Last Day

I never determined if the mystery was genius or bent the rules of fair play. It is well written and edited. Personally I don't care for the way Christianity is always last if at all behind some mysterious far east philosophies. However, it's more of a pet peeve. The book is a page turner.

“Murder didn’t just take one life, it stole the essence, will, and ease from everyone it touched. It took their old lives and left them to make their way in a completely new and uncertain world.”

Family. Friends. Secrets. Murder. This book has it all, and then some. Beth Lathrop and her sister Kate are victims in a horrific crime that leaves their mother dead. Fast forward approximately 20 years and now Beth is found dead in an equally horrific way. First detective on the scene is Conor Reid, who was a newbie on the first case. This becomes something personal as he works the case and follows all leads.

This is a typical murder mystery with a lot of family drama and secrets thrown in. Four childhood friends consider themselves as a show more Compass Rose. This story delves into the complexities of this friendship, and the secrets they all hold. Characters are semi-likeable, although a few I found to be quite shallow. Story line moves at a fairly quick pace but parts seemed to be to drawn out for my liking. Where I thought the story might go, just seems to drop off and is never fully explained or revisited. I did like Beth’s point of view that was added towards the end.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone. show less

I don't usually read the books that Amazon Prime offers free, but I needed something mindless during this pandemic. I was able to read the whole book while listening to newscasts, and I didn't miss anything from either. I am familiar with the Old Lyme, New London, and Groton areas of the Connecticut shore, and the descriptions of those settings did bring some comfort to me during these trying times.

I gave up on Luanne Rice a long time ago; the novels she released in the 1980s and 1990s with interesting, nuanced characters gradually evolved in the 2000's into shmaltzy melodramas with cardboard heroines and hokey dialogue. But this was a cheap Amazon "First Reads" option so I took a chance again, only to remain woefully unimpressed. There was way too much info-dumping and too many unnecessary details, which made getting through the book a chore. The detective investigating the murder seems to have an unhealthy obsession with the dead woman's sister based on another tragedy that happened in their lives 20 years ago, but nobody thinks it's strange that he is fixated on a woman who was a teenager when he first met her. There are other show more inconsistencies and behaviors that make the characters feel very unrealistic. And as for the ending....well, I don't want to spoil anything but I will say it didn't make a whole lot of sense to me and felt like it came out of nowhere. Sorry, but I'll continue to pass on this author. I still recommend her earlier books such as [b:Angels All Over Town|282983|Angels All Over Town|Luanne Rice|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320506804l/282983._SY75_.jpg|286823] and [b:Summer Light|496042|Summer Light|Luanne Rice|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1175226050l/496042._SY75_.jpg|4725157] though. show less

This is the story of a mother & two daughters who were bound and gagged during a museum robbery. The mother died and the daughters struggled for years. Mysteriously, one of the daughters is murdered, again in an apparent art theft. The first half of the book seemed solid, then it seemed to fall apart with the introduction of more characters (that we didn't care about) and some strange voices from the bardo. By the time I got to the end, I didn't care! This was a free Kindle of the month read from 2019. 413 pages

This book centers around four friends—Kate and Beth (sisters), Lulu, and Scotty and the secrets they are keeping from their families and each other. When Beth is violently murdered, her husband, Pete, is the obvious suspect. However, due to lack of evidence, he is never charged. The book meanders about artists, paintings, the Connecticut landscape, and Pete’s affair but never really dives into an investigation of the murder. It was about rancid relationships, distrust, deceit, and how to have an affair and mess up your kids. I had a hard time staying with this one.

I never determined if the mystery was genius or bent the rules of fair play. It is well written and edited. Personally I don't care for the way Christianity is always last if at all behind some mysterious far east philosophies. However, it's more of a pet peeve. The book is a page turner.