THE LAST SISTER (Columbia River Book #1) by Kendra Elliot is the first book in a new romantic suspense/FBI mystery series. This book is easily read as a standalone, but a few of the characters are carry overs from Ms. Elliot’s Callahan & McLane series.

Twenty years ago, a family was shattered when the father was found hanging from a tree and their home burned to the ground. The mother committed suicide a week later, the eldest daughter disappeared and that left two small girls with secrets that they would hide for years.

Present day. FBI Special Agents Zander Wells and Ava Callahan are sent to investigate a double murder in a small Oregon coastal town that is eerily similar to a twenty-year-old crime that was supposedly solved. The tip came from Emily Mills who found the slain couple and was one of the sisters who survived the old crime.
Zander is determined to solve this double homicide, but he is also intrigued by the old case and Emily.

As Zander and Ava investigate, the killer threatens Emily and her relatives and then strikes again to hide his crimes past and present. Secrets long buried need to be revealed for the past and present cases to be solved before someone else is killed.

I was completely engrossed in all the plot threads in this suspense. Past and present, multigenerational secrets. I like that Ms. Elliot shows the insidious, not in-your-face racism that can infect and destroy multi-generations and towns. Zander and Emily each deserve to find happiness and I feel they were perfect for each other. There is no sex in this story and Zander and Emily are very attracted to each other, but Zander waits until the case is solved.

I highly recommend this book and I cannot wait for more book in this series. There is intriguing investigation, secrets revealed, and the start of a romance that had me turning the pages continually from beginning to “The End”.

The Last Sister was an extraordinarily compelling novel, my first from this author but almost certainly not my last.

I love a good family drama especially within the crime genre where old secrets spill over into present day and send shockwaves through a community -just like here, where a brutal double murder sets off a chain of events for Emily and her family that will finally answer a decades old mystery.

The characters are really well rounded, the author pulls you into their world and hold you there for the entirety of the read. If you like plenty of emotionally resonant twists along the way, an intriguing puzzle and an unexpected edge to proceedings The Last Sister will definitely be for you.

I’m a fan. A complex thriller that keeps you interested and ultimately makes you want a return visit.

Thought provoking themes and engaging, intelligent characters means this comes highly recommended from me.

I really loved this book it was one of those books you will remember. Really liked the characters. I will be looking into other books. Truly enjoyable read

The Last Sister is the first in the new Columbia River series by Kendra Elliot. FBI Agents Zander Wells and Ava Callahan are called to investigate a murder that could tie into one 20 years earlier. This thrilling suspense hooked me from the start with engaging characters, twisty mystery, and a bit of romance. I was on the edge of my seat the whole way through. Look forward to more in this series!

*ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

Small town secrets can be deadly, especially if they are left to fester for twenty years and history repeats itself. A closed case may not be closed after all and a new double homicide may be linked to the dirty little secrets that hide in plain sight as racial hatred rears its ugly head, once again.

The murder of Emily’s father destroyed her family and a man was punished, but two new racially motivated murders will bring FBI agent Zander Wells to Oregon. Together, Emily and Zander will bat at a hornet’s nest and unleash a swarm of intrigue, lies and ugly secrets, but at what cost?

THE LAST SISTER by Kendra Elliot is dark, edgy and even quirky at times as we visit a small Oregon town where everybody thinks they know everybody else’s business, but do they or could they all know just enough to keep from being stung?

One family, torn apart, three sisters torn apart until one great truth is revealed that could shred the fabric of lies this town has been built on. Excellent reading, wonderfully unique characters and a twist at the end that ties everything together, even a budding romance!

