Book Review: The Last Thing He Told Me

A friend read The Last Thing He Told Me, by Laura Dave, because her daughter-in-law was reading it. The book provided a way of connection between the two of them. Thus, I selected it as an audio book for my car rides. I've only known of one book my daughter-in-law and I have both read, but this sounded like one she might pick up. It was a riveting story. There may have been minimal cursing, but it was a clean read. Amazon bills it as an editor's pick for Best Mystery, Thriller and Suspense. Here's Amazon's teaser:

"Before Owen Michaels disappears, he smuggles a note to his beloved wife of one year: Protect her. Despite her confusion and fear, Hannah Hall knows exactly to whom the note refers—Owen's sixteen-year-old daughter, Bailey. Bailey, who lost her mother tragically as a child. Bailey, who wants absolutely nothing to do with her new stepmother.

"As Hannah's increasingly desperate calls to Owen go unanswered, as the FBI arrests Owen's boss, as a US marshal and federal agents arrive at her Sausalito home unannounced, Hannah quickly realizes her husband isn't who he said he was. And that Bailey just may hold the key to figuring out Owen's true identity—and why he really disappeared.

"Hannah and Bailey set out to discover the truth. But as they start putting together the pieces of Owen's past, they soon realize they're also building a new future—one neither of them could have anticipated."

I appreciated the engrossing tale. The pacing was excellent as Hannah and Bailey pursue clue after clue. This is a tale of hard-forged trust and fractured families. I waited with anticipation to see whether Bailey would warm to her stepmother. Teens are difficult to sway (for that matter, even adult children are difficult to sway) when their parent bestows love upon someone other than their mother. I wasn't sure the ending would satisfy, but I think it played out in a way that was best for each character. If you love domestic mysteries, this popular book is worth a look.