The Last Housewife by Ashley Winstead

​Warning- this is a very dark thriller and not an easy book to get through as it deals with the manipulation of young women, brainwashing and a lot of sexual and psychological abuse. Because of the volatile subject matter it is a powerful story of how a group of beautiful young women could get pulled down the rabbit hole and brainwashed into joining a cult. A small group of girls go to college and are enthralled by a charismatic man who leads them to ruin with only Shay able to escape. Years pass and Shay is married and living in a well manicured Dallas suburb but she is not happy. When she hears that another one of her friends has been found hanged at the college she leaves to investigate. Joining her old childhood friend who is now a successful true crime podcaster they attempt to infiltrate what looks like the same secret men's club. The deeper Shay gets the more she is sure it is the same man who is behind this along with some very prominent and important men. She puts herself in danger because she believes she failed her friends before but this time she might not make it out. It jumps between real time and Shay's interviews for the podcast of her past life.  3 1/2 stars