Our Last Resort
- Judith D Collins
- Jul 21
- 15 min read
Narrator: Saskia Maarleveld
Random House Audio
ISBN: 9780593802762
Publisher: Knopf
Publication Date: 07/08/2025
Format: Other
My Rating: 5 Stars + (ARC)
From the bestselling author of The Quiet Tenant comes a propulsive new thriller: Fifteen years ago, Frida and her brother escaped a cult. Now her brother is the prime suspect in a murder investigation—and it isn’t the first time.
A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF THE SUMMER: The New York Times, USA Today, Oprah Daily, Boston Globe, Marie Claire, Crimereads, Apple Books, Goodreads, Brit + Co, She Reads
“Clémence Michallon is one of the most daring, exciting new voices in psychological suspense; she writes page-turners with stunning and surprising depths.”–#1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jewell
"Thought-provoking and shocking. A perfect summer read.”—Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author of She's Not Sorry
Innocence doesn't bail you out; it just makes you easier to trap.
Frida and Gabriel arrive seeking a fresh start at the stunning Ara Hotel in the secluded desert of Escalante, Utah. Once so close they were able to finish each other’s sentences, they’ve grown apart in recent years after a sudden, unspeakable tragedy. Now, at the luxe resort, they are ready to reconnect between dips in the pool and hikes on spectacular desert trails. It all feels like paradise—until the dead body of a beautiful young woman who was vacationing at the Ara with her powerful, much older husband is discovered.
When the local police arrive and suspicion quickly falls on Gabriel, Frida is forced to revisit memories from their upbringing in a cloistered cult in upstate New York, their dramatic escape, and the scandal that followed. Frida’s belief in Gabriel’s innocence never wavered at the time, but now even she can’t ignore the evidence mounting against him.
Alternating between past and present timelines, Our Last Resort builds toward a shattering climax that uncovers the fate of the murdered Ara guest and poses the question: how well do we ever really know those we love? Taut, gripping, and intense, Clémence Michallon’s latest suspense novel is a nail-biter until the last moment, cementing her status as a major new talent in the genre.
About the Author
Photo Credit: Gabrielle+Malewski
CLÉMENCE MICHALLON is an author and a journalist. Her debut thriller The Quiet Tenant was published in June 2023 and is an international bestseller. Blumhouse TV has acquired the adaptation rights.
She was a staff writer at The Independent for five years, and is now freelance. Her work has appeared in The New York Times Book Review, Time Magazine, Cosmopolitan UK, and more. Her essays and features have covered true-crime, celebrity culture, and literature.
Clémence graduated from Sciences Po in Paris. She studied journalism at City University of London and received a master’s in Journalism from Columbia University.
Born and raised near Paris, Clémence moved to New York City in 2014 and is a dual citizen of France and the US. She can be found on Instagram at @clemencemichallon
Connect with Clémence
Exceptional Authors.
Standout Books. Elevator Talk.
Behind the Book & the Author
INTRIGUING QUESTIONS. INQUIRING READERS WANT TO KNOW.
Welcome to the July 2025 #AuthorElevatorSeries with special guest, internationally bestselling author Clémence Michallon, returning with her highly anticipated, enthralling sophomore thriller, OUR LAST RESORT.
Join us as Clémence shares some fascinating behind-the-scenes exclusives from the book and up-close-and-personal fun moments with this talented author.
Welcome Clémence!
Behind the Book
Q. Give us your best ELEVATOR PITCH for your captivating sophomore novel, OUR LAST RESORT.
CM: Thank you! OUR LAST RESORT tells the story of Frida and Gabriel, two people who travel to a beautiful, very isolated hotel in the desert in Utah to rekindle their sibling relationship. Everything is going well—not perfectly well, but well enough—until a few days into their stay a female guest turns up dead, evidently murdered.
The investigation quickly focuses on Gabriel, because it’s not the first time a woman has died in his orbit. This is going to force Gabriel and Frida to confront some secrets and uncomfortable truths from their past—specifically their complicated childhood in a cult in upstate New York.
The novel is told in dual timelines: one spans days and focuses on the murder investigation and its consequences on Gabriel and Frida; the other spans years and follows their past in the cult.
