Last Seen Alone

Laura Griffin

Sep 2021 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

When they face the most baffling missing person's case of their careers, a fiercely ambitious lawyer and a homicide detective have no one to turn to for help except each other, from New York Times bestselling author Laura Griffin.

Up-and-coming attorney Leigh Larson fights for victims of sexual extortion, harassment, and online abuse. She is not afraid to go after the sleaziest targets to get payback for her clients. Leigh is laser-focused on her career—to the exclusion of everything else—until a seemingly routine case and a determined cop turn her world upside down.

Austin homicide detective Brandon Reynolds is no stranger to midnight callouts. But when he gets summoned to an abandoned car on a desolate road, he quickly realizes he's dealing with an unusual crime scene. A pool of blood in the nearby woods suggests a brutal homicide. But where is the victim? The vehicle is registered to twenty-six-year-old Vanessa Adams. Searching the car, all Brandon finds is a smear of blood and a business card for Leigh Larson, attorney-at-law.

Vanessa had hired Leigh just before her disappearance, but Leigh has no leads on who could have wanted her dead. Faced with bewildering evidence and shocking twists, Leigh and Brandon must work against the clock to chase down a ruthless criminal who is out for vengeance.

Ratings and reviews

What a fast-paced, well-written romantic suspense! Leigh Larson is an attorney who takes on interesting cases dealing with sexual extortion and online abuse. Talk about keeping up with the times! This book does that and more. Homicide detective Brandon Reynolds crosses paths with Leigh when her client Vanessa is missing and he concludes that there may have been a murder because of the blood at the scene. Leigh decides to investigate on her own what happened to Vanessa at the same time that Brandon is investigating a possible murder. Leigh’s life is endangered by her own snooping and Brandon comes to her rescue. The romance is steamy at times, but it is a slow burn on the back burner. The real thrust of the story is what happened to Vanessa and why. The characters were three-dimensional and believable, with all of the angst that comes with trying to find out the truth while exploring a new relationship. For the mystery lover fans like me, there were plenty of red herrings and twists with an abundance of possible suspects. The mystery was well-developed, with clues given regularly for me to follow and to keep me enticed to continue to read. In fact, I could not read this book fast enough because I wanted to find out what happened to Vanessa as much as the protagonists did. The conclusion wrapped everything up in a nice, tight bow. I enjoyed the plotting and even the sub-plot of a relationship developing between Detective Antonio and Kate, Vanessa’s sister. Surprisingly, my favorite character was neither Leigh nor Brandon but rather Leigh’s partner Javi, an understanding and compassionate man who really had Leigh’s best interests at heart and wanted her to succeed in her quest for justice. I cannot say enough about how good this story was and hope that fans of creepy good romantic suspense will enjoy it as much as I did. Disclaimer Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from author. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

I know when I pick up a Laura Griffin book I'm going to get immersed in a really good mystery that has enough of a romance to keep me hooked, and this was no exception. Brandon Reynolds and his partner Antonio get called in when a car is found abandoned on the side of the road with the passenger door open, all of a woman's belongings - purse and phone - in the car and a smear of blood on the door. One of their first visits is to Leigh Larson, an attorney specializing in stalkers and revenge porn cases. Her card was found in the victim's car. From there we are taken on a journey of mystery as both the detectives and Leigh become embroiled in trying to figure out where the victim is and what happened. I loved this story - you feel the chemistry between Leigh and Brandon from their first meeting and although the romance is secondary to the mystery, I very much enjoyed the slow burn build up of that. This mystery had me intrigued and I kept wondering who it was, and what had happened and it wasn't at all easy to guess. I love how these books are written - I have no experience or knowledge to gauge how accurate the procedural aspects of the story are, but it feels like you are reading about real people and real situations. Once I started this, I didn't want to put it down until I reached the end. Hoping we get another one featuring Antonio, Brandon's partner. Thank you to NetGalley and Headline Eternal for the Advance Reader Copy. I have voluntarily left an honest review.

About the author

Laura Griffin is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than twenty-five books and novellas. She is a two-time RITA Award winner as well as the recipient of the Daphne du Maurier Award.