The Last Victim by Karen Robards
Romantic Suspense/PNR
August 7, 2012
Random House
Reviewed by Tori
Dr. Charlotte (Charlie) Stone is an expert in criminal psychology. She also sees dead people. She regularly faces down some of the most vicious and sadistic serial killers that prison has to offer. As the surviving victim of a serial killer herself, Charlotte needs to know what fuels the madness in these monsters.
FBI agent Tony Bartoli knows who Charlotte is. He knows what she went through and he knows what she can do. He needs her help because a teenager is missing and it looks like after fifteen years, the serial killer she faced, is back. Charlotte doesn’t want to take this case but knows she may be the only one who can stop this monster. Soon, Charlotte is locked in a cunning game of lies and secrets as she uses all her gifts to hunt down a madman who is bent on making Charlotte his last victim.
Karen Robards The Last Victim is a psychological paranormal romance suspense. The story begins with a look at Charlie’s past; retracing each step through her ordeal with a serial killer. When Charlie was sixteen, her best friend and family were slaughtered by a serial killer and her best friend’s body was left on the boardwalk. Charlie’s identification to the police sent the Boardwalk Killer into hiding. We then flash to the present and our story begins fifteen years later. While the premise promises an exciting PNR thriller, the actual story and characters failed to engage me. It’s not that the overall story was bad; I just felt that the romance and main conflict fight so hard for dominance we end up cheated out of both. The story starts out energetic. We are immediately clued into the main conflict and an equally important sub plot. There is not much suspense and anticipation as we are led through the investigation. Since this is told from Charlie’s POV, we fail to see the grit of the investigation, only the profiling that Charlie handles. The plot and sub plots are laid out in dull and uninspiring fashion.
The primary romance is strange and a bit uncomfortable. Charlie has been meeting with convicted serial killer Michael Garland as part of her research. When he is stabbed, Charlotte is the last person to be with him when he dies and this causes a tether between Michael and Charlotte. Michael comes off offensive and creepy, using extreme sexual language and gestures to intimidate Charlotte. Once he passes into the afterlife, he and Charlotte begin to flirt and the sexual tension between them becomes intense. The chemistry is hot, but there is a lot of emotional pontification in here that drags the story down. I felt like Ms. Robards was trying too hard to convince me they were made for one another, regardless of their past. Their dialogue, especially Charlie’s, is almost bi polar in its revelations. She’s attracted to him and extols his manly attributes, while at the same time berating herself for falling for a serial killer. Plus, it’s hard to separate yourself from the fact that Michael is a convicted serial killer. There is nothing revealed to Charlie or us to disabuse us of this though the storyline hints at future revelations.
The secondary characters were uninspiring also. Again, we deal with them in the present and only on the job. You never get to know them as individuals. There are two dimensional figures used to round out what is essentially Charlie’s and Michael’s story. There is a light flirtation between Charlie and FBI agent Tony but it also feels forced and there wasn’t a hint of chemistry there. I was also disappointed in the villain’s characterization. I really would have loved to spend sometime in the their head, if only to get a clue to their motivation. He is only alluded to and never seen till the very end. The ending comes hard and fast, leaving me feeling like I missed part of the story.
While I was fan of Ms. Robards earlier work, I’m afraid that this particular installment wasn’t what I have come to expect from her.
Overall Rating: D
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Thanks for the review. I was contemplating buying it, but after reading your review I know I’d have not been satisfied.
Not what I expected at all. :(
So the “romance” is between a woman and a ghost? And said ghost is a serial killer? Did I read that right?
Yes. Yes you did. o_O
Ghosts in romance just don’t work for me. Bleh.
I don’t mind the ghost angle, but I couldn’t wrap my mind around a ghost serial killer whom the woman kept noming on. lol
Okay, I do have a lot of her books unread on my shelves, but I hope I never buy this one. Falling for a ghost of a serial killer? Seriously? That is just sick.
It didn’t work well. She ZOMGed to hard on him. lol
She starts noticing his manly attributes and animal magnetism even before he dies. That should have been my first clue right there. I absolutely could not wrap my head around the fact that this woman, who sees her friends murdered by a serial killer, decides to get frisky w/ one.. in her dreams. You’re right on target in the fact that she comes across as bi-polar. Yes, I’m crazy but I’m going to keep right up with this ludicrous behavior because I want him. (Or not, I’m just theorizing in a willy nilly fashion)
I actually thought the pacing of the book itself wasn’t bad.. and the smexy times were written well enough, but the wtf of those two characters coming together negates any good characteristics of the book, for me, at least.
I love her earlier works but this was just strange.