Last Seen Alone by Laura Griffin is a romantic thriller. I really don't read much in this genre - so it was nice to change it up and try something new. Normally I read either straight up thriller or straight up romance - not the combination. To complicate matters further, when I started listening to this for about an hour I was under the impression this was from a series I had read about women who escape a cult. FYI, not from that series, ha ha. Rather, this book opens with a young woman, Vanessa Rodriguez who has gone missing. All that's left is her car, a blood spatter and a business card in her car for Leigh Larson, attorney. So, Brandon Reynolds, homicide detective in Austin meets Leigh who doesn't remember Vanessa. The two then team up to try and figure out where Vanessa went - dead or alive. 

I genuinely enjoyed my team reading Last Seen Alone. Leigh is awesome - I appreciate her mission and why she takes the cases she does. She also had great chemistry with Brandon. The mystery left me guessing and taking different turns. I liked that this was different from what I expected. The plot was one I found engaging. I like the combination of romance and thriller, it turns out. I will for sure look for more from Laura Griffin in the future. The audiobook is narrated by Cynthia Farrell and is 9 hours and 19 minutes unabridged. It's on Hoopla and is well worth borrowing.

Laura Griffin is always a quick, exciting read for me. I love that I know what I’m getting when I pick up one of her books - a well-researched suspense with a side of romance between our main protagonists. This is a comforting read for me, because I always know the outcome. The missing person addition to this novel was intriguing. I loved the story setup in the beginning and the build to find out how the players are all connected. The author touches on the incredibly sensitive topics of sexual assault and domestic abuse in this novel, and handled it fairly well.

The main character, Leigh, was absolutely frustrating at times with her “take charge” attitude when she really had no business putting herself into certain situations. I typically love when the female protagonist dives into the thick of the investigation, if they are part of law enforcement. However, I found her interference as a lawyer who barely knew her client to be worrisome and frustrating. I’m also not sure why she continued to be a romantic interest when she was sticking her nose in detective Brandon’s case over and over. Not only was she putting herself in danger, but she was also putting the investigation at risk. Again, when the protagonist is someone more involved with the case, I find this less frustrating.

Overall, another fantastic read from Laura Griffin!

Attorney Leigh Larson rocks as an attorney that specializes in online sexual revenge and stalking cases. Felt like this was a very believable plot, given the focus on social media today. Budding romance is felt throughout the novel between main character Leigh and the investigating cop, Brandon Reynolds. Great suspense and interesting storyline. Some good twists to the whereabouts of Leigh’s client, Vanessa. You won’t want to put the book down as the plot twists and turns throughout the story. Readers will find that this is a very credible storyline and the characters are also realistic. One of Laura Griffin’s best books!

Last Seen Alone, Laura Griffin's latest romantic suspense novel, is a standalone book unconnected (as far as I can tell) to any of her series. Its hero and heroine are a police detective and an attorney respectively, brought together by Brandon's latest case. A missing woman--Last Seen Alone--who has Leigh's business card among her possessions in her car, deserted along the side of the road.

Ms Griffin knows how to ratchet up tension in a romantic suspense like no one's business, and she was in fine form here! Things were constantly happening that had me on the edge of my seat, and though I don't have as much built in time as I used to when I can listen to audiobooks, this one had me looking for excuses to keep listening (at which point my headphones inevitably ran out of charge. I seriously need to get myself a new pair!) Leigh and Brandon are great characters, both flawed and sympathetic, and their chemistry together was great, even as they kept sabotaging their chances as a couple.

Gah--she had me really worried for a while there; I honestly wasn't sure they were going to be able to pull out a satisfying HEA once...something happened. (LOL--not going to say what, you're going to have to read it yourself ;)) But of course she did, and of course it was great :)

As per usual, Ms Griffin does a great job of keeping things hidden from the reader until she's ready to reveal them. I have to admit there was a twist here that I honestly did not see coming--and OMG I did not want to stop reading for anything once I got to that part (curse you, work and my need for occasional sleep!)

And now...I can't wait to see what Ms Griffin has in store for us next!

Rating: 4 stars / A-

This was a really great story with twists at every turn. Homicide detective Brandon Reynolds is called to an interesting scene; an abandoned car with blood, but no driver. In the car he finds a business card for a local attorney. Leigh Larson vaguely remembers the scared young woman who disappeared and sets out to find her. What follows is twists and turns that point at various suspects. While working together, Leigh and Brandon grow closer and their attraction is electric. I really enjoyed the fast paced nature of this story and the awesome characters that make it extremely entertaining. Totally shocked with some of the events that happen. This is a real page turner that any romantic suspense fan will devour.

