The Last Word: A Novel (Sophie Trace Trilogy) [Paperback]

Kathy Herman (Author)

Book Description

Series: Sophie Trace Trilogy | Publication Date: October 1, 2009

Police Chief Brill Jessup must run from a death threat even as she struggles to help her pregnant daughter make decisions about her future in this page-turner about God's power to heal the broken.

When Vanessa Jessup returns home from her sophomore year of college, her mother, Police Chief Brill Jessup, is stunned to see that she's pregnant. Brill is glad Vanessa rejected the father's abortion ultimatum, but hurt that she strayed from her upbringing.

But that's not all Brill's got on her plate. One of her detectives has been killed, and the attacker has threatened to come for her next. When a second cop is wounded, public criticism mounts as Brill attempts to stay alive long enough to catch the perp. How can a police chief and a mother do her job with her life on the line? In a show of grace under pressure, Brill will manage to have the last word, even if it kills her.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

          When Vanessa Jessup returns home from her sophomore year of college, her mother, Sophie Trace Police Chief Brill Jessup, is stunned to see that she’s pregnant—by one of her professors. While Brill is glad her middle daughter rejected the father’s abortion ultimatum, she’s also hurt that Vanessa ignored her upbringing and angry that the professor has disappeared without so much as a nickel of child support.

            But that’s not all Brill’s got on her plate. One of her detectives has been killed, and the attacker has threatened to come for her next. When a second cop is wounded, public criticism mounts as Brill attempts to stay alive long enough to catch the perp. And she’s trying to find that deadbeat dad, while Vanessa struggles to make decisions about her future.

            The killer seems to be everywhere and nowhere. How can a police chief—and a mother—do her job with her life on the line? In a show of grace under pressure, Brill will manage to have the last word, even if it kills her.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Kathy Herman has written fourteen novels, including CBA bestsellers Tested by Fire, All Things Hidden, and The Real Enemy. Now retired from her family’s Christian bookstore business, Kathy and her husband, Paul, have three grown children and five grandchildren and live in Tyler, Texas.

--This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: David C. Cook; New edition (October 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 143476785X
• ISBN-13: 978-1434767851
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #65,354 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kathy Herman is no stranger to the Christian publishing industry. Before becoming a bestselling author and award-winning poet, Kathy worked on staff at the Christian Booksellers Association for five years. She gained eleven years of bookstore experience as a children's products specialist and drew on that expertise to conduct related seminars in the U.S. and Canada.

Kathy quickly rose to the rank of bestselling author when her first novel, TESTED BY FIRE, became a CBA bestseller shortly after its release. Since then, five more of her novels have claimed the title of bestseller: ALL THINGS HIDDEN, THE REAL ENEMY, THE LAST WORD, THE RIGHT CALL,and FALSE PRETENSES.

Her contemporary, fast-paced novels weave inspirational messages into the storyline so effectively that a college professor in Houston utilized her books as required reading to educate students on the value of teaching through fiction. Kathy's books have also been widely used in book club discussion and Bible study groups.

Kathy and her husband Paul live in East Texas and have three grown children, five "nearly perfect" grandchildren, and an adorable cat named Samantha. Her hobbies include world travel, deep sea fishing, and bird watching--and an ongoing fascination with hummingbirds.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good read, January 3, 2010

By 

Cheryl Koch (CO) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Last Word: A Novel (Sophie Trace Trilogy) (Paperback)

Police Chief Brill Jessup can't wait for her daughter, Vanessa to come home from college. Brill hasn't seen Vanessa for a while. When Vanessa comes home, Brill realizes that a lot has changed like...Vanessa is pregnant. Unfortunately for Brill, the family reunion will have to wait. A killer is on the loose and he is knocking off all of Brill's officers one by one. Can't Brill stop the killer before it is too late and can she forgive her daughter for getting pregnant?

