FBI SA Lucy Thorne was surprised (well shocked really) when young Eliza walked in and confessed to murder. Turns out there was more to be shocked about. Theres a cult, children are being deprived of medical care, and others are missing,. How Lucy works through all of this makes for. good reading. She's a well formed character, the story holds together, and it's quite atmospheric. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

An atmospheric mystery, ripe with tension and featuring a cast of suspects. When a teenage girl arrives at the FBI offices and confesses to a murder, it seems like an open and shut case. But there’s a lot more to uncover in this small town! The writing is well done, the reader can keenly feel the grit and desperation in this town. The plot moves along nicely. There were a lot of characters to keep track of, so much so that it got a bit confusing. I enjoyed the ending, even though it was a bit overdone. 3.5 ⭐️ My thanks to the publisher for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

This is one of those thrillers that stays with you after you turn the final page.
The setting and story line were unique - the murder confession of a teenage girl leads an FBI agent to a religious group in rural America with a history of missing and dead children.
I did find the flashbacks and jumps from forward to the past tricky to negotiate and they pulled me out of the story on several occasions but the plot sequence of revelations and secrets is well handled.
No, I did not believe the motivation for the murder of a 12 year old clever boy. It worked as a plot device to kick start the story. Same with Molly's story. Not credible, even in the context of the community where she lived.
Overall a book of mixed parts with some great characters but it could have been a lot more convincing.

A young girl goes to the FBI to report a murder, and yet that is not the whole story. Children of a "religious cult" are missing and no one seems to no why. What does these events have in common? I could see where the story was going but did not see the whole picture. I loved this story, it kept me glued until the very end.

I really enjoyed the way that this book pieced together. I found the snippets from “the past” really enhanced the story and this is difficult to get right.
I didn’t find many of the characters likeable but I think that’s mostly the point. Due to this, it did take me longer to get my teeth into.
Overall, I did enjoy this book.

mixed feelings about this one, some of it was absorbing , some of it dragged and got bogged down, i was glad overall that i read it but .......

I am trying to find the words to describe this book and I think “troubling” is the best I can come up with. Troubling because, even though it is shocking at times, I could absolutely see this as being an account of true crime rather than a work of fiction. On looking into the author’s background, I was not surprised to see thy are a journalist. They have distilled gritty, detailed descriptions in A way which seems all too true to life.

The cover and the title of this book are so compelling I just had to pick it up.

When Eliza Cook walks into and FBI field office and asks for agent Lucy Thorne she confesses to a murder. It seems like an open-and-shut case, after telling Lucy where they can find the body, how the boy was murdered, and where to find the murder weapon Eliza stops talking. Lucy has her suspicions and goes out to Knox Hollow to find out the truth. What she finds is a cult-like church, a tightlipped community, and a sheriff that only shares half-truths. Lucy got the weekend to figure out what Eliza didn't tell, what her motive was. Lucy uncovers more and more secrets when she is in the small rural community, solving this case becomes a bit of an obsession. When Lucy finally has all the puzzle pieces together she struggles to make them fit and see the full picture.

Right from the start, I had a feeling who was the murderer and where this case would go, I must admit I was slightly off. The story has a good flow about it and I like Lucy, she is a good character. One thing I did find a bit annoying is how many times the it is mentioned that Lucy has doubts about where this case is going and the people involved. She seems to doubt herself way too much and it detracts from the story. All in all, this was a good mystery read.

Thank You NetGalley. Publisher & Author for this gifted e-ARC.

Summary
It seems like an open-and-shut case for FBI special agent Lucy Thorne when Eliza Cook walks into the field office. The teenage girl confesses to murdering a young boy. Disturbingly composed, she reveals chilling details only the killer could know. Beyond that Eliza doesn’t say another word, leaving a vital question met with dead silence: Why did she do it?

Review
This was a suspense novel.
I wasn't overly thrilled with this book. Which was a bummer, because I was so excited to read this one.
It was just so hard for me to finish. I couldn't really get through it.
Wasn't what I thought it would be. I didn't really care for the story & writing.

Rating- 3/5

I normally read historical fiction and non-fiction but have lately been on a mystery/who did it kick.

I have never read any of Brianna Labuskes' other books but will definitely look for them. I hope hey are as engaging as Her Final Words.

I love strong and strong headed women and FBI agent Lucy Thorne is such person. She is pulled into a murder mystery that is not clear cut and has been given only 3 days to solve it. There are enough twists and intrigue between characters and a religious cult to keep my interest.

What started Lucy on this path was Eliza, a young runaway from a cult and admits to a murder and promptly stops talking. Lucy's boss gives her a long weekend to solve the case. What her guts says and what she learns do not necessarily coincide. I learned about shield laws and the power of keeping a religion pure. While the ending did not surprise me aspects of it did.

It is a very good, summer read.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for an advance copy of Her Final Words in exchange for honest feedback.

Her Final Words was a good mystery I couldn’t put down. It begins with a teenage girl confessing to a shocking murder.. The lead investigator can’t walk away from this open and shut case. Her gut tells her there is more to this crime. Her investigation takes her to a small town with many secrets.

A terrific crime thriller that was so good!! I love this thriller, especially with the cult theme. If you love cult thrillers, then this book is for you!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Her Final Words by Brianna Labuskes.

It's hard for Lucy to fully believe the confession of Eliza, who claims that she has just murdered a young boy. The confession is cold, seems too rehearsed, and there is just something niggling at her to investigate further. So when Lucy launches herself into this small town and their "church" she gets way more than she bargained for. More people are turning up dead than is warranted for such a small town, and are they being protected because of their religion?

