The Last Lesson
On sale
14th January 2027
Price: £24.99
A dual timeline thriller that will leave you breathless.
Forty years ago, a teacher was murdered.
The crime was never solved.
Now, the former pupil who believes she caused it is determined to find out if she’s right.
Even if the truth destroys her.
The Last Lesson by Susan Stairs is a gripping dual-timeline thriller that unfolds across twenty-four dramatic hours leading up to the murder of beloved teacher Alice Diamond. Forty years later, two former schoolmates set out to uncover a past shaped by shadows, secrets, and buried guilt.
A haunting, suspense-filled tour de force about memory, culpability, and the stories we tell ourselves to survive.
Forty years ago, a teacher was murdered.
The crime was never solved.
Now, the former pupil who believes she caused it is determined to find out if she’s right.
Even if the truth destroys her.
The Last Lesson by Susan Stairs is a gripping dual-timeline thriller that unfolds across twenty-four dramatic hours leading up to the murder of beloved teacher Alice Diamond. Forty years later, two former schoolmates set out to uncover a past shaped by shadows, secrets, and buried guilt.
A haunting, suspense-filled tour de force about memory, culpability, and the stories we tell ourselves to survive.
Reviews
A dark, twisted story of secrets, guilt and the all-pervasive power of memory. Deliciously gripping and suspenseful
The Last Lesson by Susan Stairs, set over two timelines, is a mystery that keeps the reader guessing from the opening page, filled with characters that come alive on the page, exploring not only the corrosive nature of secrets, but the fragility and strength of the human spirit. An absolutely great read
An absorbing and beautifully written novel, Susan's eloquent prose drew me in immediately, right to the gripping finale. The dual time zones are expertly crafted, past and present interweaving seamlessly throughout the novel and deepening the layers of tension and intrigue that had me on the edge of my seat. Present-day Dublin and 1979 Dublin are so vividly drawn I was thoroughly immersed in both landscapes. But Susan's thriller storyline and evocative writing excels with her sensitive and poignant depiction of the characters of Mary and Alice. They are the beating heart of this wonderful and gripping novel
A haunting, beautifully layered mystery about buried secrets, the weight of guilt and the devastating power of the past. Utterly compelling
A wonderful feat of storytelling: a beautifully written, page-turning mystery that lingers long after the last sentence