The Last Girl by Jane Casey, a Mysterious Review.

Review: Detective Constable Maeve Kerrigan is assigned to investigate the murder of a woman and one of her twin daughters in their palatial estate, a case in which the woman's husband, a prominent defense attorney, and the other twin daughter were also home but survived, in The Last Girl, the third mystery in this series by Jane Casey.

Vita Kennford was found with multiple stab wounds while her daughter Laura's throat was cut. Philip Kennford did not escape unharmed; he was hit from behind in his bathroom, his head smashed into a mirror … but he wasn't killed or even seriously injured. The other daughter, Lydia, was in the backyard swimming at the time of the attacks, apparently unaware of what was going on inside. Kerrigan knows that in situations like this, no matter how distraught the husband might appear, or even that he was attacked too, he is the prime suspect. But what was the motive? Kerrigan learns that Vita was the source of the family's wealth, and that she was Philip's second wife. And there is nothing to suggest that there was any significant marital discord; despite Philip's many affairs with women he regularly used and tossed aside, Vita apparently tolerated them for the sake of their daughters. It isn't long before the potential suspect list starts to grow, from victims upset that Philip's legal maneuvers regularly resulted in the accused getting set free to Philip's daughter from his first marriage, who resented that he left her mother for Vita. Any of these might have wanted to exact revenge on Philip by killing members of his family. But there is no concrete evidence to suggest who had the motive, means and opportunity to kill Vita and Laura, let alone enough to justify an arrest for anyone, Philip included.

The Last Girl is a terrific police procedural, with several interesting character-driven storylines. In addition to the intricately plotted details surrounding the investigation itself, Kerrigan's continually evolving relationships with her supervising officer, Detective Inspector Josh Derwent, and her boyfriend Rob, who is also a police officer, are explored. Overall, this is a well written, finely crafted crime novel.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of The Last Girl.

Acknowledgment: Minotaur Books provided a copy of The Last Girl for this review.

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Minotaur Books (Hardcover), August 2011
ISBN-13: 9780312614171; ISBN-10: 0312614179

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ISBN-13: 9781250048837; ISBN-10: 1250048834

The Last Girl

A Maeve Kerrigan Mystery by Jane Casey