Allison’s Book Report - “The Last One at the Wedding” by Jason Rekulak

Another week has gone by, and it looks like fall is actually here. This weekend, the time changes and the sun will be setting earlier and earlier. What better time to pour yourself a glass of wine or make a cup of tea and crack open a good book? As promised, this week's Book Report is about the new book from Jason Rekulak, “The Last One at the Wedding.” Let me tell you: this one will have you turning pages well into those long evenings. 

Frank Szatowski last heard from his daughter, Maggie, three years ago. He has been convinced that their estrangement is permanent, so he is surprised when she calls him out of the blue.   He's even more surprised when she invites him to her wedding in New Hampshire.  Frank is ecstatic and hopes that this is the opportunity to make things right with Maggie after all this time. When Maggie introduces her dad to her new fiancé, he turns out to be none other than Aidan Gardner, the sole heir of tech billionaire Errol Gardner. Frank is apprehensive about Aidan but excited to walk his daughter down the aisle. When he arrives, he finds that the wedding is at the family's private estate – very secluded, very luxurious, and very much out of his league. Feeling desperately out of place, Frank focuses his energy on reconnecting with Maggie and getting to know his new in-laws, which proves to be harder than Frank thought it would be. Aiden is withdrawn and evasive. Maggie doesn't seem to have time for Frank with all of the wedding planning. Frank even finds that the locals are disturbingly hostile to the Gardners, and Frank starts to suspect that Aidan and his family are hiding something.  

“The Last One at the Wedding” is a suspenseful thriller that had me on the edge of my seat. This book is a family drama meets murder thriller, which is very different from the horror/thriller that is Rekulak's previous book, “Hidden Pictures.” The Gardner's wealth and the setting of their private estate add a “haves and haves-nots" element, making readers wonder how far a family will go when money is of no concern. The red flags and the red herrings are everywhere, and I know that thriller readers will not be able to put this one down. 

That's all I have for this week, so go on and turn your clocks back, add “The Last One at the Wedding” to your to-be-read queue, and pop over to my Instagram, @allison.the.reader, and let me know what books are keeping you company this fall, and what you think I should be reading next.