“Scars are just the body's response to things that shouldn't be there. A reminder of the pain.” This line from *The Last Exchange* perfectly captures the heart of Charles Martin’s latest novel, where suspense and deep emotion blend into a story that lingers long after the last page.

In *The Last Exchange*, Martin introduces us to MacThomas "Pockets" Pockets, a former Scottish Special Forces soldier. Pockets lands a role as a bodyguard to Hollywood star Maybe Joe Sue, a woman with a picture-perfect public life but a private world marred by trauma and a desperate longing for a child. Martin’s portrayal of Maybe’s two lives—the glitz and glamour versus her private struggle—is powerful and authentic, drawing readers into the depths of her pain and resilience.

When Maybe’s life spirals, Pockets doesn’t walk away. Instead, he steps in, willing to risk everything to save her, even if he gains nothing in return. The story journeys from the flashy streets of L.A. to the quiet beauty of rural Montana, challenging readers to reflect on what it truly means to love someone unconditionally.

The audiobook adds an extra layer to the experience, with the narrator capturing the tension and tenderness in Martin’s prose. It’s a beautiful, intense, and heartbreaking journey to the end.

Charles Martin has a rare gift for writing stories that touch the soul, and this novel is no exception. *The Last Exchange* left me feeling closer to God and more appreciative of the sacrifices we make for those we love. It’s a 5-star read, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a story that combines gripping suspense with a profound emotional journey.

** I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, and all opinions are my own.

Went into this book with zero expectation. I haven't read a Charles Martin book since The Mountain Between us (which I adored). I also didn't remember the description at all when I picked it up. (I like to add things to my list and the not remind myself why I added it so I don't have something set in my head.) But this one really blew me away. I don't know if I would call it thriller or romance or what. Pockets is a phenomenal character. I think that's what Charles Martin does very well, write men who are manly men and take up for what is right.
However, one thing that bothered me about Pocket's POV was the way he would start speaking in an omniscient way, speaking for people the way he perceives them. To the point where at one point I thought it was a different POV. Are we to believe he is a prolific profiler? Are we to believe he is just speculating? But it is very believable and what much of the story on his POV is based off of. Only once do I remember him saying, "But I'm just guessing," and that was toward the end.
Also I think the courtroom scene at the end was terribly unrealistic. The shocks. The speaking to people in the audience. A lot of the things written in those scenes just would not happen. That kind of bothered me too.
But the story development and character development, even the pacing of the story and how it is lined out is done well.
The audio narration is fabulous. Especially for Pocket's POV, but both of them, really.

A couple really great quotes:
- "A life laid down is better than one picked up."
- "I've been in some places where there is no hope and yet, somehow, it swims through the cracks...Not in all of human history has hope ever been laid to rest. When we breathe in, it's the stuff that expands out lungs. It's the reason we're not just dust."
- "Hope is how we express us. Hope is love with legs."



**Thank you netgalley and Thomas Nelson for a review copy. My opinions are my own.

"A life laid down is better than a life picked up."

The captivating story of Pockets' life intersecting with Joe's is a surprising, page-turner about love, hope, and sacrifice.
Charles Martin wrote yet another great story that paints a vivid picture of God's heart for his children. His love knows no bounds.

The audiobook was well done and very enjoyable to listen to. Thanks to Net Galley for the chance to listen!

I'm a fan of Charles Martin's novels, and this one did not disappoint. There are unexpected twists and turns, and plenty of suspense to keep the reader turning the pages, or in my case, not pausing the audiobook. Plus, there's a lot happening under the surface for these three dimensional characters. The audiobook does a great job portraying the characters and immersing the reader in the story.

Thank you to the publisher for providing a complimentary advance reader copy of the audiobook via NetGalley for review purposes.

Wow! I highly recommend this 5 star story! Well developed characters and an adventure with twists and turns. Charles Martin is an excellent storyteller.

On the surface this is a love story between two people that were not supposed to fall in love with each other. But this book is so much more - mystery, thriller, adventure, drama, crimes, courtroom drama and the rich and famous, But the love described in the story is a very special kind. What would you be willing to do for the love of your life?? This book is also about faith, love, sacrifice, and freedom.

The Last Exchange is a story about a woman, Maybe Joe Sue, that is a famous actress, has a huge heart and really wants to have a baby. Then there is her body guard, Pockets, a stoic man charged to protect her. He was also her confidant, safe keeper and moral compass. He even protected Joe from herself. Because isn't that what all of us need?

