"Shields FBI romantic suspense thriller"

Internationally renowned archeologist Dr. Daria McGowan is euphoric that Howe University has provided with the first public exhibit of the incredible find of her great grandfather. In 1908 in Asia Minor, Alistair McGowan located the lost ancient city of Shandihar. The artifacts he brought home a century ago will finally be on display in Pennsylvania.

As Daria prepares the exhibit, she notices some of the more valuable items listed in the meticulously accurate catalogue are missing. She turns to FBI Agent Connor Shields, whom she previously met for assistance. Connor has not forgotten her and sees this as an opportunity to see where their attraction leads them. They follow leads to the new owners of the artifacts, but in each case that person was brutally slain in a ritual killing with the artifact gone. Connor assumes that a Middle East based cult sworn to die to protect and in this case recover the treasures of the lost city are the killers, which means Daria is on the hit list.

The latest Shields FBI romantic suspense thriller (see LAST WORD and LAST LOOK) is a thrilling whodunit that grips the audience from the onset when the person in the shadows vows to correct his failure (in 1908) and never slows down until the finish. The story is a fast-paced cat and mouse struggle between the lead pair and a diabolical dedicated killer with a lucid objective to cleanse the mistake of the last century. Mariah Stewart is at her best with the final Shields saga.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted July 24, 2007

Summary

You've taken your Last Look. You've spoken your Last Words. Now prepare to surrender your Last Breath to New York Times bestselling author Mariah Stewart, in this tour de force of suspense, romance, and action.

As renowned archaeologist Dr. Daria McGowan readies the most important project of her career—a University museum exhibit showcasing the priceless artifacts her great-grandfather unearthed a century earlier in the Middle East—she makes a shocking discovery: many of the most significant pieces have vanished. Panicked, Daria turns to the FBI.

Solving the mystery is an assignment that Connor Shields is more than happy to accept: Daria is the same intriguing blonde archaeologist he's had on his mind since their paths first crossed two years ago. Working together to track down the stolen artifacts, Daria and Connor discover a trail of bodies—collectors who have met brutal, bizarre ends at the hands of a killer whose murderous methods are based on the rituals of an ancient civilization.

Amid rumors of a curse and mounting pressure from both the FBI and the University, Daria and Connor race to unmask their enemy and unravel a mystery stretching across oceans and centuries. All the while, an ingenious murderer follows a sinister plan to gather the coveted antiquities and one last acquisition—Daria.