The Last Caretaker: A Novel
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- Create Date：2023-12-20 07:22:15
- Update Date：2025-09-14
- Status：finish
- Author：Jessica Strawser
- ISBN：B0BT4W6XSZ
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Summary
Katie’s divorce was， in a word， humiliating。 So when her friend Bess offers a fresh start—a residential caretaking job at a nature preserve—Katie accepts。 No matter that she’s not exactly a “nature person。” How hard can it be？
But from day one， something feels off。 Katie’s new farmhouse looks as if the last caretaker barely moved out at all。 When a frantic， terrified woman arrives late at night， expecting a safe place to hide， it’s clear caretaking involves way more than Katie bargained for。
Katie can’t tell who she can trust: the brooding groundskeeper， the daily regulars—hikers， dog walkers， bird-watchers， photographers—even Bess。
As Katie digs deeper for clues in what the last caretaker left behind， she must discover courage she never knew she had—and decide how much she’ll risk to do the right thing。
But from day one， something feels off。 Katie’s new farmhouse looks as if the last caretaker barely moved out at all。 When a frantic， terrified woman arrives late at night， expecting a safe place to hide， it’s clear caretaking involves way more than Katie bargained for。
Katie can’t tell who she can trust: the brooding groundskeeper， the daily regulars—hikers， dog walkers， bird-watchers， photographers—even Bess。
As Katie digs deeper for clues in what the last caretaker left behind， she must discover courage she never knew she had—and decide how much she’ll risk to do the right thing。
Reviews
Madeline Raab
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I enjoyed the plot and idea of a secret society devoted to helping women that need it the most。 It made me wonder if anything like this exists in the real world and almost hope it does。 The storyline with the main character had its flaws and annoyances （ie: with only a handful of characters it was fairly obvious her new love interest was involved in some way） but overall it was an enjoyable story。
Melissa
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Not what I was expecting， but it was interesting and well-told。 Review coming soon。
Jennifer
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Don't miss this one！I was never sure who was who。 You think you have it figured out， and then another twist happens。 Great read。 I loved it。 Don't miss this one！I was never sure who was who。 You think you have it figured out， and then another twist happens。 Great read。 I loved it。 。。。more
Lynda Wolters
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Domestic violence is too often downplayed， overlooked， and still far too uncomfortable a conversation to have; we must do better in this area of life。 Jessica Strawser has crafted a great story about the Sequence， an underground group who help women in their last option in DV situations。 If you need the Sequence， you are in the position similar to witness protection: You will leave everyone and everything behind， get a new name and new social security number， and get set up in an undisclosed loc Domestic violence is too often downplayed， overlooked， and still far too uncomfortable a conversation to have; we must do better in this area of life。 Jessica Strawser has crafted a great story about the Sequence， an underground group who help women in their last option in DV situations。 If you need the Sequence， you are in the position similar to witness protection: You will leave everyone and everything behind， get a new name and new social security number， and get set up in an undisclosed location。 The group， who use code names and works on the basis of anonymity， even within the group — for plausible deniability reasons， assist these women to the Grove， a nature conservation in the middle of nowhere。 Katie winds up as the caretaker on the property after her best friend， now boss， insists she is up for the challenge following her divorce。 Little does Katie， or Bess know that Katie is stepping into the shoes of one of the underground workers。 Thrust into the unknown of working on the property and helping battered women who show up in the middle of the night， Katie is in way over her head。 When her years as a tech worker solving problems leads her to ask too many questions， she finds not only is she now at risk， but so are the people she cares for most。 The Last Caretaker is a realistic look into the horrors of life on the run for battered women whose lives depends on becoming invisible。 This is a tough subject and a near impossible one to write about successfully in a fictional way that keeps the reader interested while not disrespecting true victims。 Jessica Strawser has found the sweet spot within which to master both these tasks。 A must read in our ever violent world。 Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC。 My options have not been influenced and this is an uncompensated review。 。。。more
David C。 & Kathleen R Lindsay
