The Last Twilight (Dirk & Steele, Book 7) [Mass Market Paperback]

Marjorie M. Liu (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2008

Duty called Dr. Rikki Kinn to the Congo. One of the world's top virus hunters working for the CDC, she is on a mission to investigate a deadly new plague. But there are those determined to stop her—at any price.

Shape-shifter Amiri was born in this land of untamed splendor. Here he woke with the sun and raced as the cheetah . . . until he was kidnapped and subjected to terrible experiments by the evil Consortium. Now his colleagues and brothers in Dirk & Steele want him to return to Africa to face his nightmares. For a good woman has been targeted for death—a beautiful healer who holds the fate of millions in her hands, whose destiny is intertwined with his—and whose need leaves Amiri vulnerable, threatening his heart, his passion . . . and his soul.

--This text refers to an alternate Mass Market Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

In the forests of Africa children play, until monkeys fall dead from trees. Soon the children are dying, too, and Dr. Rikki Kinn, CDC, is sent in to investigate what looks like an Ebola outbreak. Amiri, of Dirk & Steele, is sent to protect Rikki, a return to his homeland not without painful memories. And what they discover is far worse than either imagined: corruption, a biological weapon, and a madman back from the dead. Liu continues the Dirk & Steele series as the Consortium once again rears its ugly head, and events from Shadow Touch (2006) continue to unfold. More twists and intrigue are laid down for future novels, though readers may wish for answers to standing questions before the series raises more. But the lush narrative style that has become Liu’s hallmark will continue to thrill fans and should draw more readers to the fold. --Nina C. Davis

About the Author

Marjorie M. Liu is an attorney and New York Times bestselling author of paranormal romances and urban fantasy. In the world of comic books, she is also the writer of NYX: No Way Home, Black Widow, X-23, and Dark Wolverine. She lives in the American Midwest and Beijing, China.

--This text refers to an alternate Mass Market Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 341 pages
• Publisher: Leisure Books (February 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0843957670
• ISBN-13: 978-0843957679
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #453,362 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Marjorie M. Liu is an attorney who has lived and worked throughout Asia. She hails from both coasts, but currently resides in the Midwest, where she writes full-time.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars couldn't bear to stop reading for even a minute, January 25, 2008

By 

Kelley Hartsell "Kelley" (Irving, TX) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Last Twilight (Dirk & Steele, Book 7) (Mass Market Paperback)

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

Doctor Rikki Kinn is a brilliant virus hunter working for the CDC. She's in the Congo working when she gets called up to investigate a mysterious outbreak that has just struck down an entire village within hours of their first exposure. She's on her way to the Hot Zone when she is nearly kidnapped. Barely avoiding the mercenaries after her, her boss puts out a call for a personal favor from the Dirk and Steele Agency for protection for Rikki.

Amiri is a shape shifter with the Dirk and Steele Agency whose homeland is Africa. He left there years ago after horrendous treatment he received, and swore to never return. When He's assigned to be protector to a virus hunter doctor, it's the last thing he wants to do. Until he sees her...

Now Rikki and Amiri are in a race against time and enemies they do not understand to find the source of this mystery virus that is looking more and more like it's been bio-engineered. However, Rikki and Amiri each have their own secrets they are afraid to share. Will they be able to overcome their misgivings, track down the source of the deadly plague, and defeat the enemy to find a cherished love and stop The Last Twilight of mankind?

I've thoroughly enjoyed each book of Marjorie M Liu's books that I've read and The Last Twilight was no exception. For some reason though I always have a hard time putting into words my feelings about the books and have no idea why since usually I can't stop raving about books I love. I don't know if it's the complexity of the stories that draws me in and yet defies explanation when I try to talk about them, or if it's because I get so wrapped up in the story I have a hard time disengaging when I'm done. Whatever the reason, I'm sure going to try to share my thoughts!

As with Soul Song, The Last Twilight is a very dark story that gets into some very graphic descriptions of suffering and torture, and will likely make some sensitive readers a little queasy. However, these dark scenes are crucial to the story. The torture inflicted on our leading couple in their respective pasts, and on one of the secondary characters in this story, plays such a key role in making them who they are today, and gave them the inner steel they need to get through the intensity of current events. Liu never crosses the line into unacceptable and it's pretty apparent she tried very hard to handle it with just the right finesse.

