Dr. Charlotte Stone is an expert on serial killers. She's also the only survivor of the vicious Boardwalk Killer. When a series of family murders resembles the Boardwalk case, she's asked to consult on the case by the FBI.
Her adventures bring her into contact with a hunky FBI agent and his team, as well as the ghost of a man she tried to save. Charlie sees dead people, especially the recently departed, such as Michael Garland who was murdered in the hallway as she left the prison to join the FBI team. Her efforts to save him were futile, but they caused him to "attach" to her. This is where the story became too much for me.
From that point, Charlie juggles her attraction to the agent, Tony Bartoli, and Garland, the apparition, while at the same time trying to find the killer.
I received this book as part of the Early Reviewers program on Library Thing. I cannot say I loved the book, but I was absorbed by it and finished it. I'd rate it 3 1/2 stars out of 5. It is well written and the characters are well-crafted, although cliched (Charlie is beautiful and smart; Bartoli is a hunk and Garland is a seductive bad boy). There's a twist at the end that I didn't see coming that I found too too convenient. Maybe it's just me.
If you enjoy paranormal fiction, this may be the book for you. I have two copies to give away. Contact me by email and I'll send them on.
Details:
The Last Victim, by Karen Robards
Published by Ballantine Books
384 pages, paperback
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