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davebald80's review against another edition
The first and most famous of Waugh's pioneering police procedurals is a fine read; but it's not among my very favorites of his that I've read, in part because I found the broad contours of the plot--the whodunit and whydunit--predictable from the start.
twincam59's review against another edition
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
3.75
Police procedures and police procedurals have changed significantly in the past 70 years. This book is well written and gives a good insight into the way things used to be.
annelise24601's review against another edition
3.0
I read this book in one sitting and found it a quick and somewhat interesting read. Unfortunately I picked up on the eventual criminal very early on (first 30 pgs) and was quite annoyed that it took the characters a long time to uncover this angle. Perhaps someone who doesn’t watch or read as much true crime would find this book more enjoyable.
ehuminski's review against another edition
4.0
Rounded up from 3.5 stars. I think it really heated up in the end but wish the police characters had been more fleshed out
thefictionaddictionblog's review against another edition
4.0
Last Seen Wearing was written in the fifties, and set at a women’s college in Massachusetts, a fictionalized Smith or Mount Holyoke, in the old days when that meant curfews and pearls. Freshman Marilyn Lowell Mitchell disappears after morning classes one day. Her hallmates swing by the infirmary later, to check on her, but she’s not there, and she hasn’t signed out for the weekend or packed a bag. She’s just vanished. The story is intriguing right from the start, with early scenes almost begging for a re-read to see if there’s an important clue in the descriptions.
Full review (no spoilers) on the blog.
Full review (no spoilers) on the blog.
bowienerd_82's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
shelbyo's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
One of the best books I’ve read this year. If you enjoy crime novels and are looking into reading some of the earlier ones written then “Last Seen Wearing” by Hillary Waugh is a great book to read!
smcleish's review
3.0
Originally published on my blog here in September 2000.
This is the novel which invented the "police procedural" subgenre of crime story. Today, [a:Ed McBain|21318|Ed McBain|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1237947166p2/21318.jpg] is probably its best known exponent, though it seems particularly well suited to television, with Hill Street Blues and The Bill being successful examples. The idea, of course, is to portray a murder investigation as the police would carry it our rather than using Golden Age devices such as impossibly gifted detectives.
In this case, the investigation is into the disappearance of first year student Lowell Mitchell from Parker College in Massachusetts. The local police chief, Frank Ford, follows the usual course of alerting the press, searching the grounds of the college, dragging its lake, looking into travellers, watching doctors thought to perform illegal abortions (in case she went to one and the operation went wrong). Ford is not particularly imaginative (though more so than most of those around him), and a lack of leads leaves him baffled once the obvious has been tried and failed.
The weakness of the novel is in its plotting. It is very easy to be ahead of the police; they overlook some very prominent clues. This is not in itself a problem, as it is clearly intended as a device to make the reader feel superior. It is the overly transparent way in which it is done that is poor; every time someone says that something is a lead which must be followed up and it isn't, it turns out to be crucial to the investigation.
The major strength of the novel is the characterisation of Ford and his friend and subordinate Burton Cameron. Waugh has written a very good portrayal of a relationship between colleagues who know each other well, bickering as they work together.
This is the novel which invented the "police procedural" subgenre of crime story. Today, [a:Ed McBain|21318|Ed McBain|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1237947166p2/21318.jpg] is probably its best known exponent, though it seems particularly well suited to television, with Hill Street Blues and The Bill being successful examples. The idea, of course, is to portray a murder investigation as the police would carry it our rather than using Golden Age devices such as impossibly gifted detectives.
In this case, the investigation is into the disappearance of first year student Lowell Mitchell from Parker College in Massachusetts. The local police chief, Frank Ford, follows the usual course of alerting the press, searching the grounds of the college, dragging its lake, looking into travellers, watching doctors thought to perform illegal abortions (in case she went to one and the operation went wrong). Ford is not particularly imaginative (though more so than most of those around him), and a lack of leads leaves him baffled once the obvious has been tried and failed.
The weakness of the novel is in its plotting. It is very easy to be ahead of the police; they overlook some very prominent clues. This is not in itself a problem, as it is clearly intended as a device to make the reader feel superior. It is the overly transparent way in which it is done that is poor; every time someone says that something is a lead which must be followed up and it isn't, it turns out to be crucial to the investigation.
The major strength of the novel is the characterisation of Ford and his friend and subordinate Burton Cameron. Waugh has written a very good portrayal of a relationship between colleagues who know each other well, bickering as they work together.
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