Dee Reads and Reviews Her Last Breath

 Her Last Breath

by 

Taylor Adams

One in a while, too few and far between for me, a book comes along that makes you want to "slam it down on the bar and say 'give me another' ".🍺 

A book, such as this, never fails to make me gasp when the shocking surprise is unveiled.  Of that ilk for me, was The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides.  It's been almost eight years since I turned those pages like a tornado, and was shocked into an audible gasp when the curtain was raised on the stunning ending.  Her Last Breath is more compellingly readable, more gasp-worthy, and surely one of my favorites of 2026. 

Unlike Michaelides was at the time,  Taylor Adams isn't a first-time author.  Her Last Breath is his most recent release, published in February 2026, with several other books on his list dating back to 2014. I've read several of them, beginning with No Exit.  What a wild ride that was, or should I say what a wild stall?!  I know, now you're wondering what that means.  It means you need to read No Exit and Her Last Breath.  Maybe all of Adams' work!

"What Stephen King did for an empty hotel in The Shining, Taylor Adams does for a treacherous cave in his bracing, breathtaking Her Last Breath."
—BookPage

Here's the set-up:

A heart-pounding thriller that plunges readers into the suffocating darkness of a cave—and the even darker secrets that lie within.

When Tess reluctantly joins her adventurous best friend Allie on a caving expedition, she expects to confront her claustrophobia—not a stranger who traps her in a fight for her life. A man who claims to be a fellow caver harasses them at the cave's entrance. Confident, take-no-shit Allie insults the guy—and he retaliates. Soon, Tess is trapped inside a narrow crawl space hundreds of feet underground, fighting to stay alive.

Hours later, Tess emerges alive—but the nightmare is far from over.

For me, one of the hallmarks of a great read is characters the reader can connect with.  Some are written in such a way you love them, others you dislike, even hate.  Without that element, the books often fall flatter than "Flat Stanley", if you get my reference.  Be that as it may, if a character has the ability to pick themselves up and walk off the pages of a book you, the reader, have a chance to feel for or about them as they move through the pages of the story.  You're cheering them on or looking for something horrible to befall them.  In Her Last Breath, Taylor Adams has drawn both Tess and Allie in such vivid terms you love them, you hate them, sometimes both at the same time, but you can't ignore or overlook either one.  

Couple the characters with a fertile setting and you have a seed ready for planting in the reader's imagination.  A seed that will undoubtedly grow into scene after scene you won't soon forget.  Yes, the underground caves and caverns of Her Last Breath are just such a location.  The beyond tight, extremely small, scraping the skin from your body locations will make your heart race, breath come quicker, and sweat cover your body.  Just as it did Tess.

Throw in a bad guy and you have all the ingredients for a bracing thriller.  And this mysterious villain is no slouch.  Dark, determined, and intent on the part he plays in Adams' latest thriller.  At first we may not know him or his motivation well, but he soon evolves into a character I disliked with a passion.  

Finally, Detective Layla Washington, working against ageism, sexism, and her own insecurities solves this intricately crafted case.  I can identify with her.  Once again, a character I felt connected to and hope you will too.  

Please read and leave a comment on Her Last Breath!