The Only One Left Novel by Todd Ritter

In 1929, a teenage Lenora Hope was accused, but never convicted, of killing her parents and her sister. For decades, ever since polio left her unable to speak or move anything but her left hand, Lenora has remained in her family’s Maine estate. In 1983, after a six-month suspension after a patient’s death, Kit McDeere has no choice but to accept an assignment as Lenora’s home health aide. When Lenora begins to type out her story to Kit, Kit suspects that the old lady might not be as harmless as she appears.

Riley Sager’s thrillers are usually a summer staple for me, but The Only One Left was a struggle to read. The plot is mind-numbingly slow. Admittedly, it’s hard to introduce drama when your prime suspect is a paralyzed old lady who can’t talk. The first half of the book spends most of the time in Kit’s head, looping on the same anxious thoughts. The book finally picks up near the end, adding in some unexpected twists, but it took way too much forced reading to get to that point.