Last Gasp
Carla CassidyRomantic suspense
Available from Signet Eclipse
ISBN: 978-0451226624
April 2009
| Fifteen years ago Allison Donovan returned from school and was met by a killer. He'd already chopped off her mother's head and murdered her younger siblings. She physically recovered from his attack, but spent a year in a psychiatric hospital, refusing to face the details. She has yet to come to terms with the crime. The father she once loved dearly is in jail for the massacre. And when Lawyer Seth Walker arrives in Crow's Creek to check on the possibility of her father's innocence, he awakens both her need for male attention and her curiosity about the past.
This is a truly engaging tale, both as a mystery and as a sweet romance. Now a single mom, Allison Clemmins is a responsible English teacher. Her teen marriage ended early with an automobile crash, but her 12-year-old son is a joy. She has always depended on her Aunt Maureen and Uncle David. Sheriff Dane Kelly handled the case years ago. These three, and just about everyone else in town, urge Allison to leave the past alone. But Allison plunges on, remembering more of her youth and discovering a few unpleasant truths about her mother Jolene. Everybody has secrets in this dusty Kansas town, and the author lets us in on them in a well-paced manner. A gangly youth with a drunken father has a crush on Allison. So does Weird Wayne, the karate instructor/auto mechanic. And there are animal mutilations and new deaths. Author Cassidy gives us a lot of twists and turns before revealing the very satisfying solution to this mystery. Seth and Allie grow slowly into their relationship, and the effect on 6th grader Sam is always considered. The child is perhaps too free of hang-ups, but the relationships seem natural and unforced. The secondary romance between Allison's best friend Michelle Keller and police deputy Rick Solomon is also well done. The characters are all complex, the action is believable, and the total package is a winner. I highly recommend this one.
Overall rating:
Reviewer: Lynn Bushey |
