Very good second book in Morgan Dane series

Chelsea , a young mother x2 is finally able to leave her husband and children for a night and meet up with friends for a drink but... she never arrives. Was she abducted or did she walk away from her family of her own accord.
It doesn't take long to find out that she was taken by someone with some very disturbing thoughts on how women should behave. And he wants Chelsea for his own. When Chelsea escapes he wants her back and the lengths he'll go to are cruel and extensive.
One of the things I really liked about this book is that you have absolutely no idea who the bad guy is. You get to hear his thoughts but nothing else, nothing that might give away his identity. There is one small thing but until caught it wouldn't help.
There is a romance between Morgan and Lance (the protagonists) but that is a very small part of this story.
I enjoyed and Recommend this book. Although it can be read as a stand alone I would suggest listening to book one first for background and relationships.
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29 people found this helpful

I enjoyed it. A lot.

Melinda Leigh's second novel in her Morgan Dane series solidifies the series as her best work to date. Her Last Goodbye is a rock solid suspense mystery with a some romance thrown in. Protagonist Morgan Dane is a lawyer and mother of three young children whose husband was killed three years ago. She comes from families of cops on both her parents' sides. The novel is wonderful but the narration could be better.

18 people found this helpful

Morgan and Lance have another Dark Case to Solve

Pressing onward through the Morgan Dane series after pausing to go back for the earlier Scarlet Falls trilogy to have the stories the Morgan Dane series was based on, I was ready for competent lawyer and widowed mom, Morgan, to solve another heinous crime to help defend her new client. Naturally, I appreciated having the ready and able former cop, Lance Kruger at her side as they fight evil.

Her Last Goodbye is book two in the Morgan Dane series and could be read out of order, but does work best doing them in order so relationships, characters, and earlier situations that are present and talked about make sense.

Morgan and Lance are hired by the husband of a missing woman. Tim is distraught that he's being investigated by the sheriff's office when his wife is still missing. Morgan is still struggling with her role as defense attorney and worrying that she is not defending someone innocent, but she does want Chelsea found for the sake of the kids and even Tim since her gut tells her that he's innocent. Meanwhile, Chelsea is doing what she can to get away from a fiend and back to her husband and kids while other missing women are turning up in and around Scarlet Falls.

I was struck in my first Morgan Dane story about how tough and smart she is while not losing her poise. She lost her cop dad in a shooting when she was a kid, then she and her siblings are raised by her granddad whose health is failing now, then her military husband died doing his duty, and she is just now getting back on her feet again only to find herself not prosecuting criminals anymore. Her family heritage is law enforcement three generations and all of her and her siblings, but now she finds herself uncertain if defense attorney is going against all that. She really does care that she not defend a criminal. At the same time, she's coming out from under her load of grief to find that she has a second chance at love if she is brave enough to put her heart on the line again. It is complicated in that her three girls are her priority and Lance has his own past that keeps him from rushing into a relationship. Lance's dad disappeared and never came back causing his mom to spiral into mental illness so that she can't leave her house and she struggles with hoarding and letting others near her. Lance is also learning to be at peace with having to leave the local police force after his leg never fully recovered from a shooting injury.

So much layering, and then there is the current case of the missing woman. The pace and tension in this book was palpable with Chelsea trying to find a way out of her situation and Morgan and Lance racing the clock to find her. They aren't getting much cooperation from the sheriff who resents their presence in HIS investigation. The case is tough and they really have to grind it out to even produce one clue let alone the trail to Chelsea. And, its not like their own safety is certain when Morgan gets in the crosshairs of an abusing ex she has to serve papers to and a brutal sex offender who comes up as a suspect in their current case. Lance is there to assist, but he totally respects Morgan so he works hard to keep his fears for her safety in check so they can do their jobs. I was riveted.

Cris Dukehart's narration work is still a strong and welcome reason why I love this series. She had a large cast and she gave them all individuality and had the right touch with tone of the story.

And, I no sooner finish than I want to grab up the next book in the series of this addicting and gritty romantic suspense series.

4 people found this helpful

Strange

Where does Her Last Goodbye rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I love this series, and loved the first book. The Narration was very strange at times. Lines like "Morgan said." or "Lance replied." were very robotic and seemed like they were recorded separate and added later. It was very distracting once I recognized it, and at times hard for me to move past and just listen to the story. The rest of the narration was great, fluid and well performed.

What did you like best about this story?

I loved trying to figure out who the kidnapper was, I was close but ended up being wrong.

Have you listened to any of Cris Dukehart’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I've only heard one other performance by this narrator and it was at times tough to get through. Most of the time I was into it, and really enjoyed it, but there were times I felt like her voice was breathless, eager almost yearning. It was odd, especially when lines like "Morgan said" or "Lance replied" felt like they were recorded separate and added to the narration as an afterthought. They seemed robotic and the exact same each time. Once I recognized it, it was very distracting and I had to focus on the rest of the story to keep going. Most of the book was very fun to listen to and seemed to flow.

3 people found this helpful

Phenomenal read

As always, Melinda has outdone herself on this book. Just when I thought I had it all worked out, BAM, there was another twist. I enjoyed this book even more than the last one.

Morgan and Lance are back at it again in this thrilling story. They have a missing person, a list of possible suspects and, a whole lot of trouble. Seems to be the word of the day for them. As they work to solve the midterm of who did it, and why, we get to see the relationship between them grow and blossom into a true love story.

That doesn't take away from the chaos and craziness in the pages before you. Oh, no. That seems to build it up more. I can't wait for the next book!

4 people found this helpful

Great 2nd Book of Series

I'm really enjoying the Morgan Dane series! This book pulled me in from the beginning and I couldn't stop from listening. The intensity and details of the crimes as they were being committed were so well told, I could feel the pain the victim was experiencing like I was right there being forced to watch it. It was nice to see Morgan and Lance's relationship grow - finally! I love spunky Grandpa too. This is a series I'm definitely totally engaged in and I can't wait to start book 3!

1 person found this helpful

I seriously didn’t think this series could get any better, I was wrong!!!!

I love it when a book can engage me from the opening lines and keep me engaged throughout. Not a lot of books can do that. This book does. This book grabs your attention from the first few sentences and seriously NEVER lets up. It sucks you in. This story literally had my heart racing during some scenes, and had me holding my breath during others. It’s not often that a book cause me sleep deprivation but this one certainly did. The only negative thing I can say is I plowed through this book in a day and a half and now I am stuck waiting three more weeks until the next installment in the Morgan Dane series becomes available. I hope and pray Melinda Leigh has lots more books in this series ready to be released soon.

1 person found this helpful

Thankful reader

It was very good overall, I liked the characters strength and perseverance when facing such terrible odds. we should all learn survival skills.

4 people found this helpful

Why even write about “missing people.?”

Brutality in your writing does not serve anyone. I don’t no where you got the idea to waste the power of words. Using them to elicit fear and potential heartbreak in people is not entertaining. You have great characters, but the story lacks humanity. Why even craft a story of suffering. A freakin blow torch..?
You have lost yourself and audience.

2 people found this helpful

Good fast read

Always a surprise. Hope there's a follow up soon. Melinda's ability to keep the story flowing makes for a great story.

3 people found this helpful