The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak
Published by Sphere
Publication Date: 8th October 2024
Book Description:
The guests are arriving, and the celebrations are starting. But there's something strange about this wedding...
Frank Szatowski hasn't seen his daughter Maggie in years, and it breaks his heart every day. So when she calls him out of the blue, to tell him that she's getting married and he's invited, Frank is overjoyed.
Maggie is marrying into one of the richest families in the country, and Frank finds himself overwhelmed by the social circle she now moves in. He'll do anything to reconnect, though, and arrives at their New Hampshire estate ready to bond however he can with Maggie's in-laws.
But as the wedding weekend gets underway, it becomes clear to Frank that although they have spared no expense, there's something strange about Maggie's fiancé. And maybe Frank shouldn't be celebrating just yet...
My Thoughts:
I've heard fabulous things about this author's creepy book Hidden Pictures, but have yet to find it available on my library shelves - which speaks volumes in itself. So when the opportunity to read The Last One at the Wedding came up instead, I thought I'd give his writing a try. After all, I'm not a big fan of Halloween and all things creepy, so this one would probably be a better fit for me anyway.
We are introduced to UPS delivery driver Frank, who has 26 years accident-free years of service under his belt. It's a job he mostly enjoys, delivering to many regular customers on his route and it has kept a roof over his head since his wife died and his daughter was in her formative years. His hard-working sister Tammy helped him immensely in bringing Maggie up, taking her to medical appointments and steering her over the bumps in life. But Frank's relationship with Maggie turned sour somehow, and she's now in her twenties, living independently and refusing to make contact with Frank. Until one day, he gets the phone call he's been holding out for: Maggie calls him to say she's getting married and would love him to walk her down the aisle.
From the moment Frank meets the groom-to-be Aidan he knows something is off. Aidan is distant, almost to the point of being rude, and together the young couple don't seem to "click" like Frank would have expected to see. The red flags only multiply when Frank and his sister, together with Tammy's latest foster ward Abigail, arrive at the wedding venue. It's a huge resort with its own security staff - and just about every facility you could wish for. Tammy is immediately sucked in to the millionaire lifestyle and Abigail can't believe her eyes - it's a world away from the life she shared with her alcoholic mom. Plus she gets to be flower girl, despite a nasty case of headlice!
I was as drawn in to the storyline and characters as Tammy was to the possibility of becoming family to the owners of the Osprey Cove resort. There's a group of security staff who definitely don't make you feel safe, a possible whodunnit, a seemingly mismatched bride and groom, and the strangest set of in-laws you'll ever come across. I really wanted things to work out between Frank and Maggie but as the book ticked along this possibility seemed to drift further away than Frank and Abbie's canoe from the shore on the boating lake.
My favourite character (as you can probably tell) was Abigail - I loved how Frank's bond with her grew as the chapters moved along. Would there be a happy ending? Well, that depends how you look at the situation. Maybe not the one Frank imagined at the start, but probably one of the best options that could possibly come out of such a totally crazy set of circumstances.
An engaging read, I will definitely be seeking this author's work out on the shelves in future.
About the Author:
Jason Rekulak is the author of HIDDEN PICTURES, THE IMPOSSIBLE FORTRESS, and (coming in October 2024!) THE LAST ONE AT THE WEDDING. His work has been translated into 30+ languages. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife and children.
No comments:
Post a Comment