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There are currently 27 member reviews
for The Last Girl
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Eloise F. (Poway, CA)
Best read as part of the series
I've waited to review this book until I read the earlier books in the series. Once I read those, I felt much more positive about The Last Girl, though I feel it's the weakest in the series. It does stand alone, but the characters and relationships are better understood with the background of the earlier stories. If you like the genre you will like this book; if you like settings in England you will like this book. And I think you will like the earlier ones in the series even more.
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Jane N. (Little Egg Harbor, NJ)
Secrets
What I enjoyed most about this story was how the secrets kept coming and being revealed. Or at least I thought that they were being revealed! This story has endings that you don't see coming. There are plots within plots and these make for delightful reading. I enjoyed the way loved the way that Jane Casey wove all of the stories together. Overall a good, fast read that really satisfies. She is a new author to me an d one that I will read again!
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Janet P. (Houston, TX)
The Last Girl
A complex who-done-it from start to the final chapter, THE LAST GIRL by Jane Casey includes all the necessities for success: difficult character relationships, a smart plot, vivid imagery and an abundance of food for thought. Unlike most thrillers these days, Casey's THE LAST GIRL is a thinking reader's delight.
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Monica W. (Port Jefferson, NY)
The Last Girl by Jane Casey
I have to admit the only contemporary British mystery I have read before this one was Elizabeth George's Inspector Lynley mysteries. I also knew that this is book 3 in a series. Usually I have to read series in order, but that was not going to work within the time frame. Fortunately there is enough background provided so even readers who have not read the first two books quickly get a grip on the characters. The story opens with a young girl desperate to please her father swimming laps in the pool. She finishes and goes inside and finds her mother and twin sister murdered- stabbed to death. The father/husband of the murdered mother and daughter is one Phillip Kennford - high powered attorney who defends those who most find indefensible. With a client list like that it seems likely the Kennford is the real target. However no good, well plotted mystery ever goes in such a nice straight line and this book is no exception. DC (Detective Constable) Maeve Kerrigan is on the case as well as being involved in a series of brutal gang murders (the Kennford case drives most of the plot, but the gang murders do pop up from time to time). Let's face it, its highly unlikely the police are only working on one case at a time. The characters are well written, smart, and well rounded. Even those who don't have a major role are well described. The story starts off a bit slow, but starts to pick up as more and more mysteries are discovered. Maeve's personal life is part of the narrative. She struggles at times to just be happy in her relationship which makes her a nicely well rounded character. The interpersonal relationships are well written and interesting. The characters are human with all too human flaws and frailties. The mystery itself is good, nicely complex and well written. I think I may have found a new mystery series to read...
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Sandra S. (Charlotte, NC)
The Last Girl
I enjoyed the plot of this book and thought that the characters were very well written. The main character had real life flaws and seemed real overall. The mystery to the novel was interesting and kept me guessing until very near the end. I would definitely recommend this book.
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Monica G. (San Antonio, TX)
Fast Moving Read
DC Maeve Kerrigan is a fresh detective with a condescending, know it all, chauvinistic partner and a boss who may or may not be tumbling from the pedestal on which she's placed him. Factor in the current case of a prominent defense attorney who is unwilling to work with the police to help find the killer of his murdered wife and daughter, and you've got a pretty lively read.
I'd like to have read all the books in this series as there are some back stories that play a bit into the plot but overall, this book stands alone. The character types are a little tired but their personalities are solid and thought out. Even though Kerrigan's partner is a thorn, Kerrigan holds her own and works the case in spite of it. The fact that she is somewhat "fresh" helps her see the case the way her partner cannot and her boss, the police superintendent appreciates and respects that about her.
DC Maeve Kerrigan has her flaws. She isn't a genius who is able to make cognitive leaps to immediately solve the crime. She is human and she is a good investigator and this is what translates into a good read.
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Molly K. (San Jose, CA)
A Delicious Whodunnit
I found this story entertaining. It kept me guessing all the way. Generally, I don't care for novels written in the first person, one dimensional at best, narcissistic at worst. But, this story is told through conversation, and it is delightful.
Characters are well developed, and the reader has no trouble keeping track of who's who.
Downsides: The detective Derwent is one eyelash short of being misogynistic, and his sexual bantering with Maeve is tasteless and unwelcome. I also found Maeve's constant wariness of her boyfriend tiresome.
Overall, a good read, and I plan to read her two previous books.
