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mandylovestoread's review against another edition
5.0
Last Seen Alive, book 5 in the Ellery Hathaway series is just brilliant! I have loved everything about this ride and now it feels we have come full circle. I was sad when I finished it but satisfied with all that had happened.
This is a hard book to review without spoilers. This one could be read as a standalone but I highly recommend reading the entire series in order. There is so much to Ellery and Reed as well as our serial killer Francis Cohen. In this book we learn alot more about Cohen and how is mind works. He reaches out to Reed and offers to give up the locations of the bodies, in exchange for a face to face meeting with Ellery. It has been 17 years and while she knows that the victims families need closure, it is one of the hardest things she has to do.
I loved these characters and all that they had been through. The storylines, their relationships - everything. A fantastic serial killer and police procedural series that you need to read.
Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for my advanced copy of this book to read.
This is a hard book to review without spoilers. This one could be read as a standalone but I highly recommend reading the entire series in order. There is so much to Ellery and Reed as well as our serial killer Francis Cohen. In this book we learn alot more about Cohen and how is mind works. He reaches out to Reed and offers to give up the locations of the bodies, in exchange for a face to face meeting with Ellery. It has been 17 years and while she knows that the victims families need closure, it is one of the hardest things she has to do.
I loved these characters and all that they had been through. The storylines, their relationships - everything. A fantastic serial killer and police procedural series that you need to read.
Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for my advanced copy of this book to read.
_alyssabrown's review
4.0
4.5⭐️
I might’ve only read two out of the five books in this series, but I looovvveeddd them both!! This one was so fast paced & thrilling. I felt like I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. Every time I turned the page there was a new twist I didn’t see coming. I also think I liked Reed & Ellery’s relationship even more in this one. I love them together and I will always be rooting for them.
I might’ve only read two out of the five books in this series, but I looovvveeddd them both!! This one was so fast paced & thrilling. I felt like I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. Every time I turned the page there was a new twist I didn’t see coming. I also think I liked Reed & Ellery’s relationship even more in this one. I love them together and I will always be rooting for them.
missrhinnan's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars. i'm really glad that joannna shaffhausen has started a new series with detective annalisa vega (the first book whose rating i gave was higher than any i had for this series) bc i'm done with ellery hathaway. here's to hoping the author is done with her as well, but if not, i certainly won't be reading anymore in the series. (interestingly enough, this is the second series of female law-enforcement novels which i've decided to quit in the last year bc i can no longer tolerate protagonists written to convey toughness and grit, but in actuality whose unrelenting immaturity unsurprisingly lead to stupid behavior.)
i'm here to read a crime novel, not a romance, so the love/sex scenes between ellery and reed markham (whose relationship also adds another layer of squick) were not my jam. but my main complaint is that ellery seems to not have matured at all since the series began. she still goes off half-cocked (like throwing her phone when she doesn't get her way) and doing stupid things like leaving her guarded hotel with the newbie cop meant to watch her when the literal serial killer who almost murdered her last time breaks out of prison to finish the job. who. does. that. oh yeah, dumbshit ellery.
as for ellery's back story. omg, we get it. stop beating us over the head with it. i think the saving grace for me of the previous novels was the fact that the main story wasn't about coben—just a lot of heavy-handed back story and explanations for why ellery is the way she is which has set me up to be pre-exhausted with this book which does focus on coben. btw, are we also really supposed to believe that ellery and coben's story is so fascinating—apparently the most fascinating serial killer story in the history of serial killers—that at least one movie, tv special, or book is released *every single year* since his capture? really? for 15 or so years and counting?
i won't go into all the dumb things about which the reader is supposed to suspend their beliefs in order to make this particular installment to work, but suffice it to say, there were quite a lot. and as i said, i'm done with ellery hathaway.
i'm here to read a crime novel, not a romance, so the love/sex scenes between ellery and reed markham (whose relationship also adds another layer of squick) were not my jam. but my main complaint is that ellery seems to not have matured at all since the series began. she still goes off half-cocked (like throwing her phone when she doesn't get her way) and doing stupid things like leaving her guarded hotel with the newbie cop meant to watch her when the literal serial killer who almost murdered her last time breaks out of prison to finish the job. who. does. that. oh yeah, dumbshit ellery.