Kendra Elliot has delivered bankable romantic suspense’s over the last few years, and I really enjoyed the first installation of her new Columbia River series, THE LAST SISTER. This reads as thoroughly as any police procedural, and the setting in the remote logging community along the Oregon’s Columbia River builds in its own mysterious tension. Two decades ago, the trajectory of Emily Mills’ family was irrevocably altered when her father was murdered and her mother committed suicide, which caused the split of Emily and her two sisters. Emily finds herself in the hot seat when she discovers the body of Sean Fitch hanging from a backyard tree, because she was the one who discovered her father’s body (also hanging) all those years ago. With such a brutal murder, FBI agent Zander Wells is called in. It’s soon evident in this dark, current story that there’s a connection between the deaths of Emily’s father and Sean’s, and things in this small town are not what they seem. It’s tense, it’s broody, it’s dark.

*Originally published at Frolic.Media: https://frolic.media/januarys-must-read-romantic-suspense-books/

Who killed Sean and Lindsay ? and what does their death have to do with Emily, Tara and Madison's fathers death? Are they connected? It's up to Zander and Ava to delve into this mystery. There isn't a book that I haven't loved by Kendra Elliot she has the ability to grab a reader from the very start of the book and keep you interested. You get SO involved in the characters of this book that by the end of the book your hoping this is a start to a new series or even one more book! Loved the small town mystery with so many different layers as well as the main character Emily. I definetly recommend reading this book and any book by Kendra Elliot but plan to stay up all night reading because you will be hooked from the very first page!

This was another well-written mystery.

At the end of the book, there is a promotion to read the prior book with the story of how the two deceives met. I liked reading The Last Sister, but I didn’t like it enough to read the prior book.

I received this galley from NetGalley.

I absolutely loved this book. I am familiar with the author, having read a number of books from her other series so I looked forward to this book and the start of a new series. I was not disappointed. As with all her books, from page one I was drawn in to the story, not wanting to put it down. I find her writing style fluent and articulate which makes it a pleasure to read and the story line was well thought out and intriguing.
Emily, as the main female protagonist, is an interesting and likable character who finds the murdered body of her friend and, in a frightening reminder of her father's death, her friend's husband hanging from a tree in the garden.
The plot then twists and turns, weaving the mysterious past of Emily and her sisters into the current day aspect of the story. Fascinating and gripping.
Read it - you won't regret it!

I couldn't put this book down. It's filled with questions, suspense, amazing MC and more.

The Last Sister is book 1 in this new series and I can't say how much I enjoyed it.
Gripping, suspenseful, loving sisters/Aunts, history, pasts, trauma, pain.... fill this wonderful story.

You will fall for the MC's, enjoy their banter, the love for family and the need to find out what happens.

If you enjoy thrillers/suspense stories- this is the one for you!!

4.5 stars from me

*Recv'd a copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

Wow this book was just so good and so easy to get lost in. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and I just didn't want it to end. I just couldn't get enough of these wonderful characters and I just loved getting to see their journey. I will most definitely be reading more stories from this wonderful author.

The Last Sister by Kendra Elliot is the first book in the new romantic suspense Columbia River series. However, while this is the first book of this series this seems to be a sort of spin off from another of Kendra Elliot’s series with a few characters having been seen before but one does not need to have read the previous series to enjoy this one.

FBI special agent Zander Wells has been called to a remote Oregon logging town when a somewhat unique murder occurs with the body found hanging. However, this style of murder is not a first in this little town and it just happens the person finding the body was all too familiar with this type of death.

Twenty years before Emily Mills found her father after her was murdered and his body was left hanging in the backyard. Back then the killer was finally caught and Emily and her two sisters, Madison and Tara have tried to forget. Being caught up right in the middle of this new investigation has Emily and Zander stirring up secrets that have been buried.

I’ve read several of Kendra Elliot’s romantic suspense books but have sadly not gotten caught up on all of them just yet but I did know from what I have read that she is definitely a solid romantic suspense writer so I went in fully expecting to like this book, which I did. I do wish I had gotten to the Callahan and McLane series this one seems to spin off of though as one thing holding me back here was there were a lot of characters floating around to get to know and perhaps the ones making a previous appearance would have been easier to follow instead of being totally new too. Still a great start to this new series though that new readers and fans will enjoy.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

It took me a good bit longer to get into this book than it normally does for a Kendra Elliot book! She is actually one of my favorite authors so when I saw that she had a new series coming out, I couldn't wait! Overall it ended up being a great story, but the beginning was a little slow for me.