Q. INSPIRATION: The spark that ignited the novel. Where were you when the idea came to you?
CM: I’m fairly certain I was in the shower when the idea for OUR LAST RESORT solidified in my mind. I think a lot of writers get ideas in the shower—probably because it’s one of the last places where we’re not distracted by screens or anything else. I thought about this gorgeous hotel I traveled to fifteen years ago, which was indeed located in the desert in Utah, and I asked myself: what if I set a novel in a resort much like this one? What if a murder took place there? What if it forced my protagonist to wonder what their favorite person is capable of?
Once I got to that point, I figured that those two characters—the one who gets suspected of murder and the one wondering if those accusations could be true—should share an especially strong bond, something out of the ordinary. I needed the stakes to be as high as they could be. That’s when I started thinking: what if those two had grown up in a cult together? What if there had been a time in their lives when they literally couldn’t conceive of surviving without each other? And it all grew from there.
Q. RESEARCH: Any fascinating research for the novel, or anything you learned along the way?
CM: Without revealing too much, I had to do a fair bit of research about what a person would do if they’d been raised off the grid in the US and were looking to enter society. What if you don’t have a birth certificate? What if you don’t exist in the eyes of the government? There were a lot of logistics I had to figure out on that front.
Q. STRONG WOMEN: As in your debut, THE QUIET TENANT (Rachel, Cecilia, and Emily), the protagonist in OUR LAST RESORT (Frida) is also a strong female lead, a survivor…taking back her power against the most harrowing of circumstances, with shared topics of trauma, psychological impact, survival, and the dynamics of power. Share with us more about creating these strong female personalities.
CM: This is important to me. For some reason, this is the kind of stories I find myself gravitating towards. Simply put: I don’t think strong people want to be strong. They’re just put in circumstances that leave them no other choice. I think it’s very hard to exist in peace as a woman, and crime novels are a very efficient way to show that.
Q. ADAPTATION: For fun, do you have any cast of stars in mind for any of your leading roles for movie or TV series? Gabriel, Frida, Émile, Annie, Sabrina, William, etc.
CM: I can honestly say that I don’t fancast my books in my head, just because all of it seems both so real and also completely up to fate. But I will tell you this: I recently realized that I almost exclusively wrote tall men in my books. That’s fine, but it does mean that in the context of adaptations, I’m only giving work to tall actors. In the novel I’m working on now, I’ve included two men who are expressly 5’6’’ and 5’7’’ (close to my own height) to change things up a bit.
Thank you, Clémence! Continue reading below for more up close and personal with the author.
Behind the Author
BIRTH STATE? or (Country)
France
CURRENT STATE? (s)
New York State!
ZODIAC SIGN?
Libra
FAVORITE THING ABOUT WHERE YOU RESIDE?
New York (State and City) is never, ever boring. I go on a simple walk and I see fifteen interesting things. I love it.
FAVORITE FLOWER?
Peonies, especially before they bloom in full. I wanted them in my wedding bouquet, but my wedding was in July and I was told peonies wouldn’t bear the heat.
IF YOU COULD HAVE A TV SERIES OR MOVIE ADAPTED BASED ON ONE OF YOUR BOOKS, WHICH ONE WOULD IT BE?
I’m a very lucky author, because I can’t pick just one! Blumhouse TV has optioned both The Quiet Tenant and Our Last Resort. I want to watch both. With The Quiet Tenant, Anthony E. Zuiker, the creator of CSI, has joined as writer, executive producer and showrunner. And Secret Menu, the media company founded by Charlize Theron, Dawn Olmstead, Beth Kono, and AJ Dix, have joined as producing partners. It’s all been very exciting and interesting.
WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT FOR YOUR MENTAL HEALTH?
Therapy, first and foremost—I’ve been doing it for eight years and have no plans to stop. Running and walking. More generally, going outside and moving. Spending time with my friends. Reading. Silence. Getting out of my own head, so getting interested in things that have nothing to do with me. And sleep, although that one isn’t always controllable.
HOW DO YOU CELEBRATE WHEN YOU FINISH WRITING YOUR BOOK?
