Sole Survivors

Final Girls by Riley Sager. Random House, 2017. 9781101985380. 339 pages.

Guest review by Murphy’s Mom

Quincy Carpenter trusts almost no one, and why should she? Ten years ago, she was the lone survivor of a brutal massacre during a weekend camping trip with five college friends. (A patient from the nearby insane asylum had escaped and all hell broke loose.) Quinn was saved by Sheriff Detective Franklin Cooper (Coop) and she has since felt extremely indebted to him. Quinn’s faith in Coop does put stress on her relationship with her almost-fiancé, Jeff, because he is the only other person Quincy can totally trust.

There are two other so-called “final girls” who also survived nightmarish massacres, Samantha and Lisa. Because a tabloid television show wanted the three to talk about their experiences, they shared email addresses. Through the years, Lisa and Quincy have grown closer through email. So when Lisa sends a frantic email to Quincy hours before her alleged suicide, Quincy is freaked out

Shortly after Lisa’s death, Samantha shows up on Quinn’s doorstep, and that’s when things get really weird. Quinn and Jeff both have their suspicions about Sam and her motives because she has kept off the grid. Is Sam really there to be friends with Quinn because of their horrific pasts? Or does she have other motives?

This is a terrifying story that moves between the present and the bloody weekend massacre ten years ago. This is one of those stories where you won’t know who to trust, where you will question everyone’s motives until the very last page.