The Last Breath by Kimberly Belle
Adult Fiction/Mystery Suspense
Paperback, 384 pages
September 30, 2014
Harlequin, MIRA

Reviewed by Tori

Favorite Quote: I came all this way because I’m not certain…

Gia Andrews, a humanitarian worker, left her small Tennessee home town sixteen years ago after her stepmother, Elle Mae, was murdered and her father convicted of the crime. When she receives news her father is being allowed to come home because he is dying, Gia comes home to care for him and to figure out exactly what happened that night.

Being known as the daughter of a murderer doesn’t do much to help ease her way back into small town life but meeting a certain attractive bartender helps to take away the sting. As Gia gets to know her father again and try to deal with the guilt of his crime and her abandonment of him, she soon discovers that everyone has a story to tell about that night. As Gia sifts through the half lies and truths, the past comes back to life and she soon discovers there was far more at stake than a simple crime of passion. And the consequences of discovering once and for all what really happened that night may devastate them all.

The Last Breath by Kimberly Belle is a thought provoking dramatic undertaking that takes a decade old crime and uses it to dissect and examine the characters who all were affected by it.  While the mystery is a strong base the story is built on, I found the character dynamics far more prevalent. A trio of siblings, torn apart by their stepmother’s death and father’s conviction of the crime must come together and finally deal with the past and their own feelings towards their father and each other. Belle’s voice is a wonderful blend of humor,  sorrow, and compassion as she tells us a story of love, loss, jealousy, guilt, and forgiveness. Using the past and the present, Belle guides us down a long twisting road, letting us form our own opinions about what happened as we listen to the victims recollections of what happened and the accounts of all those left behind to question and wonder.

Intense and personable characters bring the story to life, giving us an in depth look at how differently people can react to grief, anger, and embarrassment. Gia choose to leave town and save the world, a reaction to the fact she couldn’t save her family. Her sister Lexi and her brother Bo choose to stay in town; with Lexi flaunting herself in the public eye, never letting the town know the extent of her pain while Bo hides himself in his research lab. All three of them deserted their father when he was convicted, choosing to believe in the court’s assertion he was guilty. Their pain, fear, and mistrust is a living entity yet despite their animosity towards one another, Belle digs deep beneath the surface and draws out the love they feel for one another.

A sexy sweet romance weaves throughout, heightening the appeal and softening the harsher tones. Belle uses Gia’s and Ellie Mae’s multiple steamy sexual interludes to engage us further into the mystery and provide a bridge of understanding between the past and the present.

As the mystery swirls around, drawing in tighter and tighter towards the finale, a curious feeling overtakes the reader. Elation and sorrow walk hand in hand in the book’s final moments, requiring us to reassess everything we have learned as our questions are finally answered. Though some answers were underwhelming, particularly in retrospect to the victim and the events leading up to her demise, overall The Last Breath is an enjoyable small town mystery suspense that solidifies the notion you can always go home.

RATING: B

Recent Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews
Popcorn Reads

Goodreads I Author Website I Amazon I Barnes & Noble