the setup…
Detective Sarah Delaney was preparing for her first day in the LAPD Missing Persons Unit, transferring from the elite Robbery Homicide Division (RHD), coming in on the weekend to move her things. She learns that her new partner Rob Delaney is at Griffith Park where the purse of one of his missing persons was just discovered and decides to join him. Madison James, a long struggling actress who found fame twenty years ago as a scream queen is missing and this discovery makes the case more serious. When the young woman who found the purse posts a video on TikTok, the search for James becomes a national obsession.

the heart of the story…
The story is told from two points of view, Sarah Delaney’s in the present and Madison James’s from twenty years earlier when she was cast in her first scream movie. Both gave me deep insights into the sordid part of Hollywood where directors and producers take advantage of young women’s hopes and dreams. I like dual time lines and this one was exceptional where the past was juxtaposed against the present and, sadly, not much had changed.

the narration…
I’m a fan of Vivienne Leheny and her storytelling here was outstanding. She gave Dana and Madison distinctive voice, seeming to capture the essence of each’s personality.

the bottom line…
It reminiscent of old Hollywood casting couches but updated in more modern terms since it never really went away. Dana and Rob are challenged to find anyone willing to be truthful as they searched for Madison, even those who were supposed to have her interests at heart. I had my suspicions as to what was going on and was partly right but still missed the big reveal. It’s a cleverly written story that kept me engaged through the end, which had the best epilogue. And, it feels like it could be the start of more to come.

Having not wrote my review until months after listening to the audiobook, I remember nothing! It did not leave a mark on my brain and I was putting off the review because I felt it was just ok after finishing it.

I definitely want to give Lisa Gray another try though.

****Many thanks to Brilliance Audio for my gifted audiobook.

Rating 3.5 stars rounding down to 3 stars on Goodreads

Aging actress Madison James who hasn’t had any success in Hollywood for decades goes missing. Detectives Delaney and Moreno of the LAPD are in race against time to find her before its roo late …

This was a such a propulsive and addictive read. Clever writing and a fantastic audiobook narrated by Vivienne Leheny - highly recommended.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Brilliance publishing for an ALC.

Loved the narrator. Would listen to them again. Story was alright, not the best and not the worst but entertaining to have on.

I love thrillers like this one. A washed up actress goes missing and ends up in the spotlight and detectives are trying to piece together what happened.

Detective thrillers have to be done right for me and I usually don't like books with many time lines but the author keep the storyline tight and I really enjoyed the book and the narration.

There is so much going on but every thread is there for a reason and it all comes together in a crashing cresendo right at the end.
I didn't see the ending coming and that earned an extra star!

Really clever writing and entertaining as all heck!

5 stars

The Final Act👀
By Lisa Gray👏🏻

Review🗣️

This was an entertaining detective thriller. Definitely something you can complete in one or two sittings. If you enjoy books and movies about Hollywood and what it takes to make it, I would highly recommend this. This clearly depicts the darker side of becoming famous, but I still enjoyed it. Honestly, 99 percent of the people were dodgy, and I couldn't determine who was lying and who was telling the truth. Solid read.

Mystery⁉️
Thriller🔪
Murder
Multiple timelines⏰

4 stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Final Act by Lisa Gray and narrated by Vivienne Leheny is perfection. Absolute perfection! I have not read the author or listened to this narrator previously, and although I always try and post the positives in revviews, I never "blow smoke". I call it as I see it and this audiiobook is absolutely INCREDIBLE

Get it. Seriously, get it. If you dig a juicy thriller that you can really get your teeth into, this is it. Everything about it is original, well-developed, well structured and has so much in each chapter to absorb

In short, an actress has gone missing and a social media sleuth has found a clue. This sets off rems of publicity and the chase is on! Sarah Delaney and Rob Moreno of the LAPD are the chasers, trying to get to the bottom of the mystery in a community where truth and reality is sparse and everything is face and facade. Take these core storylines and branch them out like a tree blossoming and you have this storyline and it is flipping outstanding

I just can't. It blew me away. A galaxy of stars because 5 just doesn't cover it!