Thank you, Berkley Publishing, for the gifted copy of Last Seen Alone {partner}

Genre: Romantic Suspense
Format: 🎧📖
Pub Date: 9.28.2021
Star Rating: ☆☆☆

Okay, we will make this review short because, unlike the other two Laura Griffin books I’ve read, Last Seen Alone was not for me. I typically love her books and stay up too late to finish them, but this one didn’t work for me. I started reading Last Seen Alone and then decided to switch to the audio in case that would help me understand the story more.

The narrator left me cringing every time she attempted to read from the male POV, and then I could never tell which male character was speaking because the voice was the same. Sometimes she even used the male voice for the female narrators. For once, switching to the audio was not the better choice.

The ending of Last Seen Alone felt too predictable. The only aspect I enjoyed of this book was the romance between Leigh and Brandon, which even left me wanting more.

I highly recommend starting with a different Laura Griffin book like Midnight Dunes or Vanishing Hour (they were both five stars for me).

Last Seen Alone, Laura Griffin's latest romantic suspense novel, is a standalone book unconnected (as far as I can tell) to any of her series. Its hero and heroine are a police detective and an attorney respectively, brought together by Brandon's latest case. A missing woman--Last Seen Alone--who has Leigh's business card among her possessions in her car, deserted along the side of the road.

Ms Griffin knows how to ratchet up tension in a romantic suspense like no one's business, and she was in fine form here! Things were constantly happening that had me on the edge of my seat, and though I don't have as much built in time as I used to when I can listen to audiobooks, this one had me looking for excuses to keep listening (at which point my headphones inevitably ran out of charge. I seriously need to get myself a new pair!) Leigh and Brandon are great characters, both flawed and sympathetic, and their chemistry together was great, even as they kept sabotaging their chances as a couple.

Gah--she had me really worried for a while there; I honestly wasn't sure they were going to be able to pull out a satisfying HEA once...something happened. (LOL--not going to say what, you're going to have to read it yourself ;)) But of course she did, and of course it was great :)

As per usual, Ms Griffin does a great job of keeping things hidden from the reader until she's ready to reveal them. I have to admit there was a twist here that I honestly did not see coming--and OMG I did not want to stop reading for anything once I got to that part (curse you, work and my need for occasional sleep!)

I listened to the audio version, and it was decent but not great. I wasn't a huge fan of the voices the narrator used for the characters' voices, and it distracted me a bit from the story, taking me a while to readjust to it each time I started listening again after a break. I won't seek out more from this narrator, but I (probably) also won't choose not to listen to a book because she's the narrator. My rating here is based just on the story itself, not the narration.

And now...I can't wait to see what Ms Griffin has in store for us next!

Rating: 4 stars / A-

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Laura Griffin is fast becoming one of my favorite Romantic Suspense/Thriller writers. I love her characters, and the way she writes them.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Leigh Larson is an attorney who specializes in revenge porn and stalking cases. Brandon Reynolds is a detective for Austin PD. They wind up having a case that overlaps, and the sparks that fly between the two heat up more than the case they're working.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>The story opens with a woman driving on a lonely road, and meeting with someone for a sketchy deal. It very quickly becomes a possible murder. The next day, Detective Brandon Reynolds and his partner start the missing persons case. There's an abandoned vehicle, some blood, and no victim. One of the people the detective wants to speak with is the missing woman's lawyer. Leigh barely remembers the interaction she'd had with the missing woman, Vanessa. But once she pulls up her notes on the interaction, it jogs her memory. She gets ahold of Detective Reynolds, and while he doesn't seems impressed with her information, something about the case calls to Leigh. She begins to investigate on her own.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Brandon doesn't want her anywhere near this case. She's not a detective, in fact even though she's the missing woman's attorney, she's still a civilian. And it's getting dangerous. Leigh is attacked in her office, and someone even comes to threaten her in person. More than ever, Brandon wants her to stop digging into the case. But what Brandon admires about Leigh is her tenacity, and she is very tenacious about her client. She won't give up, and she's determined to figure out what happened to Vanessa. Something big changes everything.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>This was a big twist I did not see coming, and it was so well done. </p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>Leigh and Brandon are dancing around each other, and when they finally come together it's fantastic. But their jobs tend to get in the way. Attorney client privilege prevents Leigh from sharing certain big bombshells with Brandon, and he thinks it's a cop-out. They have to learn to draw certain boundaries between work/'home, and I loved how they handled it. This author creates excellent mysteries with competent and realistic characters. I always know I'll get a good story with a Laura Griffin novel.</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

<!-- wp:paragraph -->
<p>***Advance Reader Copy courtesy of Netgalley</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

Another fantastic romantic suspense read from Griffin, with lots of action and suspense. I enjoyed the Austin setting and the character development.

