Book Notes: The Last Party by A.R. Torre

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Clarissa

February 28, 2025

If you liked The Patient’s Secret by Loreth Anne White that I recommended recently, then you should check out A.R Torre’s The Last Party. I’m usually not a great fan of this author but this novel is by far her best. If you are into suburban murder mysteries with an unusual perspective and weird family dynamics, this could be your great new read.

One very refreshing thing about the novel is that there are no victimized, pitiful damsels and no trace of wokeness. There are great twists, the action moves fast, and it’s all great, psycho-murdery kind of fun.

Also, if you’ve been waiting fruitlessly for Gillian Flynn to come back and write something, read The Last Party. I’ll say no more to avoid spoilers but I have to mention that if you need positive characters to identify with, there are none in this novel.

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4 responses to “Book Notes: The Last Party by A.R. Torre”

Ed Frey

March 2, 2025

I have put this in my To Read File, thank you.

As a trade so to speak I recommend Follow Me Down by Shelby Foote.

This is a Customer Review quote, far better than the book promos. You seem to like character studies, this book is all about character.

“Luther Eustis runs off with and then murders Beulah, his much younger girlfriend. The book starts with his murder trial and his guilt is not in dispute. What makes this book entertaining are the character studies and back stories of the people who tell the story of this crime in alternating chapters. These chapters gradually reveal all of the circumstances surrounding the murder. We hear from the murderer, his wife, the victim, the murderer’s defense lawyer, a reporter and others. It was very well written and the narration of the audio book by Grover Gardner was very good.”

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1. Clarissa
  
  March 2, 2025
  
  Oh, I was just wondering if I should give Shelby Foote a try! Thank you for a propitious recommendation, I’ll check the novel out for sure.
  
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Ed Frey

March 31, 2025

I finally got around to reading this book. It was good but not as good as “The Wronged Sons” by John Marrs that I Commented on a few days ago. I’ll keep this author on my To Read list but probably go to my pattern of reading the books in their publication order.

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1. Clarissa
  
  March 31, 2025
  
  I’m listening to The Wronged Sons now. With John Marrs, once you figure out that he has a serial killer in every novel, the surprise factor is gone and it’s less fun. But he’s still a very interesting author.
  
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