Last Night by Karen Ellis is a tale of two teens who get more than they bargain for when they wander off for the night in search of some weed. Titus Crispo and Glynnie cannot be more opposite if they tried. Titus is half black/ half white and a stellar student. He is on the verge of graduating high school as Valedictorian and has a free ride to Princeton. Glynnie is a quintessential rebellious teen who doesn’t care about school or anything else really. Glynnie is white and comes from a well off family. These two unlikely friends bond one afternoon over Titus’s recent brush with the cops. Glynnie decides they need to blow off some steam, and she hauls Titus along to find her dealer, and so begins the longest night of their young lives.

Alarms are quickly sounded late into the night by both families when neither child returns home all night. The missing persons cases fall into two different precincts. The lead investigators soon connect the two missing kids to each other. Matters only become more complicated when a rattled Glynnie returns home, spouting a tale of a run in with a shady street weapons dealer and the kidnapping of Titus Crespo. Last Night is both a mystery and a redemption story as each of the characters is seeking something that is currently missing in their lives, and their difficult journey through one terrible night paved the way for each of them to grow and learn something new about themselves. This is a short read, but it didn’t feel incomplete or lacking, and everyone has a resolution. A worthwhile read. This is the second novel I have read of Karen Ellis and she has proven to be a strong force in mystery writing.

So glad I gave this story a chance after not being able to connect with Elsa in A Map of Darkness.

I started this book around 11pm intending to read just a couple of chapters and then go to sleep. That didn’t happen! I read the entire book, finishing at 3:30am. I was kept on the edge needing to know what happens next.

Even though this book is the second in the series, you can read it as a stand-alone as the main character is Alexi “Lex” Cole and he is very likable. I did, however, have trouble with his issue as it didn’t really make sense. There was a backstory to explain why he had that affliction. Otherwise, very well written!

Title:Last Night

series: The Searchers #2

Author: Karen Ellis

NYPD detective Lex Cole tracks a missing Brooklyn teen whose bright future is endangered by the ghosts of his unknown father's past, in this highly anticipated sequel to A Map of the Dark.

One of the few black kids on his Brighton Beach block, Titus "Crisp" Crespo was raised by his white mother and his Russian grandparents. He has two legacies from his absent father, Mo: his weird name and his brown skin. Crisp has always been the odd kid out, but a fundamentally good kid, with a bright future.

But one impulsive decision triggers a horrible domino effect--an arrest, no reason not to accompany his richer, whiter friend Glynnie on a visit to her weed dealer, and a trip onto his father's old home turf where he'll face certain choices he's always strived to avoid.

As Detective Lex Cole tries to unravel the clues from Crisp's night out, they both find that what you don't know about your past can still come back to haunt you

My thoughts

Rating: 2

Would I recommend it?no

Will I read anything else by this author? no

It was slow and boring and that times I just wanted to DNF it, but I didn't I was hopping that it would get better but it didn't , the more I read the more I didn't care for the characters at all or what was happening , with that said I want to thank Netgalley for letting me read it and review it exchange for my honest opinion .

Excellent story! I could not put the book down. The author, Karen Ellis, is such an excellent story teller. The story just grabs you from the very beginning. The character Crisp is so full of potential and you are on his side from the very beginning. I recommend it!

Valedictorian of his high school class, Titus "Crisp" Crespo has a bright future. He's heading to Princeton in the fall and looks forward to college life. A series of bad decisions on one fateful day lead Crisp down a path he never expected to follow, where he will face a father he's never known and decisions he wanted to avoid ever facing. When Crisp's mother reports him missing, Detective Lex Cole has to unravel the events of Crisp's day to locate the youth, and his companion, Glynnie, after their disappearance.

This is a story that hits many of the big social concerns: racism. inequality, targeting of minorities by police, injustice, addiction, abuse, murder, etc. One bad decision leads into more like the domino effect for Crisp. One bad day might completely derail his life.

