Page Princess: LAST SEEN ALIVE by Joanna Schaffhausen

Title: LAST SEEN ALIVE
Series: Ellery Hathaway #5
Author: Joanna Schaffhausen
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Publish Date: 01.25.2022
Category /Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
Recommended for: 18+
Grammar/editing: received as an unedited ARC / errors excused
Received from: St. Martin’s Press
Goodreads link: Last Seen Alive
Date completed: 09.21.2021

Description from the publisher:
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.
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LAST SEEN ALIVE is the fifth book in the Ellery Hathaway series. This is a series of mystery, suspense, crime novels featuring Ellery Hathaway.

Though I know this is a continuation of a series, I was not lost for even one minute. This story will stand on its own, but I *really* wish I had read the previous books. The characters are too intriguing, too perfectly flawed, and too real to not want more.

Children are told that if they don’t listen, the boogey-man will get them. Girls don’t outgrow the frightening beasts the same way that boys can. We are always vulnerable

Ellery’s personal boogeyman has returned!

Chillingly real suspense that had me sneaking away for another chapter as often as possible throughout the day. I could not put this down!

Reading about a fictional serial killer allows me to indulge my own curiosity in the subject in a safe place. I loved my Criminal Justice class in college because I want to know “why.” Stories like this help me look for more whys…and to realize that sane people will never understand the crazy ones’ rationalizations.

Note: While I received this book as a gifted ARC via NetGalley, my opinions are my own and are given freely.

Ellery Hathaway Series:
1.      The Vanishing Season
2.      No Mercy
3.      All the Best Lies
4.      Every Waking Hour
5.      Last Seen Alive
Also from Joanna Schaffhausen:
Detective Annalisa Vega Detective Series:
1.      Gone for Good
2.      Long Gone