This is going to sound so boring, but I don’t! I don’t write “the end” when I finish a first draft either. It never feels like the end to me. On the contrary, to me, this is when things begin in earnest— with the start of the revision process, which is my favorite part.
YOUR SECRET TALENT OR SUPERPOWER?
I can (sort of) pick locks. When I was working on The Quiet Tenant, I had to write a couple of lock-picking scenes, and I couldn’t wrap my head around the process just by reading about it or watching videos on social media. So I ordered a lock-picking kit and practiced by myself. My kit included three practice locks. I’ve mastered two of those and can generally pick them in seconds. The third one, however, has never budged.
FAVORITE MAKEUP/HAIR TIP?
I wear red lipstick almost all the time, because it allows me to keep everything else pretty low-key: not a lot of eye makeup, simple outfits. If you wear red lipstick, you can wear jeans and a T-shirt and still look pretty put together.
FAVORITE FOOD/DRINK?
I think people might not necessarily expect this coming from a French person, but I love ranch dressing and eat it almost every day. I can still remember the first time I tried it—at an American diner in Paris. It was love at first bite.
DOG/CAT LOVER?
I love all animals, but as a pet owner, I’m a total dog person. My husband and I rescued our dog, a little terrier named Claudine, almost seven years ago. She has brought a lot of joy and equal amounts of chaos into our home.
FAVORITE TYPE OF WORKOUT?
I’m a runner—not a fast one, but I’ve done six marathons and am (mentally, at least) preparing for my seventh one. I’ll start training properly once my tour for Our Last Resort wraps up, because I can’t figure out the logistics of running eight to twenty miles in a day when I’m also traveling and doing book events. I’ve started doing Pilates and it has helped a lot with some back pain I’d been struggling with. I also find it so fun!
FAVORITE TV SERIES? (Or Movie/Video) binge-watch, series, etc.?
I’m a huge Sopranos fan—it’s my favorite TV show, and—I think—one of the best works of culture ever made. There are a few Sopranos references in Our Last Resort. Some are overt, but there’s at least one that’s a little bit more buried. I’m waiting for someone to notice it.
WHEN YOU RECEIVE A SPARK OF INSPIRATION FOR A BOOK:
1. Do you immediately get out of bed or stop what you are doing and start typing? Totally immersed.
2. Make a few quick notes on a pad or device?
3. Save it for later when you are at your desk or office during your regular working hours?
If we’re talking about an idea for a book I might like to write some day—a premise or a concept—then I never write those down. The important ideas, the ones that have enough heft to sustain a whole book, the ones that can absorb me for two to three years of my life–those are ideas I’ll remember without help.
But if we’re talking about an idea for a plot point, or a line of insight about a character, or a line of dialogue that just pops into my head, then oh my god, I write those down right away. I keep a never-ending file in the Notes app for the book I’m working on and use it to write down everything that comes to me, as quickly as I can.
Those can get quite long. The other day, I copied and pasted the Notes file for the book I’m working on at the moment and put it in a word counter. It came to 50,000 words, which is the length of a novella. Not everything in the file gets used—in fact, it’s possible that most of it gets thrown away—but that kind of exploratory writing is essential to me.
YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO WRITE?
I love writing on trains. I think they provide just the right amount of calm and distraction, of stillness and movement, of sound and silence. Plus, the WiFi often doesn’t work that well if you’re on Amtrak, which minimizes distractions.
A CHARACTER YOU HAVE WRITTEN THAT IS YOUR FAVORITE AND WHY?
Gabriel in Our Last Resort was a character who took a bit of time to reveal himself to me. Getting to know him was a really captivating experience for me as a writer. In the end, it was really satisfying.
I have a trick I use when a character is a bit of a cypher: I give them a characteristic I can relate to. It helps create a little door for me to enter their psyche. Gabriel, for example, is a huge Roman Empire nerd. I’m nowhere near as knowledgeable as he is, but I did study Latin and Roman civilization for eight years between middle school and college. I loved that stuff (the drama! the randomness! the insanity!), and so does Gabriel. That was enough for me to start inhabiting his psyche.
HOW DO YOU RELAX?
This is a mystery I’m still solving.
