"A reasonably good mystery/suspense read"

Sally Harrington is a journalist who lives in a small Connecticut town where she and her family have resided for many years. Her father died when she was young -- from suspicious circumstances that are a big part of the backstory of this book.

The story opens when Sally and her current boyfriend are at a posh Hollywood party. Her boyfriend is an editor for a New York publisher who is publishing a book by the CEO of a major Hollywood studio. That evening they get involved with a movie starlet who is in the running for an Oscar. Sally and her boyfriend give the actress a ride home after the party. After going into the house for a nightcap, Sally soon finds out that her boyfriend has set her up for a possible 'threesome'. Sally is horrified. She and her boyfriend (Spencer) have a major fight in the car and she dumps him on the roadside.

After this, things get murky... The next day finds Lilliana (the movie star) missing, and not long after Spencer is also seemingly MIA. Sally returns to Connecticut assuming that they have gone off together, and tries to resume her life writing for a local paper as well as a new career move for a television network in New York. However, the story continues as various characters continue to be either missing or found dead, and Sally seems to be caught in the middle of murder and mayhem involving Hollywood and the mob. Her journalistic senses are on high alert and she goes in search of answers...

This is the first Van Wormer book I have read, but I am told that she is renowned for including a huge cast of secondary characters. This book is no exception, and at times it can get quite confusing to keep track of who is who. The pacing is rather slow for the first half of the book, but picks up more in the second half.

Sally is a reasonably sympathetic character, although frustrating at times. There is no real romance in this book, except for Sally's possible reunion with a previous boyfriend she dumped for the book editor. There is no sex -- other than that of an incriminating video that turns up in Sally's hometown.

I should also mention that the book is written in first- person, as I know that some readers have preferences in this regard.

If you are looking for romance and sensuality, then this isn't the book; but if you're in the mood for a reasonably good mystery/suspense read, then The Last Lover may fit the bill.

Reviewed by Cathryn Jones
Courtesy Sensual Romance
Posted January 13, 2002