Ha! This! This was good. I have been reading Ragan's Lizzie Gardner books, but they have certainly not hooked me and drawn me in like Her Last Day. Initially when I started I saw it was yet another private investigator with a past and a possible boyfriend in law enforcement, and I felt my enthusiasm dwindling, but I was drawn in by the writing that is better than the Gardner books and characters who are more real and far less grating. This world drew me in, and the story is really good.

From the off, minus my initial gripe, I was interested. This is dark and gritty and the characters are good. While a little predictable at times, it is a solid story that is methodically laid out. Jessie has more than one case she is working on, what with Zee Gatley and the Parker Koontz stalking case, not to mention re-investigating her sister's disappearance. Even with all of that going on, none of the cases is really forgotten. Sure, the stalking case is the least handled of the lot, but it does feature, and I liked how it all balanced. The pacing was also quite good, nothing feeling too forgotten, or shoehorned in randomly at a later stage.

Ben Morrison is a complex character, and I am interested to see where his story goes, as well as find out more about who he was before his accident, as a lot of his flashbacks are a bit dodgy and rather violent, which begs pause. I never really thought he was super involved with any of the cases Jessie was investigating in this (with the exception of his possible involvement with her sister), so that makes me wonder all the more. This has a lot of potential, and I liked how it was not rushed into this, or that Ragan didn't rush to resolve it all in this book.

The plot flows rather well, and the book doesn't read like it is chock full of filler to make the book longer or lots of roundabout reasoning. It gets into everything, and does so well. Overall, I think that Her Last Day is a solid read with good characters, a captivating premise, and reads really easily. I am quite looking forward to seeing where Ragan goes with this series.

I do love a thriller and when there is a sadistic serial killer on the loose, as well as a couple of subplots, I’m even more excited.

Jessie Cole is haunted by her sister’s disappearance and she agrees to team up with crime reporter, Ben Morrison, in order to do a series of articles focusing on the search, in the hope that a new clue will be uncovered. She is a full-time parent to her 14-year-old niece and is also facing charges of shooting a stalker; one could say she has her hands full. On top of all this, she also has to face her ex-lover, Colin Grayson, when he crosses her path amidst his hunt for the Heartless Killer, a serial killer who has killed 13 victims already and shows no sign of stopping until caught.

Ben has his own demons to face. He suffers from amnesia after being involved in a horrific car accident. The only person he does recognise is Jessie’s missing sister Sophie. This is where the stories start to interlink as both Jessie and Ben try to uncover the truth about Sophie’s disappearance.

The pace does not let up for a second and there is plenty of action. The Heartless Killer is totally depraved and keeps his victims locked up as he tortures them and breaks them down. He certainly rates as one of the worst in fiction.

I raced through this book in a couple of days.

Gillian.

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

This book is not for the faint of heart. Some of the occurrences are horrific. There is mystery, suspense. Family hardships, strengths, There is hope. Life. Jessie Cole is a private eye. This is her story as she tracks down the last day anyone saw here sister Sophie, and so much, much more. Extremely well written. I need more Jessie Cole. Thank you Thomas & Mercer, thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to receive this arc that I volunteered to review.

4.5*
A full-blown, chilling thriller that will keep you burning through the pages!

There are so many layers to this book. Three seemingly different storylines happening simultaneously, as they wove their through each other’s lives. Becoming intertwined for an incredible finale.

Jessie Cole is a private investigator raising her 14 year old niece Olivia, ever since Olivia’s mother Sophie disappeared 10 years ago. As Jessie starts believing she’ll never find answers to her sister’s disappearance, in walks a reporter who states he may have known Sophie. Well, well, well!

Ben is happily married, a reporter for the local Sacramento newspaper. When he sees a cold case TV show featuring the disappearance of Sophie Cole, he instantly recognizes her and hopes to do a feature story on her. The wrinkle? He was left with retrograde amnesia from a car accident 10 years ago. With absolute no memory of anything prior to the crash. So how exactly could he recognize Sophie?

Colin, a Sacramento detective and close “friend” of Jessie, is knee-deep in a ruthless, serial killer case, being dubbed The Heartless Killer. He’s racing against time to find the killer, as more victims are piling up.

