The Last Time She Saw Him (A Julia Gooden Mystery)
The Last Time She Saw Him (A Julia Gooden Mystery) book cover

The Last Time She Saw Him (A Julia Gooden Mystery)

Mass Market Paperback – February 28, 2017

Price
$5.96
Publisher
Pinnacle
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-0786038770
Dimensions
4.2 x 1 x 7.5 inches
Weight
8.4 ounces

Description

Jane Haseldinexa0is a journalist, former crime reporter, columnist, and newspaper editor, who also worked in politics as the deputy director of communications for a governor.xa0Jane resides in Southern California.

Features & Highlights

  • In Jane Haseldine’s gripping and brilliantly crafted debut, a reporter searching for her kidnapped son must untangle the connection to her brother’s long-ago disappearance.
  • Julia Gooden remembers nothing about the worst night of her life. Thirty years ago, her nine-year-old brother Ben—the person who promised he would always protect her—was abducted from the room they shared. Try as she might to recall any clue or detail, there is a black hole where Julia’s memories of that terrible event should be.Now a crime reporter at a Detroit newspaper, Julia tries to give others the closure she’s never found. But guilt and grief over Ben’s disappearance have left her fearful that whoever took her brother is going to come back. Nowhere seems safe—not the city, not the suburbs, not even the secluded lake town where she plans to raise her children. And then, on the anniversary of Ben’s disappearance, Julia’s worst fears are realized when her two-year-old son, Will, is snatched from his bed.Convinced that the crimes are related, Julia tries to piece together memories from her final day with Ben. Are the sudden reminders of her brother clues that will lead her to her son’s abductor, or merely coincidence? Julia knows she has hours at best to find Will alive, but the deeper she digs, the more personal and terrifying the battle becomes, and an undying promise may be her only hope of saving herself and her son.
  • Praise for
  • The Last Time She Saw Him
  • “A sharp, breathless thriller. From the opening scene to the last,
  • The Last Time She Saw Him
  • , kept me flipping the pages. I loved it! Jane Haseldine is one to watch!” —Lisa Jackson, #1
  • New York Times
  • bestselling author“So visually written and chilling, with such real, believable characters and twists that shocked. A gripping story that I read in one night—I could not put it down . . .” —Debbie Howells, author of
  • The Bones of You
  • “Haseldine’s first novel is a solid read that fans of Debbie Howells, Julia Dahl, and Laura Lippman will appreciate.”
  • —Library Journal
  • “Terrific! Suspenseful, poignant, and completely surprising. Jane Haseldine’s riveting story of love, danger, paranoia, and family is powerfully and emotionally authentic—and deserves a standing ovation.” —Hank Phillippi Ryan, Agatha, Anthony, and Mary Higgins Clark award-winning author

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
30%
(133)
★★★★
25%
(111)
★★★
15%
(66)
★★
7%
(31)
23%
(102)

Most Helpful Reviews

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Awful

I wish I could give this zero stars. This is truly one of the worst books I’ve ever read. The dialogue is awful. The characters are stereotypes. And the plot is ridiculous. A woman who so fears for her kids’ safety that its stifling yet is a well-known crime reporter? Who then reacts to her son’s abduction with no emotion? I am shocked this was published. Who ok’d this? (And the fact that so many people like it sort of depresses me.)
2 people found this helpful
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Good Book

Kept my attention from beginning to end
✓ Verified Purchase

Good Book

Kept my attention from beginning to end
✓ Verified Purchase

Amazing new mystery!

I'll be honest...I wasn't sure what to expect from this debut novel by Jane Haseldine. Sometimes, it takes a few books to really get a good take on a new series. However, this wasn't the case with this one. I couldn't put it down! I literally read it all in less than a day.

Julia Gooden is a crime reporter with a painful past. In 1977, her older brother, Ben, was abducted from the room they shared and he is never seen again. Julia is now a mom to two boys of her own and is struggling to come to grips with her past when the unthinkable happens. Her young son is taken from her home on the anniversary of her brother's abduction. We are left wondering if the two are connected.

The suspense and action are heart-stopping. This is definitely a page turner. Since some questions aren't answered, I look forward to reading the next in the series.

I was provided a free copy of the book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.