PET PEEVE IN TRAFFIC?
Okay, seriously, I need everyone on the road to take a deep breath. I think it should be required before you can start your car. I also think the driving license test should include a portion about regulating your emotions. Knowing how to parallel-park is all well and good, but most people drive way too fast and aggressively. I promise you it’s not the end of the world if this twenty-minute drive ends up taking twenty-five. If you need me to let you merge, I’ll let you merge. If you need me to be patient while you wait for a chance to make a turn, I’ll be patient. It’s okay.
IF YOU COULD TRADE PLACES WITH ONE OF YOUR BOOK CHARACTERS FOR A DAY, WHICH ONE WOULD IT BE?
Honestly, none of them. My characters go through a lot of things, very few of which are pleasant!
This has been so much fun. THANK YOU, Clémence, for spending time with us today!
Praise
A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF THE SUMMER: The New York Times, USA Today, Oprah Daily, Boston Globe, Marie Claire, Crimereads, Apple Books, Goodreads, Brit + Co, She Reads
“Michallon masterfully weaves past cult abuse into a taut present-day procedural, blending psychological complexity with enough terror to make you white-knuckle your beach chair.”
—Oprah Daily
“Nail-bitingly taut."
—Boston Globe
“Clémence Michallon is a genuine talent, with a gift for unexpected angles, finding fresh ways of approaching even the darkest subjects that make them feel reinvigorated and daring. You come to Michallon for beautiful, thought-provoking prose and deep characterization. In Our Last Resort, she finds tenderness in a story about cults, dreaminess, and compassion in the lengths to which people will go to save themselves.”
—Ashley Winstead, USA Today-bestselling author of Midnight is the Darkest Hour
“Michallon does incredible work building both characters and tension…. The novel offers mystery aplenty, but at its core, there is a deep and compassionate humanity.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“With a chilling cult backstory that feels ripped from the headlines and a complicated heroine you can't help rooting for, Our Last Resort is both an immersive mystery and a haunting exploration of just how far we'll go to protect those we hold most dear.”
—Andrea Bartz, New York Times bestselling author of We Were Never Here and The Last Ferry Out
“Michallon deftly moves between three timelines to create a thriller centering on deeply flawed characters who had to learn quickly how to interact and live in the world and will do anything to keep each other safe…. This page-turner is a satisfying poolside read.”
—Library Journal
“Clémence Michallon lures readers in with a luxurious, lush setting, her beautiful prose and a distant crime before dropping a bombshell. Thought-provoking and shocking, Our Last Resort tests the bounds of family and reminds us that, no matter how hard we try, we can never forget our past. Readers will be thinking about this one for a long time! A perfect summer read.”
—Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author of She's Not Sorry
“Clémence Michallon is one of the most daring, exciting new voices in psychological suspense; she writes page turners with stunning and surprising depths.”
– #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jewell
“Full of dark twists, shocking surprises, and strong messages about love, lies, loyalty, trust, suspicion, control, and connection.”
—Booklist
“A tale of childhood survival wrapped around a psychological whodunnit, Our Last Resort is a taut and twisty exploration of how far we might go to save the people we love the most. Clémence Michallon is the real deal; from her nuanced characters to her hypnotic prose, readers who enjoyed her dazzling debut will be delighted to find that her sophomore novel packs the same powerful punch.”
—Stacy Willingham, New York Times bestselling author of Forget Me Not
Movie News!
Clémence Michallon (favorite author) returns following her smashing debut, The Quiet Tenant (my #1 thriller of 2023), with her latest explosive sophomore thriller, OUR LAST RESORT.
A riveting psychological journey of two siblings after a traumatic childhood growing up in a cult together, having escaped, and years later, they reunite at a resort hotel, and now engrossed in a murder investigation, bringing up old buried memories from the past.
About...
Frida (New York) and Gabriel (Seattle), siblings, arrive at the Ara Hotel Resort in the secluded desert of Escalante, Utah. Similar to a compound, they have created discrete bubbles for their guests and to protect their privacy. The resort is hidden from the highway and accessible via an unmarked dirt road with all the amenities one would expect at a luxury resort.
