers Weekly, starred review
"A stunning and immersive tale of psychological horror. It's terrifyingly real and physically upsetting, yet, like the best of the genre, it leaves space for hope to ultimately shine through." ―Library Journal, starred review
"Full of twists and turns, this high-concept gothic horror is going to be huge." ―Guardian
"The buzz building around Catriona Ward's The Last House on Needless Street is real. I've read it and was blown away. It's a true nerve-shredder that keeps its mind-blowing secrets to the very end. Haven't read anything this exciting since Gone Girl." ―Stephen King
"Sensational….I can't recall another novel in recent years that dares so much and succeeds so wildly." ―A. J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window
"A chilling and beautiful masterpiece of suspense, cunningly plotted and written with the elegant imagination of a Shirley Jackson or a Sarah Waters. I was completely enthralled." ―Joe Hill, New York Times bestselling author of The Fireman
"A breathtakingly ambitious book, gorgeously written, and never once shies away from showing you its fangs and its beautiful blood-filled heart. Stop reading this blurb already and open the damn book." ―Paul Tremblay, author of A Head Full of Ghosts
"A masterpiece. Beautiful, heartbreaking and quietly uplifting. One of the most powerful and well-executed novels I've read in years." ―Alex North, author of The Whisper Man
"Absolutely brilliant. This is extraordinary, high-wire-act horror, audacious as hell." ―Christopher Golden, New York Times bestselling author of Red Hands
"Dark and creepy, sad and wonderfully strange. It kept me glued and guessing right up to the end―I loved every inch of it." ―Mike Mignola, creator of Hellboy
A LibraryReads Top 10 Pick!
A Library Journal Editors' Pick! STARRED reviews from Library Journal and Publishers Weekly!
One of Library Journal's Best Horror Books of 2021
One of Bustle's "Most Anticipated Books of September"
"[A] terrifying exploration of human consciousness that excavates character like an ice pick chipping through an ancient glacier: The deeper one goes, the chillier it gets." ―The New York Times
"[T]he most powerful narratives in the genre manage to create an unshakable sense of unease, and that's exactly what this novel does ... a must-read for those who like the kind of labyrinthine narratives that pull the rug out from under you, sending you tumbling into a dark, dark room." ―NPR
"This masterful horror novel packs an emotional wallop that lingers." ―Publishers Weekly, starred review
"A stunning and immersive tale of psychological horror. It's terrifyingly real and physically upsetting, yet, like the best of the genre, it leaves space for hope to ultimately shine through." ―Library Journal, starred review
"Full of twists and turns, this high-concept gothic horror is going to be huge." ―Guardian
"The buzz building around Catriona Ward's The Last House on Needless Street is real. I've read it and was blown away. It's a true nerve-shredder that keeps its mind-blowing secrets to the very end. Haven't read anything this exciting since Gone Girl." ―Stephen King
"Sensational….I can't recall another novel in recent years that dares so much and succeeds so wildly." ―A. J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window
"A chilling and beautiful masterpiece of suspense, cunningly plotted and written with the elegant imagination of a Shirley Jackson or a Sarah Waters. I was completely enthralled." ―Joe Hill, New York Times bestselling author of The Fireman
"A breathtakingly ambitious book, gorgeously written, and never once shies away from showing you its fangs and its beautiful blood-filled heart. Stop reading this blurb already and open the damn book." ―Paul Tremblay, author of A Head Full of Ghosts
"A masterpiece. Beautiful, heartbreaking and quietly uplifting. One of the most powerful and well-executed novels I've read in years." ―Alex North, author of The Whisper Man
"Absolutely brilliant. This is extraordinary, high-wire-act horror, audacious as hell." ―Christopher Golden, New York Times bestselling author of Red Hands
"Dark and creepy, sad and wonderfully strange. It kept me glued and guessing right up to the end―I loved every inch of it." ―Mike Mignola, creator of Hellboy
Readers Top Reviews
Catherine Breitfelle
I waited soooo long for this book. I don’t think I have ever been so disappointed. I love horror books but this wasn’t one. It is so confusing & characters are uninteresting. Sorry I bought it & don’t recommend for any true horror fan.
VICKI HERBERT
No spoilers. 4 1/2 stars. Ted Bannerman is hiding a secret and Dee Walters believes that secret is her long-lost sister Lulu (Lauren)... On a sunny day at the lakeshore, 6 year old Lulu went missing... never to be seen again... Meanwhile... On that same day, also at the lakeshore, is teen Teddy Bannerman... on a family outing with his parents... Years later... Dee has reason to believe that Ted took her sister all those years ago... Dee is an adult now and she's moved into the house nextdoor to Ted's... Spying on him... Ted lives a very sinister life of his own with his disabled daughter and his cat Olivia. Soon the two neighbors will get acquainted... Everything in this life is a rehearsal for loss and everyone has a monster inside them... let it out... it may or may not eat you... This was one of the better "most anticipated" books of 2021. It was truly a page-turner. Don't try to guess where the plot is going because you'll get there and you probably won't believe what you're reading. The first couple of chapters seemed not to make a lot of sense but press on past them and the story begins unfolding. BTW, I only removed 1/2 a star because the last 15% rambled on a little too much. Otherwise, this was an excellent story.
Heidi
Wow just wow!! Brilliant. "How many times can someone bend before they break for ever" Meet Ted who eats a pickle and then feels better. Sometimes he enjoys peanut butter on the pickles. Meet Lauren who is Teds daughter or is she? Meet Olivia who is Ted's cat or is she? Ted lives on a dead end street called Needless Street. Seems simple enough doesn't it? It's not it's very complex (in a good way) and this horror/ psychological thriller is a page turning, what the heck did I just read kind of novel
Phipedro
Let’s put the good stuff first: this is astonishingly well put together with the meshing of the plot sliding into place and apparent passing observations being relevant. If this genre is the sort of thing you like, then the book deserves seven or eight stars. But it’s not quite my thing so my enjoyment level is nearer three stars. A bit trope-heavy, enough for me to second guess a couple of twists. Hugely offset, mind, by the wondrous ending. Best afterword ever, but do as she says, and leave it to the end. Amused that at one point I thought about how another author would have handled a passage, only for said author to pop up in the acknowledgements.
OutlawPoet
This is one of those books that starts out as one thing…and ends as quite another. When I started this, I thought it was kind of a standard thriller. I was also very confused about one character. Extremely confused. The kind of confused and unhappy where my mind was screaming DO NOT LIKE and I honestly questioned if this was the book for me. Luckily, I kept reading. I ended up loving this. This was one of those books where I started out thinking it was definitively not a five star book and I ended completely floored. It is a thriller, but it’s also a completely heartbreaking tale. The author has a particularly devious way of telling the story. It’s sinuous, but you start to get glimmers of the truth until you finally, truly understand. I’m so glad I read this one. And yeah…it ended up being an absolute five star read for me! *ARC Provided via Net Galley
