Last Known Address [Large Print] [Paperback]

Theresa Schwegel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 7, 2009

Detective Sloane Pearson is new to the Sex Crimes Division but no stranger to being treated like an incompetent blonde by her hardened male co-workers. She’s also no stranger to hard-to-crack cases, and her latest is as tough as they come: A rapist is on the prowl, dragging women to deserted building sites or vacant apartment buildings peppered all over downtown Chicago, and forcing them to fight---knowing, of course, that he’ll win.

When a real estate agent Sloane knows is attacked by the violent predator, Sloane finds herself taking a case that threatens her secret plans to leave her long-time lover. Her personal bond with the victim and a would-be relationship with a man she interviews along the way lead Sloane down a dangerous path---one that poisons the investigation as well as her personal life.

Sloane’s balancing act topples when her father falls ill. Between coping with his weak heart and following the few weak leads she has, her case begins to go the way that many rape cases go: The victims fall away, one by one, suddenly unsure of what they saw or unwilling to relive the horrifying moments again and again.

When Sloane helps a hungry young Sun-Times reporter declare the case serial, she loses support: Her bosses demand she get a suspect or move on. Sloane stays on the case, though---no matter how much it strains her personal relationships. Even her partner claims she’s in too deep: He doesn’t believe there’s an arrest on the planet worth a cop’s life. Sloane disagrees: Someone’s got to take up the fight.

From the worst slums of Chicago’s west side to the glittering Loop skyscrapers, Sloane finds no shortage of suspects. As she loses everything she’d called home, she can only hope to find the rapist before she also becomes a victim.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Recently transferred from homicide to sex crimes, Chicago police detective Sloane Pearson pursues a serial rapist in Edgar-winner Schwegel's gritty fourth crime novel. Called in to interview the second in a series of victims who were beaten, raped and nearly strangled to death, Pearson knows the only way she'll have a case is if the traumatized woman will talk. But without a crime scene or detailed description of the attacker, Pearson's leads dry up fast. As she retraces the victims' steps, she uncovers a common thread that winds from the dilapidated blocks where the rapes occurred to one of the city's glitzy property development companies. Introduced in 2006's Probable Cause, Pearson, the odd woman out in her new squad, shoulders the burden of a troublesome case even when her boss insists she quit. Despite a minimal body count, Schwegel ratchets up the tension, leaving readers breathless through to the last page. Author tour. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Praise for Theresa Schwegel and Person of Interest

“A smart, propulsive, tightrope-walking mystery novel . . . The opening scene signals the insight with which the author draws her characters throughout this busy, ingenious story. . . . Person of Interest quickly escalates into a high-stakes story of risk and suspicion, told with rich, insightful detail.”
---The New York Times

“A hard-boiled police procedural with a twist . . . One of the most compelling young authors in a highly competitive genre.”
---USA Today

“[Schwegel] creates a portrait of a family in crisis, and her vivid characterizations . . . lift the thriller plot to literary-novel status. A-.”
---Entertainment Weekly

“Her most accomplished yet. Aside from the novel’s gritty realism and intense, emotional intimacy, the numerous thematic subtleties make this blend of police procedural and suspense thriller eminently readable . . . an indisputable crime-fiction tour de force.”
---Chicago Tribune

“This pitch-perfect portrait of a family in crisis reinforces Schwegel’s position as one of today’s top authors of hard-boiled police procedurals.”
---Publishers Weekly (starred review and a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year)

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; First Edition, Large Type / Large Print edition (July 7, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1429964499
• ISBN-13: 978-1429964494
• Shipping Information: View shipping rates and policies
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,668,118 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Wanted to like it....but...not so much...., August 14, 2009

By 

Novel Bookworm "Kelly" (Santa Clarita, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Last Known Address (Hardcover)

I picked up Last Known Address and started reading it a week ago. Today, I'm on page 119. That's 17 pages a day. Now, I know I'm not the worlds fastest reader, but I'm sure as heck not the slowest either. It has become obvious to me that I'm just not diggin' this book.

First, I thought the problem was that it was part of a series, because from the first page, I felt like I was missing something. According to Amazon, the main character was "introduced" in Schwegel's previous novel, Probable Cause. I guess its possible that Probable Cause fleshed out the main character of Last Known Address and that to get into this book, I should have read that one first. And I might....maybe....someday....I guess its possible....then I could pick up Last Known Address and try again. Maybe.

Schwegel's protagonist, Sloane Pearson, just sorta bugged me. Okay, I get it, she's a woman in a man's world. The big bad men are sexist and offensive. Sheesh...get over it. It's like a fireman complaining that he'd love his job if it wasn't so darn hot in there. A farmer complaining about the amount of manure he shovels. Well...duh!!...Whaddya' expect?? Maybe because I grew up on a farm, and then spent the last 33 years around construction crews, I'm just immune to sexist comments. Maybe I just have a really thick hide; all the humbug about the rotten comments from the male co-workers....seriously? I would like to think that a woman in a "man's world" would be smart enough to know that you can't beat 'em, you gotta join 'em. Earn some respect, stop being such a wimp and maybe curse like a sailor. In other words...kwitcher bitchin'....

Okay, I'm sounding cranky and impatient. In the first 119 pages, this story was all over the place. Sloane is unhappy in her relationship and is looking for a new place, but without her boyfriend knowing... kind of. She's interviewing victims... sort of. Investigating the rapes, well, a little. Trying to address her issues of an aging father, ...eh...here and there...In short, she's just sort of meandering along, unfocused and maybe a little depressed.

I guess I'm done with this one. Time's a'wastin' and there are just too many books on the Towering Teetering To Be Read Stack to spend anymore time on this one.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Far from a cozy, May 14, 2009

By 

Amy Leemon (North Fond du Lac, WI) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Last Known Address (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

This book is the 4th in a series featuring Chicago detective Sloane Peterson. I haven't read any of the others (I will tho) but that didn't take away from this absorbing novel.

Chicago came alive for me - the cold, the streets and the sounds. Sloane Peterson also became very real to me. Her determination to find the serial rapist, her difficulties with the sometimes infantile males on the force and her frustration with her superiors who don't seem to support her efforts.

I like Sloane and I REALLY liked the ending!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Do not waste your money, September 14, 2009

By 

Wendy Dameron "WendyD" (Pembroke, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Last Known Address (Hardcover)

Do not waste your money. I did not like this book at all. I actually had to tell myself "Just give it one more night..." Her writing is terrible. I have not read any of her other books and I am not sure I will. How can she be an award winning author? Please someone tell me that this book was unusual for her. I was very disappointed and it is two nights of my life that I will never get back.