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Last to Die
Written by Tess Gerritsen
Narrated by Tanya Eby
Book Actions
Start Listening- Publisher:
- Brilliance Audio
- Released:
- Aug 28, 2012
- ISBN:
- 9781469201900
- Format:
- Audiobook (abridged)
Description
While visiting Julian "Rat" Perkins, the 16-year-old boy with whom she survived a terrible ordeal, Maura Isles is startled to learn that all the students at Evensong are survivors of violence. Isolated in the Maine wilderness, the boarding school teaches its students the science and investigative skills needed for a high-level crimefighting career.
Meanwhile in Boston, Detective Jane Rizzoli investigates the murder of Teddy Clock's foster family, a slaughter that only Teddy survived. When Teddy is also threatened, Rizzoli hides him at Evensong. But she and Maura discover that even the secluded school cannot shut out a gathering threat, and that the key to the murders is within its gates.
Book Actions
Start ListeningBook Information
Last to Die
Written by Tess Gerritsen
Narrated by Tanya Eby
Description
While visiting Julian "Rat" Perkins, the 16-year-old boy with whom she survived a terrible ordeal, Maura Isles is startled to learn that all the students at Evensong are survivors of violence. Isolated in the Maine wilderness, the boarding school teaches its students the science and investigative skills needed for a high-level crimefighting career.
Meanwhile in Boston, Detective Jane Rizzoli investigates the murder of Teddy Clock's foster family, a slaughter that only Teddy survived. When Teddy is also threatened, Rizzoli hides him at Evensong. But she and Maura discover that even the secluded school cannot shut out a gathering threat, and that the key to the murders is within its gates.
- Publisher:
- Brilliance Audio
- Released:
- Aug 28, 2012
- ISBN:
- 9781469201900
- Format:
- Audiobook (abridged)
About the author
Related to Last to Die
Reviews
Last to Die is the story of three children who are connected in a very unique way: their parents had been killed some time ago, and recently their foster parents have met the same fate. This is the story of Claire, a girl of thirteen, whom took a bullet to the head and survived; of Teddy, who’s kind of weird; and of Will, who likes doing nothing more than looking at the night sky and searching to find a new comet.
These three children were hit by tragedy twice and somehow they survived, but it seems whoever is responsible for the murders will never rest until he kills them too.
In this story we have a blood-thirsty avenger, secret societies, brilliant kids, tortured psyches, secrets and lies and plenty of action, which keeps the reader’s interest alive from beginning to end, and it’s exactly then that it poses a question that more often than not arises into the readers minds too: Who is going to protect us from the so called protectors?
As the suspense builds, Gerritsen provides much needed comic relief. Boston PD homicide detective Jane Rizzoli’s mother, Angela, is involved in an unlikely love triangle. Her fiance, Vince, and her soon-to-be ex-husband, Frank, are at each other’s throats, and Jane would like to strangle both of them. However, she is too preoccupied with the slaughter of Bernard and Cecilia Ackerman, who were in the process of adopting Teddy Clock when they were gunned down along with their three daughters. Maura and Jane eventually discover that there is a connection between Evensong and the massacres; the two women put their heads together to get to the bottom of this gigantic mess.
The author effectively captures the emotional pain of teenagers whose peers shun and tease them; the strain of trying to recover from harrowing experiences that leave a person emotionally scarred; and the terrible consequences of unfettered greed and the desire for revenge. The author is a skilled storyteller who keeps us engrossed and entertained. In addition, Maura and Jane are bright and engaged professionals who handle crises with aplomb. The pair get plenty of practice when they are forced to deal with a vicious and remorseless killer with a hidden agenda. “Last to Die” has strong dialog and exciting action sequences, but the plot unravels a bit during the over-the-top conclusion. In spite of its less than scintillating finale, “Last to Die” will keep readers engrossed while they try to figure out who done it and why.
If you like murder, mystery and suspense you will like any of Gerritsen's books and this one is no exception. I recommend this to anyone that likes a quick read with lots of action.
Many thanks to Net Galley and Ballantine Books for this advanced readers copy.
4 Stars
Synopsis: Three children survive the annihilation of their families only to be victims for a second time. What is the connection between them and who has targeted them for death? Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles must face their most determined adversary yet.
Review: An improvement on the last two books in the series. The mystery is fast-paced and thrilling with some clever twists and turns that keep you turning the pages.
The secondary characters are well-developed, particularly the children, Teddy, Will and Claire, which makes it easy to sympathize with their predicament and become engrossed in the plot. Moreover, the Evensong school serves as an intriguing backdrop and the descriptions of classes, teachers and student dynamics provides an extra dimension to the story. The subplot involving Julian "Rat" Perkins and the Jackals seems to suggest that Gerritsen is planning a YA spin-off.
The weakest aspect of the book is the development of Jane and Maura's characters. It seems that Gerritsen has reached a plateau in this area and has nowhere to go with it. Maura is at a crossroads in both her personal and professional life and her story lacks closure. Jane is happily married and her only issue is dealing with her obnoxious family (the Rizzolis in the TV series are much more likable bunch).
All in all, a gripping read although the main characters need more direction.
I am going to rate this as a 3/5 stars. I liked the story enough to continue reading it, however, I simply felt like I was going through the motions just to finish the story. I was finding myself having a hard time staying engaged with the story and just wanting to quickly finish it. That is until that last 10% of the book. Up until that point, I was determined that my review was going to be only 2/5 stars, because I just was not interested or invested in the story that I was being told, but once it started really diving into the investigation (which took entirely too long to get to, I felt), it was quite intricate and interesting. The ending was quite unique and definitely was not the ending that I would have ever suspected based on any part of the story. I would have preferred that the story moved along a little quicker than what it had. I did feel like the author did possess great writing skills and built great, solid characters throughout the story. Their stories were not quite as in depth as most stories one would read, however, I would merely chalk that up to this being book #10 in the Series!
I liked the fact that I could never guess the outcome from any point in the book other than once it was actually happening . I felt that the characters were pretty in depth and the story line was that of no other. I felt like they were likable, believable characters. I believe that the characters created were really able to be identified with and were really able to evoke many different emotions as I read about each of them. I believe that it had a good plot, with plenty of great antagonists, but I just wasn't excited about the story until the very end. I did feel like there were a lot of character's to keep up with at times, but that didn't interfere with the story too much.
This story didn't leave me dying to go out and buy another from this series, however, it is, by far, not the worst book that I've ever read either. It did keep my interests peaked enough to continue reading, but that's about as far as it was, peaked, not intrigued like I feel like I thought it would based on the description of the book. I felt as if I was merely watching a show that I knew would be over soon enough, so you keep watching just to finish it!
The book does correlate with the television series in some ways but not nearly as many as one may think. I love the television series, which is probably what generated as much excitement for me to pick up the book, and I don't think that after reading this book, that my opinion has changed. However, after reading this book, I must say that I wouldn't hesitate to read another story by this author, as, possibly a different story line, may be just the change that I need to thoroughly enjoy this book. I just wasn't thrilled with the story!
However, I would advise other reader's to consider their own likes/dislikes, as this book came highly recommended to me, it just may not have fit my particular set of preferences for this particular story line, but will not persuade me not to pursue future and/or previous stories from this author!