Thank you to Netgalley, Brilliance Publishing | Brilliance Audio, the author Lisa Gray and narrator Vivienne Leheny for this ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

Full disclosure: I am the author of this book and I’m partly giving feedback to maintain my NetGalley feedback ratio. But I also want to give a huge five stars to the narrator, Vivienne Leheny, who has done an absolutely fantastic job with THE FINAL ACT and brought the characters to life brilliantly!

The Final Act is a mystery surrounding a forgotten actress who has gone missing. Twenty years earlier Madison James had 3 roles in movies, now she is missing and became famous overnight from her disappearance.

As they started to uncover her past I found myself becoming so much more intrigued and invested. There were so many interesting dots to connect from people Madison used to be close with and what happened to them.

I love thrillers like this, however so many suffer from the same problem. So many just rely on the major plot twist at the end and do not have too much development or interesting subplots. They put all of their eggs in the basket of that major twist. The Final Act does have a great twist but it had so much more. Every chapter was engaging and I couldn’t put this down. I feel like there was never a dull moment in this entire story.

This has to be on everyone’s list of books to pick up this summer.

4.4 ⭐️ This was a fun, fast, entertaining popcorn thriller

In 2002 Madison James is about to break into Hollywood, but 10 years later she’s gone missing

The story is told from Detective Sarah Daleney’s perspective in 2022 when she investigates Madison’s disappearance

Simultaneously, flashbacks lead up to the disappearance, plus we get various multimedia stories

This was a fun, popcorn thriller without the heaviness of a procedural. Detective Sarah is smart, sassy with just the right amount of backstory

Meanwhile, Madison is empathetic, driven and honest

As Madison’s adventures unfolds, the #metoo movement is highlighted. Although this isn’t a particularly original story, it is moving, entertaining and gripping

I really enjoyed the reveal and felt truly satisfied and entertained

Great audiobook, narrated by Vivienne Leheny who’s audios always draw me in with her honey voice

Thanks to Netgalley and Brilliance Publishing for access to this audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review

In this page-turning thriller, we find ourselves in Hollywood, where Madison James, a once-promising actress, has vanished. Her purse is discovered discarded in a Los Angeles park, and a TikTok sleuth sets the internet abuzz with speculation. Detectives Sarah Delaney and Rob Moreno of the LAPD Missing Persons Unit take on the case, but in Tinseltown, truth is elusive. As they delve into Madison’s past, they uncover dark secrets and a web of deception. With an obsessive public watching their every move, can they find Madison before her disappearance becomes more than just a headline?

The Final Act explores the MeToo movement and the seedy side of Hollywood, shedding light on the exploitation faced by young women striving for fame. Glamor, greed, and gaslighting collide in this knockout thriller. The story unfolds through multiple timelines, keeping readers addicted until the very end.

This was a great book. I was so invested in what happened to Madison James! I liked the storyline and how it went back and forth from the investigation to Madison James. I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narration.

Madison, a former, struggling Hollywood actress, suddenly becomes famous when she disappears. She becomes a TikTok sensation when an amateur investigator discovers her purse. Social media EXPLODES and everyone wants to know....
What happened to Madison?

A very fast paced, ADDICTIVE, popcorn thriller that will make you TINGLE with excitement as you read! You won't believe the ending!
I really enjoyed this one!

So I knew nothing about this except I thought the cover was cool and I actually really enjoyed the audiobook! It had a good mystery and characters that kept me interested. I will say at times I felt like I was missing a previous book. Like it felt like it was a sequel. It reminded me of another series that I read that had similar characters.

I do kind of wish we got a bit more back story or development at the beginning with our female lead detective. Like esp when her marriage stuff came out, I really wanted more of that because I was hoping for a second chance type romantic moment. But I know that's not what this story is about. Maybe if there is another book?

I liked the two different character perspectives/time jumps. It had a good mystery that kept me guessing. Overall, it was a great audio to listen to and I would listen to a sequel if there was one.

