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Thursday, August 12, 2021

The Last Time She Died by Zoe Sharp

Gideon Fitzroy never reported his daughter Blake as missing, instead, he encouraged the rumor that Blake was a runaway.  Ten years later, shortly after Fitzroy's death in an auto accident, Blake Fitzroy shows up at his funeral.

Unsurprisingly, his second wife as well as several others are shocked and dismayed at the arrival of a calm, cool twenty-five-year-old on the scene claiming to be Blake.  

The Blake who shows up is not the shy fifteen-year-old who went missing a decade ago, but a composed, self-possessed young woman.  A  con artist, hoping to gain control of the estate through the will?

Detective John Byron, on medical leave from the Met, has also shown up for the funeral.  He has no official authority, but it appears that he does have a purpose.

Byron is a shrewd and competent detective, but he is on medical leave, not at all certain he should be back at work, and a little curious about this assignment.  His boss, however, wants Byron back in the game unofficially in order to motivate his interest in returning to work full time.

Unsure what to think about the young woman claiming to be Blake Fitzroy, Byron is intrigued.  His initial assignment changes with Blake's unexpected arrival throwing everything up in the air.  

Blake has an agenda, but her goal seems less to do with gaining an inheritance and more to do with the events that caused her to runaway ten years ago...and to stay away until Gideon Fitzroy was dead.  If she is, indeed, Blake Fitzroy.  And whether or not she is, Blake certainly has some skills in housebreaking.

Both characters and plot kept me involved and eager to know what happened next! Enough information to make you eager to keep track of details, but not enough to feel confident who is responsible.  Exactly the way I like it. :)

An absorbing and entertaining mystery with characters I'm eager to read more about!

NetGalley/Bookoutre   

Mystery/thriller.  Oct. 20, 2021.   

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 I don't answer unknown numbers,
but I do think this would be fun.


17 comments:

  1. Hahaha! I love that "whisper" meme.

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    1. :) A bit of fun in the annoying world of scam, political, and robocalls!

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  2. Sounds like an interesting book. Zoe Sharp goes on my reading list.

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    1. I haven't read Zoe Sharp before, but I enjoyed this one. :)

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  3. That's an intriguing plot. I can see why you are eager to read more.

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    1. Both plot and pacing were good, and I liked the characters. I may check Sharp's other books while waiting for the next in this new series.

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  4. This one sounds like fun. The author is new to me, but I like the promised twists of her plot. And the timing may be right for someone new because I just abandoned my 13th novel of 2021 this morning...and it was written by someone I've grown to respect and enjoy. Maybe I'm going a bit stale on fiction right now.

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    1. I just stopped reading Nevada Barr's most recent novel and am not sure if I'll abandon it or go back later and see if my attitude has changed. Don't know if it is me or the surging covid problems or the heat/humidity, but my patience is limited!

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  5. I love the sound of this one! Your description of the characters alone totally makes me want to read it. :)

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    1. I really enjoyed it! The characters were great and plot was intriguing!

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  6. This one sounds so good! And I love that meme. I can just imagine the panic on the other end of the phone, lol!

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    1. The Last Time She Died kept me engrossed throughout. :) The meme is funny--we all get so tired of calls from unknown numbers!

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  7. This does sound good. I want to know if Blake is really Blake! I love the idea of an imposter infiltrating a family like that.

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    1. Blake sure put a spanner in the plans of a lot of the characters!

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  8. This book sounds great! And that meme cracks me up!!

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  9. I like the sound of this plot. Intriguing.

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  10. I haven't read anything by this author but I've heard positive reviews of her books. And, I totally want to do that when I get an unknown caller! haha...

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