One Last Secret: From the Sunday Times Number One bestselling author of Both Of You comes a gripping psychological crime thriller

Product Information

I loved the start and sarcastic, straightforwardly blunt narration of Theodora/ Dora: thirty years old sex worker/ escort, honestly telling her work life, her clients, her only friend Evan, her struggles in her tough, survival tone. I liked her immediately! Dora is a sex worker. Or a ‘hooker’ or ‘whore’ - words that are littered throughout the text…not sure that was necessary. When she’s beaten by a dangerous client, she’s more than a little shaken and her millionaire boy best friend offers her an out. During her career Adele has lived in Italy, Botswana and London. Now she lives happily in Surrey, UK with her husband, son and cat. At the funeral, Dora learns fiancé can swim and just let his dad die for torturing her. No one in super wealthy connected family is bothered that she’s a former escort so yay for her.

A week at a beautiful chateau in the south of France—it should be a straightforward final job for Dora. She’s a smart, stunning and discreet escort, and Daniel has paid for her services before. This time, all she has to do is to convince the assembled guests that she is his girlfriend. Dora is used to playing roles and being whatever men want her to be. It’s all about putting on a front. What unravels is predictably dark and dangerous but bizarrely hyperbolic and unbelievable. It’s also really, really repetitive. The characters are all stereotypes (including Dora’s Serbian mother) and the ending feels forced. A female sex worker decides to take one last job before retiring from the profession, but everything goes wrong. The novel builds well, there is tension and suspense though disbelief suspenders are required on occasions but hey, it’s fiction! There are several twists and turns although one is easy to figure out but not entirely the reasons behind it. The end twist is good. I thought the audiobook was nicely done, and Kristin Atherton was a great narrator who I thoroughly enjoyed listening to. Dora is in her early 30s and to me, Atherton sounded much older than that, but I also never would have guessed Dora's age unless it was said in the book. She felt like an older character to me and for that reason, I thought Atherton was the perfect fit voice-wise. This is a slow burner for the most part, but the story gets crazy wild, so hang onto your horses! I would recommend One Last Secret to readers that enjoy domestic suspense, revenge, and healthy doses of uniqueness. I couldn't get behind some of Dora's decisions which seemed silly compared to how she is in the rest of the book, but I was here for all the rest.

Member Reviews

Dora goes on one last girlfriend experience (without the sex) to a super secluded mansion in the south of France. She is gaslit, drugged, and raped while drugged. She does not figure out that her “naps” right after politely eating or drinking something forced on her mean she was drugged even though it happens multiple times. The guy who beat her up is an employee of her daughter’s father who has brought her out there to be murdered by that employee.

One Last Secret is a juicy, tantalising and pacey read that will appeal to fans of Sally Hepworth and other domestic dramas with strong female protagonists.Whip-smart protagonist, immensely satisfying"—Karin Slaughter, New York Times bestselling author of Girl, Forgotten The new incredible domestic thriller from the Sunday Times Number One bestselling author of sensational books like Both Of You… I don’t want to give spoilers but plenty happens, some of it sad, some a bit silly. There are also some truly bizarre/problematic plot points that the author seems to just skim over. Her best friend/ trust fund baby Evan sees her condition, trying to convince her to quit her job as like he did before but when he realizes, Dora has no intention to leave this life behind, he does something unexpected, he PROPOSES!

Here Dora’s told us of her manager Elspeth, who books clients and the screening process… so she’s at ease about her work, even referencing the ‘workplace health and safety’ measures in place. It’s a surprise then when she’s beaten and threatened by a client. So when she’s offered a lifeline by her best friend, and she decides the time is right to get out of the industry. If you want an engaging and wild story, One Last Secret is for you. A thriller that will keep you guessing, until the very end. During an escape attempt, Dora learns that her captor, the father of her daughter, is also her fiancé’s father and that he hired everyone who was at the house to torture her. She manages to kill the employee during a second escape attempt but doesn’t get away because, when she opens the door to run away … I can honestly say I got very flabbergasted after getting blown away by several twists. Some of them are unnecessary!Dora finds herself face to face with a man she has never forgotten, the one man who really knows her. And as old secrets surface, it becomes terrifyingly apparent that one last secret could cost Dora her life… Dora is an escort, the oldest profession in the world. She is quite upfront about her career but after one client treats her horrifically her friend Evan, a trust fund baby, asks her to marry him and she says yes. However, one client begs her to do one last job which is to accompany him to France and fake a relationship and so she reluctantly agrees. What could possibly go wrong? One final, luxurious week and she can leave the dangerous, difficult escort world, because Dora has fallen in love and is ready to embrace a better future.