Publication Date: February 17, 2026
From the critically acclaimed author of No Exit and The Last Word comes a story of two friends who embark on an ill-fated caving expedition—and the dark truth of what happens deep underground.
After years of excuses, Tess has finally agreed to go caving with her best friend Allie. Their lives have diverged sharply since high school—Allie is a self-made travel influencer, while Tess is a shy (and claustrophobic) legal assistant struggling to pay for law school. Maybe she’s a little jealous of Allie’s globe-trotting life. Who wouldn’t be?
As Tess and Allie descend into the depths, they realize they’re not alone. A stranger who claims to be a fellow caver harasses them. Confident, take-no-shit Allie insults the guy—and he retaliates. Soon, Tess is trapped inside a narrow crawl space hundreds of feet underground, fighting to stay alive.
Twenty-four hours later, as a hospitalized Tess recounts her harrowing story of survival, the detective interviewing her shares new and shocking secrets about Allie’s true past. Together, they begin to suspect the brutal attack wasn’t so random after all.
Who was Allie, really? Why did this man target them? And did Tess really leave the danger behind when she escaped the cave?
A cramped tunnel crawl sounds exactly like something that would be on my things to avoid list. For best friends Allie Merritt and Tess DeWater, going spelunking is supposed to be a fun Saturday activity.
With Her Last Breath, author Taylor Adams delivers a series of breathtaking twists that completely upend the storyline. Something awful happens on that trip, with two going in and one coming out.
The real MVP seems to be Detective Layla Washington, who uses a hospital interview with Tess to build the narrative. While there are suggestions that the detective has lost her edge, she proves to be a solid resource.
The events in the cave, from the man with a gun to the naturally occurring hazards, will cause your heart to race. How many of us would be able to squeeze through a 15-inch hole? Between the darkness and the compressed space, this is one adventure I will happily avoid in real life.
Her Last Breath hits all the right spots for a high-octane psychological thriller that will leave you gasping for air.
Taylor Adams is the author of several acclaimed thrillers including The Last Word, Hairpin Bridge, and No Exit. No Exit has been published in 32 languages and is a Hulu Original film. Adams lives in Washington State.
