Synopsis
From the bestselling author of Hidden Pictures comes a breathtaking work of suspense about a father trying to save his daughter from a life-altering decision that will put everything he loves on the line.
Frank Szatowski is shocked when his daughter, Maggie, calls him for the first time in three years. He was convinced that their estrangement would become permanent. He’s even more surprised when she invites him to her upcoming wedding in New Hampshire. Frank is ecstatic, and determined to finally make things right.
He arrives to find that the wedding is at a private estate—very secluded, very luxurious, very much out of his league. It seems that Maggie failed to mention that she’s marrying Aidan Gardner, the son of a famous tech billionaire. Feeling desperately out of place, Frank focuses on reconnecting with Maggie and getting to know her new family. But it’s difficult: Aidan is withdrawn and evasive; Maggie doesn’t seem to have time for him; and he finds that the locals are disturbingly hostile to the Gardners. Frank needs to know more about this family his daughter is marrying into, but if he pushes too hard, he could lose Maggie forever.
An edge-of-your-seat thriller that delves deep into the heart of one family, The Last One at the Wedding is a work of brilliant suspense from a true modern master.
Review
A huge thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC!
As the wedding bells chime, one father, Frank Szatowski, seeks to make amends with his somewhat estranged daughter, Maggie, once he learns of his daughter’s upcoming marriage to the son of one of the wealthiest men in the world. Naturally, everything feels a bit strange for Frank when he arrives at the luxurious accommodations for this wedding given the rift between him and his daughter. But some things are hard to ignore. Like how Maggie’s fiancé is rarely around, the groom’s mother seems to have taken ill, and there are rumors of a missing girl being linked to this eccentric family.
The Last One at the Wedding provides a rather fresh look at “domestic”-ish thrillers in many ways, chiefly through Rekulak’s decision to tell this story from the father of the bride’s point of view. Frank is classified as a blue-collar, honest, hard-working kinda guy who loves his daughter dearly. He’s someone riddled with guilt about the state of things, a father who desperately wants to make things right no matter the cost. This character archetype presents a unique lens to tell this story and lends itself to unreliability, not due to malice, but due to love.
Combined with this interesting perspective is Rekulak’s immersive storytelling. The Last One at the Wedding is a rather fast-paced read that builds upon feelings of suspicion, unease, and wariness given all of the strange occurrences leading up to Maggie’s nuptials. This is straightforward, mostly honest storytelling that results in a very dramatic conclusion. It’s this facet of the story that Rekulak writes best, the twisty, surprising levels of turmoil, dysfunction, and sheer drama.
A welcome change in narrative structure within the thriller genre, The Last One at the Wedding is one hard book to put down. Jason Rekulak pens an entertaining, propulsive story about the intricacies of family and just how far one will go for the ones they love, especially parents and children. Brimming with drama and suspense, The Last One at the Wedding is a thriller you do not want to miss.
The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak is on shelves now from Flatiron Books!
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