So fast and twisty, this book came together at breakneck speed!
We basically read this book in just a few sittings. When I wasn’t reading it, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. All the storylines and all the characters came together brilliantly. With just the right amount of creepiness, I needed to read this with the lights on! (Bright!) Exceeded my expectations. Highly recommend!

This is book one in a new series for T.R. Ragan. Before I reached the last page I was already searching out the release date for book 2 - Deadly Recall due out Mach 27th 2018

A Traveling Sister read with Brenda!

Thank you To NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and T.R. Ragan for an ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

For this review and our full traveling sister review please visit Brenda and Norma's Fantastic Traveling Sister Book Blog http://www.twogirlslostinacouleereading.wordpress.com

I read Her Last Day with Kaceey and we read this one mostly in one day. Once we started reading this one, we couldn’t put it done until we found out more about “her last day.”

Her Last Day is a fast-paced, gripping, intense and creepy disturbing psychological thriller that started off a little bumpy for us with the psychological torture used here by the Heartless Killer yet we couldn’t stop reading as we were pulled into the other mysteries here within the stories.

T.R Ragan does a fantastic job creating some intriguing, likable characters here that had us engaged in their stories right from the start. We hear from a few different POV’s with each bringing their own distinct voice and mystery to the story. The Heartless Killer’s voice left us feeling chilled and pushed us a little out of our comfort zone with the chilling and disturbing ways he used psychological torture but still left us turning the pages as fast as we could.

There are three mysteries going on here and we found all three interesting and we thought T.R. Ragan did a great job weaving them all together for a startling and satisfying ending. We will be looking out for the second one in this series. We highly recommend.

All of our Traveling Sisters Reviews can be found on our blog:
https://twogirlslostinacouleereading.wordpress.com

Thx to Netgalley, Thomas and Mercer and T.R. Ragan for this Arc.. I have been a fan of this author since reading. her book” Furious” Jesse Cole is a great new character in this series. She’s a private investigator, raising her niece and getting tangled in so many twists and turns of so many series killer storylines. I loved this book. I think this series can continue for as many books as this author wishes.

A great 5 star novel that I enjoyed from the beginning to the end. I would definitely recommend this book and eagerly await the next one. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

Her last day is a complete page turner, introducing private investigator Jessie Cole and crime reporter Ben Morrison
Jessie's younger sister disappeared 10 years previously leaving Jessie to bring up he niece Olivia. Ben was in a horrific car injury also 10 years previously leaving him with retrograde amnesia
A serial killer known as the heartless killer is on the loose and an ex boyfriend of Jessie is the detective leading the hunt.
There are multiple strands to this story that all interlink and come together as it unfolds. An exciting, at times disturbing thriller, but above all a thumping good read.
My thanks to net galley and publisher for opportunity to review this book honestly.

I believe this is the first book that I have read by this author. The beginning was confusing as there were a lot of different characters. But once you got into the actual story, it really grabbed you. My main problem is that this is a trade size book so that means a higher price. With today's economy, I find that customers are passing the trade size books to buy the cheaper mass markets ones.

T. R. Ragan is an accomplished author with successful series publications already behind her. In Her Last Day Jessie Cole #1 we are introduced to capable, independent, and responsible protagonist Jessie. She and her sister Sophie were abandoned by their mother and her father became incapable of caring for his daughters. Jessie stepped up to care for Sophie, but she was a handful and pregnant at 16, produced Olivia. Jessie became mother to Olivia, her niece, after Sophie disappears.
She spent untold hours looking for her sister. The time later evolved into her own private investigation business. There are several multi-dimensional characters, all of whom are well fleshed and empathetic. I especially loved Olivia, 14 years old going on 35. Smart, heads up teenager rescues an injured stray dog she names Higgins (as if there isn't enough drama). Higgins becomes an integral part of the story. She met Detective Colin Grayson after the disappearance of her sister. He's now heavily invested in the Heartless Killer serial case and their relationship hit a recent impasse.
Ben Morrison, a crime beat reporter with the local newspaper, was in a fiery crash ten years ago which resulted in his amnesia. A cold case blurb on TV sparked a memory that he must pursue. He would dearly love to know who and what he was prior to the crash in which he barely escaped and the connection leads him to Jessie.
Working on a stalking case for a woman has resulted in a confrontation in which he drew on her. While she didn't kill him, he may still not survive and his partner is threatening criminal action possibly resulting in a jail term. She has also been hired by a frantic father looking for his missing daughter, Zee, who suffers from schizophrenia.
Suspense drives the thrilling multi-plot as Jessie follows leads to Zee, gleaning witnesses to bolster her case in the stalking criminal action, and meeting with Ben to nail her sister's last known day. In the meantime, she reconnects with Colin, admitting she missed him and wants to reestablish a relationship.
This is not an author new to the creation of dialogue and she is very adept at natural conversational dialogue. Protagonist Jessie is fully fleshed, though there is a depth and dimension to her we've yet to discover. The antagonist is grievously evil, kept in the shadows--but you can definitely feel his sadistic wickedness--and the suspense is allowed to build. Slowly. Ben is a complex individual and I don't think we are through with him yet. Possible romantic interest Detective Grayson is kept in the background and will no doubt make a reappearance. Most loose ends are pulled into a finished knot and the ending would make a climatic horror film.
I was given this download through Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley and am most grateful for the opportunity to read and review. Definitely recommended for fans of T. R. Ragan, and those interested in mystery, suspense and thriller with a touch of psychological horror scene depiction. The pace is non-stop.

