The Last to See Her

by Courtney Evan Tate

• ISBN10: 077830941X
• ISBN13: 9780778309413
• Publish Date: 15 December 2020
• Publish Status: Forthcoming
• Imprint: Mira Books
• Edition: Original ed.
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 352
• Language: English

Reviews

[Nadz@Totally Addicted to Reading]

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.I am always on the lookout for a good psychological thriller to sink my literary teeth in, so when this book came on my radar, I jumped at the chance to read it. The story proved to be entertaining and quite the page turner.

In this story we meet Genevieve, a romance author, and Meg a doctor. Two sisters who loved each other dearly. Genevieve is getting a divorce from her cheating husband, Thad. To celebrate her pending freedom, she and her sister went to New York city and had a blast dining and drinking. Upon the return their hotel, Genevieve went for a walk, but never came back.

A book of secrets, lies, betrayal, jealousy, infidelity and revenge. Genevieve’s disappearance opened up a big can of worms.

Despite having some serious plot holes, the twists in the storyline had me clamouring for more. I needed to know how it ended. The author did a good job in keeping me entertained, but the anticlimactic ending left me in a state of disappointment.

On the surface Last to See Her was an intriguing read, but there were aspects of the story which the reader felt needed further development. Without a doubt the main character had serious mental issues, which her family was aware of it, but nothing had been done about it over the years. I saw the reasoning behind Genevieve’s actions, but those of the secondary characters baffled me. Most of the events, which occurred could have been avoided if communication had played a key role. In addition, the incompetence of the private investigator hired by Genevieve added to the whole debacle. I cannot understand how he never uncovered Thad’s secrets during the course of his investigations.

Almost all the characters had secrets, and I found them to be an unreliable bunch. Thad and Meg proved to be the worst of the bunch. Their condescending attitude worked my nerves into a fray. Added to that Meg behaves like a spoilt child. The fact she was lusting after the police Detective working on sister’s case despite claiming to be happily married didn’t place her in a good light.

Conclusion/Recommendation
In spite of the issues highlighted, I still enjoyed the story. Fans of psychological thrillers who have no issues with unrealistic scenes would enjoy what The Last to See Her has to offer.
This review was originally posted on Totally Addicted to Reading

[Quirky Cat]

I received a copy of The Last to See Her in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Courtney Evan Tate (famous for Such Dark Things and I'll Be Watching You) is back with another thriller, The Last to See Her. With a title like that, you just know things are going to go downhill for this newest cast of characters.

A sisters weekend away following a messy divorce sounds like the perfect way to cope. That is what Gen was hoping, at least. She recently left her husband, thanks to his cheating ways. Then she let her sister talk her into a trip to New York.

It's the last trip these two sisters will be taking together. The first night in the Big City, and Gen has utterly disappeared. No evidence to her whereabouts, minus her jacket in an alley. The situation isn't looking good, and it's the sister, Meg, who will have to deal with the fallout.

“His next words chilled her to the bone.
'You were the last to see her.'”

Yikes! The Last to See Her is a creepy and thrilling read, that much is for certain. The whole concept around missing persons can always get a little dark, and Courtney Evan Tate did a brilliant job of wringing out every moment of tension.

I'll confess that part of me was almost afraid to start reading The Last to See Her. After all, it literally begins with a disappearance. That's never good. Yet I'm so glad that I got over that fear and dug into this read.

When I say that this is a twisted thriller, I really mean it. There are so many shocking revelations, many of which take a few moments to think through and fully process. They weren't twists that I was expecting, that much I can promise you.

The Last to See Her is a tense read, even from that very first chapter. Again, I'm sure that has at least a little bit to do with the premise itself. But it is impressive nonetheless, and is surely enough to keep most readers invested right through to the end.

I should mention that there were a couple of things that kept me from loving this book as much as I wanted to. There's a depiction of mental health in here that I don't quite love. Likewise, there's trauma and brain damage portrayed as well. Again, I think these parts could have been strengthened.

That being said, I adored a couple of the supporting characters, so it made it pretty difficult overall on how I wanted to rate this read. I'm solidly stuck somewhere between a three and a four (and would give it a 3 ½ star rating, if given the option).

In short; The Last to See Her is a quick and fascinating read, one with plenty of twists and turns, and is a perfect read for a cold winter night.

Check out more reviews from Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[Jeff Sexton]

Solid Story Full Of Unlikable Characters. This is one of those stories where *none* of the characters come out looking overly rosy. The characters that are developed well are either assholes or idiots, and the characters that aren't developed so well seem to barely be caricatures. That said, the story is solid enough and compelling enough that once you get into it, you're going to want to finish it. And sometimes, that level of escapism is really all you need. Particularly with when this book is slated to release, barely a week before Christmas, it could be near-perfect counter-programming escapism for the season. Recommended.