Title:	Last Day
	Author:	Luanne Rice
	Published:	February 1, 2020,Thomas & Mercer
	No. of Pages:	411
	Cover Price:	$24.95 Hardcover,$15.99 Paperback, $4.99 Kindle

---

Last Day, a thriller by bestselling author, Luanne Rice, tells the story of Kate Woodward and her sister Beth Lathrop, who were tied up and gagged in the basement of their parent’s art gallery when they were teenagers; their mother was also tied up and gagged, while two persons stole a very valuable painting, Kate and Beth’s dad was in on the heist, and he went to prison. Their mother died, not having enough air to breath with the gag in place. Now, 20+ years later, Beth is found murdered, and the same painting is stolen again. Pete, Beth’s estranged husband, is the prime suspect, and Kate and her best friends are devastated. Years earlier, they had made a blood pact between the four best friends, part of which meant never keeping secrets from each other. The detective who was on the original case is determined to get to the bottom of Beth’s murder; he has been keeping tabs on the sisters for all these years.

Rice is a fabulous storyteller. Most of her novels have building suspense, women with emotional problems, a bit of romance, and plenty of twists and turns. Last Day is no exception. One of Rice’s strengths is her ability to develop her characters and make them very believable. The sisters and friends are developed so well, that readers will be able to picture them and relate to them as real people. Pete, Beth’s husband, is a total narcissist, and his actions are very typical; anyone who has lived with or known a true narcissist, will find him true to form; Rice has done her research, and readers want Pete to be the murderer. However, there are a few inconsistencies, and new characters who readers will suspect, such as Jed, who was Beth’s lover - the man she was supposedly going to leave her husband for. Pete has been having an affair with one of Beth and Kate’s friends, Nicola, and Nicola has had Pete’s baby. It’s almost like everyone is a suspect.

The story flows and will draw readers to the edge of their seats. Luanne Rice fans will love this novel, and those who are not familiar with her will also love it and want to read all of her previous novels. They are all stand alone books, so they can be read in any order. Highly recommended.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.