Last Seen Alive (Ellery Hathaway #5) by Joanna Schaffhausen
Publication Date: January 25th 2022 by Minotaur Books
Pages: 320
Source: Publisher & Purchased Audiobook
Rating: ★★★★
My
Thoughts:
I’ve been loving the Ellery Hathaway series. Book five, Last
Seen Alive was an exciting installment (conclusion?) that I didn’t want to
put down!
When the evil Francis Coben, Ellery’s now imprisoned captor,
offers up the location of one of the murder victims never found only if Ellery
comes to see him, she must facedown her tormentor. It’s the situation I knew would come eventually
and things did play out a bit predictably with Coben. I was disappointed by TSTL moves by Ellery, and
really, I wondered how she didn’t clue in on the identity of the person helping
Coben! Even with all that, the story was
thrilling! I was on the edge of my seat, and I had to set everything aside so I
could read through to the end! I’m happy
with how it all turned out.
There is a new mystery introduced and solved with each book,
but with Ellery’s history and the progression of her relationship with Reed, (the
FBI agent who originally rescued her from Coben), it’s a series best read in order.
I went back and forth between an e-copy and audio version. Seth Podowitz did a wonderful job with both male and female voices. I enjoyed Danielle Gensler's female voices, but wasn't thrilled with her performance of Coben's voice. Still, I'd recommend the audio version. I listened at 1.5x normal speed.
4 Stars
Book Description:
The fifth book in Joanna Schaffhausen's heartpounding Ellery Hathaway mystery series.
Boston detective Ellery Hathaway met FBI agent Reed Markham when he pried open a serial killer’s closet to rescue her. Years on, their relationship remains defined by that moment and by Francis Coben’s horrific crimes. To free herself from Coben’s legacy, Ellery had to walk away from Reed, too. But Coben is not letting go so easily. He has an impossible proposition: Coben will finally give up the location of the remaining bodies, on one condition—Reed must bring him Ellery.
Now the families of the missing victims are crying out for justice that only Ellery can deliver. The media hungers for a sequel and Coben is their camera-ready star. He claims he is sorry and wants to make amends. But Ellery is the one living person who has seen the monster behind the mask and she doesn’t believe he can be redeemed. Not after everything he’s done. Not after what she’s been through. And certainly not after a fresh body turns up with Coben’s signature all over it.
