Review of LAST SEEN ALONE by Laura Griffin

What a fast-paced, well-written romantic suspense! Leigh Larson is an attorney who takes on interesting cases dealing with sexual extortion and online abuse. Talk about keeping up with the times! This book does that and more. Homicide detective Brandon Reynolds crosses paths with Leigh when her client Vanessa is missing and he concludes that there may have been a murder because of the blood at the scene. Leigh decides to investigate on her own what happened to Vanessa at the same time that Brandon is investigating a possible murder. Leigh’s life is endangered by her own snooping and Brandon comes to her rescue. The romance is steamy at times, but it is a slow burn on the back burner. The real thrust of the story is what happened to Vanessa and why. The characters were three-dimensional and believable, with all of the angst that comes with trying to find out the truth while exploring a new relationship. For the mystery lover fans like me, there were plenty of red herrings and twists with an abundance of possible suspects. The mystery was well-developed, with clues given regularly for me to follow and to keep me enticed to continue to read. In fact, I could not read this book fast enough because I wanted to find out what happened to Vanessa as much as the protagonists did. The conclusion wrapped everything up in a nice, tight bow. I enjoyed the plotting and even the sub-plot of a relationship developing between Detective Antonio and Kate, Vanessa’s sister. Surprisingly, my favorite character was neither Leigh nor Brandon but rather Leigh’s partner Javi, an understanding and compassionate man who really had Leigh’s best interests at heart and wanted her to succeed in her quest for justice. I cannot say enough about how good this story was and hope that fans of creepy good romantic suspense will enjoy it as much as I did.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from author. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”