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ATTENTION MYSTERY BUffSWell written story designed for those who like a good mystery， primarily about women's issues。 I found it hard to put down。 ATTENTION MYSTERY BUffSWell written story designed for those who like a good mystery， primarily about women's issues。 I found it hard to put down。 。。。more
Katie Craig
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3。5 stars
Bethany
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So incredibly good！
Jessi
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A little slower to get off the ground than some of Strawser's others， but delivers with excellent twists at the end。 I always think I'm going to do better at seeing things coming， what with having read every book Strawser has written， but somehow she ensures that I never quite do。 Some really， really fun characters in this one; I could read a whole separate book just on Dottie。 A little slower to get off the ground than some of Strawser's others， but delivers with excellent twists at the end。 I always think I'm going to do better at seeing things coming， what with having read every book Strawser has written， but somehow she ensures that I never quite do。 Some really， really fun characters in this one; I could read a whole separate book just on Dottie。 。。。more
Cheryl Lancaster
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The premise of the book starts off interesting， but then the story gets too far fetched。 Despite that， I did finish the book because I wanted to find out how it ended。
Kim
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Loved this story for many reasons。 I liked the interesting characters， unique story line and the best part for me is the setting！ I lived in Cincinnati almost all my life and have visited the Cincinnati Nature Center a few times。 Beautiful place and great pick for the story line。
Mrs。Poohman
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So I wrote a whole review but then my app crashed before posting… so here’s the shortened version…TW- off page DV and off page Child lossThis was a slow paced mystery book。 Considering I did not read the blurb/summary prior to reading thing book， I was intrigued when the “plot thickened。” However， as soon as we met the “bad guy” I knew exactly it was them。 I liked it/enjoyed it。 It was different from my usual mystery read。 3 stars to me is average。 I plan to read another of the authors books soo So I wrote a whole review but then my app crashed before posting… so here’s the shortened version…TW- off page DV and off page Child lossThis was a slow paced mystery book。 Considering I did not read the blurb/summary prior to reading thing book， I was intrigued when the “plot thickened。” However， as soon as we met the “bad guy” I knew exactly it was them。 I liked it/enjoyed it。 It was different from my usual mystery read。 3 stars to me is average。 I plan to read another of the authors books soon 🙂 。。。more
Chari Buongiovanni
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Pretty good - good mix of nature， emotional breakthroughs， trying to figure out what was going on。
Kathy
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Excellent book！ I thoroughly enjoyed it and plan to read more from this author。
Sarah Metcalf
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Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 I absolutely loved the concept of this book。 Despite covering topics that can be hard to swallow （domestic violence， assault， death， etc。 Please check trigger warnings）， it was easy to read。 The characters where loveable and their stories were easy to follow。The Last Caretaker is a story about resilience and women sticking together and supporting each other which I think is a very important theme。 It is Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 I absolutely loved the concept of this book。 Despite covering topics that can be hard to swallow （domestic violence， assault， death， etc。 Please check trigger warnings）， it was easy to read。 The characters where loveable and their stories were easy to follow。The Last Caretaker is a story about resilience and women sticking together and supporting each other which I think is a very important theme。 It is also a reminder for those suffering in similar circumstances that they are not alone 。。。more
Sharon Lawrence
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Awesome Book！This was a book that I could not stop reading。 I was continually trying to figure out how the book was going to end。 The Last Caretaker made me think about my life and what other things people may be going through that I might not be noticing。 I am looking forward to reading more by this author。
Kristi
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I thought this was a good idea although a lot of it was pretty unrealistic。 I could see the ending coming a mile away but still entertaining enough。
Karen Smith
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Lots of layers to the intrigue and potential danger。。。 until it all bursts forth for real。
Rachel the Page-Turner
