The Last House on Needless Street

Written by Catriona Ward

Narrated by Christopher Ragland

"The buzz...is real. I've read it and was blown away. It's a true nerve-shredder that keeps its mind-blowing secrets to the very end." - Stephen King

"Christopher Ragland delivers a story featuring three unreliable narrators, all keeping secrets . . . Ragland's story is a discomforting listen that is difficult to pause." - AudioFile Magazine, Earphones Award winning review

A World Fantasy Award and August Derleth Award Finalist!
An Indie Next Pick! A LibraryReads Top 10 Pick!
A Library Journal Editors' Pick! STARRED reviews from Library Journal and Publishers Weekly!
Named one of the "50 Best Horror Books of All Time" by Esquire!

"Brilliant....[a] deeply frightening deconstruction of the illusion of the self." —The New York Times

Catriona Ward's The Last House on Needless Street is a shocking and immersive read perfect for fans of Gone Girl and The Haunting of Hill House.

In a boarded-up house on a dead-end street at the edge of the wild Washington woods lives a family of three.

A teenage girl who isn’t allowed outside, not after last time.
A man who drinks alone in front of his TV, trying to ignore the gaps in his memory.
And a house cat who loves napping and reading the Bible.

An unspeakable secret binds them together, but when a new neighbor moves in next door, what is buried out among the birch trees may come back to haunt them all.

“The new face of literary dark fiction.” —Sarah Pinborough

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Nightfire

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio
• Release date: Sep 28, 2021
• ISBN: 9781250819802

Catriona Ward

CATRIONA WARD was born in Washington, DC, and grew up in the United States, Kenya, Madagascar, Yemen, and Morocco. She studied English at the University of Oxford and later earned her master’s degree in creative writing at the University of East Anglia. Ward is a three-time winner of the August Derleth Award for Best Horror Novel: for The Girl from Rawblood, her debut; Little Eve; and The Last House on Needless Street. Little Eve also won the Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novel. Ward is the international bestselling author of The Last House on Needless Street and Sundial.

Reviews for The Last House on Needless Street

[Summer Connors · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I went into this book blind and I couldn't have picked a better book to do so with. I was on the edge of my seat until the end. It was beautifully written, with every metaphor perfectly executed. The book could've been longer, and that would've been just fine with me.

[jordyne sink · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Huge plot twist, the audio made it even better to follow along! It’s a book you would have to read again

[Aminata Miller · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

OMG! I NEVER saw that coming. This book is the G.O.A.T when it comes to twist! I was so confused at first, but once I realized what was going on, I was in shocked. I never would have guessed in a million years. I loved it!

[Jason Doerr · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I almost DNF'd this book, but curiosity got the better of me. The twist wasn't too surprising.

[grisman01 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I liked the characters being the authors of the chapters, from their POV, especially Olivia the cat; the narrative itself is a haze, I guess like the mind of the protagonist; we are never really sure if he harms anyone (ie the blue dress lady or the popsicle girl or the bug man); I didn’t buy Dee’s demise; the story is a little slow but doesn’t drag; enjoyable!

[meanasmoak · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book was SLOW to start, very slow. I couldn’t really latch on to the story because of all the bouncing around. I had a hard time finding things to hold my interest, slowly I did. No spoilers!!! The book made me open my mind and think like a writer and it all does come together closer to the end. I then enjoyed it way more than I thought possible. Kudos for putting this together and sharing it with others! Oh, I read the book and one day may listen to the audiobook as well

[Kimberly R · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Still digesting the entirety of the story. I'm not displeased, but I'm not exactly loving it either. I think I need to sit with it a bit before making a final opinion.

[Dave Phillips · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A 3 star book with 5 star narration. SPOILER! ALERT! I was enthralled with the narrator and kept listening because of him. The book could have been great if the author had known where they were going with the premise earlier on in the story's creation. I can tell when the author changed their mind in several places. The logical conclusion to this story would have been that all the characters were in Ted's mind, not just Olivia and Lauren. As a matter of fact, characters like The Bug Man made no sense on their own. The Mom should have been Ted. Lulu's sister, forgot her name, should have been in Ted's mind as well. The whole book was a let down after finding out only a couple of the characters were made up.