It was a creepy suspenseful P.I novel .You will like it if you liked Criminal Minds and the movie Saw.

I devoured this book. I would have finished it in one sitting if pesky life things like work and other people hadn't gotten in the way. We follow several different people and a few different storylines, but they were all so unique and the characters had their own distinct voice, so I never got confused. It just flowed and kept my attention the whole time. I may have had to put it down, but I couldn't wait to get back. I really enjoyed T.R. Regan's Lizzy Gardner series, so I should have known I was in for a treat.

Jessie is a private investigator who has been left to raise her sister's child. Her sister Sophie has been missing without a trace for years. In the past, she's been obsessed with finding her. Did she die, or did her wild side carry her away from her daughter, leaving Jessie with the responsibility of raising the girl? When she gets in trouble for shooting a man in self defense, she wants to focus on clearing her name and raising Olivia, who is now a teenager. Then another case gets thrown in, a desperate father searching for his daughter Zee, who has schizophrenia.

She has a lot on her plate, and more is coming... Ben, a crime reporter, wants to look into the missing Sophie and write a story on her. He is drawn to it after watching a cold case report on TV. He's a great reporter and a family man with a loving wife and two children... but he was in a tragic accident years ago that left his body scarred and his mind damaged. Though he's clearly managed to carve out a new life for himself, he has no memory of the man he was before the accident. So why is he so drawn to Sophie and therefore Jessie?

As if that isn't enough to make an exciting story, we have Jessie's ex Colin who is chasing a depraved murderer nicknamed "The Heartless Killer". He strikes randomly, with no discrimination towards sex or age. Everyone has to be wary... including the characters we're getting to know and love. Chapter with this mysterious killer are disturbing. We're left desperate to figure out who he is and how to stop him.

Well developed characters, not one but two crazy mysteries, and a stray dog. The characters are incredible. You're rooting for them the whole time and really get involved in their stories. Jessie is insanely likeable, and I hope to see even more of Olivia in future stories. She wants to follow in her aunt's footsteps, and with her big heart and keen mind, I think she'll be incredible at it.

P.s. Hooray for Higgins!

I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley and Thomas & Mercer, thank you! My review is honest and unbiased.

For those familiar with her work, Ragan introduces a new heroine and new series with this novel.  Jessie, the new heroine, is somewhere between Lizzy Gardner and Faith McMann.  Jessie is not as rough around the edges as Lizzy but also not as smoothed over as Faith.  Jessie maintains the right amount of grit to remain interesting in a series.

Ten years ago Jessie's sister, Sophie, disappeared.  In the intervening time, Jessie has become a private investigator and has never truly given up on finding out what happened to her sister.  Jessie is raising her niece, Olivia.  She is also trying to begin a relationship with police officer, Colin.

Two potential clients enter Jessie's life.  Arlo hires her to locate his missing schizophrenic daughter, Zee.  Ben doesn't hire Jessie but wants to work with her on finding out what happened to her sister.  Ben suffers from amnesia following a car crash several years ago.  Meanwhile, the community and surrounding area are living in fear of the Heartless Killer.  Jessie ends up mixed up in multiple mysteries all going on at the same time.  