as for ellery's back story. omg, we get it. stop beating us over the head with it. i think the saving grace for me of the previous novels was the fact that the main story wasn't about coben—just a lot of heavy-handed back story and explanations for why ellery is the way she is which has set me up to be pre-exhausted with this book which does focus on coben. btw, are we also really supposed to believe that ellery and coben's story is so fascinating—apparently the most fascinating serial killer story in the history of serial killers—that at least one movie, tv special, or book is released *every single year* since his capture? really? for 15 or so years and counting?
i won't go into all the dumb things about which the reader is supposed to suspend their beliefs in order to make this particular installment to work, but suffice it to say, there were quite a lot. and as i said, i'm done with ellery hathaway.
jvogen26's review against another edition
5.0
As soon as the library patron returned this book saying that the violence was " too graphic" I knew I had to read it. It's like being submerged into an episode of Criminal Minds. I loved it.
mehva's review against another edition
5.0
This author is a favorite of mine, i like the way she write and her characters really bring you in. This is book 5 of the series and i suspect it is the last one, it is possible to read it as a stand alone thriller/mystery, but carries more weight if you read the books in order and watch the development particularly of Ellery's character and her relationship with Reed, the fbi agent who saved her when she was abducted by a serial killer and was the one who survived.
rcchoate's review against another edition
3.0
It's an okay story. Some twists and turns. The dialogue is stilted and borders on “unengaging.” It’s like every character is reading aloud what is written.
just_kate's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
I read this entire series in less than a week rounding it out with book five in one sitting. I actually found the series by chance when I was working at a bookstore and we got the advanced copy of this book and I read the first 50 pages and realized it was the final book in a series. i decided to stop so I could read the other four and I'm so glad I did because now I'm utterly obsessed with them. I was reading this late at night and I just kept saying "when I get to a lull in the plot I will put it down and finish it tomorrow" and then that just never happened and then coben escaped and I really couldn't put it down. I was so stressed that it wasn't going to be a happy ending for Reed and Ellery when there was literally five pages left and she still hadn't broke it off with the Evan guy. but she did and it's a happy ending and a one year later and you best believe I cried because it was over. I guess time to go reread the first one.
tessa_talks_books's review against another edition
5.0
Last Seen Alive by Joanna Schaffhausen is an edge-of-your-seat thriller about a serial killer, the media’s obsession with him, and the only survivor from his path of destruction.
This is the 5th book in the Ellery Hathaway series but can easily be read as a stand-alone novel (as I did) because there is just the right amount of back story provided. This makes it very easy to fall right into it. Of course, the challenge is that once you finish it, you will want to go back and read the first four – you are going to love it that much.
Ellery is so relatable, which is impressive considering her history. She has qualities that just made me gravitate toward her and stay on her side even when she made some foolhardy decisions. She works very hard not to let past tragedies define her, and I found that very easy to understand and root for. And Reed Markham…well, he is the quintessential hero you can’t help but like.
The pacing is so quick that, even though the book dives into the horrific killings of the serial killer, Francis Coben, I barely had time to dwell on the violence as the story jets on to the next thrill, the next puzzle, or the next revelation. I appreciated this as I can only stomach so much graphic violence.
Lastly, I loved the ending…absolutely, positively, loved the way it ended. To end such a dark story on a heartwarming positive note was just genius, and I totally ate it up and wanted more.
If you are looking for a fast-paced thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat and leave you with a happy heart, you won’t want to miss this incredible story by Joanna Schaffhausen – Last Seen Alive.
This is the 5th book in the Ellery Hathaway series but can easily be read as a stand-alone novel (as I did) because there is just the right amount of back story provided. This makes it very easy to fall right into it. Of course, the challenge is that once you finish it, you will want to go back and read the first four – you are going to love it that much.
