In her latest murder mystery, “The Last Time She Saw Him,” New York Times bestselling author Kate White chooses an unusual relationship between the victim and the person investigating his death. Kiki Reed is a complicated person with a complicated past, and her latest complication is Jamie Larsson, the really nice, standup guy she was engaged to and whom she broke up with before the marriage. He was deeply in love with Kiki, but she realized that while she loved him, she wasn’t in love with him. His family and friends have not forgiven her.
When Kiki’s good friend Ava invites her to a book launch for Ava’s husband Vic, Kiki is relieved that Jamie won’t be there because Ava tells her he’s going to be out of town. While Ava and Kiki have been friends a long time, Jamie and Vic are good friends, too. When Jamie’s plans change and there is a bit of awkwardness at the party because they both are in attendance, Jamie assures her that he is over the breakup. But that awkwardness is nothing compared to the emotions and shock that result from Jamie’s death after the party is over.
The police suspect that Jamie killed himself, but Kiki is positive that Jamie wouldn’t have killed himself. She decides to rent a house in Connecticut to investigate Jamie’s death and find out what really happened. She is definitely not aided by Jamie’s uncle and cousin, Drew and Liam, who are actively hostile and just want her to go back to New York. Even Ava and her husband think that Kiki is just bringing up feelings that are best left buried. But when Kiki finds out that Jamie had just adopted a dog from the local shelter and was going to get the dog within days, she is even more positive that his death was not a suicide. She doesn’t believe he would do that to a dog. And she wonders if his death is in any way connected to the unsolved death of a local young woman four years before.
The only one who listens to Kiki is Jamie’s best friend Sam. But there are impediments to Sam’s helping Kiki figure out the truth. And when Kiki starts to suspect that Jamie’s death was not the only death that is suspicious, she herself might be in danger. White provides plenty of suspects whose dialogue makes us wonder if they are the culprits. The first person narrative draws us into Kiki’s thought processes and emotions quite effectively. There are two short chapters from the point of view of an unknown person who is obviously the one who killed the young woman four years ago. The second of the chapters provides information that helps us understand the motivation behind Jamie’s murder but doesn’t completely narrow down who the murderer is.
This is an engrossing murder mystery with an engaging main character who is determined to do right by the man she loved but couldn’t marry. The title is perfect, as throughout the novel, Kiki keeps thinking about the last night she saw Jamie, his actions, his words and his behavior. What clues were there that night that can help her solve his murder? We admire her for her perseverance and her dedication to unmasking the killer, although at one point we do wonder at her sanity when she blithely ventures into danger. This is yet another win that White will be able to claim in her long list of thrilling and complex psychological thrillers.
This review was first posted on Bookreporter.com.