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.

This was second book with some of same characters, Elsa and Lex. I don't think I'd call it a series since the books are so different. I didn't enjoy either of them in this book. Elsa wasn't brought in very much and Lex was more concerned with his personal issues. I understand the main theme of teenagers making choices and suffering consequences but it leaves you hanging for final results. It took an entire book to go through events of one day and I got bogged down in details and side stories that I didnt enjoy. It's an okay book, but definitely not a page turner.
I received this book as a complimentary copy for an honest review.The opinions expressed are my own.

This book is a definite page turner. What happens when three different personalities get together on that fateful night and make the wrong decisions? You will have to turn the pages to find out but it is so worth it! Thanks Karen!

Tried to get into the story, but couldn't. Just couldn't hold my interest.. Didn't enjoy the writing style.

Mysteries are my favorite reading, but this writer's style of writing lost my interest. She doesn't seem to understand punctuation and her sentences were all run on and on and on.

I am very grateful to the author and publishers for the opportunity to read this ARC through NetGalley. However, this book just didn't work for me. I struggled to finish the first book by the author, which was also offered to me through NetGalley. I'd expected to see Elsa in this book more, since the last book spent *so* much time on her back story, but in reading this book, it felt like all of those details were just wasted space and filler.
I really wanted to like this book and I really did try it on several different occasions, but this book just didn't work for me.

In Last Night author Karen Ellis chronicles the fallout from a group of teens taking a late night adventure. The story shifts in time with some chapters taking place in the aftermath of the eventful night and other chapters flashing back to show tell what took place.

The story revolves around a young man named Crisp and his female acquaintance Glynnie. On his graduation day, Crisp is arrested for a trumped-up charge by a stereotypical racist depiction of an NYPD cop. Glynnie saw him in custody so after his release, he feels obligated to go explain to her is not a real criminal.

Glynnie wants to go buy weed. Thinking his future college plans are destroyed by the arrest Crips goes with her. Their trip to buy weed kicks off a series of events that snowball out of control. By the next day, they have not returned home so their parents report them missing.

Lex Cole, an NYPD detective troubled by his personal life falling apart. Yet even with issues at home, he has a compelling desire to find these missing kids. The story has detective Cole finding clues and information about the teens. Then the next chapter a flashback explaining what the teens were doing to leave that clue behind.

Overall Last Night was a compelling read. The characters were all interesting. I liked how the author thought out the reasons as to why they did what they did. This could easily be a story about some random kids just being “dumb teens”. However, the characters all have reasons for what they set out to do and how they react as events unfold.

On the negative I do need to point out the author seems to have anti-police and anti-gun feelings. More than once there was a minny rant about corrupt cops or the need to ban guns. These rants felt more like a political statement from the author than part of the narrative. It was not enough to make me want to put the book down. However, given that many of my readers are in public safety it is something I need to point out.

Anyone looking for a good thriller with well-developed characters should pick up Last Night.

A free review copy of this book was provided via NetGalley for this unbiased review.

While this novel was not as “high stakes” in terms of urgency and consequences, as the first in this series, it still provides a thrill ride. It does not focus as much on the background or lives of our detectives but just enough that they are still seen as friends we are still getting to know. The other characters are realistic and frustrating and relatable enough so we cringe at their bad decisions and cheer on their triumphs and breathe a sigh of relief at their safety. A page turner with consequences we can live with.

Good storyline, descriptive text. The characters were well developed and the story is set for sequels.

I did not enjoy this book as much as the first one for a couple of reasons. The mystery is less mystery and more a lesson in what happens when people make bad choices and keep doing it. The catalyst for Crisp's adventure is never really addressed in the end either. In fact, the ending is interesting and I thought abrupt.

Also, I really liked Lex in the first book of the series. He was light to Elsa's darker aspects and made for a great foil. Unfortunately, in this book he has a much darker undertone with nothing to balance that out with.

Overall, a good read and I hope the next book is more like the first.

Thanks to the publisher for a review copy via NetGalley.

Last Night by Karen Ellis is a very engrossing read. It is a good twisty book that i am sure all mystery fans will enjoy. But it also deals with many sociological issues , such as racism, police stereotyping, and economic inequalities as well. I think not only can we enjoy the read but we can learn from it as well. A well written book!

