Last Seen Alive - Joanna Schaffhausen

 Last Seen Alive - Joanna Schaffhausen

She read

Release Date: Jan. 25, 2021

I like Schaffhausen’s works and because I had read a few disappointing novels in a row, I chose this as my next read. This is the fifth in the Ellery Hathaway/Reed Markham series; it is the third that I have read.  As a young teenager, Ellery was kidnapped, raped, and tortured by a serial killer; she was rescued by FBI agent Markham. Now an adult, Hathaway has become a police officer in Boston.  The relationship between the two has had ups and downs, affected by the traumatic after effects of her ordeal.  

Reunited again when the imprisoned monster is willing to give information about another victim if Ellery visits him and the media wants to film it, Hathaway and Markham make a good team. Although the story is a bit of a stretch and quite graphic, it is still a can’t put down engrossing read.  It also says a lot about how the media plays with the lives of victims.  As usual, there is great character development and it is interesting to see how both Ellery and Markham have grown over the years. 

Although this could work as a standalone, I think one would get more out of it if at least a few of the prior novels have been read.   Schaffhausen is a good writer and if this genre appeals to you, her books are worth a read.   

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