Ellery is so relatable, which is impressive considering her history. She has qualities that just made me gravitate toward her and stay on her side even when she made some foolhardy decisions. She works very hard not to let past tragedies define her, and I found that very easy to understand and root for. And Reed Markham…well, he is the quintessential hero you can’t help but like.
The pacing is so quick that, even though the book dives into the horrific killings of the serial killer, Francis Coben, I barely had time to dwell on the violence as the story jets on to the next thrill, the next puzzle, or the next revelation. I appreciated this as I can only stomach so much graphic violence.
Lastly, I loved the ending…absolutely, positively, loved the way it ended. To end such a dark story on a heartwarming positive note was just genius, and I totally ate it up and wanted more.
If you are looking for a fast-paced thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat and leave you with a happy heart, you won’t want to miss this incredible story by Joanna Schaffhausen – Last Seen Alive.
whiteswanblackswan's review against another edition
5.0
A lot of books come with blurbs saying they're heart stopping fast paced thrillers that you won't be able put down and most don't hit the mark 100 %. But this one is a prime example of all of these qualities. I couldn't stop reading. I had gasped a few times and my heart missed a beat. It was an unending roller-coaster! And it was so good!
This is what I love the most about books. I want them to make me travel through a world of emotions. This one hit the perfect spot. There was disgust, rage, anger but also love, strength, so much courage and love.
Another thing I truly appreciate with this book and the series in general is how it deals with survivors of violence and people who suffer from PTSD. Too often, books have their survivors saved all over again by that new love interest or life event. That is not how it works in real life. And I found it remarkable how we get to see Ellery dealing with her issues and her small progresses and setbacks without a cookie cutter ending of happy ever after or forever drowing in bitterness.
This is what I love the most about books. I want them to make me travel through a world of emotions. This one hit the perfect spot. There was disgust, rage, anger but also love, strength, so much courage and love.
Another thing I truly appreciate with this book and the series in general is how it deals with survivors of violence and people who suffer from PTSD. Too often, books have their survivors saved all over again by that new love interest or life event. That is not how it works in real life. And I found it remarkable how we get to see Ellery dealing with her issues and her small progresses and setbacks without a cookie cutter ending of happy ever after or forever drowing in bitterness.
rebbyreads's review against another edition
5.0
Read this if…you like a good showdown between the bag guy and his victim.
Ellery and Reed are living their lives as single people since their breakup. However, a new documentary starring a host very reminiscent of Nancy Grace has brought the couple back together. Funded by a rich Hollywood producer with his own tragic past, the show intends to interview Frances Coben, the serial killer who kidnapped young girls and cut off their hands, in an attempt to get him to share the whereabouts of his victims’ bodies. Coben agrees to be filmed, but only as long as Ellery, the one who survived, will meet with him face-to-face.
This was the best book in the series so far! While I think reading the first four novels give the characters more depth, this can be read as a standalone thriller. I was so excited by the premise of Ellery meeting up with Coben again that I could not put this down! Everything seemed to come full circle and I like that Ellery finally got to control her own story. There’s nothing about this book I didn’t like, but I like the conclusion was so final. I need the author to tell me if this is the end of the series because I had that bittersweet goodbye feeling after I finished.
A big thanks to Netgalley, the author, and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Ellery and Reed are living their lives as single people since their breakup. However, a new documentary starring a host very reminiscent of Nancy Grace has brought the couple back together. Funded by a rich Hollywood producer with his own tragic past, the show intends to interview Frances Coben, the serial killer who kidnapped young girls and cut off their hands, in an attempt to get him to share the whereabouts of his victims’ bodies. Coben agrees to be filmed, but only as long as Ellery, the one who survived, will meet with him face-to-face.
This was the best book in the series so far! While I think reading the first four novels give the characters more depth, this can be read as a standalone thriller. I was so excited by the premise of Ellery meeting up with Coben again that I could not put this down! Everything seemed to come full circle and I like that Ellery finally got to control her own story. There’s nothing about this book I didn’t like, but I like the conclusion was so final. I need the author to tell me if this is the end of the series because I had that bittersweet goodbye feeling after I finished.
A big thanks to Netgalley, the author, and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!