This was a very gripping book until the last few chapters which felt very dragged - there was too much of religion related which could have been avoided!
what began with Julia's brother's abduction, then followed by her son's kidnapping many many years later suddenly leads the reader to baptism, religion, an aunt really criticizing all women with all possible foul words!
This book caught my attention as this had a female lead, and she is portrayed as a strong one too - sensible as well.

I am curious to know what more awaits for Julia in the next few books in this series.

3.5stars

The title: THE LAST TIME SHE SAW HIM drew me right in. This is a debut novel and first in series. It’s a great accomplishment in both parts. The story was drawn with the sharp focus of a crime journalist and was very much appreciated. Highly recommended.

THE LAST TIME SHE SAW HIM is Jane Haseldine's debut novel, and also a fantastic start to the Julia Gooden Mystery series. This series takes place in Detroit, Michigan, which attracted me to this title, living just across the river. Julia is the mother of two young boys and a crime reporter. In 1977, her 9-year old brother Ben was kidnapped, gone without a trace. Because of Ben's mysterious disappearance, Julia is extremely overprotective of her own children. Julia has never gotten over this grief and also harbors guilt because she has no memories of the night or the abduction. Her overprotective issues and fear that something will happen to her own children has put a strain on her marriage and she and her husband are currently separated. When her two-year old son is kidnapped on the anniversary of Ben's abduction, her worst fear comes true. Could the two cases be related? Julia is sure they are.

Julia is a great MC. She is smart and tough, yet flawed. The story is told in the first person, yet we learn a lot of the background through “flashbacks” which help the reader understand the young Julia and Ben. The characters were well developed and the descriptions of the city, the lake and countryside were well described, you could picture them easily. This is a gripping, fast-paced mystery, with plenty of heart-pounding scenes. Not everything that happened was plausible, but overall this was an excellent read, and it is fiction. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to read an engaging and fast-paced mystery. I know I am ready to read the next one to see what is next for Julia and her family.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington for this free readers edition. In exchange I am providing an honest review.

I've probably said it before but it's worth repeating - I'm a sucker for a good crime novel. What makes this title, and I'm guessing the other titles in the series, so engaging is the author had a career in crime journalism so she's writing from an authentic and known perspective.

Julia Gooden is a crime reporter for a Detroit paper. Thirty years ago her brother, Ben, was kidnapped from the room they were both sleeping in and it's the one crime that hasn't been solved and haunts her. It haunts her in her parenting, her marriage, even her reporting. On the 30th anniversary of Ben's disappearance a crime so eerily similar to the one that took Ben from her happens, her own son is kidnapped from the bed she laid him down in to sleep. What follows is a harrowing and frantic search for her son, Will, but also for further clues in Ben's 30 year unsolved disappearance. What happens when your worst nightmare happens again? This time Julia is determined to find what has been stolen from her.

I'll definitely be reading this series to its conclusion. Haseldine did a wonderful job hooking the reader into the larger story of Julia and what drives her in helping to reveal and solve crimes.

Was not able to read this book. I took a break from reading before this got archived. Lots of family matters but I'm back :)

Jane Haseldines debut novel is a fantastic start to the Julia Gooden Mystery Series.
It started of a bit slow but soon gathered pace.
Julia Goodens brothers was abducted from the same room they stared and has never been found, and to make matters worse she does not remember anything of that night. Now she has 2 boys of her own but she lives in fear of something happening to her sons.
Julia grew up to be a crime reporter and on the anniversary of her brother the worse thing happens her youngest son is also taken, is there a connection between the 2 disappearances? are the cases of her brother and son Linked?
Read the book to find out.
This book finished strongly

Thank you Netgalley the Author and Publisher for a chance to read this book.

Julia Gooden's brother was abducted years ago and Julia has never quite given up the search for him. She now works as a crime reporter to help uncover the truth in similar cases. When her own child is abducted, she is convinced that the two events are linked and is determined to find her son and bring the kidnapper to justice. Now she teams up with the Detective Navarro to find her son's abductor before it's too late.

This was a fast-paced, suspenseful read. I had moments where I just couldn't put it down. I wasn't overly thrilled about the conclusion, but I still thought it was an excellent read. I am moving on to the second book in the series.

I received this book from Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Netgalley.com, to Kensington Books, and to Jane Haseldine for this opportunity.