MARISSA STAPLEY
The Last Resort
BUY THE BOOK
A gripping novel about marriage, loyalty, and the deadly secrets that unravel over the course of a two-week couples’ therapy retreat in Mexico.
Miles Markell is missing, and everyone is a suspect.
To the guests at The Harmony Resort, Doctors Miles and Grace Markell appear to be a perfect power couple. They run a couples’ therapy retreat in a luxurious resort in the Mayan Riviera where they help spouses deal with their marriage struggles.
Johanna and Ben’s relationship looks great on the surface, but in reality, they don’t know each other at all. Shell and Colin fight constantly—Colin is a workaholic, and Shell always comes second—but what has really torn them apart is too devastating to talk about. When both couples begin Harmony’s intensive therapy program, it becomes clear that Harmony is not all that it seems—and neither are Miles and Grace. What are they hiding, and what price will these couples pay for finding out their secrets?
As a powerful hurricane descends on the coast, trapping both the hosts and their guests, confidences are revealed, loyalties are tested, and not one single person—or marriage—will ever be the same.
A riveting exploration of relationships and trust, The Last Resort is a propulsive read about all the big truths we hide, even from ourselves.
Reviews
Shortlisted for the Arthur Ellis Award
“Featuring vivid, heart-pounding storytelling and a compelling depiction of the heartbreaking ways that long-term abuse can destroy your will, Stapley’s latest is an excellent beach read for anyone who loves romantic suspense.”
— Booklist
“The Last Resort harnesses women’s anger. . . . The story’s emotional core is wrapped in a taut thriller.”
— Toronto Star
“Gripping. . . . Stapley shows a real knack for suspense.”
— Publishers Weekly
“Atmospheric and evocative, Marissa Stapley’s The Last Resort brings together a cast of characters with secrets as destructive as the hurricane threatening the island, and explores how far we’ll go to keep the truth buried. Fast-paced, expertly plotted, and highly entertaining, this novel is perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty!”
— KARMA BROWN, bestselling author of Come Away with Me
“Stapley pulls off a tale that’s both spine-chilling and heartwarming. How she does it is as intricate a mystery as The Last Resort’s plot. You won’t be needing a bookmark.”
— CHRISTINA DALCHER, bestselling author of Vox
“A cult-like couples’ retreat is an alluring backdrop for a cast of complex and damaged characters navigating their way through marital strife. The secrets, lies, and psychoses revealed will keep readers rapt as they hurtle toward a climax of biblical proportions. A rollicking thrill-ride!”
— ROBYN HARDING, internationally bestselling author of The Party and The Arrangement
“With artfully creative storytelling, The Last Resort leads us down the dark rabbit warren of other people’s marriages and asks the best question of all: How well do you really know the person you’re living with? This novel is an exciting addition to the psych thriller world—with an emotionally complex twist.”
— ROZ NAY, bestselling author of Our Little Secret
“The Last Resort has all the ingredients for an impossible-to-put-down thrill ride of a read—but it’s also got something more: well-developed characters who feel intensely real, polished prose that never descends into the trite or predictable, and authentic emotional heft. It will fascinate you, enlighten you, break your heart and mend it again. Read this book!”
— JENNIFER ROBSON, internationally bestselling author of Somewhere in France and The Gown
“Stapley’s writing is fast-paced while still cutting deep. I burned through the book, but it will stay with me. The Last Resort is all of these things: a nail-biter, a page-turner, a thoughtful, powerful exploration into who we are in relationships and on our own. It’s like literary fiction and killer suspense were left on an island together and the outcome was an incredible book.”
— LAURIE PETROU, author of Sister of Mine
“Nothing is as it seems in Marissa Stapley’s tense and tightly paced thriller, The Last Resort. Fans of Agatha Christie will surely love this modern whodunit from the first to the very last page. One to add to your “to read” list now.”
— HANNAH MARY McKINNON, author of The Neighbors and Her Secret Son
“A gripping and compelling story that explores the dark secrets buried within three marriages. Deeply addictive and simmering with tension, The Last Resort had me breathlessly turning the pages all the way through to its explosive conclusion.”
— LUCY CLARKE, author of The Blue
“Deeply unsettling and emotionally resonant, The Last Resort is psychological suspense at its best, from the damaged couples seeking to repair their broken marriages, to the captivating backdrop of an island resort in the midst of a hurricane. Marissa Stapley delivers a twisty, expertly written mystery you can sink your teeth into.”
