Disclaimer: Some links in my review for The Last Place You Look by Kristen Lepionka are affiliate links. If you click them to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. Whether or not you buy something is completely up to you.

A version of this book review first appeared in The Lesbrary.

Summary of The Last Place You Look

Detective Roxane Weary is hired to prove a man’s innocence before his death sentence is carried out for a crime he’s been claiming he didn’t commit. As she investigates what seems like an open-and-shut case, she unravels a web of crimes that have gone undetected for decades. When another young girl goes missing, Roxane knows she has little time to solve them all and save her client’s brother from a fate he doesn’t deserve.

Plot

Overall, it’s a fast-paced story that keeps you turning the pages, wondering who the true culprit of the crimes in question is. Somewhere halfway, it goes off-road, but eventually it leads back to the main mystery at hand.

However, while it touches the surface of issues of racism and police brutality, it never delves into them. The man in prison for the murder of a white woman is a black man. Roxane briefly acknowledges the implications of how racism could have played a hand in the investigation and sentencing. But it doesn’t go beyond that, as it gets lost in her obsessive need to unravel the mystery of so many women presumed missing.

Character Development

Roxane Weary is a messy and complicated character. I kept making the connection to Marvel’s Jessica Jones, a private eye with alcohol addiction who is still very good at her job. Roxane isn’t necessarily a great person, but she’s not necessarily bad.

She’s rather endearing in her imperfections, even if her behavior can sometimes frustrate the reader. She’s depicted as having casual relationships with men and women, but it’s never described as the stereotypical, “All bisexuals are cheaters.” She’s just a trainwreck because she hasn’t coped with the trauma of her difficult childhood and the recent loss of her father.

Conclusion & Rating for The Last Place You Look

This novel has a compelling mystery with an intriguing character. It’s a fair setup for a different player in the mystery-thriller genre.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

You can buy The Last Place You Look here.