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The Story Craft Cafe PodcastAuthor: storycraftcafe
Story Crafters talking about the magic of storytelling and giving you the tools to craft your story. Were launching a new kind of online writing community. One where we can all find support, encouragement, ideas, and inspiration. A place where we can all write together. A place where we can celebrate failures and successes, find mentors, and work together to get published. Language: en Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Ramping Up Tension With Contained Thrillers With Taylor Adams | SCC 255
Episode 256
Friday, 20 February, 2026
TAYLOR ADAMS is the author of several acclaimed thrillers, including The Last Word, Hairpin Bridge, and No Exit. No Exit has been published in thirty-two languages and is a Hulu Original film. Adams lives in Washington State. Revered by authors and readers alike for his singular cinematic intensity and the tenacious, unforgettable characters who drive it, Adams plunges us deep underground in this harrowing tale of a caving expedition gone horribly wrong. Blending the terrifying confinement of The Descent with the psychological complexity of a domestic noir, the novel follows two friends who discover that the darkness inside the cave is matched only by the secrets they brought with them. The story centers on Tess, a shy and claustrophobic legal assistant struggling to make ends meet, who finally succumbs to pressure from her best friend, Allie, to join her on a trip deep underground. Their lives have taken drastically different paths since high school: while Tess scrapes by, Allie has become a confident, globe-trotting travel influencer. Tess reluctantly agrees to this spelunking trip, suppressing her fears for the sake of their friendship. When the pair arrives at the cave mouth, their adventure quickly turns sinister. They encounter a stranger in the dark—a man who claims to be a fellow caver but whose behavior becomes threatening. When the bold, take-no-prisoners Allie confronts him before setting off with Tess, the situation simmers, paranoia brews, and danger soon follows: Tess finds herself separated, trapped in a narrow crawl space hundreds of feet beneath the surface, fighting a desperate battle for survival against the elements and a relentless aggressor. Twenty-four hours later, as Tess recounts her ordeal from a hospital bed, a detective reveals shocking new information about Allie’s past. These revelations force Tess to question everything she thought she knew about her best friend and suggest that the brutal attack in the deep was far from random. Adams’s writing is suffocatingly tense, expertly utilizing the atmospheric setting of the cave to ratchet up the suspense. The narrative taps into primal fears of confinement, while exploring themes of survival, betrayal, and the complex, often envious nature of friendship. HER LAST BREATH is a tour de force of suspense that will leave readers gasping for air. Fans of the high-octane pacing of Adrian McKinty and the twisting, character-driven mysteries of Riley Sager will find themselves captivated by this relentless ride.