I listened to the audiobook and it was outstanding. The book was narrated by Joshua Manning, Charles Martin and MacLeod Andrews. They did an outstanding job and made the character come to life.

This is my first book by Charles Martin, but will not be my last. I have added all of his books to my TBR list.

Each Charles Martin novel seems to be my favorite. I am not fond of sappy romances and his never are sappy. In fact I would not classify The Last Exchange as a romance, but it is a character driven love story. It included a mystery, with such a clear picture of good vs evil, and those trapped in an evil drama. The characters became so clear in how far they would go to really demonstarte their love, or their evil intentions. I appreciate Charles Martin keeping unnecessary bad language in check, he also keeps it a clean story , even while it deals with the ugly reality of actions of evil hearts.It will be available Oct. 3
Thank you Charles Martin for writing such wonderful stories. If it could be a ten, I would give it 10 stars
The story does deal with the trauma of multiple miscarriages. The audio book was just as terrific as the eBook.
Thanks to #NetGalley, #ThomasNelson, #CharlesMartin

I’m not really sure how much to say about this book, but I do think it’s best to go in blind. It was so different than anything I’ve ever read and it ended up turning into a slower paced mystery/thriller. I do have to say the audiobook was done really well. I was really intrigued by the story, liked the characters and wanted to know what happened, but the ending turned into a bit of a soap opera. I think it’s good enough to recommend, but I didn’t love the ending. Have you read any Charles Martin books? He’s been on my TBR for a while and I’m curious to know how his other books are.

Thank you to NetGalley for the audiobook of The Last Exchange by Charles Martin!
Maybe Joe Sue is a movie star with several academy awards married to a fellow Hollywood star. They seem like they are the perfect couple, but looks can be deceiving. MacThomas Pockets, former Scottish Special Forces, is hired by a film director to consult on some scenes of an upcoming movie. Once the consulting is done, Joe Sue decides to hire him as a personal bodyguard. As Pockets and Joe Sue become closer, he starts to see the other side of her. The side with the traumatic childhood with pain that she tries to cover up with pills. The side that wants a child of her own so badly she'll do anything. Can she save herself, or does she need some help?
There's so much to this book and Charles Martin weaves this story in a beautiful and flawless way. The Last Exchange is a beautiful story of the lengths we are willing to go to for someone we love.

I highly recommend the audio version of The Last Exchange by Charles Martin. The Narrator is perfect for this book and he sucked me in from the start. I couldn't put it down because I kept wanting to know what was going to happen next.

MacThomas Pockets has finished his last tour with the Scottish Special Forces. His life ends up quite differently than he expected when he moves to LA to work as a bodyguard for movie star Maybe Joe Sue.

Maybe Joe Sue is a three time academy award winning actress married to Syd another actor. She came from a rough upbringing but has not let the fame change who she is at heart. She is kind, generous and loving and her greatest desire is to be a mother.

The characters are so well developed, and I am not quite sure how Charles Martin was able to weave so many different elements into one story. It is a story of broken souls finding healing. A story of addiction and infertility, A story that tackles so many of life's challenges. One minute it feels like a psychological thriller and the next a love story. You can read it at face value or read it and catch the underlying messages.

"We are all a mess. And no amount of money, and no amount of drugs, changes that. When you're broken, life is finding beauty in the mess. And then holding in for dear life."

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of the the Last Exchange

4 1/2 stars

Maybe Joe Sue grew up moving from foster home to foster home. When working as a waitress in a diner in Los Angeles, she’s as surprised as anyone when she’s discovered. She goes on to become a mega-movie star. But what she really wants is to become a mother, to have someone to live for, to take care of. Unfortunately, life disappoints, and Maybe Joe turns to drugs.

MacThomas Pockets crosses paths with Maybe Joe Sue when he’s recruited as a technical advisor. His background in the Scottish Special Forces gives him the knowledge the movie needs. When he’s asked to become Maybe Joe’s bodyguard, he agrees.

The relationship that forms between them is a great friendship. Could it be more? Both of them strive to keep things purely professional, but when Joe is kidnapped, all sorts of secrets start to leak out.

I listened to the audiobook version of The Last Exchange. It took me a few chapters to warm up to the characters, but once I did, I was all in. This book did not disappoint. The writing is great, and the narration worked well. My one small complaint is that I found using more than one narrator for the same character a bit jarring. I definitely liked one of them better than the other.

This is an interesting book with a slow burn romance at its core. I recommend it.

I received an advanced reader copy of this audiobook from the publisher through NetGalley. I thank all involved for their generosity, but it had no effect on this review. All opinions in this review reflect my true and honest reactions to reading this book.

