If I don't keep my head up, I may drown: THE LAST ONE AT THE WEDDING.

The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Not quite what I expected after all the hype.

LAST ONE is a slow burn of a read that ends up as half thriller, half rumination on father/daughter relationships.

Frank, a UPS driver, reunites with his only daughter, Maggie, after a three-year rift. Maggie calls to invite him to her wedding and he learns that she's engaged to a rather wealthy guy. Well, the son of a rather wealthy, guy. Maggie's fiance, Aidan Gardner, is the offspring of a rich and famous tech billionaire (who happens to be Maggie's boss). Frank heads to Maggie's three-day wedding festivities at the Gardner's country property, but can't help but feel weird vibes. Soon, a lot of strange things begin to happen, including a mysterious death.

This is a slow read for a thriller. It does a very good job of cultivating a sinister and suspicious feel, but about halfway through, I felt frustrated that nothing of much importance had really happened yet. Frank is a bit of a whiner--much of the book is spent on him ruminating on his relationship with Maggie and wishing she was spending more time with him. Maggie, however, is busy with work, and you know, getting married.

Frank shows up to his wedding with his sister, fine, but also the sister's foster child. This is a really odd side plot, but cute, I suppose, and lends some humanity to the story in later chapters. It's still a very odd juxtaposition to the story. I was also shocked at how much time Frank thought Maggie should be spending with him leading up to the wedding. He came across as demanding and self-centered.

Frank discovers that *gasp* the Gardners are a rich family with too much power and too many secrets. Shocking--this is a plot never explored in literature before. Sigh. The story is dark and suspenseful, but the twist was not as surprising as I would have hoped. The story could have benefited from someone other than Frank's POV--I tired of his repetitive thoughts. If you like your thrillers with family drama thrown in, you'll love this one.

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