I'll admit, I kind of drifted in and out of this one. I never quite sunk my hooks into the characters, or the details of the story. However, I think it did a good job of demonstrating just how harmful authoritarian leadership and aggressive group think can be.

Another good one from Brianna Labuskes. In HER FINAL WORDS, Labuskes explores extreme religions that believe all illness is healed through prayer. The plot is intriguing and I was left guessing at what happened until the very end. The resolution made sense, though, unlike many in this genre that provide a wealth or red herrings and then the conclusion is completely unbelievable. Strong read.

Good story. Police procedural crime fiction investigating a religious cult and the murder of a 12 year old boy that leads detectives to stumble upon more child deaths. Very plot driven. I didn't feel like I connected just a whole lot with any of the characters, but the plot was good and fast paced. Enjoyable read.

Her Final Words by Brianna Labuskes is set in the small town of Knox Hollow, Idaho where FBI special agent Lucy Thorne is investigating the death of a young boy. Local teenage girl Eliza Cook has confessed to the murder, but refuses to give a motive. Agent Thorne has her work cut out for her in trying to work out all the small town secrets, and revealing what's really been going on.

This was my first encounter with the author, but it will definitely not be my last. I absolutely loved this book, it is a really suspenseful and well written thriller.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

"Just because someone isn't lying...doesn't mean they're telling the truth."

At 3:00 AM, Eliza Cook walks into the Seattle FBI office and asks for Agent Lucy Thorne. The 17-year-old girl then confesses to a murder, tells Lucy where the body is, and also gives the location of the murder weapon. Despite further interrogation, Eliza refuses to give any other information or answer the main question of motive. Eliza does, however, repeat several times the fact that she carved a psalm into the victim's skin. Agent Thorne is not willing to put this case to rest as she can't wrap her head around the fact that Eliza has murdered this boy, 12-year-old Noah Dawson. Lucy wants answers and begs the chance to travel to Knox Hollow, a small Idaho town that happens to be populated by a group known as the True Believers of Christ Church. This community is close-knit and secretive and Lucy is obsessed with finding the truth. NO SPOILERS.

What a delicious slow-burning mystery that grabbed me and kept me hooked so that I had to read it in a single sitting. The setting adds another layer to this complex story as do the characters. We don't learn that much about Lucy Thorne, but her determination to figure out what happened and why is evident with everything she says and does. She finds it very hard to trust even the local law enforcement in Knox Hollow, and the church members are even more difficult to fathom. The writing was excellent and the alternating points of view and flashbacks added another dimension to the investigation as the details and revelations were exposed. It's not so much a thriller per se, but the questions I had while reading kept mounting as did the tension as I wanted the answers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this e-book ARC to read, review and recommend.

Initially I had an extremely hard time getting into this book until about one -third of the way in. The first chapters were difficult for me to comprehend and invest in especially with all the back and forth from present day to “Three Weeks Earlier.” Between the back and forth timeline and new characters being added, I was very confused, but once I got to the one-third mark the story really picked up. FBI Agent, Lucy Thorne, arrives in Knox Hollow, Idaho to investigate the disappearance and possible murder of a 12-year-old boy. A teenage girl admits to killing him, but first his body must be found. The confessed killer is not talking, and strange things are happening in this town.

Working with Sheriff Wyatt Hicks, Lucy soon comes to realize that there are many secrets in this small community and people aren’t what they seem including the Sheriff himself and his deputy. Everything seems to circle back to the mysterious cult-like church with its strange beliefs, the Know Hollow Church, run by Pastor Josiah Cook and his wife Rachel. Soon Lucy does not know who she can trust.

I applaud the author for the premise, plot, and character development, but I felt there was a disconnect between the melding of the three. I began to lose interest again around two-thirds way through and then suddenly was drawn back in for a somewhat exciting finish. I say this because I had figured out who the killer was, but totally did not foresee the motive.

All in all, I enjoyed this book and gave it three and one-half stars rounded down to three. I would read a book by this author again given the chance. I thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

This is my first Brianna Labuskes thriller and I will say this: it blew me away.

My favorite thing about this book is the descriptive mood setting. The author is clearly very skilled in writing elaborate descriptions that masterfully create an atmosphere. This is interesting because in my mind, I usually categorize the books I read into character driven and plot driven; "Her Final Words" felt setting driven, which is totally unusual and, frankly, magical.

The plot is obviously pretty darn gripping as well. It follows an FBI agent Lucy as she attempts to solve the freaky case of Eliza Cook - a girl who literally turns herself in to Lucy for murdering a boy in a small Idaho town. Eliza is really strange: she knows every single detail about the murder, but doesn't talk about her motif or anything else. So as Lucy tries to figure out what really happened, she uncovers other strange secrets which will put her in danger.

Overall, I loved everything about this book. Strong character development, fast-paced plot and brilliant descriptions made it the perfect summer thriller for me.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Welcome to Knox Hollow, Idaho. FBI Special Agent Lucy Thorne is investigating the death of a teenage boy. He was thought of as 'missing' until Eliza Cook walks into the police station and confesses to murdering Noah Dawson. She tells them where he is, but gives no motive. She doesn't speak another word.

Lucy's gut feeling is that she made a false confession .... and getting to the truth is becoming an obsession.

What Lucy is learning is that this close knit town is full of secrets.. everyone from the church which seems to control the town to the Police Chief, which no one seems to like or want to work with. The town residents are certainly no help in determining why Noah was killed ...even his parents.

And then more buried bodies are found ......

Intricate plot is woven around deftly drawn characters. The main narrative comes from Lucy, with events leading up to the confession told by various points of view. It's nicely paced from start to finish. It's not a grab-your-throat suspense, but the mystery is a real page turner.

Many thanks to the author / Thomas & Mercer / Amazon Publishing / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.