Kill You Last (The Thrillogy) [Hardcover]

Todd Strasser (Author)

Book Description

Release date: November 8, 2011 | Series: The Thrillogy (Book 3)

Nominated for 2012 Edgar Allen Poe Award by the Mystery Writers of America

"They always agreed to meet me. Of course, I told them I was bringing them money. I said it was cash and I didn't want to send it through the mail.  They might have hesitated at first about meeting me, but I never had to work very hard to convince them.  Why?. . . It was the only way they could prolong their pathetic dreams of someday becoming rich, famous models."

Shelby's life in Soundview has always been comfortable. Her dad provides a luxurious lifestyle for his family through his photography business. He makes a ton of money taking headshots of pretty young teens who are desperate to become models. Shelby
has always enjoyed driving around town in a red sports car, shopping with her best friend at her side. And her Mom is laidback,so it's all good.

However, as reports of girls disappearing from nearby towns start to appear on the news, Shelby's seemingly perfect life begins to fall apart. The three missing girls have one thing in common--they were all clients of her dad's photography business. Secrets
begin to surface as the investigation continues. Shelby receives threatening e-mails, battles the nosy media, and tries to keep her family together. Now that her dad is implicated in the disappearances, can Shelby figure out a way to clear his name? Or is dad not as innocent as he seems?

PRAISE FOR BLOOD ON MY HANDS:"[A] rare teen thriller with an actual mystery, this is as quickly paced as it is heart-wrenching."
- Booklist"Author recognition, teen love of mystery, and a stellar cover will...make this a well-circulating title." - School Library Journal
PRAISE FOR WISH YOU WERE DEAD:"Hits all the right notes of a teen thriller[...] his gripping plot will keep readers turning
pages late into the night" - School Library Journal"Carefully plotted; this suspenseful novel blends the traditional with new tech details to
successful end [...] will keep readers guessing right up to the satisfying conclusion." -
Kirkus Reviews

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Todd Strasser is the author of popular and diverse middle-grade and YA books, such as the two previous books in his Thrillogy, Wish You Were Dead and Blood on My Hands, Boot Camp, and Give a Boy a Gun. He lives in a suburb of New York City and enjoys surfing in his spare time. Visit him online at www.toddstrasser.com.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: EgmontUSA (November 8, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 160684024X
• ISBN-13: 978-1606840245
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 0.9 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #693,261 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Todd Strasser is the author of more than 120 novels for teens
and middle graders, including If I Grow Up, Boot Camp, Can't Get There From Here, Give a Boy a Gun, the Impact Zone series, and the DriftX series. He lives in a suburb of New York and speaks frequently at schools.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A great read with unexpected suspense and mystery. March 13, 2012

By Randa

Format:Kindle Edition

The cover:

I love it and it totally fits the subject of this book. Period.

The storyline:

How do I even start this?!

After finishing Blood on My Hands, I immediately started reading this one. I knew I'd love it because I became familiar with the writing style and because I was anticipating the thriller in it :).

The writing style was somehow different which got this book another star (or flower in my case.). The pacing of the story was just right. There were some times when I'd be like "Seriously, now?" but I'd forget about that the instance I read the next sentence, so it wasn't a big deal for me.

In this book, we meet Shelby, a nice and wealthy girl who lives in Soundview and goes to the Soundview High School. Her father is a well known photographer and a modeling agency director and a father that other girls would dream of. Her mom is a housekeeper who's been keeping to herself since Shelby's little brother of 4 months died of Pneumonia.

Then, three girls go missing, and while all the three girls are from different cities other then Soundview, the only thing in common between them is the fact that all three of them were photographed by Shelby's father.

Shelby finds herself in a mess and later in shock while trying to prove her father innocent and at the same time deal with the revealed truths about her family.

At the end, she does reach her goal of revealing the real murderer but it came with a price she had to pay.

What I loved:

The story was heartbreaking and breathtaking. It had suspense, a lot of twists and a horrifying aspect.
Shelby, the main protagonist, was a very believable character. She was thinking exactly like a real teenager put in her situation.
The chapters of course. There are 45 which are not long at all, and in each chapter you start, you find a new twist that you can't but finish it and so on until you find yourself at the end of the book!
There's Spanish in here! I love it when I find other languages in books, they make it more interesting ^_^.
What I disliked:

Nothing!
The characters:

Shelby is my favorite in the three books by far. She was normal and brave at the same time, and when you read the ending you'll find that she's especially brave and very responsible.

Mr. Sloan, who's Shelby's father, needs more than one therapist, seriously. But, to be fair, I admired him being honest to her, even if it was at the end, and how he loved her.

Mrs. Sloan needs a therapist too. I figured that at the beginning of the book, but the reason she needed the different for turned out to be totally different from what I had in mind for her.

Roman is Shelby's best friend and let me tell you something, I wish I had a friend like her!

Whit is a journalist who gradually becomes Shelby's friend as they discover the truths behind the disappearances together.

Other characters worth mentioning are: Gabriel, the good looking guy who works for her dad, he has plenty of secrets ;). Janet is another worker in her father's modeling agency, she has secrets too. Mercedes is a worker too, but she's too nice and kind. Oh, and Chief of police Jenkins is here too! :D (If you don't now who he is, then read Blood on My Hands first :)).

Conclusion:

This was a great book. The best out of the three ones in the thrill-ogy. This one deserves 5 flowers.

Would I recommend the thrill-ogy?

If you like thrill, mystery, suspense and twists brought to you in a unique style each time then, definitely, you won't regret reading it at all.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The best April 2, 2012

By Awesome

Format:Hardcover

This book is amazing it is deserving of one word, one word only, amazing! All in all one of my favorites. This is not much of a review, It is a recommendation!

1.0 out of 5 stars Its ok March 9, 2013

By Lisa Diaz

Format:Kindle Edition

I didnt really like it was kind of dumb in some parts i personally think so.......... it could of been a better book.