Published in 2026, The Last to Drown is a psychological survival thriller by Noelle W. Ihli. The novel centers on Kaia, a woman consumed by sorrow following the recent death of her husband, Parker. To honor a trip they had planned together, she joins a five-day women’s rafting retreat on the remote Garnet River. The adventure takes a dark turn when the group learns they will be camping at the site of a gruesome massacre that occurred seven years prior. As a series of unsettling incidents mirrors the original killings, the women find themselves trapped in an impassable canyon with a methodical killer in their midst, forcing Kaia into a desperate battle for her own life.

The novel uses its high-stakes premise to explore complex psychological and social themes. Central to the story is Kaia’s internal journey, as the brutal external struggle for survival becomes the crucible for Finding the Will to Live When in Danger. As the characters are forced to unite against the twin threats of a deadly river and a determined killer, the novel highlights Survival as Collective Resilience, while grounding the antagonist’s motivations in the toxic ideology of online hate groups to explore Misogyny as a Catalyst for Violence. Ihli is a USA Today bestselling author known for other popular thrillers such as Ask for Andrea and Run on Red, which often draw inspiration from true-crime cases.

This guide refers to the 2026 Dynamite Books edition.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide contain depictions of graphic violence, gender discrimination, cursing, and death.

Plot Summary

Kaia, a woman grieving the recent death of her husband Parker, embarks on a five-day women’s rafting retreat on the remote Middle Fork of the Garnet River, a trip she and Parker had booked years ago. She joins a group of 19 other women and four guides from Idaho Rapids Unlimited: The senior guides Macy and Gracie, the charismatic Josh (nicknamed “River Jesus”), and the awkward newcomer, Bryan, who is hazed with the nickname “Flip-Flop” after making the mistake of wearing flip-flops to training. On the first night, the group camps near a rapid called the Devil’s Stairs. Around the campfire, a true-crime enthusiast named Allie asks about the nearby Camas Creek, the site of a notorious massacre seven years prior. Josh recounts the official story: A guide for a company called Idaho Thrills named Kellen Stroop went on a killing spree, murdering 15 people. The sole survivor was a 17-year-old boy, Leo Marsden, who survived by playing dead beneath the body of his own mother, killed Stroop in self-defense, and rafted the rest of the river to safety. Allie adds that Idaho Rapids Unlimited is the same company, renamed after the incident. The conversation unnerves the group, especially after Josh forces Bryan to reveal that he owns a replica of the camouflage-and-pearl-handled knife used in the murders.

During the night, Kaia and other campers wake to the sound of a woman screaming in terror. Kaia fears that the murderer has returned, but it turns out to be Allie having a nightmare. Shortly after falling back to sleep, Allie is awakened again by the sound of someone rummaging among the supplies near the river. The next morning, the group discovers that their only satellite phone is missing. Kaia mentions the noises she heard by the rafts during the night, but Josh insists the phone was simply forgotten. The group’s isolation deepens when their two large jugs of potable water are lost in a rapid, during which Kaia and several others are thrown overboard. Dehydrated and on edge, they arrive at Camas Creek for the night. The tension culminates in a horrifying attack; screams rip through the camp, and Kaia initially assumes that Allie is just having another night terror until Gracie is found stabbed to death in her tent. Another woman is killed in a tent that collapses during the assault. As campers and guides scramble for the rafts, Bryan appears to kill Josh, claiming Josh was the murderer. Relieved, Kaia calls back the other women who are fleeing in rafts, as Bryan claims to be wounded and in need of help. Her relief is short-lived, as Bryan reveals his deception, holding two bloody knives with a smile. Josh, not yet dead, tackles Bryan to save Kaia, but Bryan kills him and gives chase as the remaining women escape onto the river in the dark.

The survivors split into two passenger rafts and race away, with Bryan pursuing them in a gear boat. He has strung razor wire across the river just past a treacherous rapid called Anvil Falls. The first, overloaded raft hits the wire, and its occupants are decapitated or grievously wounded. Kaia’s raft is only spared because the voice of her late husband, Parker—a phenomenon she recognizes as a form of Third Man Syndrome—warns her to shout, “Head down! There’s razor wire!” (132) All but Macy, who is guiding from the stern, duck in time. Macy is caught by the wire and falls into the water, presumed dead. Now down to four survivors—Kaia, Allie, Pam, and Deborah—they find Imani clinging to a branch, her arm severed by the wire. As they rescue her, Allie reveals her theory: Bryan is Leo Marsden. He committed the original murders, framed Kellen Stroop, and has now returned to recreate his “opus” and claim the credit. Leo catches up to them, confirming Allie’s theory and taunting them as the chase continues down the river.

The women manage to trick Leo into guiding them through a dangerous rapid, but he remains in pursuit. The situation seems hopeless until Macy, who miraculously survived the razor wire and made her way back to the abandoned campsite, catches up to them in the second gear boat. With an experienced guide and a sturdy raft, their odds improve, but Macy reveals that the river ends at Splinter Ridge, an unrunnable Class Six rapid with a mandatory portage trail where Leo is surely waiting to ambush them. Racing ahead, the women devise a desperate plan. They construct dummies from their gear to fill the raft, making it appear occupied. As they approach the falls, four of the women—Macy, Pam, Deborah, and the badly injured Imani—slip into the water and swim to the portage trailhead. Kaia and Allie swim behind the decoy raft, steering it toward the falls to buy the others time.

From a rocky overlook, Leo watches the decoy raft approach. Fooled, he shoots arrows into the dummies just as the raft goes over the falls. When he realizes his mistake, he screams in rage and runs back to the portage trail to intercept the first group. He corners them on the beach at the bottom of the trail, where he has a small inflatable kayak stashed for his escape. Allie, who is a skilled softball player, hits Leo in the head with a rock thrown from the trail above, but as he stumbles, he releases an arrow that strikes her in the chest. As Leo closes in on the remaining women, Macy initiates a “Fight Night” maneuver from her guide training days, leaping onto the kayak with Leo and using her weight to capsize it. In the ensuing struggle, Kaia, Pam, and Macy manage to drown Leo in the river. Pam and Kaia take the kayak and paddle the final two miles to the takeout, where they find a gas station and call for help. Search and Rescue successfully evacuates the other survivors. Six months later, all six women are in recovery and remain close friends, supporting each other through a group chat. Kaia finally opens Parker’s emergency gear bag and finds a letter he wrote her before he died, affirming his love and his belief that their connection is a “little bit magic,” which brings her peace.