The Four Last Things

By Andrew Taylor

Book Overview

The Reverend Sally Applegate, a newly ordained deacon in a London parish, and her husband, Michael, a policeman, have already been experiencing hard times in their marriage for some time as The Four Last Things opens. When their daughter, Lucy, is kidnapped they grow even farther apart. Each turns initially away from the other and towards the source of their faith: for Lucy, it is the church, and for Michael, the police. Meanwhile the kidnappers, a pedophile named Eddie and a female serial killer named Angel, find themselves unexpectedly touched by the little girl they've abducted--a situation that makes this already unstable couple even more volatile and unpredictable. As a series of grisly discoveries of body parts seems to indicate that Lucy is in imminent danger of becoming the next victim, Sally and Michael's faith in themselves, each other, and the institutions that have nurtured them is tested to the breaking point.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312287313
• ISBN13: 9780312287313
• Release Date: November 1997
• Publisher: Minotaur Books
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.8" x 0.8" x 5.8"

Customer Reviews

Death, judgement, heaven, and hell

"Contemporary crime fiction is rather like Africa in the last century - a dark continent, full of unexplored mysteries. " This quote, by the author himself, encapsulates the essence of his own writing. Over the past year, Andrew Taylor has become a favorite author of mine, for the tautness of his plots, the pithy nature of his prose, and most importantly, for his ability to first develop his central characters and then to commingle their fates. To accomplish this in one novel is remarkable. To do so in a series such as the Roth Trilogy is exceptional, and it is not hyperbole to say that his novels transcend genre. Taylor has mastered the art of building atmosphere and tension, revealing bits and secrets of each character's personality chapter by chapter. Some elicit empathy from the reader, and others, revulsion. But none are perfect, and it is in the way that their choices impact one another that their mutual though unconscious complicity results in the crime. The Four Last Things exemplifies this power. Somber, deeply disturbing, but ultimately satisfying. And the biggest shock is the final line of the final chapter. First rate, intelligent fiction, highly recommended.

Taut suspense story: very well written

Almost a horror story, this novel is highlighted by interesting characters and a plot that gradually tightens the pressure on the characters and the reader. Along with Breakheart Hill and Void Moon this is the finest mystery/suspense novel of the last decade. A must read.

A Disturbing Story

I enjoyed reading this novel. It is not really a police procedural as the police play a small role. Nor is it really a mystery as we know quite early on who has commited the crine . Some people might find the story disturbing as it deals with crimes against children. The author is a very good writer and there is an atmosphere of menace through the book. The story jumps back and forth between the phsycopaths who have kidnapped a child and the distraught parents.Frankly I thought the parents considering there child has been stolen seemed to decend into self pity and I found the criminals to be more interesting.Anyway the book was quite good and I would reccomend it.

A mesmerizing trip into the weird and macabre

This book is not for the faint of heart, especially if you read the text closely. The villain in this work could easily be the Marques de Sade's sister. The characterizations in this work are unusually rich and complex for a suspense novel. Also, the writing easily surpasses almost everything I've read in the mystery/suspense genre. This book takes risks and succeeds magnificently. Highly recommended.

Enthralling

The marriage between Sally and Michael Appleyard is going through difficult times. Sally, a reverend, in the Church of England and Michael, a police officer, seem to be drifting apart with their only connection being their beloved four year old daughter Lucy. However, their world spins further out of control when a pair of kidnappers (Eddie Grace and Angel Wharton -- ironic names for kidnappers of a child of a deacon) abduct Lucy. Sally turns to her Church for salvation, but her godfather, a priest, loathes women in the clergy. Michael turns inward in a hope of finding answers through the police. Both fail to gain salvation as their institutions fail them. Meanwhile, the police are finding body parts at voarious hurches. They feel that these occurencesare somehow linked to the Lucy kidnapping, but this deduction leaves them no closer to finding the child. If Lucy is not freed soon, Eddie a pediophile and Angel a violent person will probably rape and kill the child. THE FOUR LAST THINGS, the first novel in Andrew Taylor's serial killer trilogy, is an interesting thriller that successfully shifts perspective from one person to another so that the kidnapping shares the central theme with religious beliefs. The four major characters are all interesting players with the two relationships on the surface seemingly different, but inside very similar. However, with all this going for it and it being a thriller worth reading, the book seems a bit flat when compared to Mr. Taylor's classy AN AIR THAT KILLS. Harriet Klausner