They were once close as children, but a past tragedy has since estranged them. Now, they are looking to reunite and start anew.
However, their luxury vacation reunion gets interrupted when the dead body of a beautiful young woman who was vacationing at the same place with her powerful, much older husband is discovered, placing them in lockdown.
Now, they are forced to revisit memories from the past in a cult in upstate New York led by a charismatic leader. They escaped his control fifteen years ago, but now shocking secrets rise to the surface.
Fifteen years ago, Frida and her brother escaped a cult. Now her brother is the prime suspect in a murder investigation—and it isn’t the first time.
How is Gabriel connected to the present murder, and what happened fifteen years ago when they escaped the cult? These questions form the crux of the plot, intertwining the past and present in a gripping narrative.
“Innocence doesn’t bail you out; it just makes you easier to trap.
This quote encapsulates the central theme of the book: the blurred lines between innocence and guilt, and how they can be manipulated. It’s a chilling reminder that in the world of OUR LAST RESORT, innocence can be a liability.
My thoughts...
OUR LAST RESORT is a spectacular, gripping summer read for thriller fans. Clémence Michallon’s mastery of building suspense is evident in this intense, twisty, and taut sophomore suspense novel. Prepare to be captivated by a narrative where nothing is as it appears, leading to shocking twists that will keep you engrossed until the final page is turned.
The author cleverly takes readers back to the Hudson Valley twenty-five years earlier, when they were living in a cult with their mother. Their leader was named Émile. We learn about the fascinating and disturbing aspects of life through the lens of control, manipulation, and the pursuit of survival.
With alternating dual timelines of past (cult) and present (resort) with countdowns—and a murder investigation, bringing up the trauma from the past for the two siblings.
We learn about Gabriel (his wife, Annie), Émile, Frida, and their secret place, along with secondary characters at the cult.
In the present, there is Sabrina, dead hours after she was spied upon, and the powerful older husband, William. The murder investigation intensifies as they are caught up in a game of cat and mouse with the wealthy William. At the same time, Frida desperately seeks to find answers and prove Gabriel’s innocence.
The author’s brilliance shines through in building suspense, creating complex characters, and weaving twisty plots. The web of secrets and lies, along with the growing mistrust and suspicion, leads to an explosive and mind-blowing conclusion that will leave you shocked and satisfied.
The setting is atmospheric (both past and present), and in both timelines, there is a sense of claustrophobia and loss of control, with few options to escape. Frida also has secrets that are revealed towards the end.
With its intricate plot and richly developed characters, OUR LAST RESORT delves into the themes of family secrets and hidden agendas. Michallon’s masterful storytelling keeps the suspense high and delivers satisfying twists, ensuring readers are fully engaged from start to finish.
I adore this author’s evocative writing, and she delves deep into her character’s psyche, keeping you turning the pages into the wee hours of the morning. Proposing the question, can you ever escape your past?
As we learned from the author’s dazzling debut and in her latest, there are flawed characters with hidden pasts and simmering tensions that lead to a shocking revelation, creating a sense of unease that will keep you guessing until the end and never lets up.
Michallon’s exploration of highly charged topics, such as childhood trauma and its impact on adult relationships, as well as the blurred lines between victim and perpetrator, is both thought-provoking and enlightening.
OUR LAST RESORT delves into themes of family, lies, dark secrets, trust, suspicion, loyalty, morality, survival, control, love, forgiveness, and redemption, offering readers a deep and engaging reading experience.
Combining the spine-chilling cult story and intense present-day resort murder with a complex heroine who is driven and determined to protect, and the savvy writing, you have a profound, highly recommended must-read, ideal for book clubs.
Interview...
Stay tuned for my upcoming #AuthorElevatorSeries QA with Clémence, where we go behind the book and this super-talented author (pub day, July 8). Truly honored to feature her as one of my favorite authors since her debut.
Recs...
OUR LAST RESORT is for fans of the author and her debut, as well as those who enjoy well-written crime fiction with strong psychological vibes and fans of authors Mary Kubica, Lisa Jewell, Stacy Willingham, Megan Miranda, Lisa Unger, and Lisa Gardner.
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars +
Pub Date: July 8, 2025
