Last One Alive - (Coroner's Daughter Mysteries) by Jennifer Graeser Dornbush

Book Synopsis

Dr. Emily Hartford is back in Chicago, ready to move forward and leave the past behind, until an unexpected request for help sends her deep into an investigation--and into the path of a killer.

Seventeen months after the Parkman case, Dr. Hartford has returned to Chicago to finish her surgical residency. But when she is contacted out of the blue by Solange McClelland, the only survivor of a decade-old triple homicide, Emily is compelled to dig deeper. She doesn't know the details of the event but remembers it as one of the few cases her deceased father never solved.

On her thirtieth birthday, Solange opens a long-forgotten safe-deposit box and is entirely baffled by what she finds. Inside are not only painful reminders of a once-happy youth but almost four million dollars--enough to pursue and finally solve the mystery of who brutally murdered her family. It's been over ten years, and Solange has built a new life in Detroit with her husband, Joseph. But there are certain disturbing questions about her past that she is determined to answer. So she reaches out to the only one who might know something about her family's deaths and their possibly erroneous death certificates--Dr. Hartford, the daughter of Freeport's former medical examiner.

Finding it impossible to believe that her scrupulous father made a mistake, Emily joins Solange's pursuit of the truth, and as subzero temperatures blanket snow-covered Michigan, the two women pursue justice in two very different ways. But lurking nearby in the frigid cold is a crafty, unrepentant killer, determined to finish what he started long ago.

Review Quotes

"Riveting, Last One Alive is a character-driven page-turner loaded with fascinating forensic detail."

-- "Hallie Ephron, New York Times bestselling author of Careful What You Wish For"

"Smart, complex, and emotionally compelling, this thriller deftly twines together the stories of two strong women delving into the past to find truths that matter. A wonderful read!"

-- "Karen Odden, USA Today bestselling author of Agatha, Lefty, and Anthony Award-nominated Under a Veiled Moon"

"Once again, Jennifer Dornbush uses her extraordinary combination of heart and experience from years as a forensics specialist to craft a gripping mystery with sky-high stakes. In creating a protagonist who is willing to risk everything in her personal and professional life to stop a serial killer stalking an innocent pregnant woman, this talented author sets the highest bar possible for a suspense novel."

-- "Ellen Byron, Agatha Award-winning author of Bayou Book Thief and the Cajun Country Mysteries"

"Last One Alive is a fascinating blend of intrigue, murder, and dangerous questions gone unanswered for decades. Dornbush expertly balances the elements to keep the readers guessing. Go along for the ride."

-- "Reed Farrel Coleman, New York Times bestselling author of Sleepless City"

"In Last One Alive, surgical resident Dr. Emily Hartford is dragged into a cold case by the sole survivor of the triple homicide, a case Emily's father failed to resolve, and finds herself in the crosshairs of a diabolic killer determined to finish what he began a decade earlier. A relentless thriller that will grab you and not let go."

-- "D. P. Lyle, award-winning author of the Jake Longly and Cain/Harper thriller series"