The Last House on Needless Street appears to have been marketed as a horror novel, but I would not call it a horror novel. It isn’t even scary, which I found disappointing; however, it is a very fascinating psychological thriller which I read through very quickly because I HAD TO KNOW HOW IT WOULD END.

The Last House on Needless Street is told from four different perspectives: First up is Ted, a developmentally and psychologically stunted man in his thirties with a drinking problem who is lonely but keeps to himself. Next is Ted’s cat, Olivia. Yes, that’s right, part of the story is told from a cat’s perspective, a cat that likes to read the Bible. Then there is Ted’s daughter, Lauren, of indeterminate age, who has been crippled by Ted and is therefore hostile towards him. Finally, there is Dee, a young woman whose younger sister went missing eleven years ago when her family was vacationing at a lake near Ted’s house. Dee has been on a mission since then to find the person who abducted/killed her sister, and she thinks Ted was the one who did it.

The novel is full of twists and I while I was reading it, I kept trying to guess what they would be. I got a few of them right, but there were still a couple that threw me for a loop and had me going WTF?? The Last House on Needless Street will have you thinking about how easily we are conditioned to misjudge people. I really cannot say anything more without spoiling it. If you like psychological thrillers, then you must give this one a read.