Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Last Seen Alone by Laura Griffin Published by Berkley on September 28, 2021
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Pages: 336
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
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When they face the most baffling missing person's case of their careers, a fiercely ambitious lawyer and a homicide detective have no one to turn to for help except each other, from New York Times bestselling author Laura Griffin.
Up-and-coming attorney Leigh Larson fights for victims of sexual extortion, harassment, and online abuse. She is not afraid to go after the sleaziest targets to get payback for her clients. Leigh is laser-focused on her career—to the exclusion of everything else—until a seemingly routine case and a determined cop turn her world upside down.
Austin homicide detective Brandon Reynolds is no stranger to midnight callouts. But when he gets summoned to an abandoned car on a desolate road, he quickly realizes he's dealing with an unusual crime scene. A pool of blood in the nearby woods suggests a brutal homicide. But where is the victim? The vehicle is registered to twenty-six-year-old Vanessa Adams. Searching the car, all Brandon finds is a smear of blood and a business card for Leigh Larson, attorney-at-law.
Vanessa had hired Leigh just before her disappearance, but Leigh has no leads on who could have wanted her dead. Faced with bewildering evidence and shocking twists, Leigh and Brandon must work against the clock to chase down a ruthless criminal who is out for vengeance.
I’ve just started reading this author as I enjoy this genre. Romantic suspense has a plot with mystery or action or suspense beyond the romance. Last Seen Alone seems to be a standalone.
I really liked the attorney, Leigh and mostly liked Brandon, the detective. They were a bit on opposite sides at times, but they were each doing the best they could with the legal issues being tricky. Leigh was a bit sassy and independent but the bad guys weren’t fooling around. Their worry for the victim kept them in close contact. They were definitely worried about her, as was her family, mostly her sister Kate.
The good thing about Leigh and Brandon is that their roles are in the same world, so they understand each others’ work and the time constraints and other issues. So they are in a good position to support and understand each other. They each have something in their past which plays into their current relationship avoidances.
The victim, Vanessa, I didn’t like. She was in a bad situation but she didn’t handle anything well. She only made things worse and used and hurt others to try to protect herself. On the other hand, her sister, Kate, is amazing. I kind of hope there will be a future book with her and Brandon’s partner because they seemed to get along.
The romance is a little in the background which is fine with me. The basis for the issues which Leigh and Vanessa are fighting is an all too common problem for women in the current world. It’s a little sad because the progress is in baby steps, but at least they make some progress, but only because the guys are obviously rotten.
About Laura Griffin
Laura Griffin is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than twenty-five books and novellas. Her books have been translated into fourteen languages. Laura is a two-time RITA® Award winner (for Scorched and Whisper of Warning) as well as the recipient of the Daphne du Maurier Award (for Untraceable). Her book Desperate Girls was named one of the Best Books of 2018 by Publishers Weekly. Laura lives in Austin, Texas, where she is working on her next novel.
I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- C21-Summer
Leigh sounds like a great character. This sounds like it would be a really good story.
I did enjoy this. Leigh is a character I liked very much.
It’s been a while since I haven’t read a book in this genre
It’s one of my favorite genres. I like plot along with my romance.
I see her books and they draw me in and at some point I need to start reading them. I like the sound of their partnership in solving Vanessa’s case.
It’s a very prickly connection, because of their duties.
I am pretty sure that I have read at least one book by this author before and enjoyed it. This sounds like a really good story.
The real issues of sexual exploitation are not featured very often compared to how often I bet they happen.
My review posts next week, I enjoyed this one as well. Great review!
Thank you Kimberly! I enjoyed the story but not all the characters.
Great review, Anne? I held off on this one but you’ve got me interested.
I’m currently reading and enjoying this. Glad to see you did, too, Anne!
Thanks Rachel! I hope you like it even more than me.
That’s a shame that the victim wasn’t likeable but other than that, this sounds like a pretty great read. I’ve only read one book by this author so far but would definitely like to read more from her at some point.
I have mixed feelings about this author. I probably will read more as it is a genre I enjoy.