I enjoyed this book, starts off quickly...in the main well paced throughout, although I felt personally it dragged in places...good character development, and a punchy ending!

I really enjoyed this book. It was a mystery, a thriller, a murder story, it was violent in parts and very dark. I won’t outline the story as you can read that on the book cover or in other review, but I recommend that you read it..
I haven’t read anything by Kendra Elliot before, but I’ll definitely reading some of her books now!

Hate crimes in the past and present, lies, threats, rumours litter this well-written book set on the Oregon coast. The characters are believable, the story makes you want to 'read another chapter, and the denouement is worth waiting for.

The story opens with Emily finding a smeared blood trail at the house of her best friend which leads her to the find a body hanging in a tree. The intro ends with these words that make you sit up and take notice ... "Please. Not again." Twenty years prior, Emily found her father hanged in their backyard. So begins the journey into both these crimes - are they related, how is Emily involved, what is this family hiding? The fast paced investigation that follows uncovers many secrets that are hidden in this small town, including the disappearance of Emily's sister after the death of their father.

Emily is quick to let you know what she thinks, but she isn't as strong as the appearance that she tries to keep up (or so she thinks). We quite literally watch Emily grow to her true potential as the story unfolds. She is thrown into the path of the FBI agent investigating the murders after she goes around the local police to report the crime that she thinks is being mishandled.

The characters are lively and intriguing; some of the darker history of Oregon is revealed. The story doesn't disappoint.

Looking forward to learning more about Emily and Zander in the next book in the series.

**Received from NetGalley for my honest review.**

I volunteered to read and review an advanced readers copy through Netgalley of The Last Sister . I really enjoyed reading this story . This is such an intense and Suspenseful story . It's so intriguing I was enthralled from the start . It's action packed . Emily Mills and her sisters have a tragic past , dark memories and definitely secrets . When Emily come upon a horrible crime . She decides to call 911 . She then calls the FBI because the deputies and sheriff are in over their heads . Zander Wells and his partner Ava McLane arrive on the scene and soon suspect it's a hate crime . As the story unfolds there are twists and turns and long buried secrets come to light . This story kept me turning the pages it's so interesting . I could not put it down .
It's off the charts fantastic . As the danger mounts Emily finds herself and her family in danger . Zander finds himself captivated with Emily but he must solve the puzzle and stop the crime before some else becomes the next victim . I highly recommend taking the time to read and enjoy this sensational suspense

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Sarah – ☆☆☆☆
I stayed up way too late finishing this book. It’s a fabulous story about two grisly murders in the same small town. It’s a story about a family torn apart by secrets and lies – and it’s also a story about the same family pulling together and rebuilding after a series of unthinkable tragedies. The FBI must untangle years of Bartonville history before they can put an end to the town’s terrible history.

I like the FBI agents, Zander and Ava, but I’m still a bit frustrated that even though this is advertised as the first book in the series, the agents are actually introduced in Vanished. I feel like we’re expected to know them before this book starts and we don’t get too much character development from them in this story. The story is saved only because the Mills sisters are actually more interesting than the agents and they are wonderfully complex and secretive women that keep readers guessing until the end.

This story is a puzzle but it’s one that readers can solve alongside Zander and Ava. I enjoyed piecing together the many fragments from various points in time and I like that while I didn’t guess the whodunnit straight away, it makes perfect sense and provides a satisfying ending. I love the suspense in this story. It’s a gory read, full of action, blood, and bodies and there is one especially terrifying scene at the end that suspense fans will love.

I’m really excited to start a new series from Kendra Elliott but I hope we get to see more character from Zander and Ava in the next installment.


Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆
M/F Thriller
Triggers: Racial Tones

Emily knows that something is terribly wrong when she finds her employee, Lindsay, dead in her home. What makes the situation worse is that Lindsay's husband is found hanging in the backyard, just like how Emily's father was killed. When she calls the local sheriff, she knows that they are going to need more help, so she calls the FBI too.

Zander Wells is an FBI agent who shows up to try and figure out why this new crime is so eerily similar to the death of Emily's father. He and his partner are as close as partners can be, but one look at Emily, and Zander is intrigued not only by the woman, but by her family.