[cheryl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I think I have a new favorite book. Word is that Andy Serkis is making it into a movie for the big screen, but I can’t imagine it will work anywhere near as good as a movie as it plays out as a book. The book is incredible.

[Lisa Ridge · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I was looking for a horror story for the Halloween season. This is not it.

[rachellebanuelos1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Odd very odd. The lesbian. Jesus loving cat through me off completely

[Megan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I don’t know that a review could do this book proper justice. It is a compelling story that opened my eyes to things I had previously retained very little knowledge about. It at the core can tear a soul apart. It is a call to action for the characters contained within. The horror of this book is the reality of it. Highly recommend.

[Karla Savard · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was a slower start than I prefer, but hold on because it is truly worth the ride.

[lorindearing · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is MESSED UP but in the best kind of way ?

[Latasha Renay · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow. I've finished this book several hours ago but have just been carrying around the house with me since. I feel like this is symbolic because it's one that I will carry with me for awhile. Excellent.

[Jennifer Kennedy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

All I can say is WOW! Avoid any spoilers and this book will blow your mind. I don’t think I have ever read anything quite like it.

[Tiffany Hunt · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Overall, I really enjoyed this audiobook. It was confusing at times and did drag on a little towards the end, but I couldn’t stop listening. I would recommend.

[Jaycob Alan Kinder · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really loved this book, and moreso loved the audiobook version. The narrator is so talented! I cannot believe every character was voiced by him and that blew me away.

[Jason Johnson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Good read I like this Book good job I read this for a book -athon

[Sarah · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I just could not get into it at all. I've read many reviews about this book. Most where either you gonna love it or hate it.

[virginia adams · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Not what I expected, in a good way. As soon as I thought I’d figured out what was going on, everything would change. Definitely worth reading.

[Meghan Laue · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Enjoyably different. A head scratcher from start to finish. Recommend

[Nekiyah Meis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I am so blown away by this book. No true words of expression.

[Shaina · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Sooooo Good! What a crazy spin, ten different times. So many twists and turns. The author did an amazing job at intertwining several different characters. Loved this one. Horrifying and so interesting!

[angela3michel-812944 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a book I enjoyed until the puzzle pieces started to fit together. Let me explain... the ending does make sense, but there's a big mess of events that confuses the crap outta u about 80% of the way through. So up until then I am gripped by every sentence, paragraph, turn of the page, I'm enjoying myself so so much! But then the big reveals are starting to happen, a couple stones unturned, and then your just suspended in that disbelief all like"...ok, whhaaat??" for about the next 15% of the book. But then the last 5% you're like "oh .. ok. I guess." So I've never experienced that before and I'm not sure I'm a fan. I was almost positive I was going to rate this a 5 and put it on my All Stars shelf, but I digress...4 it is. As far as the DID element I was intrigued how the author incorporated that into the characters and how it was explained. It's a mental disorder I have very up close and personal experience with so I always enjoy when a light is shone on it.

[Sarah · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great story! I recommend listwning in a dim room with a cup of cocoa and a cat curled up at your feet.

[Jordan Poling · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Narration is good not great. The plot twist towards the end seemed awesome initially then it dragged on and became annoying. The main character was not likeable. Like another reviewer said you can tell where the author changes course in certain spots a la didn’t really have a plan of what the book was going to be.
Lastly and I’m being vague but I’m pretty sure it’s not a scientifically accurate book.
But it was fun for the most part.

[Andrea · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Well that was a wild ride. It got a little mixed up and hard to follow, but I assume that was the point. The main point of the plot was very unexpected and as a religious suspense/thriller reader, that's an A+ in my eyes.

[Tristan Murphy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow, just….amazing. This story has so many layers. Genius author.

[Eric Lyons · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I couldn’t connect to the narrator’s over-enunciated, unnatural sounding delivery. I’d recommend reading this one vs. listening.

As for the story itself, I didn’t enjoy the narrative as much as many others have.