This was a well written mystery by a trusted author.  You can count on her books to be a fast read because you will want to know what is going to happen next.  I read this book in two days and only stopped on the first day due to eye blurriness.

Thank you so much to the editor and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this novel.

What Worked:

1. An engrossing story. Plot, characters, pacing, action, tension, the story flowed well and kept me engaged and swiping my e-reader. The beginning didn't grab me right off but I was slowly sucked into the story. Due to real life, it took me 2 days to read but with sufficient time, I could have read it in one sitting. The story was complex, and after a slowish start, riveting. I cared about all of the characters and I was invested in them, even the minor ones. It was that engagement and involvement that kept me reading as much as the actual stories. I had to know what happened, who lived, who died, who went to jail, etc.

2. Amnesia is tricky to pull off well, almost impossible to make believable, but Ragan pulled it off. I actually bought into it, even with a few unlikely coincidences. It felt as if Ragan did some research on amnesia and put it to good use.

3. The mysteries were tightly written and not too easy to figure out. I want to be kept guessing and be surprised, while having that surprise, that twist, be believable. Ragan accomplished that with all of the mysteries. Oh, a few of my guesses were correct, but Ragan kept me on my toes and thinking.

What Didn't Work:

1. Too much going on. Jessie's sister has been missing for about 10 years. Jessie's under police investigation for shooting a man. There's a schizophrenic girl missing. There's a reporter with partial amnesia who may or may not be linked to Jessie's missing sister. There's a serial killer. There's a romance. There's a renewed investigation into the disappearance of Sophie, Jessie's sister. Whew, lots going on.

2. I have a fairly strong stomach for reading gruesome details (not true when I'm watching TV or movies!) but there were many scenes where I had to skim and skip ahead. The details could have been toned down and the story still would have been effective. Honestly, at times the book felt a bit exploitative, violence and gore for their own sake and not the sake of the story.

3. There are still some unanswered questions around both Sophie and Ben. I'm assuming those will be addressed in future stories in the series.

Final Verdict:

3.5 stars. Not perfect, but a strong story and a strong start to the series. The characters were interesting and relatable, amnesia and all. Jessie and Ben made a good team, though they still need to learn to trust each other and work together.

I really liked this book. I thought it was pretty well-written, although I would have liked more character development. This is the first in a series, but it felt like at least the second book as the reader is just thrown into the characters' lives, in the middle of personal situations you don't have any background for (and you don't get that much throughout the book either). I also wasn't a fan of how there were three plots/cases happening at the same time. One of them felt completely pointless to the book as a whole (unless the author plans to use it in future books). <b>TRIGGER WARNING</b> for adult and child physical abuse. There are some disturbing descriptions throughout the book. They aren't long passages but there were quite a few of them. The story was fast-paced and complex enough that I was hooked and ended up really enjoying it, though.

Her Last Day is a story of how much the past can influence the present. Jessie Cole is an investigator trying to come to terms with the sudden disappearance of her sister ten years ago; Ben Morrison is a reporter who is still trying to remember what led to his car accident ten years ago that left him with amnesia. The determination to find the truth leads them to each other, and eventually connects them the the book's antagonist, the Heartless Killer. The strength of the book lies in the way multiple perspectives weave together to tell the story. I would read the next book if this becomes a series.

There's a lot going on in this fast paced thriller that brings together two damaged people both asking questions about the same person- a woman who went missing ten years earlier. Ragan has a way of throwing up a range of problems, in this case a serial killer, a missing mentally ill woman, a shooting, amnesia, and more. Jessie and Ben are united, however, in dealing with their problems. This is a good first book in a potential series for Jessie- she's a PI who specializes in missing persons so there's rich ground for more novels. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is a page turner.

Finding a new series -especially one that shows promise - to me is akin to finding gold pellets in a stream. First comes the excitement of discovery, followed by the hope of more to come. Such is the case here, with the introduction of Sacramento, California, private investigator Jessie Cole. I won't say it was love at first word, but she's interesting enough that I look forward to future adventures.