Emily's family has kept secrets for her entire life. Her sister Madison, her aunts, and her long-lost sister, Tara. All of them have something they've kept hidden, but since nobody talks about it, it will take Zander digging around to uncover who is behind these crimes and why.

This is filled with a great mystery. I really like how it was woven around. I do think that the strange romance was a distraction. The story might have been slightly stronger without that. But I did like how it came together. It's not as good as the Mercy Kilpatrick stories, but it's along those lines.

Yesterday I was unlucky enough - or should that be lucky enough - to be unwell (not at death's door I hasten to add) so I took the opportunity of a day off work to read this book in almost one go. I only put it down to nap. Wow what a read! What started out as a routine murder-suicide became something very sinister and terrifying in small town 'Bartonville', Oregon. Not exactly the murder capital of the US.

The Bartons live in a crumbling mansion. Two sisters Emily and Madison and three eccentric aunts who always wear the same colour jumpers as each other on a given day. There were three sisters but twenty years ago their father was found murdered and hanged from a tree. 10 year old Emily saw him swinging from the tree and also saw older sister Tara running away. Tara swore she was at a friend's all night and wasn't there. A few days later their mother committed suicide and sister Tara disappeared. They never heard from her again. The killer was caught and brought to justice.

Back to today. Emily's family own the diner in the town where everyone meets and eats. On this fateful morning waitress Lyndsay fails to turn up for work so Emily goes to check she's OK. What she finds is a gruesome discovery. Lyndsay has been stabbed to death and her husband Sean is hanging from a tree outside. For Emily the shock of another hanging is overwhelming.

Enter Zander and Ava from the FBI. And that's all I'm going to say about the plot! Why the FBI you ask? Well that's for me to know and you to find out. Utterly compelling, this is an intricately woven tale of murder, secrets, race, hatred and romance. I just loved it.

Thanks to NetGalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Great story. I love a book that slowly reels me in to the point that I can't put it down and keeps me guessing to the very end.....this is one of them!

The characters are easy, the story solid and overall another great read!

Beautifully written, the story puts you in the setting of the small Oregon coastal town with mansions and diners and quirky families. However, the history of this family is dark with murder, suicide and disappearance. A good mystery with a great cast of characters. Looking forward to Book 2.

A great start to the Columbia River series. Twist and turns, secrets and lies, The Last Sister is a compelling read with engaging characters and an edge of you seat storyline throughout. I am excited to see what book two will bring.

I enjoyed reading this book. Interesting plot line, however I felt there were some storylines that were unnecessary. Especially the romance between the FBI agent and a witness.

Thank you to NetGalley, Montlake Romance and Kendra Elliot for a copy of "The Last Sister" in exchange of an honest review.

The Last Sister is Book 1 in Kendra Elliot's new Columbia River series. I'm still making my way through her backlist so I haven't gotten to read Mason and Ava's story yet and while I'm more eager than ever to read their story, it wasn't a deal-breaker for me to follow along.

To date, all of Ms. Elliot's books that I have read lean more heavily on the suspense side of things with minimal focus on romance. This story was no exception. It was a very intriguing story filled with murder, close calls and secrets starting to unravel. The author kept me guessing until the very end.

This author knows her art and it’s when you read a book like this that you realise what is lacking in other books.
Beautifully written this book just flows. The storyline is engaging and keeps the reader interested but for me the delight of this book is the descriptions of the characters and their interactions.
My first time reading a book by this author but I think I need to read more.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book. This book was an absolutely brilliant book. It had me sucked in from the first page. The characters worked well together. The storyline was second to none. For me it was a real page turner.

Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by the Author and Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an fair and honest review.

I enjoyed this engrossing story and was surprised to finally learn the details of Zander's backstory. the mystery tackled the sensitive subject of racism and raised some thought provoking questions for those who have racist family members. Since there was only one chaste kiss, I don't think you can call this a romantic-suspense, but Zander and Emily were certainly attracted to each other and their relationship seemed to be heading toward romance.

In this small Oregon town secrets are as plentiful as the rain. Emily Mills has held a secret for twenty years, since she found her murdered father hanging from a tree. Now, history seems to be repeating itself and she had found another murdered man hanging from a tree. Not an experience anybody wants to have once, let alone twice in a lifetime.

