Publishers Weekly
★ 08/14/2017
To the pantheon of Gone Girl–type bad girls you can now add Amber Patterson, the heroine of this devilishly ingenious debut thriller. Coming from an impoverished background in Missouri, Amber sets her sights on Daphne and Jackson Parrish, a wealthy couple living with their two young children, Bella and Tallulah, in the tony coastal community of Bishops Harbor on Long Island Sound. With singular focus, Amber moves in on the glamorous couple, befriending Daphne and ultimately seducing Jackson as part of her master plan to become the next Mrs. Parrish. The reader watches with shock and delight as Amber cold-bloodedly manipulates Daphne and Jackson and lays waste to anyone else who stands in her way. Then, about halfway through, the point of view switches from Amber’s to Daphne’s, and we get a surprisingly different take on the story. To say any more would spoil all the twists that Constantine (the pseudonym of sisters Lynne and Valerie Constantine) has in store along the way to a surprising and entirely satisfying ending. Suffice it to say that readers would have to go back to the likes of Ira Levin’s A Kiss Before Dying or Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley to find as entertaining a depiction of a sociopathic monster. Agent: Bernadette Baker-Baughman, Victoria Sanders & Associates. (Oct.)
From the Publisher
Filled with envy, deception, and power, it’s a great reading escape. And there is a thrilling twist at the end!” — Reese Witherspoon
“[A] wicked debut thriller… you’ll relish every diabolical turn.” — People
“Utterly irresistible. . . . The Last Mrs. Parrish pivots on an enormous and satisfying twist. . . . the pages keep flying, flying, flying by.” — USA Today
“The Last Mrs. Parrish is an addictive and twisty debut.” — Karin Slaughter, New York Times and international bestselling author
“A Gone Girl-esque confection with villainy and melodrama galore.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“‘The Last Mrs. Parrish’ by Liv Constantine will keep you up. In a ‘can’t put it down’ way. It’s ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’ with XX chromosomes.” — The Skimm
“[A] haunting psychological thriller. . . . Engrossing.” — Real Simple
“If you like your thrillers with an unexpected twist, this one’s for you.” — New York Post
“A bravura performance.” — The Sunday Times (UK)
“‘The Last Mrs. Parrish’ Should Be the Very Next Book You Read.” — Huffington Post
“Fabulous. . . . I read this book in a flash, devouring every twisty delicious detail.” — Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
“This deliciously naughty novel of psychological suspense is perfect for fans of Daphne du Maurier, L.S. Hinton and Jessica Knoll.” — LitHub, “5 Crime Must-Reads Coming in October”
“One compulsive read. . . . It’s a terrific debut, and I look forward to seeing what the Constantine sisters do next!” — Book Reporter
“Think: a female Tom Ripley. . . . sisters Lynne and Valerie Constantine, writing as Liv Constantine, build momentum with short, cliffhanger chapters racing toward a satisfying denouement.” — Shelf Awareness
“Captivating. . . a deliciously duplicitous psychological thriller that will lure readers until the wee hours and beyond. With a plot equally as twisty, spellbinding, and addictive as Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl or Paula Hawkins’s The Girl on the Train, this is sure to be a hit with suspense fans.” — Library Journal (starred review)
“The twists keep coming in this psychological roller coaster from debut author Constantine, the pen name of sisters Lynne and Valerie Constantine…this is a satisfying thriller that offers a window into the darker side of glamorous lives and powerful men.” — Booklist
“Wonderfully plausible, hypnotically compelling, and deliciously chilling and creepy—some of the best psychological suspense you’ll read this year.” — Lee Child, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“A wonderfully clever story, filled with suspense and a shocking twist, that kept me turning the pages.” — Jane Green, New York Times bestselling author of The Sunshine Sisters
“The Last Mrs. Parrish is an extraordinary debut and gripping psychological thriller that is full of unexpected twists. Readers will become obsessed with these chilling characters who pull you in and refuse to let go.” — Sara Blaedel, Denmark's award-winning internationally bestselling author of Queen of Crime
“Liv Constantine’s The Last Mrs. Parrish is a beautifully constructed set piece, an intricate narrative that doubles back and folds in on itself like a Mobius strip, revealing secret upon secret, and layer upon layer, with a seductive ‘just one more chapter’ urgency that will keep readers up all night. Giving new meaning to the adage ‘be careful what you wish for,’ The Last Mrs. Parrish proves that the worst that can happen just might be when you get what you want. Addictive!” — Karen Dionne, author of The Marsh King’s Daughter
“Gillian Flynn meets Joy Fielding in Liv Constantine’s The Last Mrs. Parrish. In an age of great anti-heroines, comes the most unlikeable one yet, the coldly devilish Amber Patterson. This thriller delivers the most satisfying ending since B.A. Paris’ smash hit Behind Closed Doors—and a victorious romp of revenge.” — Jenny Milchman, USA Today bestselling author of Cover of Snow, Ruin Falls, and As Night Falls
Real Simple
[A] haunting psychological thriller. . . . Engrossing.
The Skimm
‘The Last Mrs. Parrish’ by Liv Constantine will keep you up. In a ‘can’t put it down’ way. It’s ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’ with XX chromosomes.
The Sunday Times (UK)
A bravura performance.
New York Post
If you like your thrillers with an unexpected twist, this one’s for you.
USA Today
Utterly irresistible. . . . The Last Mrs. Parrish pivots on an enormous and satisfying twist. . . . the pages keep flying, flying, flying by.
Reese Witherspoon
Filled with envy, deception, and power, it’s a great reading escape. And there is a thrilling twist at the end!”
People
[A] wicked debut thriller… you’ll relish every diabolical turn.
Karin Slaughter
The Last Mrs. Parrish is an addictive and twisty debut.