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When I sat down to start this book， I didn’t expect that I’d finish it in one sitting！ This doesn’t have the same feel of most books that I call page-turners， but it was a great book I just could not put it down。 This touched on some sensitive topics， such as domestic violence， and starting things over with a fresh life， and that made this mystery/thriller something that was also thoughtful and unique。Katie has just gotten divorced， and not really having anywhere to go， her best friend Bess gets When I sat down to start this book， I didn’t expect that I’d finish it in one sitting！ This doesn’t have the same feel of most books that I call page-turners， but it was a great book I just could not put it down。 This touched on some sensitive topics， such as domestic violence， and starting things over with a fresh life， and that made this mystery/thriller something that was also thoughtful and unique。Katie has just gotten divorced， and not really having anywhere to go， her best friend Bess gets her a job at a nature center， the Grove Reserve。 This smallish place is in immediate need of a caretaker， and while Katie isn’t particularly an outdoorsy person， the job comes with free room and board in a furnished house - she is willing to give it a shot！The day Katie moves into the caretaker’s house， she soon realizes that the previous caretaker， Grace， left some items behind - items that seem very personal， like photographs and journals。 Why would someone quit their job， but leave so much behind？ As Katie keeps probing， she soon realizes that nobody has heard from Grace since she left。 What happened to the last caretaker？One night， Katie is awakened by her doorbell repeatedly ringing three times in a row。 When she sees a bloodied woman through the peephole， she lets her come in， and inadvertently falls into The Sequence。 This is a group dedicated to helping women escape their abusers， but nobody bothered clueing Katie in to the additional jobs she’d be carrying out alongside her Grove caretaking duties。 Soon， she finds herself trying to find out more about this group， but the overall message is “plausible deniability”。 Don’t ask things you may not want the answer to…I thought this was fantastic from beginning to end。 This book has good characters， great writing， an interesting backdrop， and a lot of suspense。 I did figure out a couple twists pretty early on， but the ending was still a nice surprise。 This was quite an enjoyable read - 4。5 stars， rounded up！（Thank you to Lake Union Publishing， Jessica Strawser and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review。） 。。。more
Dianna Winget
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interesting and original if not a bit confusing at timesI enjoyed the characters and the original plot of this story。 It contains some interesting twists and turns that add to the mystery。 My main complaint is there were several passages that left me lost， almost like I really didn’t understand what the author was trying to say， or how those passages fit into the overall plot， even after I reread them。 I think overall， the book could have been somewhat shorter and been just as good if not better interesting and original if not a bit confusing at timesI enjoyed the characters and the original plot of this story。 It contains some interesting twists and turns that add to the mystery。 My main complaint is there were several passages that left me lost， almost like I really didn’t understand what the author was trying to say， or how those passages fit into the overall plot， even after I reread them。 I think overall， the book could have been somewhat shorter and been just as good if not better。 。。。more
Katie Matwiejow
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I didn’t have to read the description on this before requesting this ARC after reading The Next Thing You Know by Jessica Strawser and The Last Caretaker did not disappoint。 Oh the empathy I felt for main character Katie starting over in the unfamiliar after losing all she had known， Katie really could not imagine the role she was undertaking as the new caretaker at Grove。 However， trusting that her best friend Bess had her best interest at heart， Katie stepped into the role she was offered and I didn’t have to read the description on this before requesting this ARC after reading The Next Thing You Know by Jessica Strawser and The Last Caretaker did not disappoint。 Oh the empathy I felt for main character Katie starting over in the unfamiliar after losing all she had known， Katie really could not imagine the role she was undertaking as the new caretaker at Grove。 However， trusting that her best friend Bess had her best interest at heart， Katie stepped into the role she was offered and it turned out to be what she needed in more ways she could ever imagine。 Cue into this storyline the mysterious loss of precious caretaker Grace， the maintenance man Jude and photographer Ryan…the end had me shocked and satisfied all at once。 This is a must read and a 5 star review for me。 Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC is exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Mary