The Last Word is book two in the Sophie Trace trilogy. I have not read book one but this fact didn't take away from me enjoying this book. Though, I do plan to check out book one as well as book three. Police Chief Brill Jessup is strong but she shows in this book that even the strong need a little help every one in a while. From the first moment I started reading this book, I had a hard time putting it down. The story line and characters are both interesting in a good way. This book picks up speed as you move along. I recommend reading this book when you have lots of time on your hands as you are going to want to finish this book in one sitting and that is The Last Word. I can tell you that I never would have predicted the ending. Can't wait to see what happens next.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Easy Read Despite Mediocre Story and Characters, September 2, 2009

By 

Julie (NJ United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Last Word: A Novel (Sophie Trace Trilogy) (Paperback)

(What's this?)

I'll readily admit that I haven't read the first book of the Sophie Trace Trilogy, so perhaps some of my characterization concerns were addressed in book one. Overall, the experience of reading this book was a big, fat ok. It's certainly easy to read. The font of the ARC I got was nicely spaced out and the chapters were pretty short, both of which facilitate swift reading. However, that said, these are my nits (caveat: I can be persnickety, so take these points for what they're worth but make your own decision.) ...

1) Lack of Voice - Most of the characters either sound the same or don't sound their age, which I deem a problem in a book like this because it is very much dialogue-driven.

2) Stiffness - Everybody sounds like a robot. In fact, I think some robots sound more human than these people.

3) Lack of Sense (period)- I honestly hope people don't think many Christians act like this. {SPOILER ALERT: Oh, poor me, I feel smothered; I think I'll sneak out of my house and wander a park, maybe talk to a stranger or two. The madman running around sticking knives in people won't come after me, I'm just the main target's daughter.)

4) Highly Predictable - maybe I read too much, but every "twist" and turn but one I saw coming from about 100 pages away. The foreshadowing is about as subtle as a monkey lost in a fine-dining china shop.

5) Too "perfect"/ idyllic - The major conflicts are spelled out on the back cover: Vanessa Jessup is pregnant and didn't bother telling her parents until summer vacation. Her Mom, Police Chief Brill Jessup, is battling worry for her job as negative publicity mounts because some madman is hunting her and cops on her force. A little ways in the bad guy is spelled out, literally, and there's no question who they're trying to catch. (SPOILER ALERT: Note these are not actual lines of dialogue just the essence of what transpired. Husband Kurt - My wonderful wife told me you two kissed. [reference to previous book] FBI guy Dave - Gee, sorry about that; I was vulnerable. Husband Kurt - Hey, we all make mistakes; we're all good now, buddy. Just brought it up to clear the air.)

6) "Really can't complain, but I always do." - I can honestly say that the most "heart-pounding" caused came from this sentence and about 6 variants thereof. I get that it was supposed to be a lunchtime tradition at Nick's Grill. I'm just not convinced those conversations needed to happen at all. They smacked of the author info-dumping on us poor readers.

All that said, remember I still gave this book 3 stars. It's still an okay book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Last Word Review, November 4, 2009

By 

L. VanderStel "Mom of a Dozen" (Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Last Word: A Novel (Sophie Trace Trilogy) (Paperback)

This is the first book I have read by this author, Kathy Herman, and reading the second book in the series, I wondered if I would be able to understand and enjoy the plot. It begins with a stunned mother opening her door to find her college aged daughter at home, pregnant, and soon to learn she had an affair with a college professor who abandoned her. Though thankful she did not abort the baby, the parents are heartbroken over her leaving her Christian values and morals.

The book is not only about the dilemma of decisions that have to be made regarding to put the baby up for adoption or not it is also a suspense story. The mother, Brill, is a police chief and one of her detectives have been killed, and the attacker has threatened to kill her next. The plot continues when a second detective is wounded and Brill is criticized for the way she is handling her job. So Brill not only has to be a mom, calming her two daughter's fears at home, and going through major healing in her marriage after her husband had an affair, but also a police chief with her job on the line.

For not reading fiction books too often, I did find this book quite good, fast-paced, and not necessarily predictable. There were a few times when the story-line seemed to drag on. I did appreciate that faith, forgiveness and the need of God are interwoven throughout the book. When I have time, I do wish to read the first book in this series, The Real Enemy (Sophie Trace Trilogy, Book 1).

"In accordance with the FTC regulations, I inform you that I received a copy of The Last Word directly from B & B Media Group, Inc. for review purposes. I review only books I have read, and only state my honest opinion of the book."