If you want a good psychological thriller, Laura Griffin is the one to go to. She pulls off unimaginable twists and turns like no other. I was glued to my seat and completely riveted. I don't want to give too much away but I do want to say.. WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? This one is a MUST read.

Romantic suspense is one of my favorite romance subgenres, so I added Laura Griffin to my must-read lists. I have enjoyed her books in the past, but this one sits solidly on my “it’s fine” list. LAST SEEN ALONE follows a lawyer heroine who fights for the victims of online abuse and a homicide detective hero. The hero gets called to a crime scene with no body, but the heroine’s card is there.

I loved the simmering sexual tension between the hero and the heroine. It added a fun layer to the tense plotline. I could feel the chemistry between them, even when they were butting heads. The mystery was well developed, and there were a few twists I didn’t see coming that kept me turning the pages quickly. I loved the secondary plotlines about online abuse and revenge porn, something women have to deal with all too often in this virtual age.

My biggest hang-up with this book was the heroine’s insistence on investigating and putting herself in danger. It was SO annoying every time she tried to pretend like she knew what she was doing investigating a freaking murder and got in trouble. She was too intelligent to dive into a dangerous situation head-first as she did continually. At times, she could have completely messed up the investigation. It was so irritating that it took away some of my enjoyment in the story. It almost made me put the romance in question because if I were the hero, I would have been completely done with her butting in.

Overall, this book was solid! I enjoyed the mystery and the romance for the most part, but it didn’t knock my socks off, and the heroine was an insufferable armchair detective.

**I received a free copy of this book in order to provide an honest review**

I gave this book three stars solely because, honestly, the story is fabulous. The male leads are likable and wonderful to follow along with. However, the female lead is quite possibly the most agitating character I’ve ever read. Not only that, but the victim in this story is honestly even more unlikeable than the female lead. Still a good story and I was mostly able to over look the character flaws

Last Seen Alone by Laura Griffin is a romantic suspense novel. The story in Last Seen Alone is one that does change the point of view between the characters to give a glimpse into all sides of the story.

Brandon Reynolds is a homicide detective in Austin when he gets a call in the middle of the night to an unusual crime scene. A car has been found abandoned in a remote area and investigators have found a pool of blood that indicates something horrible has happened but no victims can be found.

Brandon follows evidence that the car belonged to a young woman, Vanessa, who is a client of Leigh Larson who had been hired to be her attorney. Brandon questions Leigh but she doesn’t know why anyone would hurt her new client but she can’t help but want to find out so she begins doing some investigation of her own into Brandon’s case.

Last Seen Alone by Laura Griffin was a fast paced romantic suspense which I personally really enjoyed. I liked how the characters were brought together over an unusual crime scene and each brought their own to the investigation and the sparks that began to fly between them. Of course there are twists and turns along the way which is expected on the mystery side of the story along with some sparks on the romantic side making a nice combination.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Austin attorney Leigh Larson is the lawyer of choice for “victims of sexual extortion, harassment, and online abuse.” Last Seen Alone could not be more topical as October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The plot lives up to the cliché, “ripped from the headlines,” since the news is flush with tragic stories of women killed by men with whom they’re familiar. It’s a standalone thriller although fans of Laura Griffin will know that Texas is a familiar setting for her thrillers.

When Leigh first meets Austin homicide detective Brandon Reynolds, she is quite wary of him. Brandon wonders what that’s all about.

Not exactly the response he usually got from women. Criminals, yeah, but not women in general. She’d said she was late for court, and that explained the rush, maybe, but it didn’t explain the lie.



Leigh Larson had lied to him—he was sure of it. What he didn’t get was why.

Brandon comes back with more questions. A search of the registration of a blood-stained, abandoned Toyota revealed it was registered to a Vanessa Adams. Adams is missing—why was attorney Leigh Larson’s business card found in the car? Leigh claims she has no idea who referred Vanessa to her. Brandon finds that puzzling: “Don’t you make it your business to find out where your clients are coming from?” Earlier he asked if Mendez and Larson had “a specialty.” Good question.

“Officially, no. But we do a fair amount of work going after psycho exes, stalkers, and online perverts.”



He eased forward. “Psycho exes?”



“You know, pissed-off boyfriends and husbands. Guys who harass and trash and post revenge porn, that sort of thing.”



For the first time since he’d shined his flashlight on that abandoned Toyota, Brandon felt like he was getting somewhere.



“Is that what was going on with Vanessa?” he asked. “And before you say anything about privilege, you should know that time is working against us here.”



