The Last Good Night: A Novel [Hardcover]

Emily Listfield (Author), Fredrica S. Friedman (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1997

Happily married anchorwoman Laura Barnett has spent the last twenty years trying to erase the memories of one horrible night, but when she encounters a voice from the past, her worst fears come true. 30,000 first printing."

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Laura Barrett has it all: she's just been made coanchor of the national network news; her baby daughter, Sophie, is a joy; and she and husband David are very much in love. Then Jack Pierce appears, asking Laura why she left him years earlier, never to return. Soon, we learn of Laura's past as the illegitimate daughter of a slovenly German immigrant married to an abusive motel owner in a jerkwater Florida town. There, at age 16, Laura accidentally killed a guest who had been paying her for sex?and left Jack to take the blame as she reinvented herself. Then one morning the unthinkable happens: Laura's daughter, Sophie, is kidnapped. The investigation forces Laura to reveal her past, which threatens her marriage, her job, and her life. This novel by the author of Acts of Love (LJ 6/15/94) offers a suspenseful and interesting look at the life of TV's elite. For popular collections.
-?Barbara Maslekoff, Ohioana Lib., Columbus
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Laura Barnett has just been named coanchor of the nightly news, but no professional triumph can protect her from the dark secret in her past. Now, the man who took the blame for a horrifying incident that occurred when Laura was a teen has come back into her life. The tenuous net of security Laura has spun threatens to dissolve. Her marriage is coming apart, her job is in jeopardy, and then her child is kidnapped. As the police work frantically to find her daughter, Laura realizes she must confront her past to escape it. Only after a heart-stopping climax does she finally understand that although she has lost nearly everything, she has redeemed herself. Although Listfield's prose and plot twists occasionally resemble the latest soap opera, she does write a gripping mystery. And while it's hard to sympathize with the shallow, self-serving way Laura behaves, it's not hard to become absorbed in the nail-biting, knuckle-whitening suspense that Listfield expertly creates and develops. Emily Melton

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 306 pages
• Publisher: Little Brown & Co (T); 1st edition (July 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316540919
• ISBN-13: 978-0316540919
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,651,955 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This was one of the absolute best books I've ever read!, February 19, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Chicago, Illinois) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Last Good Night: A Novel (Hardcover)

This book grabbed my attention within the first 5 pages. I never once lost interest and actually held my breath the last chapter. I recommend this one to all readers!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Read, December 27, 1999

By 

Meagan (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Last Good Night (Paperback)

I was very impressed by this book. A book has to have characters that hold you, and make you feel right along with them... this book certainly does the job. An excellent read for the book lover that doesn't want to put the book down.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mysterious, April 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Last Good Night (Paperback)

I am 15 years old. I wanted to read this book because the story sounded like a good book. And I was right. It was a real page turner. I gave it 4 stars because it was a school project and I didn't get the chance to finish the book.