A Twisty Thriller About Family Secrets and Fragile Memories
I happily got J.T. Ellison’s novel Last Seen through Amazon First Reads, which lets me choose at least one free Kindle book each month as part of my Prime membership. I remember being excited that one of her novels was available. Naturally, it took me a while to get around to reading it, and it was worth the wait.
Halley James’s life is falling apart. Her marriage is over, she’s lost her job at the forensics lab, and her dad needs emergency surgery. Back home in Marchburg, Virginia, she learns her mother didn’t die in a car accident. She was murdered, and her father has lied about it for years. Desperate for answers, Halley follows a lead to Brockville, Tennessee, a charming town with something dark underneath. It’s a twisty story about family secrets and how much we can trust our own memories.
I’ve read a couple of Ellison’s books in the past and really enjoyed them, but this one reminded me how strong her writing is. She has a real command of language and a way of letting the emotional weight sit right alongside the mystery. Halley is an easy character to root for; I wanted her to get the answers she was after. I felt for her from the start, even while recognizing she carried some responsibility for the mess her life had become. The tension stayed high, and the emotional cost of what she uncovered grew heavier the further she went.
The ending was especially emotionally heavy. In a good way, it felt like the story wasn’t going to end, and I was delighted to turn the page for another chapter. Ellison also knows how to end a suspenseful novel with even more suspense!
Last Seen held me from the first chapter to the last, and I’m so glad I finally made time for it. It left me feeling every bit of Halley’s search for the truth, and I couldn’t wait until the next time I could pick the book back up again. I was always looking forward to reading more pages. Reading it reminded me why I enjoy J.T. Ellison’s writing so much, and I can’t wait to pick up another of her books.
A final note about the book cover photo: it was taken from the deck of the Airbnb where we stayed in Sedona, Arizona. We were so fortunate to have a spectacular view of the famous red rocks. You can read all about our adventure in my blog post here.
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