Thursday, January 20, 2022

Her Last Goodbye

Her Last Goodbye by Rick Mofina
1/25/22; 544 pages
MIRA Books

Her Last Goodbye by Rick Mofina is a very highly recommended mystery following the disappearance of a woman.

When Greg Griffin arrives home to a quiet house he knows his wife, Jennifer (Jenn), is at her book club and their son, Jake, is sleeping over at a friends. Book club nights sometimes went late, so Greg went to bed expecting Jenn to arrive later. When he woke up at 1:21 AM and Jenn still wasn't home, he searched the house, called a book club member, and then jumped in his truck to follow her route to the book club. There is not a sign of Jenn or her car. Greg calls the police to report his missing wife, and then calls his sister Kat and father, Vince, who both immediately come over to Greg's house.

For the investigators, Greg is an obvious suspect. He has no verifiable alibi, had all night to commit a crime, and he has scrapes on his knuckles. As the investigation begins, it is clear that Greg maybe keeping a secret, but Jenn may have secrets too.

This is an excellent mystery. Mofina provides information, suspects, and clues while following the investigation and the discovery of additional facts. Periodically chapters are included that introduce other characters/suspects and follow additional information that may pertain to the case in some manner. The procedural part of the narrative integrates the investigation with the experiences of Greg and his family. As the plot unfolds readers are given good reason to become anxious and concerned. It makes Her Last Goodbye a compelling novel that held my rapt attention from beginning to end.

There is good character development as the investigation uncovers some of the secrets and backstory of the main characters. While we know, as much as possible, that Greg is surely innocent, the police don't and have to look at all clues and information. It can be frustrating to see all the focus on Greg when Jenn is missing and in danger, but this also helps keep the tension and interest high while reading. This is a great choice for book clubs or for reading on a cold winters night.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of MIRA Books.

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