“A life laid down is better than a life picked up.” What would you do for the ones you love? If you are a Charles Martin fan, then you will recognize connections to his previous titles.
“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends. John 15:13”

What a great story about love and sacrifice.

This was my first time reading Charles Martin's work, and what a treat it was! I can see now why his books are always so highly recommended. I don't usually read suspense stories, but this one held me captive until the very end, and Maybe Joe Sue and Pockets are such wonderful characters (with awesome names)! I went back and forth between reading the eBook and listening to the audiobook because I travel a lot for my job, and I have to say the narrator did an amazing job. His deep voice was mesmerizing, and I hope to find him on something again very soon. I would recommend the eBook and audiobook versions to everyone, and I can't wait to read more of Charles Martin's work in the future.

What a story. Charles Martin never ceases to disappoint. The book was a tad hard for me to follow in audiobook format and I would love to read the book format.

I received this audiobook as an ARC through NetGalley. This was a first time for me listening to a book by this author versus reading it in a paper copy. The narrator did an amazing job with it. Charles Martin is a skilled and unique storyteller who grabs you from the beginning of this book. Almost immediately you are emotionally invested in the characters. Several times as I listened to the book I thought the story was at its climax only to look down and realize I was no where near the end of the story. I managed to finish this book quicker than usual because the storyline hooked me and kept me engaged the whole way.

My only real complaint was the twist in the story…Martin is famous for the one two punch in many of his books. I’m not quite sure how I feel about the twist in this one. What I do know is it left me pondering it for days after finishing the book. So I suppose that was successful.

I really enjoyed this audio book. The narration was good and the different accents fit the characters. A great conclusion to the story!

As I was reading this book, I fell in love with Pockets! The lengths he would go through to protect Joe were amazing. This novel is full of twists and emotions.

Charles Martin became a favorite of mine when I read his Murphy Shepherd series. I had a bit of a hard time getting into The Last Exchange because I just really wanted Murphy back. But when I sat down to read and listen to this I fell in love with Joe and Pockets...for the depth of love Pockets had for Joe and how far he would go to protect the woman he loved.

Great story! And I'm looking forward to more books by Charles Martin!

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and listen to this audio book.
Publication date: 3 October 2023

I’m a reviewer for the Thomas Nelson/Zondervan First Editions Program. Usually, I get a link for eArcs on a monthly basis. Somehow, this month the title, “The Last Exchange”, by Charles Martin, was released to me by NetGalley in audio format. This was not an enjoyable “read” for me.

It took me quite a while to find a speed at which to listen to the book. For me, the regular recorded speed was so slow that I kept falling asleep. 1.5 was comfortable but I was impatient, 1.75 was better but the Scottish character was hard to understand, at times, and 2.0 was just too frenetic. I bounced between 1.5/1.75 depending on the storyline and my activities. OK, on to the actual story…

“The Last Exchange” is full of contemporary themes: opioid abuse, ivf, sexual abuse, divorce, self sacrifice, love and more all wrapped up in a mystery. Martin includes mild thriller vibes and highly predictable romantic arcs.

True to his style, Martin’s writing is G-PG rated. Much of the story is told in the 3rd person, which I found pompous and annoying. Lots of short chapters is another friction point, especially when the timeline switches often. It’s fine for TikTok but I think it detracts from developing characters and plots.

I’d really like to know if it’s the audio format that exacerbated the negatives for me so I will secure a physical copy and compare the reading experiences📚

How far would you to save someone you love? That's not as easy a question to answer as you might think, and Charles Martin takes us on a wild ride just to find out...

For instance, would you do something illegal to save someone you love? Would you do something they wouldn't want you to if would save them? Would you risk your own life, livelihood or reputation?

MacThomas Pockets was a simple farmboy, a preacher's kid, who was in the right place at the wrong time. And that led him to a life he'd never planned on; one in the Queen's service.

Another chance meeting years later led to him working as a bodyguard temporarily for Maybe Joe Sue, and up-and-coming movie star who seemed bound and determined to flame out just as spectacularly as her meteoric rise to fame had been. But as far as Pockets is concerned, it's not going to happen on his watch.

The story is presented in past and present timelines that then merge together to reveal answers to the secrets that have been hidden for so long. It was truly a well-crafted story with characters I cared about.

Well done, Charlies Martin! And thank you HarperCollins and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

Such a good book. Loved the story. Have read lots of his books , they are all very good
Great story line and characters.. loved it ….he does such a great job of pulling you into the story.