The Last Victim

Wow, there are so many reasons why I should have hated this book. So many reasons that made me wonder why in the world I ever requested the ARC of this book. When I saw this was listed as a paranormal novel, and a romance, I was totally sure I was going to hate it. The cover is even one of the sort of book that I don't really like. When I saw the very mixed reviews on Amazon, I thought this was going to be bad. Bad.

And ya know what?

I was wrong! No, I actually though it was a very good book, totally enjoyed it and whipped right through it to it's exciting conclusion. Regarding most of those bad reviews...I think they totally missed one HUGE point that makes all the difference to their issues with this story. One huge point which I can show more totally not explain to you without giving away the whole story. Sorry, but if you read this book, and I do recommend that you do so, you will know what I mean. Is that confusing enough?

The paranormal was not what I expected, the romance was not what I expected and the whole book turned out quite differently than I expected with a clever little twist at the very end that I loved.

Yes, it is about a serial killer and a bit scary and dark, but parts of it, especially Charlotte's conversations with herself and her conversations with her ghostly companion are very funny at times. And the investigation, with a few clues Charlotte picks up from her own brand of witness, is smart and face paced.

Have you ever started a book, sure that you would dislike it, sure you would hate it, and then just the opposite ended up being true.

Well, The Last Victim is such a book and if there is a sequel..and I feel a sequel coming on...I will be grabbing it up.

For me, that is the best recommendation you can get. show less

I jumped at the chance to read the first book in Karen Robard's newest series with its intriguing premise. Dr Charlie Stone studies serial killers, the motivation her own narrow escape from the Boardwalk Killer as a teenager. It has been 15 years since that terrible night but it seems the Boardwalk Killer, or a copycat, has surfaced and the FBI need Charlie's help if they hope to save his latest victim. Using her expertise in profiling, and her hidden ability to see the spirits of the newly dead, Charlie assists the FBI team to piece together the clues that may end up leading her right into her worst nightmare.

I have no way of justifying my assessment of this novel without possibly revealing a spoiler related to the romantic element of show more the story, so read on at your own risk...

There was a lot that I enjoyed about this novel but within the first few pages when Dr Charlie Stone describes a serial killer, Michael Garland, sitting across from her during a clinical assessment, as 'hot' I was taken aback. Despite being jarred by what seemed to me to be a totally inappropriate descriptor, I dismissed it and kept reading. A few pages later and Garland is stabbed as he returns to his cell and despite her best efforts, Charlie is unable to save him. While I admired Charlie's determined effort to save Garland despite his obvious fatal wound, I was a bit disturbed by the depth of her pity for a man convicted of murdering seven women as she witnesses his spirit being pulled into a purple mist, but again I chose to brush it aside. Yet from there the relationship between Charlie and Garland took a path I was even less comfortable with as Garland's spirit attaches itself to her. Between Charlie's repeated admiration of the dead man's physique, charm and her inexplicable sympathy for him I was incredulous, however I held on, thinking that we would discover that in fact Garland wasn't responsible for the murders after all, he was wrongly accused or framed or something. Garland certainly denies his guilt, but the lack of 'the light' and the presence of the 'screaming mist' seems to at least confirm the man has done something unsavoury and by the end of the novel there is no evidence that Garland was anything but a serial killer, abusive childhood non withstanding.
I just couldn't deal with this relationship, especially when it becomes sexually intimate, which I thought was wrong on so many levels. Even if the author reveals in later books of the series that Garland is innocent of the crimes for which he was convicted, it will be too late for me.

It's a shame because there were other elements of the story I enjoyed yet I can't get past the romantic relationship and I can't recommend The Last Victim for that very reason, though others seem happy to overlook it, given its average 4 star rating on Goodreads. It's not for me though, you will have to make up your own mind. show less

I’m angry over this one. When does a convicted serial killer become a romantic lead? How can the highly educated main character, Dr. Charlotte ‘Charlie’ Stone, even think of having a romantic relationship with convicted serial killer, Michael Garland? She studies these killers for a living. If she studies them, wouldn’t she have access to horrific and graphic crime scene photos? Wouldn’t she have access to Garland’s arrest reports and trial transcripts so she could study his behavior? Plus, Charlie escaped a serial killer as a teenager and now as an adult she wants to be with one romantically? When Garland is murdered in prison, his ghost attaches to Charlie. He harasses her in “spirit”, watches her in private moments, show more and is generally crude in behavior and language. (Also not romantic). The real romance should have been with the hunky FBI agent, Tony Bartoli. She was attracted to him and he was attracted to her, but she wanted Garland more. I was so disturbed by Charlie’s lust for Garland; I couldn’t stay focused on the murder investigations. Some readers have stated that they didn’t believe Garland was really guilty of murdering women or since he was protective of Charlie he’s a good guy. Even if there is some bizarre twist and he was wrongly convicted, the reader and Charlie are never made aware of it. From the beginning of the book to the end, Garland was to my knowledge a serial killer. I can’t image a twist that would turn him into a good guy. Was he an undercover agent sitting on DEATH ROW investigating the prison system or another crime? Was he set up by his evil identical DNA sharing twin brother? Was he a law student investigating how juries convict innocent men even with DNA evidence? At times it’s even sillier as Charlie refers to Garland as “Casper” and talks of his return to “spookville”. I realize readers must participate in the suspension of disbelief, but I can only go so far. Sorry, I’ll pass on this absurd series.

