Customer Reviews

Diagnosis Murder #8: The Last Word

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Many of the murderers Dr. Mark Sloan has put away he has no desire to see again. Topping that list is Carter Sweeney, the man who terrorized Los Angeles with a series of bombings. Yet somehow Mark finds himself meeting with the criminal. Sweeney announces that he's up for an appeal, and he knows he'll get out this time. He's looking forward to meeting Mark for lunch as a free man. The idea repulses Mark, who decides to keep his prison meeting a secret.

Life is busy for Mark and his friends. An unfortunate accident leaves a woman the perfect candidate for organ transplants, and Dr. Jesse Travis oversees the operations. Steve is busy at work with a gun smuggler that he's caught. And the mayor's race is heating up. So why is it Mark can't get his visit with Carter Sweeney out of his mind?

With this book, Lee Goldberg brings his DIAGNOSIS: MURDER books to a close, at least for now. And he's written a fitting finale. It brings back one of his favorite villains from the series and uses him well. There's enough of a recap of the TV episodes that he appeared in, so if he doesn't sound familiar, don't fear. This book also discusses the endings of the previous books in the series, so if you are planning to read them, don't start here.

This book does start very slowly. About a quarter of the way into it, I was getting bored and wondering where it was going. Then things really took off and I was hooked for the rest of the book. And those events from the first quarter? Absolutely essential to what comes next. As always, the series characters are captured perfectly and the new characters are sharp.

Not only does this book close out the book series, but it also serves as a finale for the TV show. Yet it leaves the door open for further adventures. Frankly, I'd love to know what happens to these old friends next.

This is a book for the fans. Anyone looking for closure for these characters should read it. I'm definitely going to miss them. I just hope that something changes and we can get more adventure with these characters at some point in the future.

This book is very interesting and keeps my attention. I loved the series when it was on TV and equally enjoy reading all of the books, this one included!

As Goldberg has stated, The Last Word is his last Diagnosis Murder novel. At least for a while.

As the end of a trilogy, the events in The Dead Letter and The Double Life have culminated to a final showdown between Dr. Mark Sloan and a serial killer that he previously sent to prison. Through a meticulous conspiracy, Dr. Jesse Travis and his wife Susan are framed for infecting patients with the West Nile virus. Even Dr. Amanda Bentley and Mark's son, Detective Steve Sloan, find themselves framed for crimes they didn't commit. And Mark finds himself completely alone and feeling more helpless than he has ever been in his life. If he's to outwit the devious killer, Mark must change his way of thinking.

This last book in the series is much different from the rest. It's more than a simple whodunit. Mark knows who's behind the conspiracy and why. But he must discover who else is involved and gather enough evidence to free his son and friends. Mark's character goes through a lot of changes, especially in his desperation.

Goldberg offers a closing chapter for fans in this exciting story that culminates in a surprising finish.

I really enjoyed this book. Lee Goldberg has an intimate knowledge of the characters that shines through his writing. This book brought a nice sense of closure, and would have made a great last episode.

great book great price great service best book in this series so far

You can read this book without reading the first 7, but you don't want to read the other 7 after this one since so much is revealed in the story. I'd read the first 7 awhile ago, however, so a few of the references were lost on me - it didn't make the book any less interesting or intriguing.

I hope the title is not a signal that no more will be coming in this wonderful series of books.

The Last Word truly did give Dr. Mark Sloan a chance to have the last word. It is a must read if you are a Diagnosis Murder fan.

Although I'm sad to see the last of the series of Diagnosis murder books. I can say this was the best of the best. It starts with a patient who falls to her death down the stairs is pronunced brain-dead. Being an organ donor they use her organs to help those in need. But what happens suddenly the patients end up with West-Nile. And before the dust clear Jesse,Dr. Sloan,Amanda and others will be blamed by the hospital. Who's involved? What happens next? You will enjoyed finding out.

If you enjoy a great mystery, well written books, books with very few typos, fascinating twists and turns, surprise endings (but with the clues often all laid out for you if you read the book again), realistic characters, true-to-life dialogue, then Lee Goldberg is the author for you!

The only down-side is that the first seven books in the Diagnosis Murder series are very hard to come by. I own the whole set, but it took a lot of effort to replace the first few after flood damage :-(

I read Lee Goldberg's books over and over. They're like old friends, and I enjoy spending time with them again and again.

I wish all his books were available on Kindle. HINT HINT, Kindle-Amazon.

P.S. Mr Goldberg, we're waiting for new titles, hint hint ;-)

If it wasn't for Dick Van Dyke's photo on the cover, I'd have sworn I was reading bad fan fiction. 'The Last Word' lives up, or should I say down, to its name by completely destroying the lives and careers of the characters. I particularly hate the characters being subjected to the state-sponsored kidnapping also known as wrongful arrest and imprisonment; without the slightest hint of any form of redress at the end. For me this book caused tears and a nightmare. This series could have ended in style with *satisfactory* resolutions; including other, positive reasons for Mark and Steve to decide it was time to quit medicine and solving murders, respectively. And by the way, destroying the characters means that the baddies win after all. What kind of a message is that to send?