I felt like the plot was in depth and kept you entertained as you were reading. I always enjoy strong female characters that don't need or want help from anyone, especially a man, and there was definitely no shortage of those in <i>The Last Sister</i>.

There is something about Kendra Elliott's writing that has me hooked and keeps me wanting more! Most generally, I am right there to get the new releases just as soon as they come out, just as I was with this one.

Overall, I was not disappointed with this story at all. It was a great story that, although slow at the beginning, picked up the pace and kept my interest throughout!

**<i>I was provided this book by Netgalley in return for an honest and unbiased review!!</b>**

Three sisters suffer a terrible blow when their father is hung and their mother later commits suicide. It breaks their family apart, one of them runs off and the other two move in with their three elderly aunts. Years later another hanging occurs. Could this be related? When the FBI come to investigate, one of the sisters, Emily, finds herself falling for the handsome Zander but will he be able to solve the mystery of the hangings and ultimately find their sister? A great read!

The Last Sister by Kendra Elliot Fast paced mystery with outstanding characters with interesting and unusual circumstances. Looking forward to Zander and Ava's investigative challenges in the future. Very good start to a new series.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this novel. I have never read this author, but I love a good cop thriller. The plot was nothing new, but I loved the bond the sisters Emily and Madison had with themselves as well as their great aunts. Their sister Tara took off over 20 years ago (and personally I thought she was dead) but it all had a happyish family ending.

Secrets from the past collide with a modern day murder in this thrilling suspense novel by Kendra Elliot!


When restaurant owner Emily Mills goes to check up on a late-for-work employee, she comes upon a shocking crime scene. The woman is dead and her husband is found hanging in the backyard– a déjà vu moment for Emily who found her father the same way twenty years earlier.

A horrible coincidence or is there a mysterious connection?

FBI Agent Zander Wells is brought in to help the local sheriff’s department on a possible hate crime of a young couple, and finds a town steeped in secrecy.

As the investigation delves deep, a desperate criminal amps up his game, threatening Emily and her family. Will the truth cost the Mills girls their lives?

This is a gripping mystery with multiple storylines that all weave together into a surprising conclusion I didn’t see coming (Gotta love a good mystery!), but thought there were several threads left dangling by the end of the book to give it a 5* review. Racism is the leading factor in the storyline, yet the author doesn’t use it as a platform to teach us a valuable lesson- rather it’s sensationalized and then almost forgotten in the subsequent murder/mysteries that take place throughout the story. I feel that was an important moment lost.

Overall, a good story,

I give The Last Sister 4 lovely kisses

“I voluntarily read an ARC of this book which was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.”

The Last Sister by Kendra Elliot is the first installment to her Columbia River series. As always with Kendra's books it is well written, intriguing, and enjoyable.

Thanks NetGalley!

Another great read by Kendal, It is fast paced but still eady to folliw. I enjoyed reading this book. It had my attention till the last page.

An excellent thriller with a little more depth than an average crime story. Very well written, pacy, excellent characterisation, an interesting and unusual plot, all had me hooked from page one.

The various characters and their interaction was engrossing, I particularly loved the three Aunties, dippy and dotty though they sometimes were, their strength and love for their family shone through all their adversities.

I hope we meet Zander and Ava the FBI agents, again in the future, I would like to read more of their crime challenges, I believe they have already featured in an earlier work by this author, but this story is a strong stand-alone book, and it did not affect my enjoyment of it.

I’ve rated it 4 rather than 5 stars because I felt that the budding romance was unlikely, and added little to the story.
I will look for more of this author’s work. My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book.