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Reeling from a long overdue divorce， Katie gets a ob as the caretaker of a remote Nature preserve。 The previous caretaker left in a hurry， hadn’t even packed her belongings or provided anyone with a way to reach her。 Katie is jittery about the situation and looks suspiciously at all she comes in contact with， including her college roommate。
Cynthia Sprout
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Wordy DnF
Elly
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I mean… it was kind of interesting。 It felt anti-climatic， I wasn’t drawn in enough， or cared enough about the characters for it to really hit home。
Lisa
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I wanted to like this book， but I just couldn't get into it。 I read about a quarter way through and had to quit。 The writing was so choppy。 I found myself going back and forth reading the same paragraphs several times， just to understand what was happening。 I didn't like either one of the characters。 Very disappointing。 I wanted to like this book， but I just couldn't get into it。 I read about a quarter way through and had to quit。 The writing was so choppy。 I found myself going back and forth reading the same paragraphs several times， just to understand what was happening。 I didn't like either one of the characters。 Very disappointing。 。。。more
Julia Richardson
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Wow！ So when I started reading this， I was thinking it was going to be a great “fluff” story。 Heartbreak， followed by new love interest…。。great ending。 Well， let me tell you…。this was completely unexpected。 What a great story！ This does touch on heartbreak， but the overwhelming theme is someone providing help to the most desperate。 There were periods of time when I had no idea how it was going to end。 What a wonderful look inside the caring hearts of some when facing the horrifying situation of Wow！ So when I started reading this， I was thinking it was going to be a great “fluff” story。 Heartbreak， followed by new love interest…。。great ending。 Well， let me tell you…。this was completely unexpected。 What a great story！ This does touch on heartbreak， but the overwhelming theme is someone providing help to the most desperate。 There were periods of time when I had no idea how it was going to end。 What a wonderful look inside the caring hearts of some when facing the horrifying situation of domestic abuse。 。。。more
Caroline
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Story of a newly separated woman being a caretaker at a park。 Turns out there is a hidden room where abused women could be secretly safe until given a new identity， etc。 but a woman left her baby。 The asst knew about it。 It was sort of a convoluted story at that point。 I didn’t love the book and the story didn’t make a lot of sense but the writing was good so I gave it 4 stars。
Shawna
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I liked the story。 The characters were relatable。 It was predictable but seriously so many of these books are written its hard to be completely original。 It had a unique approach though so that was fun。 I did skim a bit because of the main characters monologing her past and men suck blah blah blah convos。 That said I would read this again。
Carolyn
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I loved this read！ It grabbed my attention with the setting in a nature preserve and a dream job -IMHO。 Then the real story started and wove a backdrop of timeless situation calling for an inspired response。 All was good tho the last few chapters seemed a bit rushed， not as developed。 But since the ending was obvious perhaps that is the right way to go。 This would be a great movie with some good cinematography and a bit more danger。 An all too familiar story that needs to be told over and over。。 I loved this read！ It grabbed my attention with the setting in a nature preserve and a dream job -IMHO。 Then the real story started and wove a backdrop of timeless situation calling for an inspired response。 All was good tho the last few chapters seemed a bit rushed， not as developed。 But since the ending was obvious perhaps that is the right way to go。 This would be a great movie with some good cinematography and a bit more danger。 An all too familiar story that needs to be told over and over。。。。There is often too little too late。 Thank you JS。 。。。more
Ekta
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A woman starts over in a new state and job after a crisis only to find herself in the middle of a mystery about the last person in her position。 As she chips away at the information left behind， she realizes she’s landed in the middle of something much bigger than herself—and it might be exactly what she needs for a new life。 Author Jessica Strawser has written her best novel yet in the compelling， thought-provoking book The Last Caretaker。Katie arrives at the forest preserve outside of Cincinna A woman starts over in a new state and job after a crisis only to find herself in the middle of a mystery about the last person in her position。 As she chips away at the information left behind， she realizes she’s landed in the middle of something much bigger than herself—and it might be exactly what she needs for a new life。 Author Jessica Strawser has written her best novel yet in the compelling， thought-provoking book The Last Caretaker。