Huffington Post
‘The Last Mrs. Parrish’ Should Be the Very Next Book You Read.
USA Today
Utterly irresistible. . . . The Last Mrs. Parrish pivots on an enormous and satisfying twist. . . . the pages keep flying, flying, flying by.
New York Post
If you like your thrillers with an unexpected twist, this one’s for you.
Lee Child
Wonderfully plausible, hypnotically compelling, and deliciously chilling and creepy—some of the best psychological suspense you’ll read this year.
Karen Dionne
Liv Constantine’s The Last Mrs. Parrish is a beautifully constructed set piece, an intricate narrative that doubles back and folds in on itself like a Mobius strip, revealing secret upon secret, and layer upon layer, with a seductive ‘just one more chapter’ urgency that will keep readers up all night. Giving new meaning to the adage ‘be careful what you wish for,’ The Last Mrs. Parrish proves that the worst that can happen just might be when you get what you want. Addictive!
Booklist
The twists keep coming in this psychological roller coaster from debut author Constantine, the pen name of sisters Lynne and Valerie Constantine…this is a satisfying thriller that offers a window into the darker side of glamorous lives and powerful men.”
Shelf Awareness
Think: a female Tom Ripley. . . . sisters Lynne and Valerie Constantine, writing as Liv Constantine, build momentum with short, cliffhanger chapters racing toward a satisfying denouement.
Book Reporter
One compulsive read. . . . It’s a terrific debut, and I look forward to seeing what the Constantine sisters do next!”
Jenny Milchman
Gillian Flynn meets Joy Fielding in Liv Constantine’s The Last Mrs. Parrish. In an age of great anti-heroines, comes the most unlikeable one yet, the coldly devilish Amber Patterson. This thriller delivers the most satisfying ending since B.A. Paris’ smash hit Behind Closed Doors—and a victorious romp of revenge.
Jane Green
A wonderfully clever story, filled with suspense and a shocking twist, that kept me turning the pages.”
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
Fabulous. . . . I read this book in a flash, devouring every twisty delicious detail.
Sara Blaedel
The Last Mrs. Parrish is an extraordinary debut and gripping psychological thriller that is full of unexpected twists. Readers will become obsessed with these chilling characters who pull you in and refuse to let go.
“5 Crime Must-Reads Coming in October” LitHub
This deliciously naughty novel of psychological suspense is perfect for fans of Daphne du Maurier, L.S. Hinton and Jessica Knoll.”
Booklist
The twists keep coming in this psychological roller coaster from debut author Constantine, the pen name of sisters Lynne and Valerie Constantine…this is a satisfying thriller that offers a window into the darker side of glamorous lives and powerful men.”
Providence Journal
This terrific, noir-steeped tale written by sisters that go by Liv Constantine actually owes more to Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley than it does to the likes of Gone Girl or The Girl on the Train…The twists, turns and mechanizations are a devilishly delicious delight. Kind of like the brilliant television show ‘Breaking Bad,’ where it’s hard to distinguish Dr. Frankenstein from the monster he created.
Library Journal
★ 06/15/2017
Daphne Parrish seems to have the perfect life, complete with a handsome devoted husband, two children, luxurious home, designer clothing, expensive jewelry, and all the pampering and material possessions a woman could ever desire. Amber Patterson wants Daphne's life and makes it her goal to achieve it. She befriends Daphne by tugging at her heartstrings and quickly establishes herself in Daphne's inner circle. Soon, every calculated move Amber makes becomes part of her fiendish plot to snag Jackson Parrish for herself. Will Amber's well-planned strategy yield her prize without Daphne suspecting her motives? Will a seduced Jackson agree to part with his idyllic marriage in exchange for a younger replacement? Readers will learn that things are not always as they seem, as they anxiously await the next bombshell. In their captivating debut novel, coauthors Lynne and Valerie Constantine (under the pen name Liv Constantine) have constructed a deliciously duplicitous psychological thriller that will lure readers until the wee hours and beyond. VERDICT With a plot equally as twisty, spellbinding, and addictive as Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl or Paula Hawkins's The Girl on the Train, this is sure to be a hit with suspense fans. [See Prepub Alert 4/24/17; library marketing.]—Mary Todd Chesnut, Northern Kentucky Univ. Lib., Highland Heights
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2017-08-03
A wealthy woman with a handsome husband is preyed on by a ruthless con artist.One day at the gym, Amber Patterson drops the magazine she's reading between her exercise bike and that of the woman who happens to be beside her, Daphne Parrish. As she bends to pick it up, Daphne notices that it's the publication of a cystic fibrosis foundation. What a coincidence—Daphne's sister died of cystic fibrosis, and, why, so did Amber's! "Slowing her pace, Amber wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. It took a lot of acting skills to cry about a sister who never existed." Step one complete. "All she needed from Daphne was everything." Everything, in this case, consists of Daphne's outlandishly wealthy and blisteringly hot husband, Jackson, and all the real estate that comes with him; Daphne can definitely keep her two whiny brats. Amber hates children. But once she finds out that Daphne's failure to give Jackson a male heir is the main source of tension in the marriage, she sees exactly how to make this work. Amber's constant, spiteful inner monologue as she plays up to Daphne is the best thing about this book. For example, as Daphne talks about the many miseries her sister Julie went through before her death, Amber is thinking, "At least Julie had grown up in a nice house with money and parents who cared about her. Okay, she was sick and then she died. So what? A lot of people were sick. A lot of people died.…How about Amber and what she'd gone through?" Meanwhile, poor, stupid Daphne is so caught up in the joy of finally having a friend, she seems to be handing Jackson to her on a platter. Constantine's debut novel is the work of two sisters in collaboration, and these ladies definitely know the formula. A Gone Girl-esque confection with villainy and melodrama galore.
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