For the Last Time [Hardcover]

Joyce Lavene (Author), Jim Lavene (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2002

While cleaning up an old campground for new campers, volunteers discover an old suitcase containing a bloody dress, a ring, and a locket. Sheriff Sharyn Howard takes up the case and traces it back to the unsolved murder of a little camper, Rebecca Liston, that had stumped her grandfather during his term as sheriff, forty-five years before.

Like her grandfather, Sharyn keeps hitting dead-ends and false trails that leave her confused and disheartened. The legend about the unsolved case blames the murder on a devil that haunts the campground, and Sharyn eventually begins to wonder if this may be true. After all, no suspect or motive was ever found in the original case. The locals felt the camp was haunted and jinxed; ultimately deciding to close it down.

Unlike her grandfather, Sharyn continues to delve deeper, defying the fears and cautions of others, determined to solve this case once and for all.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Sheriff Sharyn Howard's (One Last Goodbye) lack of decision about running for reelection in Montgomery County, NC, has no effect on her investigation of a 25-year-old unsolved murder. Clues are scarce to the stabbing of a girl at a local campground alleged to be haunted by the devil, but now an old bloodstained suitcase containing a bloody dress has been found there. Oddly, blood typing points to a second, unknown victim. Local politics, unlikely family feuding, and unhappy pastors add to the plot, but the shallow characterization, lackluster action, and jumbled narrative will deter any but the most determined reader.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

"FOR THE LAST TIME is a well-executed mystery with clues sprinkled throughout as to who did it, and even though I thought I knew who did it near the end, I was still left wondering until the last page. The pace is even and the cast of characters likable and well drawn." - Terrie Figueroa -- Romantic Reviews Today

"The strength of this talented writing duo, combined with a fascinating plot replete with twists and a rich understanding of human nature round out this terrific novel, making it come very highly recommended." - Cindy Penn -- Midwest Book Review

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Avalon (August 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080349548X
• ISBN-13: 978-0803495487
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #799,117 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very highly recommended, August 22, 2002

By 

C. Penn "WordWeaving" (Greenville, SC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: For the Last Time (Hardcover)

Deep in the woods, Old Bell's Creek campground, nicknamed Devil's Campground, undergoes renovation to prepare for reopening. The campground shut down twenty-five years ago following the stabbing a young girl in her bunk. No one saw the perpetrator, and when the victim's cabin mates found her body, pandemonium resulted.

Whispers of the devil's work closed the camp under the orders of Sheriff Howard. Now his daughter Sharyn holds the Sheriff's badge. When a reporter stumbles over an old suitcase, the murders of the past suddenly become dangerously relevant.

Inside the small suitcase are a bloodstained dress, a ring, and a locket. The dress is too small to have belonged to the girl murdered in the cabin. Consequently, Sharyn knows that not one, but two murders occurred twenty-five years ago. And somewhere close lurks the perpetrator who seems willing to protect himself even he must kill again.

Authors Jim and Joyce Lavene create a marvelously multi-layered plot certain to satisfy mystery lovers in FOR THE LAST TIME. Sharyn struggles with the decision to run for reelection or to take the bar and practice as a lawyer. Her personal life adds delicious complications with the addition of the growing attraction to Nick Thomopolis, the medical examiner. Further, she refuses to yield to the politics wielded by her mother's fiancé, state senator Caison Talbot and his cronies. The result is a woman whose characters grows and strengthens with each addition to this popular mystery series. The strength of this talented writing duo, combined with a fascinating plot replete with twists and a rich understanding of human nature round out this terrific novel, making it come very highly recommended.

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting reading, May 4, 2011

By 

Eleanor - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: For the Last Time (Hardcover)

This is one in a series by this very good author. I read all of the books in this series. Start with the first and follow with the rest of them in order.