May 2021

Laura Dave’s new book, THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME, is a brisk suspense novel. This is a departure for Laura, who has written contemporary fiction in the past, and she totally delivers.

Owen Michaels has disappeared in the wake of a scandal at his company. But before he headed out, he got a note smuggled to his wife, Hannah Hall, who he had married a year ago. It has just two words: Protect her. She knows exactly to whom that refers --- Owen’s 16-year-old daughter, Bailey, the girl who barely gives her the time of day. Suddenly law enforcement is showing up at their houseboat asking Hannah questions to which she has no answers. She starts to wonder “who” she really married, and she needs Bailey to help her. She cannot figure out the riddle of Owen’s life without her, but will the teen cooperate?

Laura got the idea for this book when the Enron scandal happened. She wondered just how much Kenneth Lay’s wife knew. Everything? Some of it? None of it? That got her ready to explore her characters in this book, layering together what they all did and did not know.

You will not think that this is Laura’s first suspense novel as it's so sharp and well done. She and her husband, Josh Singer, who won an Oscar for Spotlight, are adapting the book for a limited series on Apple TV+, starring Julia Roberts. I am so looking forward to seeing what Laura writes next!

Oh, and THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME would be perfect for a book group discussion. It’s my group’s May read, and we all are eager to talk about it!