Twenty years ago Emily Mills’s father was murdered, and she found his body hanging in the backyard. Her younger sister, Madison, claims she was asleep in her room. Her older sister, Tara, claims she was out with friends. The tragedy drove their mother to suicide and Tara to leave town forever. The killer was caught. The case closed.

FBI Special Agents Zander Wells and Ava McClain are sent to investigate what could well be a racially motivated double murder. They find a well meaning but clueless sheriff and a lot of clues that lead them back to the death of Emily's father. Finding out how the two crimes, twenty years apart, are connected could solve these current murders.

Only when Emily and her sister, Madison reveal the secrets they have long held can they uncover the secret that the town has long buried, understand why their oldest sister, Tara, disappeared that night and find out exactly what happened both now and twenty years ago. But there are those who will stop at nothing, even murder, to keep those secrets buried.

This is a fast paced, detective thriller, full of suspense, which draws you in from the first page.

FBI Special Agent Zander Wells has been called in to a small Oregon logging town to investigate the death of two characters, and discovers the similarity to events which had previously happened in the area. The story is well plotted with believable, likeable characters, and explores the connection between past and present, along with secrets which have remained hidden for years.

Lots of mystery and suspense draws you into this well plotted story, and keeps you reading wanting to find out what happened. Characters are well drawn and develop as the story unfolds. I hadn’t read any previous books by this skillful, talented author, but enjoyed reading this book, and will look for others in the series.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Great crime thriller! I enjoyed it a lot. I felt the book was well paced and it flowed really well. I normally figure out the ending way before the end of the book, but this one kept me on my toes. I particularly enjoyed the depth of the characters in this book.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and netgalley for this review copy.

This was such a compelling crime thriller. This is the first book in Kendra Elliot’s new Columbia River series. Mystery, history, romance, sisters, small town, racism, Family secrets, zany aunts. Emily is shook to the core when she finds her friend’s dead body stabbed multiple times and her husband dead as well hung from a tree. The first thought is that this is a murder suicide, but Emily is not convinced. This is too similar to a prior murder in this small town years ago when Emily‘s father had been killed by hanging. Her father‘s murder also led to her mother’s suicide and her older sister’s disappearance. This brutal murder brings in the FBI and agent Zander Wells. What follows is a fast paced cleverly plotted investigation into the murders both in the present and the past. The investigation also brings together Zander and Emily.

This book was much more Mystery than romance in fact I’d be hesitant to call it romantic suspense. There is an obvious attraction between Zander and Emily although it is not acted on, much. I had no problem with this because I was completely invested in this mystery. I love the big old house that Emily and her sister Madison lived in with there great aunts. I was intrigued by the past. Why was their father killed? And where was their sister? I also was extremely fascinated by the history of Oregon, I truly had no idea Oregon had such a dark history. I loved playing detective and trying to puzzle this together with Zander and Emily. And even though there was very little romance in the story I am really hoping that there will be a little more in the next book and it will continue the story of Zander and Emily, I really like these two together.

This book in emojis. 🔪 🩸 🌲 🌊

*** Big thank you to Amazon Pub for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

This was a great read set in the Pacific northwest. Three sisters, Emily, Madison and Tara lose their parents at a young age.. Their father was hanged and their mother commuted suicide shorty thereafter. Twenty years later a couple that the sisters were close to were murdered and the husband was hanged. Is this coincidence or somehow related to the crime twenty years ago? FBI agents Zander and his partner Ava were.brought in to work the crimes. .Emily and Madison live with their three aunts in the small towns family mansion and Tara left immediately after her father died and has never contacted anyone in her family since. This is a great story with lots of twists and turns and a completely surprise ending.I will be recommending this one to my friends.
Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest opinion.

A super crime novel. A young couple are brutally murdered and, with suggestions that it might be a hate crime, Zander Wells of the FBI is sent to investigate. He soon discovers that the murders may have some link with a hanging many years earlier.

The plot is well constructed and the pacing is excellent. A story begging to be put on screen, with a range of interesting, dangerous and engaging characters. Family secrets, dark pasts and even an understated romance, with a tense denouement. Excellent.

(I was given an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review)