Her Last Breath: A Harrowing Thriller of Survival, Secrets, and Betrayal Underground

There’s nothing like a fantastic twist in a story that already has your heart pounding. I read Taylor Adams’ No Exit several years ago and was excited to receive a copy of Her Last Breath. Two best friends, Tess and Allie, decide to go caving. Allie is the adventurous one and drags Tess along. But when they reach their destination, a man whom they passed earlier confronts them. He tells them to zip tie themselves. Allie refuses, and the man ends up shooting her. With nowhere else to go but into the tiny caves, Tess must save herself.

The book is told from the point of view of Detective Layla Washington, who interviews Tess at the hospital. The detective is a smart character and listens closely to every detail Tess tells her. The book shifts back and forth from this interview to the time in the caves. The book is written in a way that throws the reader. The author executes her storytelling perfectly, giving just enough but not too much, and even though I was waiting for the twist, I didn’t guess it until two-thirds of the way in. And even then, I wasn’t quite sure if I was right. Take the claustrophobic nature of caves, add a killer and a liar, and you have yourself one heck of a story.