THE LAST VICTIM is one of those books that is difficult to review for fear of giving too much away. Unexpected, intriguing, surprising, and chilling are all words that came to mind as the story unfolded before me. Knowing too much would have spoiled the sense of discovery and appreciation for what Karen Robards has created with her particular approach to blending paranormal and romantic suspense. The psychic assisting the FBI is not a unique plot, but the direction Ms. Robards takes is one I personally have not encountered. I couldn't put it down because I was eager to discover where the story was headed. I still find myself reflecting back on the story and what it all meant. I suspect some people, like me, will be intrigued by the creative storytelling and others will disappointed. THE LAST VICTIM is a must read for fans of romantic suspense, if for no other reason than to discover if it challenges your conceptions of what makes a good story.
Dr. Charlotte Stone is an expert in serial killers. She's obsessed with discovering why someone is or becomes a serial killer. Her interest is not surprising given that she is the only survivor of the "Boardwalk Killer" and she can communicate with recent victims of violent crimes. When she was sixteen, Charlie helplessly watched a man slaughter the family of her best friend Holly. Holly was taken and her body was discovered days later. Charlie's ability to see Holly and other victims caused nothing but grief and led to concerns about her mental health. Now, Charlie tries to do her job, keep her visions to herself, and enjoy her quiet life in the mountains. Now the FBI is seeking her out to track down a killer with the same M.O. as the Boardwalk Killer. Can they find the person reponsible before he kills his next victim?
Electrifying suspense, cutting-edge psychological insight, and an unforgettably sensuous love story—these are the trademarks of Karen Robards’s sizzling novels. Now the New York Times bestselling author launches a red-hot new paranormal romantic thriller series featuring the fascinating Dr. Charlotte Stone, a serial killer expert whose extraordinary powers lead her from ecstasy to terror. THE LAST VICTIM Dr. Charlotte Stone sees what others do not. A sought-after expert in criminal pathology, Charlie regularly sits face-to-face with madmen. Obsessed with learning what makes human monsters commit terrible crimes, Charlie desires little else from life—no doubt because when she was sixteen, she herself survived a serial killer’s bloodbath: A man butchered the family of Charlie’s best friend, Holly, then left the girl’s body on a seaside boardwalk one week later. Because of the information Charlie gave police, the Boardwalk Killer went underground. She kept to herself her eerie postmortem visions of Holly and her mother. And even years later, knowing her contact with ghosts might undermine her credibility as a psychological expert, Charlie tells no one about the visits she gets from the spirit world. Now all-too-handsome FBI agent Tony Bartoli is telling Charlie that a teenage girl is missing, her family slaughtered. Bartoli suspects that after fifteen years, the Boardwalk Killer—or a sick copycat with his M.O.—is back. Time is running short for an innocent, kidnapped girl, and Bartoli pleads for Charlie’s help. This is the one case Charlie shouldn’t go near. But she also knows that she may be the one person in the world who can stop this vicious killer. For Charlie—whose good looks disguise a world of hurt, vulnerability, and potent psychic gifts—a frantic hunt for a madman soon becomes a complex test of cunning, passions, and secrets. Aiding Dr. Stone on her quest to catch a madman is a ghostly presence with bad intentions: the fiery spirit of seductive bad boy Michael Garland who refuses to be ignored, though in his cat and mouse game they may both lose their hearts. Dr. Charlotte Stone sees what others do not. And she sees the Boardwalk Killer coming for her.
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