Roland Firth is hired by Penelope to find her missing sister. Roland thinks it will be an easy case until he starts finding things out. Everything may not be what it appears, everyone seem to be lying. This is a fast paced thriller that will keep you turning the pages. It is part of a series but could be read as a stand alone. Thank you to net galley for a copy.

One sign of a good series is when you can jump in at the third book and not feel completely lost. It's even better when you're immediately engaged with the series protagonist and swept up in the story. T. Jefferson Parker is such a writer and Roland Ford is such a character.

In this novel, private eye (ex-marine, ex-boxer and ex-sheriff's deputy) Ford is hired by the older sister of a girl that's gone missing. As he works the case, he encounters a church that his hiding something, white supremecists that are hiding in almost full view, and a client that's also hiding something. Helping him uncover the truth, save the girl and save the world are 'the irregulars': the motley group of people that reside in the casitas on the large ranch that he has inherited from his late wife and her family and he is obligated to keep.

There's a lot going on here and the story is so fully packed that it could have gone off the rails at any time. The author keeps it hanging together and I can't wait to go back and read the other books in the series.

Book 3 in the Roland Ford PI series. What happens when Ford, still grieving the loss of his wife, is attracted to a beautiful, mercurial woman who is lying to him? When Penelope Rideout comes to Ford asking him to find her runaway teen-age sister, the information she gives him doesn't check out. Does Penny have a husband? Did her sister run away or was she kidnapped?
Checking the story, Ford's first taste of what's to come is lying in bed with a bullet hole in his forehead. The sister's taste runs to mature men (20-ish), and it appears from witnesses that she didn't object to being taken away in a white logo'd van. The logo is traced to a security firm. When Ford tails one of its employees, all hell breaks loose.
Filled with twists and turns and complex what-ifs, Ford must unravel the connections between the runaway teen, the security firm, a long-time white supremacist leader, and the charismatic preacher of a peronality-driven white-is-the-right-color church. What he finds is not only chilling but, for the thoughtful reader, a deeply unsettling window onto the forces at play in America today.
It's a four, a mesmerizing read with enough puzzles to keep any fan happy.
Thanks to the publisher, Penguin Random House, and Net Galley, for copy of the manuscript.

The Last Good Guy can be described in the following way - a marine, a boxer, a ballroom dancer, a sheriffs’ deputy and most importantly, a PI.

Roland Ford is that man!

Penelope Rideout places a call to Roland in hopes of hiring him to track down her missing sister Daley. Roland thinks this could be some quick, easy money. Just another misguided runaway teenager. Should be able to wrap this up in no time. But soon he finds himself knee-deep in something much larger than a missing persons’ case. So who exactly can he trust? Penelope? The local preacher? Think again…everyone is telling lies! Everyone has something to hide.

This is book 3 of the Roland Ford series. But easily read as a stand-alone! I jumped into the series right here with no problem following along. I loved all the characters! From Roland himself to his group of lovable misfits who live on his property.

T Jefferson Parker gives us a gritty, crime drama that is fully engaging and definitely difficult to put down. The writing is crisp and clean, the story-line flowing along at a steady pace and never lagged.

I read one other book by T. Jefferson Parker many years ago and for some reason never picked up another. Well, that’s going to change starting right now! I am hooked on this series and cannot wait for the next release! So glad I found my way back to this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam and T. Jefferson Parker for an ARC to read and review.

