Last Bets

"Fresh, imaginative, and gorgeously written. Set on tropical Bonaire as a hurricane threatens, the novel weaves together worlds of art, gambling, and scuba diving into a gripping narrative where alliances constantly shift until suddenly lives are on the line. Moore is a virtuoso storyteller, and this is her best work yet." --Nancy Crochiere, bestselling author of Graceland

Escape to paradise. Find trouble instead!

Last Bets, by award-winning author of the bestseller, A Woman's Guide to Search & Rescue, is a fast-paced suspense novel that will appeal to fans of The Queen's Gambit and The White Lotus. In Mary Carroll Moore's must-read new book, female ambition and morality collide in the darkness of a gambling underworld on the idyllic, exotic island of Bonaire.

As a child, Elly Sorensen's gambler father drafted his daughter to use her paranormal gift of second sight to help him win big at gambling tables. After nearly getting killed back then, Elly vowed never again.

Now she secretly uses her visions to paint portraits with startling authenticity. Celebrities seek out Elly for her rare talent at capturing their essence. She's at the height of her artistic career.
Then Elly's estranged husband suddenly dies, leaving her with massive debts that must be paid right away. To quickly make the amount of money she needs, Elly flees to the Caribbean island of Bonaire to finish a commission for a wealthy man.

There, she meets Australian teenager and kindred spirit Rosie Ryan. Rosie's father also uses his daughter to scout information that nefariously helps him win at gambling. Rosie reminds Elly of her sister Lily, a girl she failed to rescue long ago.

Rosie's emotional needs and deceptions, along with a deadly hurricane racing toward the island, draw Elly back into the gambling world to win the fast money she desperately needs.

Even though Elly can barely rescue herself, will she use her paranormal powers again? Can she fully trust the grifter, Rosie? Underestimated by the men around them, what would happen if Rosie and Elly teamed up to conquer forces they never imagined? Will they fight for a future that promises real freedom?

"Readers will get lost in Moore's beautiful prose, her impeccable plotting, and her outstandingly relatable and multi-layered characters. Beautifully wrought story of two women artists outrunning their demons." --Booklife/Publisher's Weekly

"A gorgeous journey about love, loss, and the very literal magic of the artistic eye. Rosie and Elly are exceptionally strong women from very different generations and backgrounds, and yet their paths cross on a small, storm-ridden island where their parallel adventures put their lives and those around them at risk. It's a thrilling, unstoppable read and Mary Carroll Moore's ability to bring this world, with all its perils and victories, to light, is unforgettable." --Rachel Moulton, author of The Insatiable Volt Sisters

"An unlikely friendship is formed when two painters decide to risk everything for their art. That one is a teenaged girl with a history of arson and one a young widow fleeing the complications of her husband's estate heightens the suspense--and the sweetness. Surprising, tender, and wise, this is a book you don't want to miss." --Ginger Eager, author of The Nature of Remains and 2021 Georgia Author of the Year

Mary Carroll Moore is the Amazon-bestselling and award-winning author of three novels: A Woman's Guide to Search & Rescue (2023), Last Bets (2024), and the PEN/Faulkner-nominated young adult novel, Qualities of Light (2009). Her writing has been featured on NPR and in the New York Times. She received her MFA from Goddard College and has taught throughout the US and abroad at various writing schools and universities since 1998. Her writing-craft book, Your Book Starts Here, won the New Hampshire Literary Awards "Reader's Choice" award. Before moving into fiction, she worked as a chef, a cooking-school owner, a cookbook author, and a syndicated columnist for the Los Angeles Times. Her first cookbook won a Julia Child/IACP award. Over two hundred of her essays, stories, and articles have appeared in magazines and literary journals. She lives in New Hampshire with her family.