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Ted lives in a house on Needless Street with his cat Olivia and sometimes his daughter Lauren visits him. Dee’s little sister disappeared while on a beach trip years ago and while Ted was cleared as a suspect, she still suspects he may have had something to do with it so she buys a house on the street to do some investigating of her own. Not all is as it seems on Needless Street��

As many, many other reviewers have mentioned, this is one that is best gone into blind, so that’s all I will reveal about the plot. The story is told in chapters from the viewpoints of Ted, Olivia (yes, the cat), Lauren, and Dee, and each character is fully formed with their own distinct voice and compelling narrative. Never would I have thought I’d be writing about how sympathetic and relatable I found a religious cat, but yet, here we are. Alternating POVs are so common, but this book really does it right. Each brought something unique and important, and never once was I confused about whose narrative I was in.

Earlier this year I read (and loved) Mirrorland by Carole Johnsone. It was confusing, and disorienting, and weird, and amazing. It was the rare book in this genre where even though you want to fly through the pages because the story has pulled you in, you need to slow down and really pay attention. What is going on? What is real? What have I missed? It was the kind of book that as soon as I put it down, I wanted to pick it back up again and re-read. The Last House on Needless Street is the same kind of book, and in fact I think I loved it even more. There are so many layers here and whether or not you see things coming, the book is still riveting. I truly feel this will not only stand up to the scrutiny of a re-read, but will provide a new and different experience once the reader goes back in with the knowledge of what is to come.

Make sure you don’t skip reading the afterward. I very much appreciate the effort and research the author has put in, as well as her obvious compassion for what she has written about.