“The Last Good Guy” by T Jefferson Parker is the third book in the “Roland Ford” series. Parker gives new readers a brief background, and all the familiar characters eventually make their appearances. The book is a first person narrative by Ford who talks openly to readers. He has a comfortable, conversational style as if close friends were sitting in front of a casita at Rancho de los Robles, enjoying the evening air, sharing thoughts, and reminiscing.
The story opens with homage to every great noir book.
“There’s this scene in the old detective movies where the investigator sits in his office, waiting for someone to come in and hire him. He’s a capable‑looking man. His face has character. His office is functionally furnished and poorly lit. Light and shadow. The top half of the office door is smoked glass and you can read his name in reverse.”
Thus, into Ford’s life walks Penelope Rideout; she needs help; she needs his help. Her sister has disappeared under questionable circumstances. Ford reassures her. “In my seven years as a PI I’ve never failed to find the person I was hired to find. Not that it’s easy locating someone who doesn’t want to be found. But it’s my specialty.”
Construction and grammar contribute to the atmosphere as Ford talks to himself and talks to readers sharing random thoughts, conclusions, questions that need to be answered, and ones that will never have answers. The investigation is documented with thorough descriptions and meticulous details as if in a report that readers are perusing after the end of the case. Readers get every observation, every clue, and every detail of Ford’s unconventional investigation strategies such as window washing, and under cover wasps.
The search becomes increasingly more complicated, and the lines between truth and lies become ever more blurred. “You’re beginning to exhaust me, Mrs. Rideout.” A river of unsettling facts run rampant, but the investigative process is careful and detailed because Ford constantly reminds himself of his mission, keeps himself focused, and stays on track; “Roland Ford digs to the bottom of things.”
Parker effectively uses geography and culture to create a sense of place for readers.
“Fallbrook is a small, fragrant, old‑fashioned town, a mom‑and‑pop place. We have characters. We have a peaceful side and a rough side. We are awash in classic cars, gleaming old vehicles sailing yachtlike down our country roads. We bill our town as the avocado capital of the world…More woodies than Teslas, more wheelchairs than Segways. It’s got street cred.”
Parker gives readers an understanding look into Ford’s existence. “And I felt my own aloneness, too -- just a man in a small house beside a great sea, drawn by the simple need to earn a living.”
I was given a review copy of “The Last Good Guy” from T Jefferson Parker, Penguin Publishing Group, and G.P. Putnam’s Sons Publishing. I loved every page, and I cannot wait for the next book, “The Roland Ford Academy of Dance.”

Private Investigator Roland Ford is hired to find a woman’s runaway baby sister. What he finds is a group of skinheads and a plot so repulsive it defies belief.

Getting the truth from the woman who hired him, from the runaway girl, or from the pastor of a local mega church, may be more than Ford or his bunch of Irregulars can imagine.

Parker ‘s writing is always smart and thoughtful, and The Last Good Guy should be another Edgar Award contender.

For an avid reader of a wide-ranging assortment of books, a good whodunit serves a role similar to an appetizer compared to an entrée reading of literary fiction or nonfiction, but who doesn’t love a good treat now and then?

I read The Last Good Guy, written by T. Jefferson Parker that goes on sale August 13, in an advance reading copy furnished by Net Galley. Private Investigator Roland Ford gets a missing teenager case from a beautiful but puzzling woman. He soon realizes that she may not be trustworthy herself as the husband she mentions turns out to be fictitious. The teenager, Daley, supposedly her much younger sister left in her custody after the death of their parents, is gone, but other questions arise. Was Daley really kidnapped or did she go willingly as she tries to loosen the strict restraints laid down by an over-protective sister? What is their real connection with the ultra-conservative celebrity evangelist who tells a different story? What is going on at the secretive charter school, and what are the American Nazis, hidden away in their compound, really up to? Then there’s the question of what the SNR group label stands for, with one supposition being Say Nothing Real.

Previous cases come up in the narrative with enough explanatory information for those like me who had not read the earlier books in the series. The recaps are woven into the text well enough that I think they would be not be annoying to those who had. The book will not enrich your understanding or bring great enlightenment, but like relishing the chips and salsa before a Tex-Mex meal, relax and enjoy this fine tale.

A brief history of time and Roland Ford, private eye; he is a former a former Marine, an ex-boxer, and ex sheriff’s deputy. Ford would tell you the most salient fact about himself is that he was widowed after one year of marriage to Justine, when the fuel line of Justine’s Cessna malfunctioned. Justine came from old California money and her parents insisted he keep the large property given to them when they married. The property, located near Encinitas, CA contains six casitas that Roland rents out to people, including his grandparents. His grandparents can’t live together but can’t stand to live too far apart. He rents to a varied group of people who became like family and are known as his irregulars.
In The Last Good Guy Ford is hired by a young woman, Penelope Rideout, who insists her fourteen year old sister, Daley, has been kidnapped. Witness statements and subsequent actions suggest the kidnapping may not be quite as advertised, that some free will might have been involved.
I hope some day in the not to distant future the themes of this story are no longer quite so on-point. That the racism, skinheads, neo Nazi, rip -off Evangelicals and sexual grooming themes are all way in our collective rear view mirrors. I’m writing this the weekend of El Paso and Dayton, so as to my perspective, not bloody likely.
The private eye with the tragic background, his gang of helpers and the beyootiful, but shady dame is not my favorite category of crime story. I make an exception for the Roland Ford books because they are terrific, plus they are written by T. Jefferson Parker.; T. Jefferson Parker, writer extraordinaire and winner of three Edgar awards, a rare accomplishment.
Parker’s plot in The Last Good Guy is complex, starting out as a kidnapping but partially ending as something else. There are many twists to keep you involved and intrigued but nothing that rings false.
Parker’s character’s are nuanced and unconventional, especially his irregulars. Why does one of his newest residents look behind and above her all of the time? The truth of it made me cry.
This book easily reads as a standalone, but not only would I read the first two books, I would read Parker’s entire backlist. There is enough originality in the different series to keep from a reader from being bored.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

For the record, this is the third in a series featuring private investigator Roland Ford. I've not read the other two and so was a bit apprehensive at tackling this one, but I needn't have worried - nor should other readers. It stands alone just fine.