— KAREN KATCHUR, author of River Bodies
MARISSA
STAPLEY
The Last Resort
BUY THE BOOK
A gripping novel about marriage, loyalty, and the deadly secrets that unravel over the course of a two-week couples’ therapy retreat in Mexico.
Miles Markell is missing, and everyone is a suspect.
To the guests at The Harmony Resort, Doctors Miles and Grace Markell appear to be a perfect power couple. They run a couples’ therapy retreat in a luxurious resort in the Mayan Riviera where they help spouses deal with their marriage struggles.
Johanna and Ben’s relationship looks great on the surface, but in reality, they don’t know each other at all. Shell and Colin fight constantly—Colin is a workaholic, and Shell always comes second—but what has really torn them apart is too devastating to talk about. When both couples begin Harmony’s intensive therapy program, it becomes clear that Harmony is not all that it seems—and neither are Miles and Grace. What are they hiding, and what price will these couples pay for finding out their secrets?
As a powerful hurricane descends on the coast, trapping both the hosts and their guests, confidences are revealed, loyalties are tested, and not one single person—or marriage—will ever be the same.
A riveting exploration of relationships and trust, The Last Resort is a propulsive read about all the big truths we hide, even from ourselves.
Reviews
Shortlisted for the Arthur Ellis Award
“Featuring vivid, heart-pounding storytelling and a compelling depiction of the heartbreaking ways that long-term abuse can destroy your will, Stapley’s latest is an excellent beach read for anyone who loves romantic suspense.”
— Booklist
“The Last Resort harnesses women’s anger. . . . The story’s emotional core is wrapped in a taut thriller.”
— Toronto Star
“Gripping. . . . Stapley shows a real knack for suspense.”
— Publishers Weekly
“Atmospheric and evocative, Marissa Stapley’s The Last Resort brings together a cast of characters with secrets as destructive as the hurricane threatening the island, and explores how far we’ll go to keep the truth buried. Fast-paced, expertly plotted, and highly entertaining, this novel is perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty!”
— KARMA BROWN, bestselling author of Come Away with Me
“Stapley pulls off a tale that’s both spine-chilling and heartwarming. How she does it is as intricate a mystery as The Last Resort’s plot. You won’t be needing a bookmark.”
— CHRISTINA DALCHER, bestselling author of Vox
“A cult-like couples’ retreat is an alluring backdrop for a cast of complex and damaged characters navigating their way through marital strife. The secrets, lies, and psychoses revealed will keep readers rapt as they hurtle toward a climax of biblical proportions. A rollicking thrill-ride!”
— ROBYN HARDING, internationally bestselling author of The Party and The Arrangement
“With artfully creative storytelling, The Last Resort leads us down the dark rabbit warren of other people’s marriages and asks the best question of all: How well do you really know the person you’re living with? This novel is an exciting addition to the psych thriller world—with an emotionally complex twist.”
— ROZ NAY, bestselling author of Our Little Secret
“The Last Resort has all the ingredients for an impossible-to-put-down thrill ride of a read—but it’s also got something more: well-developed characters who feel intensely real, polished prose that never descends into the trite or predictable, and authentic emotional heft. It will fascinate you, enlighten you, break your heart and mend it again. Read this book!”
— JENNIFER ROBSON, internationally bestselling author of Somewhere in France and The Gown
“Stapley’s writing is fast-paced while still cutting deep. I burned through the book, but it will stay with me. The Last Resort is all of these things: a nail-biter, a page-turner, a thoughtful, powerful exploration into who we are in relationships and on our own. It’s like literary fiction and killer suspense were left on an island together and the outcome was an incredible book.”
— LAURIE PETROU, author of Sister of Mine
“Nothing is as it seems in Marissa Stapley’s tense and tightly paced thriller, The Last Resort. Fans of Agatha Christie will surely love this modern whodunit from the first to the very last page. One to add to your “to read” list now.”
— HANNAH MARY McKINNON, author of The Neighbors and Her Secret Son
“A gripping and compelling story that explores the dark secrets buried within three marriages. Deeply addictive and simmering with tension, The Last Resort had me breathlessly turning the pages all the way through to its explosive conclusion.”
— LUCY CLARKE, author of The Blue
“Deeply unsettling and emotionally resonant, The Last Resort is psychological suspense at its best, from the damaged couples seeking to repair their broken marriages, to the captivating backdrop of an island resort in the midst of a hurricane. Marissa Stapley delivers a twisty, expertly written mystery you can sink your teeth into.”
— KAREN KATCHUR, author of River Bodies