“I don’t know. I wish I did.” Leigh looked sincere, but he figured that was an expression she had in her arsenal after years as an attorney.

Leigh asks her receptionist Bella whether a police detective had come by the office: “Yes. Oh my lord, talk about packin’ heat! Did he find you?” Yes, police detective Brandon Reynolds found her and given what he asked, Leigh needs to get up to speed on Vanessa Adams. Which, on the face of it, is not going to be easy since she admits she’s not even sure what she’s looking for. She asks Bella “Have we had anything from a Vanessa Adams lately?” but Bella has nothing to add. It’s not that unusual—all queries to lawyers don’t end up with a potential client deciding to engage a lawyer’s services.

What Leigh carefully avoided sharing with Brandon previously is that she had met with Vanessa. She tells him about their meeting after “a signed client agreement and a retainer check” arrived at her office, making Vanessa an official client. That changes things.

Brandon watched her, waiting. There was more to this story, or she wouldn’t have wanted to meet him.



“The thing is,” she said, “I reached out to her this afternoon.”



“Call or text?”



“Both. And email. She hasn’t responded.” Leigh frowned slightly. “And since a pair of police detectives tracked me down at the courthouse to ask about her, I have to admit I’m worried.” She paused and looked at him. “What’s going on?”



Brandon didn’t respond.



“You’re a homicide detective, right? You and your partner?”



“Crimes against person.”



She lifted her eyebrows. Now, who was guilty of semantics?

There’s a cat and mouse feeling to Leigh and Brandon’s early interactions. Brandon wants information from the lawyer, always aware that “the words attorney-client privilege,” are shimmering in the air. Leigh is worried about the woman who came to her for help—she knows (semi-spoiler-alert) how vulnerable women can be when they’re a victim of “sexual extortion, harassment, and online abuse.” Leigh and Brandon have a mutual goal: to discover Vanessa’s whereabouts. Is she alive or dead? Who or what caused her to need Leigh’s services? It’s not Leigh’s job to discover Vanessa whereabouts but willy-nilly, it seems Brandon has a civilian working the case. Leigh can’t let it go—she knows the devastation that can be wreaked on women by the actions of the men in their lives.

What happened to you, Vanessa?



It was a question for the detectives, and Leigh should leave them to it. She didn’t have the time or the bandwidth or even the skills, really, to get involved in this case. Logically and objectively, she knew she should back off.



But it was too late. She was already hooked.

Readers will be hooked too, by a viscerally compelling plot. Last Seen Alone is a bravura thriller—be sure to set aside the time to finish it or you’re guaranteed a late night.

Suspenseful and sexy. These characters are very focused on solving the crime and falling in love. The story has alot of fast paced action!

Laura Griffin's novels are just fun to read. She uses great character development - you can really get to know her characters. The plots are fast paced and she mixes mystery/suspense with just the right amount of romance. Last Seen Alone involves an Austin, TX detective, a missing women, and a dedicated lawyer who specializes in cases involving sexual harassments, stalking, revenge porn and personal crimes against women. The story flows well with witty banter and believable characters. The mystery is good with many clues and twists and turns. The novel touches on contemporary issues involving stalking, men in power, and sexual harassment. An enjoyable read.

This is an excellent page turner with a well developed plot. I was drawn in from the beginning. It’s an awesome romantic suspense. Although the romance was secondary, I loved the slow burn between Brandon and Leigh. I could just feel their attraction and chemistry. This author never disappoints. *this honest review is based on a complimentary copy from the author*

I love everything Laura Griffin writes and this is nooooo different. Between the Tracers series and the Texas Murder Files, I am never disappointed!
Filled with suspense and intrigue, this story is one I feel I need to go right back to the beginning and read all over again.

Leigh is an attorney focused on her career, which involves fighting for victims of harassment and online abuse. Brandon is a detective looking for a missing woman who’s car was found abandoned with a pool of blood nearby. Leigh and Brandon are thrown together because the missing woman is Leigh’s client.

Leigh and Brandon are likable characters. They are driven in their careers, and both want to get the answers they are looking for. The story is fast-paced and engaging.

Last Seen Alone combines mystery, action, and romance. Recommended for fans of romantic suspense.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

***ARC Provided by the Publisher via NetGalley***

Let's be honest...there is a certain formula to books by Laura Griffin.

And, that is not a bad thing...there is a formula for almost anything that works and works well. And, Laura Griffin titles always work well.

There is a murder, or some sort of investigation, and a romantic subplot with 2 of the characters who are somehow involved in the case. This you know you are going to get.

But what you also get, and what makes me enjoy her work, is a romantic suspense that flows well, feels balanced and is a pleasure to read.

I enjoyed and recommend this title.