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The Last Time I Lied
by Sager, Riley
Emma Davis is a painter haunted by a summer at Camp Nightingale fifteen years ago, where three of her bunkmates vanished into the night. When she is invited back to the site as an art instructor, she finds herself trapped in a cycle of reliving that trauma while trying to discern if the past is repeating itself. The narrative flickers between the claustrophobic tension of that fateful summer and the present, creating an unsettling sense of unease. Sager excels at making you doubt everything Emma remembers, especially when the camp itself feels like a character designed to keep its secrets buried. It is a dense, atmospheric puzzle that relies heavily on the unreliable nature of memory. If you enjoy stories that force you to track conflicting timelines and leave you questioning the protagonist's sanity, this is your next obsession.
10 Books similar to 'The Last Time I Lied'
Since you enjoyed the way this book weaponizes nostalgia and isolation, we have curated a list that leans into those same psychological pressure points. These selections prioritize the slow-burn dread of cold cases resurfacing and the messy, often toxic dynamics of friend groups harboring dark histories. Whether it is the claustrophobic settings found in the works of Lucy Foley and Sarah Pearse or the fractured, trauma-informed perspectives favored by Ruth Ware and Gillian Flynn, these titles capture that specific feeling of looking back at a past you can no longer trust.
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by Lucy Foley
Like Sager's work, this novel excels at building tension within an isolated setting where everyone has a secret. The multiple perspectives and dual timeline structure mirror the unraveling mystery found in The Last Time I Lied.
by Lisa Jewell
This psychological thriller leans heavily into the unreliable narrator trope and the unsettling feeling that someone is hiding something dark. Fans of Sager's twisty, character-driven narratives will appreciate the complex, manipulative relationships here.
by Ruth Ware
This book captures the same nostalgic yet haunting atmosphere of a past tragedy coming back to haunt the present. It features a protagonist digging into a cold case involving her close circle of friends, much like Emma in Sager's novel.
If you enjoyed the dark, psychological weight of returning to a place of trauma, this is a must-read. It masterfully blends a small-town mystery with deep-seated family dysfunction and a protagonist trying to outrun her own past.
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by Lucy Foley
This novel features a group of friends with a complicated history trapped in a remote location, creating a perfect pressure cooker for secrets to emerge. It shares the same 'whodunit' pacing and focus on hidden resentments that drive Sager's plots.
This story revolves around a woman trying to escape a childhood trauma that made her famous, only to find the past catching up to her. It mirrors the 'haunted by the past' theme and the feeling of being watched that permeates The Last Time I Lied.
by Riley Sager
Since you enjoyed Sager's writing style, his debut novel is a natural progression, offering the same cinematic pacing and slasher-movie homage. It deals with the trauma of surviving a massacre and the subsequent mystery that follows.
by Celeste Ng
While less of a traditional thriller, this book excels at exploring the secrets hidden behind perfect suburban facades. Fans of Sager will appreciate the intricate character studies and the way past choices ripple into the present.
by Sarah Pearse
Set in a remote, eerie location with a dark history, this book offers the same blend of isolation and psychological dread. The protagonist's struggle to trust her own perceptions makes it a perfect match for fans of unreliable narrators.
by Ruth Ware
This is a classic 'ten little indians' style mystery updated for a modern setting, featuring a trapped group of people and a mounting body count. The focus on interpersonal dynamics and hidden agendas aligns perfectly with the tone of Sager's thrillers.
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