It's rare that you get a book in a series with so many intertwining inner-stories actually get resolved. This is the second book in Ellis' Searchers series, but easily a stand alone. This book is equal parts thriller, family drama, and coming of age. The police procedural is minimal but all of the characters are well defined and not ignored. Great book.

Quite good. Two teens from different sides of the track (one mixed race, poor, very bright, the other wealthy, bored, and rebellious) get into big trouble. Sympathetic character development, strong writing. Something about the detective protagonist didn't totally ring true to me but the setting and other characters were vivid.

This is the second entry in "The Searchers" series although it can be read as a stand alone. Elsa Myers, the FBI investigator, who had a major role in the first book, "A Map of the Dark", makes only brief appearances in this novel. Lex Cole, who was also introduced in the first book, is the main character and becomes more fully developed. I enjoyed this book much more than "A Map of the Dark" since it was far less predictable. The plot involves Crisp Crespo who is the valedictorian of his New York City high school. Crisp makes a series of bad decisions that lead him into very dangerous territory. I thought much of the plot was plausible although the scenes on Governor's Island were a bit too convenient. Saki Finley, the new police officer who appeared in this book, is interesting and I hope to see more of her in other books in this series.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆
M/F Thriller

This is the second book in this series. It follows Lex, the detective from book one. I was disappointed that this book didn't continue with the characters from the first book.

Crespo and Glynnie are a couple of teenagers who start out with one bad choice that leads to more bad choices and an eventuality that could risk their lives.

It's more of a mystery of the who are you related to and who do you know. While it was entertaining, I wanted more about Lex, as he was the recurring character from book one. I found that his story seemed almost like an afterthought. There was a lot going on in this story and it came at the reader from a lot of different perspectives. They were well developed, thoughtful, and planned, which helped propel the story along. However, it was not really a book two, in the sense that it only mentioned Lex, who appeared in book one.

While this was a good mystery, it lacked chemistry in the relationship department between all of the characters. However, I am hoping that the next book will tie everyone back together, as I really enjoyed the first book.

I had not heard of this series or the author so I did bot have a point of reference regarding the detective and storyline. None of the characters were developed enough for me to fully appreciate their personalities/flaws/etc. The first part of the story frustrated me a bit as it seemed to be another story about poor decisions young people made and playing the race card. Other aspects, like Detective Lex's former addiction, came out of left field. Maybe this was explained in the first book. The cadence of the ploy sometimes picked up and other times dragged on for a bit. It is a quick read without any "meat" to it.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for honest feedback.

This realistic novel explores the complex intersection of teenage boundary testing, racial profiling, police-community interactions, and complex family relationships, set in present-day Brooklyn, N.Y. Characters are so believable they have faces, and settings are vividly painted. The story is fresh and fast-paced.

It's an ambitious bite of modern-day reality. And it succeeds on every level. Last Night is a compelling read.

This was an interesting take on the detective novel. I enjoyed the plot and characters and story.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book

A raw and deeply personal look at the authors struggle with devastating depression. Heather Armstrong is open and honest throughout her journey. A must read for 2019.

** I received an electronic ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

I received a free copy of this book from the author. I had the opportunity to review or not.

This is the first of the Searchers books I have read, and I loved it. The characters were well-developed and likeable. The world was described with detail and color that made it come alive. This story tells of two young high school graduates who meet and spend a night that turns dangerous by making very poor decisions. One is Crisp Crespo, a poor interracial young man who is intelligent, thoughtful and headed to a bright future that he has worked hard to achieve. The other teen is a rich, spoiled white girl, Glynnie, dedicated to her-self with no direction, no interests outside of fulfilling her impulsive drives. They make an unlikely pair

Knowing he should be making better decisions, Crisp continues going along with Glynnie’s dangerous ideas and the two teenagers wind up in a life-threatening situation. Ms. Ellis jumps head long into the minds of teens and succeeds for the most part. Sometimes it seemed a little over done, but I could certainly see and understand why some teens would do exactly as our protagonists did.

In the meantime, detectives and parents are seeking their teens, and trying to understand what is going on with them. The techniques the detectives used are interesting to watch as they put clues and hunches and experiences together to discover what might be the way to bring the teens home safely.

I really enjoyed reading this book and I am definitely going to read the first book, A Map of the Dark. This has been widely praised and I look forward to it. But don’t miss Last Night. It is well worth the read.