"Too many twists and turns to easily share about this book. Nevertheless, Carr has pulled off another "hit" that kept me reading in one setting until the clues were so well together that the villain fell into our laps...or Chris's, LOL Carr has put a lot into the book beyond the mysteries this time...Characters enjoyed chocotinis, visited book stores...and even blundered into getting engaged (the ring had been purchased 4 months ago)... But, for me, a special thank you for the political spoof at a time when politics at the national level is devastating, gave me a laugh and lightened the load of it all!" - Review by Glenda Bixler, Book Reader's Heaven
Book Details:
Book Title: The Last Thing She Said
(A Chris Matheson Cold Case Mystery #3) by Lauren Carr
Category: Adult Fiction (18 +), 386 pages
Genre: Mystery
Publisher: Acorn Book Services
Release date: July 22, 2019
Formats available for purchase: paperback, ebook, audiobook (audible & itunes)
Content Rating: PG-13 (Lauren Carr's books are murder mysteries, so there are murders involved. Occasionally, a murder will happen on stage. There is sexual content, but always behind closed doors. Some mild swearing (a hell or a damn few and far between). No F-bombs!
Book Description:
“I’m working on the
greatest mystery ever,” was the last thing noted mystery novelist
Mercedes Livingston said to seven-year-old Chris Matheson before walking
out of Hill House Hotel never to be seen again.
For decades, the writer’s fate
remained a puzzling mystery until an autographed novel and a letter put a
grown-up Chris Matheson on the trail of a cunning killer. With the help
of a team of fellow retired law enforcement officers, each a specialist
in their own field of investigation, Chris puts a flame to this cold
case to uncover what had really happened that night Mercedes Livingston
walked out of Hill House Hotel. Watch out! The clues are getting hot!
Buy the Book:
Amazon.com *
Amazon.com *
The Last Thing She Said by Lauren CarrMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
THE LAST THING SHE SAID is brilliant. The opening chapter follows Chris when he's 7 years old! I loved that! Poor Chris, haha, being "dragged" to that conference. Having had the chance to read/listen ICE and WINTER FROST gave me a look at Lauren Carr's writing style. Which I really enjoy now that's I've been immersed in three of her books.
I LOVED how Ms. Carr included a book signing, an author meet/greet, and how a fan becomes amazing friends with their favorite author. Every book-lover's dream made reality through writing. And PSA: small tears were shed at one moment. That's just the kind of reader I am.
Mike Alger slayed the narration. I truly need to applaud his portrayal of the characters and the scenarios. I was fully with every word.
So, mystery lovers, and non-lovers because you will change your mind after visiting Lauren Carr's books, get your hands on this book. You will not be disappointed.
**I was provided with a complimentary copy of this audiobook through iRead Book Tours. All opinions are my own.
View all my reviews
Warning – You Could End Up in My Book
By Lauren Carr
My favorite part of being a writer is finding new characters
and exploring their backgrounds and how they relate to their family and friends
to figure out what makes them tick. I enjoy presenting the character to the
readers as a whole, and then, through the story, I slowly peel back the layers
to show the reader what is underneath—who that character really is.
In The Chris Matheson Cold Case Mystery series, the most
interesting relationship is between my protagonist Chris Matheson and his
mother, Doris.
While he does have a close relationship with his mother,
Chris is not a momma’s boy by any means. Retired from the FBI, the recent
widower has moved his family back home, where his mother, also a recent widow,
helps him raise his three young daughters.
Both Chris and Doris are quick-thinking, strong-willed
individuals. She’s an independent woman and she raised her son to be equally
independent. When you put these two strong-willed people together, of course
there are going to be sparks.
I found their exchanges to be some of the most fun and
intriguing dialogue to write. I could envision their rapid-fire responses to
each other, as illustrated in this excerpt The Last Thing She Said:
The next morning, Chris waved farewell
to Katelyn and Sierra from the top step of their porch. At the end of the lane,
Sierra turned her SUV out onto the road and raced along the river. Seconds
later, they were out of sight.
His stomach flipped
and then flopped as he envisioned every potential catastrophe that could occur
during the ten-minute drive to the high school—from drunk drivers to serial
killing carjackers to zombies to space alien kidnappers. They all crossed his
mind.
It took every fiber of
his being to allow Sierra to drive Katelyn to school. The offer was kind and
made total sense. The Matheson farm was on Sierra’s way, and the two girls did
attend the same high school. If Chris had his way, he’d wrap them in bubble
wrap, strap them into the back seat of his dual cab truck, and drive them
himself at ten miles below the speed limit.
With two teenaged
girls who thought they knew it all, that wasn’t happening.
He whispered a prayer
for their safety, patted the top of Sterling’s head, and went inside to have a
cup of coffee.
Clad in her silky hot
pink nightgown and robe, Doris drank the fresh brew in a big mug while nibbling
on a croissant. She dabbed a bit of cream cheese and strawberry jam on each
bite as she ate it. Always near their charge, Mocha and Sadie lay on either
side of her chair.
Yapping up a storm,
Chompers hopped around Thor, who was watching the birds outside from her bed.
Clad in her fuchsia romper with matching booties, the bunny looked bored with
it all.
Sterling found a bone
to chew on and sprawled out on the floor between Chris and the
coffeemaker—forcing him to reach across the large body for the carafe.
“What time are you
meeting Helen?” Doris asked.
