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Title: Last Seen
Author: J.L. Doucette
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Length: 330 pages (paperback)
Sensitive Content: Some Graphic Crime Scenes
Rating: 3 out of 5 |
Set in rural Sweetwater County, Wyoming, we are introduced to Dr. Pepper Hunt, a psychiatrist whose patient (Kimi) has recently gone missing. Dr. Hunt is a transplant to the area and feels that she truly belongs. She's also battling her own personal trauma, which she managed to leave behind with the migration from the city to rural setting.
The Sheriff visits Dr. Hunt's office, asking questions and letting Dr. Hunt know that Kimi is missing. Kimi has been disassociating, letting Dr. Hunt know that she's awoken in places that she didn't even know she was at. The initial thought is this could be one of her episodes, but the longer she's gone, the more people believe she's missing. Another theory is that it could be the serial rapist as she was covering that story for the local paper.
The Sheriff assigns the case to Detective Antelope, who just happens to be Kimi's cousin. The Sheriff is focusing on Kimi's husband Kevin while the Detective is focusing on Kimi's brother Diego. Given the number of sex offenders in town, a high percentage for a population of this size, it is decided that they need to try to eliminate suspects. Another thought is that Cedric Yee, her peer at the paper who idolizes her, could be a suspect.
Who did it? I was kept guessing until almost the end.
As far as the mystery part of the book, I felt that it held my interested as I didn't figure out "who did it" immediately. For the thriller part, there wasn't a sense of urgency. Kimi's husband is more upset that he's alone on Christmas than the fact that his wife is missing. Dr. Hunt doesn't seem to realize that Kimi might actually be in danger until halfway through the book.
The book is positioned as the first in a series of Dr. Pepper Hunt mysteries. If that wasn't on the cover, I would have assumed the series would be positioned as Detective Antelope. One last item, the book needed a bit more editing. At points it was confusing as there wasn't a clear delineation of POV, specifically at the end of the book.
The Sheriff visits Dr. Hunt's office, asking questions and letting Dr. Hunt know that Kimi is missing. Kimi has been disassociating, letting Dr. Hunt know that she's awoken in places that she didn't even know she was at. The initial thought is this could be one of her episodes, but the longer she's gone, the more people believe she's missing. Another theory is that it could be the serial rapist as she was covering that story for the local paper.
The Sheriff assigns the case to Detective Antelope, who just happens to be Kimi's cousin. The Sheriff is focusing on Kimi's husband Kevin while the Detective is focusing on Kimi's brother Diego. Given the number of sex offenders in town, a high percentage for a population of this size, it is decided that they need to try to eliminate suspects. Another thought is that Cedric Yee, her peer at the paper who idolizes her, could be a suspect.
Who did it? I was kept guessing until almost the end.
As far as the mystery part of the book, I felt that it held my interested as I didn't figure out "who did it" immediately. For the thriller part, there wasn't a sense of urgency. Kimi's husband is more upset that he's alone on Christmas than the fact that his wife is missing. Dr. Hunt doesn't seem to realize that Kimi might actually be in danger until halfway through the book.
The book is positioned as the first in a series of Dr. Pepper Hunt mysteries. If that wasn't on the cover, I would have assumed the series would be positioned as Detective Antelope. One last item, the book needed a bit more editing. At points it was confusing as there wasn't a clear delineation of POV, specifically at the end of the book.
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