I listened to this book on audio and LOVED it! The narration was great and the story had me on the edge of my seat. The characters were interesting, so many plot twists, all topped off with an amazing ending. Highly recommend this one if you’re in the mood for a thriller. 😃

This was a great read! I listened to the audiobook and could not fault the clear concise narration that had me fully invested. I really enjoyed the Hollywood setting of this book and almost listened to the full story in one go (kids needed dinner so I had to stop for a bit!). I look forward to reading more by this author.

✨️ The team at @thrillerbookloversthepulse are reviewing The Final Act and it is so fun!! It's definitely one you'll want to add to your TBR 😍
#pulsepoint #thepulse

The Final Act was an extremely fast paced, engaging, addictive and super entertaining read. As soon as I started this one I knew it would be a one sitting read. This was the perfect popcorn thriller.

The multiple POV’s and dual timeline truly helped make the story so much more engaging. It was the perfect way to expose the plot little by little with twists and turns slowly being revealed. I truly loved the Hollywood backdrop and seeing the toxicity of how it can be. The shady characters also added to the intrigue.

This was a well fleshed out book. The plot was perfectly done and undercovered to keep the reader hooked without ever letting go. Great popcorn thriller, definitely worth a read!

🎧 The narration by Vivienne Leheny was great. I love her voice for thrillers, she truly keeps the intrigue and suspense building. I love how she portrays all the emotions of the characters. Truly stellar performance.

✨️Thank you to @thrillerbookloversthepulse, @thomasandmercer, Brilliance Publishing & @lisagray for my gifted ARC & ALC in exchange for an honest review.

From the moment I hit play on this gripping thriller, I was hooked by the author's dynamic storytelling that skillfully intertwines the past and present. The seamless blend of timelines adds a thrilling layer of complexity to the narrative, keeping me on the edge of my seat with each twist and turn.

What sets this audio book apart is the author's ability to balance heart-pounding suspense with a gritty realism that feels all too palpable. The characters come to life through the narrator's voice, their flaws and vulnerabilities making them both relatable and compelling.

As the past and present converge in the audio landscape, secrets unravel and tensions escalate, leading to a jaw-dropping climax that left me breathless. But beyond the adrenaline-fueled plot, there's a deeper exploration of the human psyche, reminding listeners that the truest horrors often lurk within ourselves.

In the end, this thriller isn't just about solving a mystery; it's a pulse-pounding journey through the darkest recesses of the human soul. If you're a fan of suspenseful page-turners that keep you guessing until the very end, this audio book is an absolute must-listen.

A Hollywood thriller where you can smell the desperation, feel the glamour, and crave the spotlight right along with the leads! And then end up glad this isn’t actually your life.😅

Premise - a dual timeline narrative tracking a wannabe scream queen, Madison, during her present day disappearance and the moment she stood on the cusp of success. All is not as it seems…

This is a twisty story and very atmospheric. The characters were all well realized, with shades of gray, but you still end up rooting for the right ones. I really enjoyed the detective in this! I don’t always, because sometimes they can be a boring contrast to the more exciting plot characters, but Sarah Delaney was fun to get to know in her own right!

The book was great, but I think it was even better enjoyed as an audiobook.

This audiobook couldn’t have come at a better time - day 2 (and hopefully the last) of a wretched stomach bug, I lay on the cold tiles of my bathroom floor and was soothed by the comforting, engaging storytelling talents of the book’s talented readers (it sounded like a multi person cast, all very distinct voices, but apparently it’s all one narrator - wow!). I was too exhausted to read, or even to watch tv, but an audiobook was the perfect distraction from my misery - especially one as good as this!

The narrator did a brilliant job. Each voice fit the character perfectly, adding extra color and nuance beyond what’s already in the text. The pacing was perfect, the tone engaging and varied but never calling undue attention to itself. I’ll look for more books narrated by Vivienne Leheny!

Thanks, NetGalley and Brilliance Audio, for the gifted audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.