I received a free copy. show less

Since she was a child, Charlotte (“Charlie”) Stone has seen dead people. Specifically, she sees the spirits of people who have died violently, recently, and nearby. Usually they “cross over” within a week, and she ceases to see them.

Unfortunately, Charlie has had more than the average proximity to people who have met violent deaths. As a seventeen-year-old sleeping over at her friend Holly’s house, she witnessed the murder of her friend’s mother (Holly was kidnapped the same night and subsequently was killed, too; being in the bathroom saved Charlie). To cope with the trauma, Charlie pursued a successful career as a forensic psychiatrist, studying serial killers in an effort to find ways to stop them.

These three facets of show more Charlie’s life—seeing dead people, witnessing Holly’s mother’s murder fifteen years earlier, and an academic interest in serial killers—converge when two teenage girls are killed and a third is kidnapped under circumstances unnervingly similar to those surrounding Holly’s family. Major questions in the investigation are whether this is the work of a copycat or whether the killer Charlie saw has returned after a fifteen-year hiatus; if the latter, whether he will attempt to silence her; and whether, with Charlie’s help, the FBI can rescue the most recent kidnap victim before she, too, becomes a murder victim. Complicating the situation is the appearance in Charlie’s life of two potential romantic interests: one, a handsome, considerate, upstanding FBI agent; the other, a charismatic, passionate, incredibly alluring ghost of a serial killer.

Author Karen Robards expertly weaves these threads into the fabric of a well-constructed, thoroughly engrossing novel populated with three-dimensional, mostly likeable characters. Some readers may be put off by Charlie’s relationship with a murderer’s ghost, which is difficult to stomach (Charlie herself spends lots of time in bathrooms, losing her lunch) and sometimes grows tedious with descriptions of how hot he is (despite being stone-cold-dead). This thread certainly sets The Last Victim apart from the pack.

This is obviously the first book in a new series (the paperback edition includes a preview of The Last Kiss Goodbye, and a lot of loose ends await tying up). Although The Last Victim required somewhat more suspension of disbelief than I was willing to offer, I (mostly) enjoyed reading it. Hoping for less ghost, this reader eagerly awaits the next installment. show less

When I started this book, I figured it was going to be the typical former victim meets hot FBI agent and romance blossoms. Wow, was I ever wrong! This is a romance like no other I have read in a while.
Charlotte “Charlie” Stone is a psychologist studying serial killers for the Department of Justice. She is uniquely qualified for this because she is the only survivor of a killer known as the Boardwalk Killer. She has dedicated her life to finding out what makes these killers do what they do. At the present time she is working with Michael Garland who is on death row for the murder of seven women. Garland is a handsome and charismatic man who tries to play Charlie whenever she works with him.
Her latest session is interrupted by two FBI show more agents who have come to ask her help on an urgent case of a missing girl whose family has been slaughtered at a beach area. This scenario is the exact thing that happened to Charlie when her friend Holly was killed a week after her family was murdered. Charlie does not want to get involved for many reasons but eventually agrees to do so. Before she can leave, Garland is stabbed by another inmate and despite her best efforts to save him, dies on the prison floor.
This is when the book gets interesting. It turns out that Charlie has otherworldly skills that involve recently dead people who have died violently. This is more of a curse than a blessing and causes Charlie all kinds of problems with the FBI unit when she arrives at the scene of the murder. At first it is kind of amusing reading about Charlie trying to act normal while ghostly activity is happening around her, making her seem a bit of a strange one to FBI people. There is a budding romance with Bartoli, the handsome but solid team leader. The other two members, Crane and Kaminski, are quirky and interesting with a history between them
The major twist in the book is the continued appearance of Garland and how his appearance impacts the case and Charlie’s equilibrium. Suffice it to say, it is unexpected to say the least. At first, I wasn’t sure how I felt about how the story played out but I found myself reading faster and faster to see what happened. According to the end notes there will be future books with Dr. Stone in them and it will be interesting to see how this series works. Charlie is an unusual character, a mix of strength and fears who find herself in a situation she would have never imagined. The whole premise could have gone wrong but it works. I am actually looking forward to reading more of the series and I wasn’t sure about that mid-way through. My advice is keep reading and you will be surprised how the book pulls you in. show less

Charlie has a gift...or a curse depending on how you look at it. She can see people right after they die. While it helps with Charlie's job of helping the FBI track serial killers...it can sometimes backfire...which it has now. Michael Garland who she was profiling in prison has attached himself to her and is actively haunting her. He refuses to be ignored... but is willing to help Charlie out in any way he can.

Here's where the book runs into some difficulty. it's suspenseful...it's creepy...and it has a fairly good ghost story started... and a serial killer. You would think that would have been enough. For some unknown reason...perhaps an editor or an agent told Ms. Robards "Hey we have to have a romance thrown in here." It doesn't show more work!!! A few shared kisses with the FBI agent was okay and acceptable but come on. The real romance was between Charlie and Michael Garland...yes...the serial killer that had brutally slaughtered who knows how many women and was very proud of it. Beyond sick! Parts of the story are very good but I'm not at all sure I could actually recommend this book to anyone. show less

I thought I was picking up a tossaway murder mystery, but in fact I ended up with a paranormal romance. The star is for teaching me that apparently ghost sex is a thing.