BOOK
REVIEW
last seen alive
I came across this book when I had nothing else to read and thought I’d
give it a try. As I was reading along, I felt it was a pretty straight forward
psychological thriller. I didn’t have all of the answers, but I had a pretty good
idea where it was headed and then BAM! What just happened? It threw me
so completely off guard that I thought maybe I had fallen asleep and missed
a few chapters. Eventually it started making sense again, although I had to
change all of the pre-conceived ideas. Let me try and explain.
Libby and Jamie Hall, a young couple living in a small city flat in Bath,
England, are invited to participate in a house swap with a well-to-do couple
who live in a beautiful house in the country. The couple need a place to stay in
the city while their daughter is having heart surgery. Libby, who is recovering
from a fire at the school where she works, and also having had a miscarriage,
thinks that this is just what she and Jamie need for a fresh start. So, they
pack up and head to the amazing house for a two week stay.
Of course, things aren’t as idyllic as they first seemed. Libby feels that they
are being watched and strange things start happening. After they find some
disturbing things in the basement of the house, and Jamie comes down with
food poisoning, they head for home. I was so relieved when they left that
house! But the book was hardly halfway over, so I knew that there was plenty
more where that came from!
After they return home, money is stolen from their accounts and other
accounts are opened in their name where packages are delivered that they
didn’t order. But when a man shows up dead in their garden, Libby is sure
that something from her past has caught up with her. It seems that she has
some dark secrets from her younger years that she has kept from Jamie, and
unfortunately, they are catching up with her fast.
This is when the book goes back to revisit Libby’s life in Thailand at the age
of 21, and the whole story changes. At first the change was a little confusing.
In fact, it took a couple of chapters to wrap my head around what was
happening. It seemed to have a whole new bunch of characters that I hadn’t
met yet and I wasn’t sure how they all tied into the first half of the book. But
hold on to your seat, because this is when it all gets a little crazy. This book
was tough to put down from the very beginning, but when the story changed
it really had me hooked. It has so many twists and turns until you have no
idea who to believe or what on earth might happen next. It was exhausting!
And I loved it!
I give this book 5 roses. It was just that good. It also seems that the author,
Claire Douglas, has two other novels that I will definitely put on my reading
list. You might be hearing about her again in the future!
In the meantime, read a book! If it’s a good read, pass it on!
24 TYBEE BEACHCOMBER | FEB 2019
By Nell Klein
By Claire Douglas
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