That bit of information out of the way, I found it to be just fine in just about every other way as well; interesting, likable characters, intriguing story (not exactly a thrill a minute, but enjoyable and easy to follow) and a satisfying ending. What that means to me is that I don't intend to miss any others in the series; what it means to other readers is that I think you'll enjoy it as well.

Kick-off here is a visit by Penelope Rideout, who wants to hire Roland to find her much younger sister Daley. Roland, you see, is a former G.I. and sheriff's deputy turned private eye practicing in Encinitis, California. Daley, Penelope explains, has run away - apparently with a much older boyfriend. When Roland checks up on the boyfriend, he sees two suspicious - and incongruous - events: First, the young girl leaves the building with two bruiser-type guys, apparently willingly; and second, the boyfriend's dead body inside his home. Is it possible, Roland wonders, that the girl is an accomplice to a murder?

Clues - and information from Penelope that she previously withheld - lead Roland and his cadre of friends to the charismatic pastor of a cash-rich evangelical megachurch and clandestine activities of a very privately held security firm. Roland isn't sure whether to believe Penelope or the pastor or, for that matter, whether Daley's life really is in danger, but he vows to find her come heck or high water. Finally, everything comes together with a bang (actually, several of them, both literal and figurative) and all's right with the world until the next adventure.

All in all, an entertaining read - and a new series to which I'm now looking forward. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.

This book had me up all night turning the pages. Like the other Roland Ford books, the thrills were a mile a minute. Parker writes such a clear picture of southern California and I love his quirky tenants, "The Irregulars." And thanks to Parker delving into Roland Ford's feelings in The Last Good Guy, I went from liking Roland Ford to loving him. I'm already hoping for another book in this series!

Roland Ford, along with Jack Reacher, and Virgil Flowers, is among the last of the good guys! It is worth reading about strong, sensitive men who find runaways and capture terrorists in the same book. T Jefferson Parker has created such a hero in Roland Ford who, along with his team of irregulars chase down and capture criminals. This is another strong entry in the field of crime novels by a marvelous writer!

Penelope hires Roland Ford, a private investigator to find her younger sister who is missing. At first glance this case seems simple and straightforward. A worried sister looking for a teenage girl runaway. But this story morphs into an extremely complex, suspenseful and intense thriller. It’s one of those books you can’t put down until the end. Full of twists and turns you won’t see coming. This novel was a terrific read! I enjoyed every page! I highly recommend this book. My thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for an advance copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

While not up to the level of Silent Joe or California Girl, this is still a terrific read. Parker always tells a good story and keeps the pages turning.

Roland Ford returns. The case seemed simple. A teenage girl runaway, a distraught sister looking for her. So far so good. But is the relationship between the “sisters” as advertised? Did the young girl run away, or is she being held against her will? The “simple” case quickly evolves into a life-or-death pursuit that leads Ford into the secretive world of a charter school, an even more secretive Neo-Nazi enclave, and a celebrity evangelist. Oh, and a shady, militaristic security firm and a nuclear power plant. This is Roland Ford at his best. And T. Jefferson Parker at his best. The story is compelling, the plot twists numerous, and the writing impeccable.


DP Lyle, award-winning author of the Jake Longly and Cain/Harper thriller series

I requested this book not realizing it is part of the Roland Ford series. I was still able to enjoy this book without having read the first two. There are some parts and references to past situations that are probably in those first books, but was explained well enough in this book for the reader to still follow the story. I do recommend reading them if you have the opportunity primarily for consistency and avoiding possible spoilers from this book.

Roland Ford is a PI hired by a woman, Penelope, to find her younger sister who has gone missing. The story instantly grabbed me with the mysteriousness of this woman and the circumstances of her missing sister. As the story progresses, more details are revealed. The supporting characters' stories and secrets are revealed and kept me engaged.

I find Parker is essentially my James Patterson or Nora Roberts, but more sophisticated. His books are fairly easy reads, but they keep me interested and entertained. I feel Patterson's books (at least the one's I've read) give the impression that they were written in a week. I don't feel that way with Parker's books. His books usually can be categorized as Crime, Thriller, Suspense and/or Mystery.

I would recommend this book and this author for anyone looking to read an entertaining book with any of those elements.