As is the usual case with series heroines, Jessie brings "issues" to the table - most notably, the disappearance of her younger sister Sophie 10 years earlier. Since then, Jessie has become almost obsessed with finding her - or at least what happened to her - especially important since Sophie's daughter, Olivia, lives with Jessie and is for all intents and purposes now her daughter. When she's not focused on Sophie's disappearance, Jessie spends most of her time finding missing persons on behalf of her clients.

At the outset, one of those clients puts Jessie in a real bind. Hired to document a stalker, she ends up on the other side of the crime and facing prosecution (and possible jail time). Her one-time love interest, detective Colin Grayson, is still around, but for the moment, at least, their future as a couple doesn't seem to be in the cards. He's been hard at work trying to find the so-called Heartless Killer, who's kidnapped, tortured and killed numerous victims.

Almost out of the blue, Jessie is contacted by journalist Ben Morrison, who has a backstory of his own. A decade ago, he was seriously injured in an auto crash that left the driver dead and Ben with no memories of the accident or, for the most part, his past (except, I guess, his ability to write - apparently he's continued his newspaper career with only time out for recuperation). But now, triggered by bothersome but unexplainable flashbacks that include a woman who resembles Sophie, Ben wants to rehash her now-cold case, and it's important that he has Jessie's support.

He gets it, albeit reluctantly since Jessie questions his motives. And, she's got cases of her own to work on, including the possible kidnapping of a mentally disturbed young woman whose off-the-wall father is desperate to find. As all this plays out, chapters switch to what's going on with the very active serial killer; the only thing that's clear is that he will keep doing his thing until he's caught.

The action is almost nonstop, so I was happy to be able to finish the book in two days of spare-time reading (for the record, I'd have been even happier if I could have done it in a single day). Jessie is off to a great start -and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

It's the beginning of another great series by T.R. Ragan and I was lucky to get an advanced copy courtesy of NetGalley. A solid 5 stars for me! I have yet to read one of her books that I didn't just eat up. And if life wasn't so busy, I'd have read this in a couple sittings.

My oh my...where to start!

We have Jessie Cole, a private investigator, who is raising her niece on her own after her sister disappeared 10 years ago. Their mother abandoned them when they were young and their father started drinking. Jessie took on caring for her sister, who at sixteen became pregnant. Jessie struggled to help care for her sister, Sophie, along with her daughter until one day, Sophie went out and never returned. Now it's just Jessie and Olivia. She has never stopped looking for her. That was her main reason for becoming a PI.

Then there's Ben Morrison who is a crime reporter. He was in a horrific car accident 10 years ago that left him badly disfigured and with no memories from before the accident. He's happily married with two children and going about his life living from the accident forward. He was told his memories may come back, but they may not. One day, he sees a picture on a show talking about a cold case. It's Sophie Cole and something triggers a memory.

And thus creates our duo for this story...Jessie and Ben. Will they find out what happened to Sophie? Is she still alive somewhere? Or dead? Will Ben's memories return? Can Jessie trust him?

So many questions as these two embark on a joined effort to find out what happened to Sophie.

And we also have a gruesome serial killer named "The Heartless Killer" that has everyone in the area on edge. Plus Jessie is going through another issue that could take her away from Olivia. She was in a shooting while doing surveillance for a client. And she gets a new client who's schizophrenic daughter is missing.

All these different story-lines make for a great read. Will they each get resolved? Will they collide? You have to read the book to find out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this opportunity. And to T.R. Ragan for another great read!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Her Last Day by T.R. Ragan that I read and reviewed.
This was one of the best books that I read so far this year. Even though it started out slowly, Her Last Day picked up the pace and had exciting story and an amazing group people throughout the book.
I loved Jessie Cole, the PI who lost her sister ten years ago when she disappeared and no one knows what happened to her. Then there is crime reporter Ben Morrison who also suffered a tragedy ten years ago when he was in a car wreck that burned his body and took his memories. Now these two are working together to try to find out what happened to Sophie, Jessie's sister and try to unravel both Sophie and Ben's past.
Then while this is going on Jessie is on the hot seat because she shot a man who shot at her in the park and she is also looking for a missing woman while there is a serial killer out there known as Heartless Killer who likes to torture and kill people of all ages.
This book is packed with so much action when it gets moving you won't be able to put it down. T.R. Ragan has another female lead that readers are going to fall in love with and won't be able to wait for the next book to come out.
Her Last Day gets five out of five stars!