The Last Victim

Novel

Plot summary:

From the first moment Sophie Rothman lies to her husband about the child she is carrying, the lives of everyone in her family are changed forever.

Driven by a twisted obsession to accumulate money for its own sake, Sophie forces her family to live beneath their means and drives her husband, Harry, away. During his absence, Sophie’s loneliness leads her into an illicit affair and an unwanted pregnancy. When her lover leaves, Sophie begs Harry to return and then deceives him into believing the child she’s carrying is his. If Sophie keeps her secret, no one will be hurt. Or will they? It’s a question Sophie will have to answer one day. (more…)

Author

ELAINE BOSSIK had three careers: as magazine editor, medical writer and teacher in the New York City school system. She received BA and MS degrees from Brooklyn College (City University of New York), and now serves as a staff columnist for Scriptologist.com, writing how-to articles for aspiring screenwriters under the name of Elaine Radford.

While her professional experience helped shape her writing, her fascination with people—their motivations and the everyday dramas they create—is the inspiration for her fiction. She believes that really great stories begin and end with provocative characters.

Growing up in Brooklyn, NY and as a young adult traveling in Israel, she found the rich details for the events that take place in this novel.  (more…)

Customer Reviews

The Last Victim is the story of an American family dominated by one woman, a mother who is obsessed with money—making it, keeping it, never spending it. One by one, members of her family are victimized by her relentless obsession. Only one will emerge triumphant from the tragedy her actions set in motion. (more…)

Book Discussion Questions

1. The pursuit of one’s dream is a crucial theme in this novel, where everyone in the Rothman family has a dream.

- How did Sophie’s dream shape her life?
- What was Harry’s dream? How did he sublimate his dream?
- What obstacles did Jeanie have to overcome to achieve her dream?
- How did Albert’s pursuit of his dream change his life and his relationship with his mother and father?
- What dream did Ruthie have? How did her tragic experience shape the outcome of her dream? (more…)