It was a freak accident. Lawyer, climate change activist, and likely presidential candidate Patty Garcia nearly died after being struck in the head by a golf ball during her regular tee time. The case was a pretty tidy one for the police to document – call in and interview the witnesses and fellow golfers, take down the details, close the case, and move on. But something just doesn’t sit right with fearless detective Jen Lu, so against orders and on the sly, she and her plucky sim sidekick Chandler make it their mission to take a closer look. When unexpected facts crop up and the body count starts to rise, Jen knows for sure that all is not as it seems and she’s got something to prove. It was a freak accident, right? Michael Kaufman’s sophomore police procedural THE LAST RESORT follows Jen and Chandler as they track down the answers.
Fans of Kaufman’s first Jen Lu mystery, THE LAST EXIT, will appreciate how Kaufman thoughtfully carries some of the best parts of his debut novel forward. The rapport and dialogue between Jen and Chandler are as witty as ever in THE LAST RESORT. It is a delight to watch Chandler as he grows and develops emotions. In addition to following Jen and Chandler as they work through the new case, Kaufman continues exploring Jen’s unresolved conflict with Christopher regarding her injured partner Les. Readers newer to Kaufman or the Jen Lu series can certainly enjoy THE LAST RESORT as a standalone novel but will not understand the society or characters quite as well as series readers. Series readers take note – Kaufman’s approach in this novel is a bit slower-paced; he is diving into and detailing the investigative procedure itself rather than fleshing out the frighteningly dystopian seedy under-belly of a near-future Washington, D.C. that was paramount in THE LAST EXIT.
On the whole, Kaufman’s THE LAST RESORT posits an imaginative answer to the question about what happens to our world if we don’t solve the political challenges currently plaguing our society. True crime junkies, political aficionados, and dystopian fiction fans alike can all enjoy THE LAST RESORT. Kaufman invites you to channel your inner Nancy Drew and work alongside Jen and Chandler to close the case once and for all. If you’re looking for a thought-provoking read that subtly calls you to take a stance, put this one on your must-read list.
Perfect for fans of Ben Winters, Jen Lu is back on the case when the murder of a lawyer sparks an even larger conspiracy in Michael Kaufman’s second book in the thrilling series.
It’s March 2034, six months after D.C. police detective Jen Lu and Chandler, her sentient bio-computer implanted in her brain, cracked the mystery of Eden. The climate crisis is hitting harder than ever: a mega-hurricane has devastated the eco-system and waves of refugees pour into Washington, D.C. The rich live forever while the desperate scramble for the modified longevity treatment.
Then, the death of lawyer and media darling Patty Fernandez signals a glaring red flag to a wider conspiracy. Fernandez won a court case for massive climate change reparations to be paid out by oil, gas, and coal companies. Jen and Chandler are called in to crack the case. Signs point to Fernandez’s ex, James Culpepper, a former oil giant but as Jen and Chandler dig deeper, they turn up more suspects who might have an even greater motive for killing Fernandez.
Jen’s search puts her in the crosshairs of those who will ensure the truth never comes to light, no matter the cost. As she continues to delve deeper into the seedy underbelly of the city, she has to move quickly before she becomes next on the killer’s list.
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