Last Night is the second book in The Searchers series. In the first book, Detective Lex Cole was mostly in a support position for FBI Agent Elsa Myers. This time, Lex is in the forefront with his partner, Saki Finley. Lex has a lot going on in his personal life, as he worries over his boyfriend possibly seeing someone else. He pushes those feelings to the side and hits this case hard, searching for two teenagers who are making some very poor, and possibly life-threatening, decisions. Elsa shows up a couple times in passing during the story, but she really doesn't figure into the plot in this second book. In fact, this second book really could be read as a standalone story. It isn't necessary to have read A Map of the Dark first to enjoy this story. While I was happy to see Lex become a more developed character and to see what a great detective he is, this story didn't grab my attention quite as quickly as the first book in the series. This story develops a little more slowly, and focuses more on social justice than detective work. It caught me a bit by surprise. I was expecting more of the same vibe from the first book. The difference in pace and style surprised me a bit....but once I got into the plot and realized this was going to be totally different than A Map of the Dark, I got sucked into the story.

I'm very interested to see where this series goes from here. I will definitely read more! Very curious to see who the main character will be in the next book. Will the series jump around, switching up each time? Or will it settle into focusing on Lex....Elsa....someone else? Each story so far has been well-written with complex and flawed characters. It makes for an interesting read....a different experience than other crime novels with more formula main characters.

Karen Ellis is a pen name for Author Katia Lief. The Searchers is my first experience with her writing. I've added her Karin Schaffer series to my TBR list.

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Mulholland Books via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

Thank you netgalley. This is story about how the simplest event can change your life. Crisp is riding his bike on the sidewalk. He gets a ticket and ends up being held overnight in a detention center. This one event ends up with severe consequences. After missing graduation he goes to explain the reason why he was in the detention center to Glynnie. This too was a simple event that ended up with Crisp on the run and wanted as both a missing person and a possible murder suspect.
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Crisp Crespo has everything going for him. Well-liked, valedictorian of his class, and headed to Princeton. But he's baited into "committing" a crime by a cop and arrested, leaving him terrified about his future. The situation quickly spirals out of control when a young woman who's an acquaintance of his takes him along on a dangerous night through New York city that turns deadly. This story offers yet another reminder of the discrimination that black men in particular face, and how it can lead them to avoid seeking help when the authorities are perceived as out to get you. Glynnie a rich bitch white girl who has never had to face any major problems or consequences in her life is his acquaintance, and JJ, a young boy living on the streets and dealing drugs because his parents have been deported to Haiti is the one who unintentionally leads them down a path to trouble. Lex Cole, a detective from the first book in this series, is investigating Crisp's disappearance but seems more preoccupied with his past and the current status of his relationship with his boyfriend. The parts of the story told from Crisp's perspective are interesting but the rest of the book seems disjointed and not very suspenseful. I preferred A Map of the Dark, the first book in this series.

Being the second installment in the Searcher series I am glad that it could be read as a stand alone. Story is based in New York which made me enjoy it since you never know what is going to happen next. Kept my attention to the end and I do look forward to the next book in the series.

Thanks to Netgalley, for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was certainly a "good read" - a crime/police procedural story that carried the reader right along. I was interested in the characters, and I was also eager to find out how things resolved. So, definitely worth reading.

Unfortunately, it didn't quite live up to her earlier book, A Map of the Dark, and I've been trying to figure out why. First, I think it's because this book lacked the tension of A Map of the Dark. I just didn't have the same ongoing fear that awful things were going to happen - I guess this says something about me, but if it's crime/suspense, I want to be tense and afraid until I get to the end!

I think, too, that it lacked the focus of A Map of the Dark. There, the victims pretty much just existed to be victims, and we had a clear focus in Elsa, the FBI agent who was the main character. Here, if we followed that pattern, the focus would presumably be Lex, the NYC detective - but there just wasn't enough focus on him to make him central. Yes, we had the ongoing concern about his troubles with his boyfriend and his previous drug addiction, but those seemed just thrown in to give us a personal element. Just about the time that would develop a bit, we'd shift to Crisp's or Gwynnie's points of view. While they, too, were interesting, I think the overall book suffered from the split focus. And, we would then get tantalizing pieces of Detective Saki Finley - a character I would definitely like to know more about.

And, while I am certainly interested in the racial and socioeconomic issues that were central to this book, they just didn't help the suspense that should be central to this sort of book.