Rikki and Amiri are wounded souls, each who had a very hard past to overcome. On one level, they sense the parallels in their lives which helps to build the bond that develops between them. Their love that grows is all consuming and is exactly what they each need to be whole once more. The emotion between these two is palpable and made me even more desperate to see them receive their richly deserved happy ending.

I was immediately drawn into the world created in The Last Twilight and couldn't bear to stop reading for even a minute! What makes this story even more powerful is the fact that Liu tackles some very serious concerns in the world right now that are all the more chilling for the fact they really can happen... and quite possibly have somewhere in the world already. I got chills over the sheer evil of the villains we can only begin to understand. I expect we haven't heard the last of Broker and his crew of mercenaries and would not be at all surprised to see them pop up again in a future book.

I have one question for Marjorie M Liu after reading The Last Twilight that I hope we'll get some answers to in a future novel. Just who and what is Rictor? This enigmatic character held me spellbound and I want to know more. Please reveal his secrets to us soon! I can't remember the last time a secondary character got to me so strongly and made me want to find out everything there was to know about him. I hope Liu answers my plea and we get his story very soon.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, January 2008. All rights reserved.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Liu's Best to Date, January 27, 2008

By 

Riley Merrick "jperceval" (Southampton, PA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Last Twilight (Dirk & Steele, Book 7) (Mass Market Paperback)

Dr. Rikki Kinn is a virus hunter for the CDC. She is called to a hot zone in the Congo to investigate what appears to be a new and more virulent strain of Ebola, but with various factions trying to either kill or abduct her, there's something more involved than a simple outbreak.

Amiri is a cheetah shifter who has worked for Dirk & Steele since they rescued him from Consortium testing labs in Russia (see SHADOW TOUCH). Together with his psychic friend Max and his pyrokinetic friend Eddie, he has been sent to protect Rikki, but no one has been told exactly what she needs protecting from.

This is a case in which strangers have to decide whom to trust in a split second, in which a firm scientific mind has to accept magic. But there are layers of trust and acceptance, and Ms. Liu is an absolute expert at peeling back the layers and getting to the true heart of the matter in vivid and tantalizing ways.

Ms. Liu's descriptive imagery is superb. She made me feel like I was right there, painting a beautiful, violent, painful, and fascinating picture with her wonderfully well-chosen words. She made the setting real and she kept a multi-thread story woven without a hitch.

As if the scenery and suspense weren't enough, the sheer emotionalism of the tale was gripping too: Rikki dealing with scars of her past while trying to process all the new information, and Amiri dealing with his own painful past, setting foot back in his homeland after many years away, and the sheer terror of the cheetah inside trying to protect his mate. Rictor makes an unexpected (what else?!) appearance and offers readers a glimpse into his own complicated emotions, making me even more impatient for his story.

THE LAST TWILIGHT was riveting from start to finish, and is, as far as I'm concerned, Ms. Liu's best effort to date.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great book by Liu, January 24, 2008

By 

Rhianona (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Last Twilight (Dirk & Steele, Book 7) (Mass Market Paperback)

In this, the latest installment in Liu's Dirk and Steele Series, we are reunited with Amiri, the cheetah shapeshifter we first met in Shadow Touch. It has been two years since he escaped the Consortium with the help of Elena, Artur and Rictor. Now working for Dirk and Steele, he is called upon to play bodyguard to a doctor currently in Africa. Dr. Rikki Kinn is one of the world's foremost virus chasers and she is currently attempting to discover the cause of a particularly lethal outbreak in the heart of Africa. Soon after arriving to protect Rikki, the camp is attacked and they run into the jungle to escape. What follows is a heart pounding adventure, full of intrigue and visits by characters from previous books.

Once again, Liu demonstrates her ability to transport her reader into the scene she writes. Her opening chapter is chilling. Liu doesn't provide us with a romanticized Africa, content to ignore the very real problems occurring on that continent. Instead, she embraces the dangers, bringing them to the characters, even as she continues to unveil the deadly plot of the Consortium.

The Last Twilight is a fine addition to the Dirk and Steele series, showing once again that Liu has yet to lose her touch in creating memorable characters and interesting plot lines.