Literary Leftover: Her Last Breath by Taylor Adams

This is a 5-Star thriller that earned its stars with how the book ended. Think you know how it ends, you don’t. The twists are that good. This book was so great, I simply could not put it down.

Fantastic 5-star thriller. You will guess, then you will guess again, but you won’t be correct. The foreboding continues to build throughout the entire novel. The claustrophobic feeling from the setting expands to the plot as the twists keep coming.

Her Last Breath by Taylor Adams

Literary Leftovers are book reviews and recommendations that do not contain recipes, but are books that I highly recommend.

Her Last Breath

by Taylor Adams

Outline and Tone:

Caving is a sport that not many people have done for many reasons. Some people don’t live in an area with caves. Some people don’t know how to get started in this hobby. Some people can’t stand the thought of being underground.

Fortunately none of those excuses apply to me. In college, during the summer, I was a cave guide. I would take tourists down 600 stairs for an hour-long tour, seven times a day. It was a wonderful job for a college student. I was young, active, and adventurous. Many of the cave guides were active cavers on their off days. My first real caving experience was on an offshoot passage in an area where tourists did not go. I walked, crawled, climbed, chimney-descended, rafted across an underground lake, and belly crawled through tight spaces. It was an absolutely unforgettable experience that led to many other caving trips.

My limited experiences did not make me an expert. In Her Last Breath, Allie is the expert caver who convinces her friend Tess to join her in an expedition into The Devil’s Staircase, a cave in an isolated part of Oregon. Allie is an adventure blogger with experience in all sorts of dangerous terrain. She has been to this cave before and knows it well. She promises Tess that the formations at the bottom are a wondrous sight.

The reader learns in the prologue that there has been tragedy. Someone is dead, and someone is trapped in the cave. The rescuers are doing everything they can before she takes her last breath. The rest of the story is told in flashbacks as told by a survivor. Author Taylor Adams does an outstanding job telling the story and keeping you guessing at the same time. Clearly there is something not right about the story. I had one guess, one solid guess that I was certain would turn out to be correct, but it was not! And that is the type of thriller novel that I love. Lead me down a path, keep me guessing, make me think I have guessed correctly and then WHOOSH! Pull the rug out from under my feet and reveal the truth. I had glimmers of the truth, and you probably will too, but I am certain you won’t guess all of the lies until the end.

The Best Quote:

“‘She’s a tough gal, the incident commander had texted earlier. She’s got sisu.’ Odd word choice. Washington had to look it up–apparently sisu is a Finnish term for grit and determination in the face of hardship. There’s no English-language equivalent for it, because sisu isn’t derived from any single act of bravery. It’s tireless, sustained, long term.”

Point of View:

The story is told in 2 third person points of view. One is Tess, the girl from the cave and the other is Detective Layla Washington.

The author: Taylor Adams

Taylor Adams has written several thriller novels. A quote from Micheal Koryta (New York Times best selling author) declared “Taylor Adams is a master of suspense.” No Exit has received critical acclaim. has even been made into a Hulu Original film. His next novel, Her Last Breath, will be released February 17, 2026. His website includes a link for preorders. He posts book signings and other events on his Instagram page. I am certain as his latest release date approaches, there will be more activity posted there as well as his Facebook page.

What is not to like?:

I enjoyed all parts of this novel. The primary reason was I was absolutely certain I had guessed the twist, but I was wrong. When I am genuinely surprised by a twist, that is a great story in my opinion.

The verdict:

5 Stars! I enjoyed the whole novel!

Book Statistics

Her Last Breath

by Taylor Adams

Rating: 5/5 Stars
Genres: Thriller Mystery
Setting: a remote cave in Oregon
Pages: 336 pages
Format: Hardcover, Kindle, Paperback, Audiobook
Published by: William Marrow (February 26, 2026)
Information Sources: Amazon, Goodreads, and Author’s website

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