Question 1

What is The Only One Left by Riley Sager about?

Accepted Answer

The Only One Left follows home health aide Kit McDeere, who becomes the caregiver for 71-year-old Lenora Hope, a woman accused of murdering her entire family in 1929. Set in a decaying 36-room mansion on a Maine cliff, the thriller unravels dark family secrets through a typewritten confession. As Kit investigates the decades-old murders, she discovers shocking identity switches, hidden pregnancies, and dangerous truths that put her own life at risk.

Question 2

Who is Riley Sager and what other books has he written?

Accepted Answer

Riley Sager is the pen name of Todd Ritter, a New York Times bestselling American thriller novelist from Pennsylvania who now lives in Princeton, New Jersey. Sager has published nine novels including Final Girls (2017), The Last Time I Lied (2018), Lock Every Door (2019), Home Before Dark (2020), Survive the Night (2021), The House Across the Lake (2022), Middle of the Night (2024), and With a Vengeance (2025). Before becoming a full-time novelist, Ritter worked as a journalist, editor, and graphic designer.

Question 3

Who should read The Only One Left by Riley Sager?

Accepted Answer

The Only One Left is perfect for readers who enjoy Gothic mysteries, unreliable narrators, and atmospheric thrillers set in decaying mansions. Fans of Riley Sager's previous works like Home Before Dark and Lock Every Door will appreciate the suspenseful twists and dark family secrets. This thriller appeals to readers who love stories with multiple timelines, identity reveals, and complex character relationships that challenge assumptions about guilt and innocence.

Question 4

Is The Only One Left worth reading?

Accepted Answer

The Only One Left delivers the signature Riley Sager experience with its atmospheric setting, clever plot twists, and mounting suspense that keeps readers guessing until the final pages. The dual narrative structure—combining Kit's present-day investigation with Lenora's typewritten confession—creates compelling tension as secrets gradually unfold. While some readers may find certain twists predictable, the Gothic mansion setting, identity switches, and emotional character journeys make The Only One Left a satisfying addition to Sager's thriller catalog.

Question 5

What is the main twist in The Only One Left by Riley Sager?

Accepted Answer

The central revelation in The Only One Left is that the woman everyone believes to be Lenora Hope is actually her sister Virginia, while the real Lenora has been posing as the housekeeper Mrs. Baker for decades. This identity switch occurred after Virginia survived a suicide attempt following the 1929 murders, becoming paralyzed and mute. The twist deepens when Virginia reveals she's been able to move and speak the entire time, having deceived everyone for over fifty years.

Question 6

Who really killed the Hope family in The Only One Left?

Accepted Answer

In The Only One Left, the Hope family murders were not committed by a single person but resulted from a tragic chain of events. Virginia's mother stabbed her husband while defending Virginia after learning he'd paid off her boyfriend and taken her baby. Virginia's lover Ricky (revealed to be Kit's father Patrick) then killed Virginia's mother at her own request on the grand stairway. Virginia herself was innocent but took the blame, while Lenora manipulated the crime scene to protect her sister.

Question 7

What is Hope's End in The Only One Left by Riley Sager?

Accepted Answer

Hope's End is the 36-room Hope family estate perched dramatically on a cliff overlooking the Maine coastline, serving as the atmospheric setting for The Only One Left. Once impressive but now rapidly deteriorating after decades of neglect, the mansion embodies Gothic decay with strange noises, hidden secrets, and a sinister history. The estate ultimately collapses into the sea during the novel's climax, taking the real Lenora Hope and Kit's father Ricky with it as they choose to die together in the ruins.

Question 8

What is Kit McDeere's connection to Lenora Hope in The Only One Left?

Accepted Answer

Kit McDeere's connection to the Hope family tragedy runs deeper than she initially realizes—her father Patrick is actually "Ricky," the teenage lover who impregnated Virginia Hope in 1929 and participated in the murders. This makes Kit the half-sister of Virginia's lost son, creating an unexpected familial bond between caregiver and patient. Patrick later killed Kit's predecessor Mary to protect his secrets and allowed Kit's mother Kathleen to overdose on fentanyl, tragedies that haunt Kit throughout The Only One Left.

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Key takeaways

A House of Whispers on the Edge of a Cliff

The Vanishing Nurse

Confessions Through a Typewriter

Buried Truths Rising to the Surface

The Sisters' Terrible Bargain

Blood Ties That Bind

Breaking Free From the Prison of the Past

The Only One Left by Riley Sager Summary

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Key takeaways

A House of Whispers on the Edge of a Cliff

The Vanishing Nurse

Confessions Through a Typewriter

Buried Truths Rising to the Surface

The Sisters' Terrible Bargain

Blood Ties That Bind

Breaking Free From the Prison of the Past

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