Synopsis
“Up-and-coming attorney Leigh Larson fights for victims of sexual extortion, harassment, and online abuse. She is not afraid to go after the sleaziest targets to get payback for her clients. Leigh is laser-focused on her career – to the exclusion of everything else – until a seemingly routine case and a determined cop turn her world upside down.
Austin homicide detective Brandon Reynolds is no stranger to midnight callouts. But when he gets summoned to an abandoned car on a desolate road, he quickly realizes he’s dealing with an unusual crime scene. A pool of blood in the nearby woods suggests a brutal homicide. But where is the victim? The vehicle is registered to twenty-six-year-old Vanessa Adams. Searching the car, Brandon finds a smear of blood and a business card for Leigh Larson, attorney-at-law.
Vanessa had hired Leigh just before her disappearance, but Leigh has no leads on who could have wanted her dead. Faces with bewildering evidence and shocking twists, Leigh and Brandon must work against the clock to chase down a ruthless criminal who is out for vengeance.”
-Synopsis from back of the book
Review
Last Seen Alone is Laura Griffin’s newest standalone romantic suspense novel. The story begins with Vanessa Adams running from something, or someone. It’s a short scene, but it’s powerful enough for the reader to know that whatever she’s running from is frightening and possibly life threatening.
Detective Brandon Reynolds meets his partner, Anotonio Pena, at the scene where Vanessa’s abandoned car was discovered. There is evidence at the scene that leads them to believe she didn’t simply walk away on her own, that they may be dealing with a homicide. As the synopsis reveals, Brandon discovers Leigh Larson’s business card in Vanessa’s car. He later tracks Leigh down to find out her connection to Vanessa, but Leigh doesn’t have any idea who she is.
Leigh and her work partner Javier Mendez are still in the early days of building their law practice. Leigh is always busy putting in hours with clients or trial prep, so it makes sense that she wouldn’t have remembered her first encounter with Vanessa. But once she does, she begins her own pseudo-investigation to find out what happened to her.
Brandon wants Leigh to stay out of the investigation, but unfortunately for him, she has a natural talent for tracking people down, and she is able to provide him clues and possible suspects in Vanessa’s disappearance. Whoever wanted to hurt Vanessa might see Leigh as a threat, however, and Brandon doesn’t want her involved in the case any further. If only it were that simple!
I won’t reveal more than that. There were so many twists in this story and it was fun to see the surprises in each new chapter. I had no idea what would happen at the end, especially have a big reveal about halfway through. Brandon and Leigh make a great team both professionally and romantically, and I was rooting for them the entire story.
As much as I love the various series that Laura Griffin writes, her standalone novels are just as good! I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy thrillers and romantic suspense.
Hannah's Library 