Review: Last Light by Helen Phifer

Title: Last Light

Author: Helen Phifer

Series: Detective Lucy Harwin, #3

Published: November 2018, Bookouture

Format: ARC E-copy, 294 pages

Source: Netgalley via Publisher

Summary: 

Lucy watches the
pathologist leave, then turns to the nameless victim on the table. ‘I
promise I will catch whoever did this to you,’ she whispers.

In charge of a new team, Detective Lucy Harwin
is called out to attend the discovery of a woman’s body in an
abandoned, crumbling church, and is quickly plunged into a case that
will test her leadership skills to the limit.

With no leads
except the crudely-fashioned crucifix the victim was displayed on, Lucy
is at a complete loss. That is, until another body turns up: an elderly
woman who devoted her life to the church.

Faced with a killer
stalking the streets of her small coastal town, while also throwing
herself into work to forget the love of her life, Lucy’s first case is
turning into a nightmare.

Linking the killer to the church where
her own teenage daughter volunteers, it seems the threat is quickly
drawing closer to Lucy and those she loves. Can she catch this monster and prevent a tragedy that will tear her world apart?

An
addictive and unputdownable crime thriller that will hook fans of
Patricia Gibney, LJ Ross and Angela Marsons from the very first page.

My thoughts: This
is the third book in Helen Phifer’s Detective Lucy Harwin series and I really like this series. I find these books to be gritty and dark, yet they keep you engaged and invested the entire time!

This book is actually a prequel to the series…I’m not entirely sure why it’s just being published now, but it was fun to go back and see how Lucy came to be in charge of her team and how they all end up working together. This is the first case that Lucy works on as Senior Investigating Officer and it was quite the grisly, gruesome case.

This is a fast-moving procedural and there are quite a few twists and turns to keep things from getting stale. I liked that while most of the book is told from Lucy’s point of view, there are a few chapters told from the killer’s past – I always find these to be so chilling and eye-opening. You just never know what it is that is going to be a breaking point in someone’s life to turn them into a cold-blooded killer!

While I usually recommend reading a series in order, in this case it wouldn’t be the end of the world if this was the first book you picked up. I have to admit, it took me a while to work out that this was a prequel and that some of the character development that I already knew to have taken place from the other two books didn’t yet occur in this book. So, if you are worried about that confusing you, read this one first. 

I definitely recommend this series if you haven’t already starting read it. It’s got fantastic characters, a great plot in each book and especially if you like dark, gripping mysteries – this series is for you! I cannot wait to see what is in store next for Lucy and her team!

Books in this series:

1. The Lost Children
2. Dying Breath 
3. Last Light