interesting story about the murder of Hattie Hoffman and the investigation of her life. loved the transition between narrators. a very interesting and easy read!

I could not get into this book at all. I tried on 4 different occasions and couldn't do it.
I really wanted to like it!

http://onceuponabookishtime.blogspot.co.nz/2017/04/mini-reviews-my-lady-jane-last-act-of.html

Hattie Hoffman is the brightest of the bunch. A small town girl with big dreams, Hattie is counting the days until her high school graduation is all over and done with so she can proceed with the life that she really wants to lead; that of an aspiring actress in New York. Hattie loves her parents and enjoys hanging out with her friends but the Hattie they all see is an act. The real Hattie dwells within and is nothing like the girl everybody thinks they know.

Moving from the city to his wife’s home town is definitely a step back for Peter Lund. Taking a teaching job is all he can get and it is not exactly an exciting and challenging job for an educated man who is used to the ebb and flow of an urban life. Peter despairs that his Mary is withdrawing from their marriage emotionally as she cares for her ailing mother. There is no space for Peter in this new household and his mother-in-law is never going to let him forget that. The time spent in online chat rooms quickly becomes the only place in Peter’s world where he can stop being the dutiful husband, son-in-law and teacher and just be himself.

The murder of Hattie Hoffman challenges everyone in her Midwestern town to rethink what they thought they recognized in each town and in themselves.

THE LAST ACT OF HATTIE HOFFMAN has a lot of balls in the air at once and does an admirable job with the interplay. As with any small town crime, the suspects are taken out of a smaller pool and you are able to examine each viewpoint for clues. Flipping between past and present it features the viewpoint of Hattie, the Sherriff tasked with investigating her murder and that of the new person in town, Peter Lund. There are only a few small irks with this read. Perhaps it’s too much of a sensitive insight but it does veer close to victim blaming. The strength of this read is in the cast of characters, all unique and drawn with economic strokes but with warmth and purpose.

Ignore all the book comparisons as it doesn’t do this clever little mystery justice; it is all about the journey here and the big reveal is not the tantalizing part of the read. THE LAST ACT OF HATTIE HOFFMAN is a very satisfying read and deservedly one of the buzz books of the summer.

This book is absolutely enthralling with so many astonishing twists and turns that I was too busy reeling in shock to even try guessing what might happen next. I love when a book grabs me this completely, because it means that I am so deep in the story that I will never see the ending coming.

Following the last year in the life of Hattie Hoffman, a charismatic and enigmatic young woman who is brutally killed on the opening night of her high school play. Hattie is beautiful and intelligent. She has big dreams and a talent for acting. She is like a chameleon. playing different roles in order to please people.

The Last Act of Hattie Hoffman is a riveting, character driven murder mystery told from three different perspectives. It is packed full of red herrings and definitely kept me guessing until the killer's identity was revealed. Sad and thoughtful, clever and disturbing - this is a mystery that really captures your heart through it's well drawn and complicated characters.