Review: The Last Victim by Karen Robards

Dr. Charlotte Stone sees what others do not.

A sought-after expert in criminal pathology, Charlie regularly sits face-to-face with madmen. Obsessed with learning what makes human monsters commit terrible crimes, Charlie desires little else from life—no doubt because when she was sixteen, she herself survived a serial killer’s bloodbath: A man butchered the family of Charlie’s best friend, Holly, then left the girl’s body on a seaside boardwalk one week later.

Because of the information Charlie gave police, the Boardwalk Killer went underground. She kept to herself her eerie postmortem visions of Holly and her mother. And even years later, knowing her contact with ghosts might undermine her credibility as a psychological expert, Charlie tells no one about the visits she gets from the spirit world.
Now all-too-handsome FBI agent Tony Bartoli is telling Charlie that a teenage girl is missing, her family slaughtered. Bartoli suspects that after fifteen years, the Boardwalk Killer—or a sick copycat with his M.O.—is back. Time is running short for an innocent, kidnapped girl, and Bartoli pleads for Charlie’s help.

This is the one case Charlie shouldn’t go near. But she also knows that she may be the one person in the world who can stop this vicious killer. For Charlie—whose good looks disguise a world of hurt, vulnerability, and potent psychic gifts—a frantic hunt for a madman soon becomes a complex test of cunning, passions, and secrets. Aiding Dr. Stone on her quest to catch a madman is a ghostly presence with bad intentions: the fiery spirit of seductive bad boy Michael Garland who refuses to be ignored, though in his cat and mouse game they may both lose their hearts.

Dr. Charlotte Stone sees what others do not. And she sees the Boardwalk Killer coming for her.

Won from Library Thing Early Reviewers
Overall Rating 3.75
Story Rating 4.25
Character Rating 3.25

First thought when finished: The Last Victim had a really good thriller aspect to the story but I could have done without the strange love “triangle”.

What I Thought of the Story: The Last Victim had a very intriguing case that looped together the past and the present. I actually really enjoyed the case aspect of this story. Karen Robards did a great job of keeping us guessing. Were we looking for the same guy from the earlier case? Were we looking for someone new? How were the two tied together? As we worked our way through the new cases while figuring out what was the same as the older cases, we learned a lot about Charlotte Stone (the lead character) and her past.

What I Thought of the Characters: Love Triangle=UGH! I am just not a fan of love triangles and in this case it was just downright creepy! Charlotte was an interesting leading character and while I liked her, I felt that her personal life choices made her hard to relate too. She has a special gift, she can see ghosts of people who died suddenly and horribly. It is more of a curse to her and she doesn’t handle it very well at all. I can’t quite figure out why she hasn’t tried to learn to get more comfortable with her gift but she just doesn’t want too. I do have a theory about one of the two people involved in the triangle but can’t talk about it without giving something away. Let’s just say that I don’t think he is what he appears but as it stands, him being involved (with her current knowledge of him) is just not understandable to me at all. Yes, this made me think less of Charlotte and not enjoy the character arc of the story.

Final Thought: Despite what I said about the love triangle, if this turns into a series I will be reading it! I think Karen writes an excellent thriller. Plus, I am curious to see if my theory pans out.

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Felicia S

Blogger at Geeky Bloggers Book Blog

Felicia is just your average gal from Texas that loves Audiobooks and Libraries with a passion! She can wine them, dine them, and love them forever. Her eclectic reading tastes include: Cozy Mysteries, Thrillers, Swoon-Worthy Romance of all kinds, Zombies, Urban Fantasy, Historical Fiction, and the occasional YA read.

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