32. The Last Girl by Penelope Evans

When Ruth Rendell gives a glowing endorsement, psychological suspense readers know they have a new author to enjoy. Larry Mann, 72, has been a tenant in a run-down English boarding house for over forty years. Used to quiet Indian girls renting out a room near him, he is delighted when upper class Mandy rents the new room. Lonely, especially since his wife Doreen left him twelve years ago, he immediately starts taking over Mandy’s equally lonely life. Larry’s behavior goes from encouraging nightly visits to his flat, to buying Mandy excessive gifts and snooping through her rooms and slowly threatening her. When Mandy starts bringing home a boyfriend, Larry chillingly spirals out of control, leading to a frightening ending.

The Last Girl is a great debut that is extremely claustrophobic and has tension that builds chapter after chapter. This thriller reminded me in many ways of Ruth Rendell’s early works. Even though readers can sense what will happen in the end, Evans builds the suspense so well that if doesn’t matter. Try A Demon in My View by Ruth Rendell and The Collector by John Fowles for similar psychological reads featuring lonely men trying to relate to women.