Katie arrives at the forest preserve outside of Cincinnati ready to start over。 Here in the quiet of the trees with the animals chittering around her， she can almost forget the way her ex-husband decided he was done with her。 Never mind that they had worked together forever and that the businesses around Pittsburgh knew them as the husband-wife team that built websites。 Never mind that she’s loved Clark since college。 He decided they were done， so they’re done。Clark didn’t get to decide what Katie did next， though。 When her best friend， Bess， urges her to come to Cincinnati and take the job of caretaker of the forest preserve known as Grove， Katie jumps at it。 She needs something completely different， and moving across state lines and into something as far away from technology as possible seems to fit the bill。As Katie enters the house that comes with the job， though， she’s stunned。 It looks like Grace， the last caretaker， walked out the door in the middle of her day。 Dishes sit in the sink; clothes hang in the closet。 The most eerie thing is that Grace left behind what are clearly precious mementos。 Who would do such a thing and why？Just as confused as she is， Bess is nevertheless excited for Katie to get started and doesn’t hesitate to help her get settled into the house and into her job。 She introduces Katie to Jude， the maintenance man who seems to have a chip on his shoulder and who reminds Katie of a sad Keanu Reeves。 Then comes a knock on the door in the middle of the night that changes everything。 The woman at the door insists she’s supposed to talk to Grace， that Grace is the key to her starting a new life。 Katie is floored by the information but lets her in。 That simple decision takes Katie down a path of the double life Grace led: caretaker of Grove by day， rescuer of women on the run by night。 It’s definitely way more than Katie bargained for when she said she wanted to do something completely different from her last job， and she can’t stop thinking about Grace and where she might be。 As Katie deals with the women who show up pleading for help， she realizes everyone is hiding something—even Bess。 Navigating those secrets and their consequences leads Katie to the understanding that she’ll need to come face to face with the consequences of her own past actions。Author Jessica Strawser takes her time building Katie’s story and Grace’s story alongside it even as she only uses Katie as the point-of-view character throughout the book。 By a lesser-skilled author， some of the big reveals in the novel might come off as convenient or contrived because Katie is one person sharing them。 In Strawser’s hands， however， the result is the careful construction of a protagonist so real readers will worry about her when they’re away from the book。The novel carries familiar themes of trust and solidarity while also， sadly， relating contemporary stories of the trauma women endure。 With Katie’s three-dimensionality， readers will feel like they’re hearing a story from a trusted friend that leans into old and new ideas alike。 Strawser also offers lighter moments by using innovative fresh turns of prose。 The result makes the book a joy to read even as it’s heartbreaking in the reality it represents。Those looking for a novel offering a realistic story that by turns could induce goosebumps but also hope will want to check this out。 。。。more
Farah G
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To make changes as part of a new beginning after a divorce is a fairly standard response to such a major life change。 Rather less common is the decision to move out into the sticks by taking a job as caretaker in a nature preserve。 But after the humiliating break up of her marriage， that is precisely what Katie - with the support of her best friend Bess， who's already working there - decides to do。 And when a panicked woman shows up on her doorstep late at night， expecting a very different kind To make changes as part of a new beginning after a divorce is a fairly standard response to such a major life change。 Rather less common is the decision to move out into the sticks by taking a job as caretaker in a nature preserve。 But after the humiliating break up of her marriage， that is precisely what Katie - with the support of her best friend Bess， who's already working there - decides to do。 And when a panicked woman shows up on her doorstep late at night， expecting a very different kind of help from the caretaker， Katie has to wonder what she's let herself in for。 And how much Bess might know about this part of the job description。I loved Jessica Strawser's earlier book Not That I Could Tell， so I jumped at the chance to review this one。 And Jessica Strawser has done it again。This is a brilliantly atmospheric story which brings alive the pleasures of the outdoors。 It also asks difficult questions about what we accept as normal， and how far we are willing to go in the service of justice - especially when it may involve personal risk。 Read it。 Please。 I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review 。。。more
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the last caretaker a novel