“Nine-thirty. She
wanted to check her emails before we left.” Chris picked up the pot to pour his
coffee into the mug. While he was pouring the hot liquid, Chompers dug his
needle-like teeth into his ankle. With a curse, Chris fought to keep control of
the carafe and mug.
Yelping at the hot coffee
splashed onto his back, Sterling grabbed his bone and ran for cover under the
kitchen table.
Chris fought the pain
of the tiny teeth gnawing on his ankle to get the pot and mug onto the counter
without dropping them. The mission was made more difficult by the creature
attached to his leg. By the time he managed to reach the kitchen counter, he
had a brown stain down the front of his shirt and jeans.
“What are you doing?”
Doris turned in her chair to watch her son dancing on the other side of the
breakfast bar.
“I’m being attacked by
our baby hound from hell!” Chris detached the snarling pup from his leg,
carried him over to his mother, and dropped him into her lap.
“Really, Christopher.”
She petted the pup. “You know as well as anyone that animals truly desire to
please humans. Once Chompers learns that biting is unacceptable, then he’ll
become a good dog.”
“If you know so much,
you communicate to the devil dog why we humans don’t like being chewed on.” He
peeled the hot wet shirt from his burning flesh.
“I will.” With a slim
grin, she noted the dark stain on the front of his pants. “Good thing you
didn’t spill that coffee on your good jeans.”
“These are my good
jeans!”
“Oh.” Doris’s eyes
grew wide. “Well, I mean …” She paused and pasted a big smile on her face. “At
least it didn’t happen to the clothes you’re wearing to Spencer Manor.”
“These are the clothes
I’m wearing to Spencer Manor.” With a growl, Chris went to the sink and wet a
sponge to clean up the spilt coffee. “Next time he bites me, I’m going to bite
him back.”
“Two wrongs don’t make
a right.” She whispered to the pup sitting sedately in her lap, “Ignore him.
He’s always grumpy before he gets caffeine pumping through his veins.” She gave
Chompers the last bite of her croissant, much to the big dogs’ dismay.
The security system
dinged to notify them that the button for the main gate had been pressed. They
had visitors.
“Who is that?” Chris
asked while Doris put Chompers on the floor and went to check the monitor on
the wall console next to the mud room.
She put on her reading
glasses to study the image of an SUV parked outside the gate. The dark-haired
man hung out of the window to speak into the camera’s microphone. “Matheson!
It’s me. Thomas Clarke, Helen’s husband. We met the other day. I’d like to talk
to you—man-to-man. It’s important. Can you let me in?”
Doris uttered an
audible gasp and turned to the kitchen. Chris, who had been on his knees
cleaning up the floor, slowly rose up onto his knees to peer over the counter
at her. She could only see the top of his head and eyeballs filled with
surprise.
“What does he want?”
Chris’s tone revealed irritation.
“What do you think he
wants? He wants Helen back and he’s going to tell you to back off.”
The system dinged to
signal that Thomas had pressed the button a second time when he didn’t receive
a response.
With a gasp, Doris
backed away from the console as if she feared he could see her through the
monitor. “We’ll pretend we’re not home.”
“We can’t pretend
we’re not home.” Chris rose to his feet and tossed the sponge into the sink.
“Our vehicles are in the driveway. Anyone can see them from the road. Press the
button and let him in.”
She threw herself in
front of the console to block him when he approached it. “I can tell you right
now that if he tells you to back off from Helen, things won’t end well.”
“Mom, I have no
intention of fighting Helen’s ex-husband.” Chris tried to reach around her.
“I’m not talking about
you. I’m talking about me.”
The security system
dinged once more. Chris stabbed the button to open the gate. He then wagged his
finger at Doris like a parent to a naughty child. “You mind your manners. I’m
going upstairs to change. Let him in and” –he picked up Chompers in mid-strike
of his leg and shoved him into her arms— “keep Chompers away from him.”
I’m often asked where I get my inspiration for characters
and their witty exchanges. Simply, I’m a people watcher. Even before I wrote my
first book, I would study those around me and try to dissect their personality.
“Why is she like that?” “What is his motive for treating his wife that way?”
Not only do I watch people, but I listen to how they talk to
each other. Sometimes, two people who really care about each other have the
most amusing arguments. Friends have told us that my husband and I have
hilarious arguments—even when we agree with each other. They’re not mean or
hateful. There’s love in the disagreement. The discussion is just enegetic.
So take this as a warning. If you’re sitting in a restaurant
with a writer nearby, most likely, she’s listening in on your conversation. It
helps us to write dialogue. I read in one blog about an author who overheard a
man plotting to kill his boss while his wife was shushing him.
So don’t plot a murder while eating at McDonalds. If I’m the
lady at the next table, you may find your conversation in my next book.
Meet the Author:
Lauren
Carr is the international best-selling author of the Thorny Rose, Mac
Faraday, Lovers in Crime, and Chris Matheson Cold Case Mysteries—over
twenty titles across four fast-paced mystery series filled with twists
and turns!
Book reviewers and readers alike
rave about how Lauren Carr seamlessly crosses genres to include mystery,
suspense, crime fiction, police procedurals, romance, and humor.
Lauren is a popular speaker who has
made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at
conventions. She lives with her husband, and two spoiled rotten German
shepherds on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.
ENTER THE GIVEAWAY!
Ends November 30th, 2019
Thank you so much for the fabulous review for THE LAST THING SHE SAID. I am thrilled that you so enjoy the audiobook of the Chris Matheson Cold Case Mysteries. I am certain your followers will enjoy them as well. Here's wishing each one luck in the giveaway for the Amazon gift card.
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