LAST LIGHT

5 stars out of 5

Let's get the good stuff out of the way early on: This is a fantastic book; giving it the top rating of 5 stars is a no-brainer.

Apparently, this is the third book in the series featuring Detective Lucy Harwin (although in the author's notes, she mentions that it's a prequel, presumably to the first two books, neither of which I've read).  In any event, I had zero problem following along with nary a "Huh?" along the way, so it stands alone perfectly. And did I mention that it's a fantastic book?

Lucy, who's recently split with her husband because of his philandering and is the mother of a teenage daughter, is called to an abandoned church. There, she finds a dead woman, the victim of an horrific murder. The cause of death is evident, but there are no clues nor evidence pointing to a motive. Conventional thinking is that it could be the work of a devil worshipper, but none of the investigators are buying into that theory at this point. Lucy intends to give it her all, though, if only because it's her first major solo case.

Lucy's regular partner, Detective Sergeant Matthew Jackson (Mattie) takes off on a pre-scheduled vacation, leaving her to partner up with an officer in whom she has little confidence. As she's grousing about that, another woman, a church volunteer, turns up murdered in similar grotesque fashion. This one, however, hits close to home: She's the elderly mother of Lucy's police force boss. Sympathy aside, that adds another dimension to the case; like it or not, her boss must be added to any list of potential suspects.

Hints as to the killer's identity are slowly revealed through flashback chapters that reveal a child and his mother horribly abused by a Bible-thumping father/husband. Back in the present, Lucy's daughter reluctantly gets involved in volunteering at the church, where she lands a job babysitting the daughter of another volunteer - a beautiful woman who's caught the eye of the vicar, whose spouse is married to a truly wretched person. As the investigation continues, Lucy becomes worried not only for the future of her career, but for her daughter - who just might be on the killer's hit list.

The action-filled story moves along quickly, and I have no doubt that those who really can't put it down will be able to start and finish it on the same day. Personally, I'm delighted not only to have read such an enjoyable book, but also to have found a new series. Already, I'm looking forward to the next one. Meanwhile, many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy of this one.

Last Light by Helen Phifer (Bookouture, November 2018); 296 pp.