Review Of Dead Last

The first thought that crossed my mind when I finished with this book was - It should be made into a short movie with non linear narrating. I could actually visualize the scenes of the movie even as I read it. The script can be a direct adaption of the book. It is written in such a cross styled way and that's a big plus point of this book.

It was a short and crisp read. The writing was sharp and to the point without beating around the bush and any unnecessary drama. That doesn't mean it lacked the chill. The whole setting and people the story focused on were intriguing. There was always this heavy and dark atmosphere around them and we could feel that something bad is about to strike them. But the problem was the story by itself lacked depth and complexity that could have made it better.

Coming to the story, the blurb says it all so I don't want to repeat the same. The plot by itself is not something I haven't read about before, it is quite common but what makes it unique is the way the story is told. It alternates between the present written from Carla's pov and past told from Sasha's pov. By the time we reach the point where we find out what happened to Sasha we see Carla almost struck in a similar scenario. So the point where both the narratives meet, is the actual climax of the story. It's something I saw coming, but this story is all about enjoying the ride to the climax rather than the climax itself. It's not action packed drama, but it's all bout the scary allure this story creates which kind of makes us stick to the book and to not let it go until the very end.

Now, the characters. There is no digging much into them and it's better to understand them on a surface level. Carla and Sasha are both competitive, hard working girls. Then we have, Caleb who used to have a crush on Sasha and later on falls for Carla. Since this is not a love story not much emphasis is given to their relationship. I can label Caleb as being nice and supportive. We have Yamini, who is well a sour loser. I will leave it at that. Hamish is the guy dating Yamini and is a big time flirt, but there is actually more to him than the other characters ( Personal opinion).

The highlight of this book is undoubtedly the creepy atmosphere created by the author. It's simple, but sharp so overall an interesting short read for the readers of thrillers. I will give it four stars.