So, while this was a good read, I think it could have been much better.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of Last Night by Karen Ellis in exchange for my honest review.

This is the second book in this series. I had hoped it would continue to follow FBI agent Elsa Myers but it follows her temp partner Lex, the detective from book one instead. I was disappointed that this book didn't continue with the characters from the first book. I did enjoy the story although it did not keep me as engaged as the first.

Last Night is an excellent book! On the surface, it's a story about Crispo and Glynnie who make some bad choices about how to spend an evening after each has graduated from high school, without any awareness of serious consequences which may result. But at a deeper level the story is very timely, and deals with so many current societal issues. Institutional and individual racism, socioeconomic disparity, alcohol and drug abuse, homelessness, and the problem of undocumented immigration, all are reflected in the story. I would give this book more than five stars if I could! It's the second book I've read by Karen Ellis, and I look forward to reading many more. Thank you to Netgalley for introducing me to this author!

I loved the first book in The Searcher's series and I thought this one would be just as great. I really enjoyed reading "Last Night" but found it to be a little slow in some parts. I liked learning more about Lex Cole. Overall, I really did like this book and look forward to the next!

This is the second book in the series. I have to say that even though there was some pages that I found to be a slow, the pace did pick up and the story kept me captivated. Ms. Ellis' characters are extremely well-written and the plot will keep you guessing until the end. Thank you Ms. Ellis and Netgalley for allowing me to read your books.

I was so disappointed in this book. I really enjoyed the first one and was excited to read this one. I found the book to be really boring. I just did not care about any of the characters. The first book had Elsa and it drove that book with her as the main character. Lex is not a main character person, he's the helpful sidekick. I also didn't care for Glynnie or Crisp. I had such high hopes for this book and it falls flat.



*I received a free copy of this book via the NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.*

Strong second to this series that continues the trend of strong characters who are well developed and real. We all know someone like each of them. Enjoyable.

Two teenagers Glynnie and Crisp find their lives turned suddenly upside down. The story traces how the choices one makes can snowball into life changing events. These children on the cusp of adulthood find themselves in a situation that could derail the rest of their lives. The author has a unique way of allowing the characters to have an inner monologue that searches and seeks to give deeper understanding of the surrounding plot. It is fascinating because it adds so much more insight to the narrative. This is also Lex’s story. We learn a lot more about him and realize why he recognizes so much of the insecurities that lies within Elsa. Great background information on the history of NY as well.

While this is a second in the series book, I read this as a stand alone book and didn't find that I was missing anything by not reading the first in the series. Glynnie and Crisp are acquaintances with very different backgrounds who meet up one night when Glynnie, feeling angsty, wants to go on an adventure. Of course they get themselves into way more trouble than they bargained for and thus ensues their two stories of how they try to undo the mess they have made. Glynnie, the rich privileged girl is the cause of all the trouble, but can Crisp, the poverty stricken minority trust Glynnie to tell the truth and undo the mess? The lead officer, Lex is on the hunt to find the missing teens and learn what really happened that night. A well written book with a good plot and interesting characters.

This is the 2nd book in the series and although can be read as a standalone, I encourage you to read the first book "A Map of the Dark",

I didn’t really care for this book. Found the story dramatic; and in many ways it dragged in a lot of parts because of OVERLY descriptive passages (one scene was like 3 pages and it really could have been a paragraph!)

this book also has the trend of having all unlikeable characters.

This was fast paced quick read though.

Another great book by Karen Ellis in the Searcher series. Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

Karen Ellis puts so much feeling into her writing and gives her characters so much depth that the reader gets attached to them, she gives them flaws that make the characters very human and relatable, even if they are doing crazy things and making all the wrong decisions -

Since this was book 2, I was disappointed that Elsa, the protagonist from the first book, A Map of the Dark, was not a main character, but by the end of this book, I cared about Crisp and Lex almost as much.
This is another story about a missing teen and being misunderstood - it almost reads like a YA novel, but is well written and insightful. Also, a real pager turner, I read it within 24 hours!

Looking forward to reading more from this author - I found she also writes under the names
Kate Pepper and Katia Lief.