Customer Reviews

Last Seen Leaving

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you've read Braffet's first novel, Josie and Jack, her vivid prose and extraordinary knack for verbal and emotional illustration in Last Seen Leaving will come as no great surprise. ...Although it may be against the law of averages to have a relatively new author hit the nail so squarely on the head two times in a row.

If you're looking to get swept away by a marvelously written and unforgettable story, do yourself a favor and buy them both.

Just finished reading "Last Seen Leaving," the new novel by Kelly Braffet and I want to say: it's terrific. Dark, smart, thrilling, it follows a young woman named Miranda whose father disappeared in a mysterious plane crash over South America. She herself is constantly on the run, running from her past, her fears, intimacy...and possibly, a serial killer. This is a book about the secrets we keep from each other and ourselves, sometimes out of love, sometimes out of fear. Can't recommend this book highly enough!

Wow! Someone just drank a big bottle of Genius and her name is Kelly Braffet! I didn't think that she could possibly top her first novel, JOSIE AND JACK, a creepy love story that had style to burn.

But she did.

On the surface, LAST SEEN LEAVING is a thriller about Anne Cassidy's search for her lost daughter Miranda, and the dual story of Miranda's dangerous new life in a Maryland beach town. Dark subplots abound: a mysterious stranger with a fixation for Miranda; the still unresolved disappearance of Anne's husband, a CIA pilot; and a serial killer on the loose, who lovingly dyes the hair of his victims post-mortem. You just can't put it down.

But it's also a truly thought-provoking piece of work that asks all kinds of questions about identity, about the masks we wear, and the faces our loved ones show us. What a great book.

A unique story about a mother who goes looking for the missing daughter who does not want to be found...just yet. Braffet has a gift for lasering in on human emotion and creating distinct character voices. The mother and daughter were as different as...well, mothers and daughters often are. This is the touchstone of this well told story - the insight of two generations who are different, but not so different that they cannot love the other. And if that weren't enough, while the mother/daughter search and hide story is ongoing, there is yet another mystery unfolding in the background. One of the most satisfying novel endings I've read this year.

Like Braffet's earlier book, Josie and Jack, this novel is an often chilling meditation on love, death, and family. Right from its awesomely creepy beginning - girl stranded on road, picked up by random possible nutjob (yikes!) - I couldn't put it down. Braffet is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors, and I can't wait to see what she does next. But in the meantime, I'm going to re-read Last Seen Leaving. It's that great.

I read this book after seeing a positive review in a local newspaper. The build up of the story and it's characters is good. However, the mysteries that are brought up do not come to a proper closure. I was left with the feeling "What happened with ...".

Ms. Braffet has crafted a family drama under the guise of a thriller. In the openning chapter Miranda Cassidy, a troubled 20 something young woman, goes missing when she accepts a ride from a stranger after a car accident on the a highway in Pennsylvania. Her mother Anne, who lives in Sedona Arizona, begins to get concerned when Miranda does not return her calls. Their estranged relationship plays out as she travels cross country to begin her search. There are interesting twists with alternating sections devoted to Anne and Miranda. Ms. Braffet's style is clear and consise. Her character development is solid. Her plot twists keep you guessing until the end. Four stars because it could have been either a little more thriller or a little more family drama. A very good, quick read.

Kelly Braffet captured me, involved me in the characters and held me to the end. She wove the story intricately thru time with rich descriptions that left me begging for more. Her first book, Josie & Jack, was also rich in descriptive phrases but more loosely wound & a bit surreal, leaving you with the strange feeling that you're not sure what you just read. But I believe that was the intent, making it a great first effort.

Last Seen Leaving is the perfect title because each of the characters IS Last Seen Leaving, by disappearance or as an escape, and possibly both. I will read this book again...soon!

"Braffet delivers in her second suspense filled book and proves again she is one of our best new authors."

Not what I expected, but I enjoyed it thoroughly. I'd read Josie and Jack when was quite good and thought I'd give her second work a try, glad I did.

I normally read historical fiction, mysteries and authors like Kingsolver and Proulx. I can't wait for Braffet's next work. (hurry up!)