A very good debut thriller, set in Ohio and featuring investigator Roxane Weary. There are plenty of twists and some humour, which strangely adds to the story, which is centred around Roxane's social and personal life. Told in the first person, it took me a while to read but it was enjoyable and had a satisfying ending. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

RATING: 4.5 STARS
(Review Not on Blog)

I loved this book! Kristen Lepionka is the next Karin Slaughter for me in that I am already putting her on my must-read author list. I love the flawed realistic characters that I like and and am angry with at the same time. The main character Roxane is a strong female lead with a great sense of sarcasm and rawness. The story just has you racing to see how it ends, and as you get there you want it to continue on. I am glad I waited on reading this one as I could read the next novel right after. I highly recommend this book and series!

***I received an eARC from NETGALLEY***

Well worth reading.
This is one of those books that to start with seems like any other.
That is until you really get into it, then you'll find it very difficult to put down.

This was the best mystery I have read in some time! All I like is here-real plot, difficult problem to solve, a nice dose of humanity and heroine who, while being messy and flawed, is very connectable.

Sarah Cook is missing, her parents are dead - and Brad Stockton will be dead soon by execution for all that. His sister Danielle hires PI Roxane to look into the impossible-may Sarah still be alive after the 15 years?
Roxane needs money. And is curious and hard-headed. So she enters the investigation and while it seems that Danielle is wrong, there is still too much blonde girls missing in the innocently looking Belmont area with all the domestic and police controls. So Roxane starts her lookout.

This was one intense ride! Ah, finally the mystery what is both intelligent and readable! The authoress dod her homework in smart plotting and then some. There is no dull moment in the course of the sleuthing and the authoress was too brilliant to be caught into any of the cliche cages waiting for her. Well done!

The heroine is messy, and I am going lightly on her here here because I like her. Sister from another mister to Ken Gruen's Jack, she knows her share of darkness and dhe is boldly and unapóogetically sharing that dark stuff.
Getting into terms with her father's death, she is unstable, drinking too much and doesn't even understand her grieving. Her father was a tough cop, drinker and womanizer, and yet she feels empty.
And there is her sexuality issue-Roxane is bisexual and if she was my friend, we would have had some tough discussions about her choice of partners and her sleeping around. But we are not friends, so let me just say that-for your own good, drop Catherine. A manipulator and predator like her is to be feared. Go for Tom instead, the guy has a big heart.
And even if I could go without visiting the LGBT+ communities, as I was here for the crime, I like that the authoress is honest not to sugar-coating and goes for the frank approach. That's why I am going for the five stars-the honesty, the messiness, the open-door policy.

The Last Place You Look is the gripping debut of both a bold new voice and character.Sarah Cook disappeared fifteen years ago, the same night her parents were brutally murdered in their home. Her boyfriend Brad Stockton . black and from the wrong side of the tracks - was convicted of the murders and sits on death row..............

I am always looking to add a new crime series to my repertoire so I was thrilled to discover The Last Place You Look by Kristen Lepionka. This novel, the first book featuring private detective, Roxane Weary, followed Brad Stockton, a boy from a rough neighbourhood, who sits on death row after being convicted of murdering the parents of his girlfriend, Sarah Cook. Sarah disappeared that night and was never seen again. Now, as his execution approaches, his sister hires PI Roxanne Weary to try and find Sarah. Reeling from her own personal tragedies, Roxanne finds herself drawn into the investigation when she sees parallels between Sarah and one of her own father’s investigations into that of an unsolved murder. With time running out and danger lurking around every corner, Roxanne must use all of her resources to try and find out the truth.


I felt so conflicted as I made my way through this novel; part of me was really enjoying the wild ride I was being brought on and the other part of me found it all incredibly confusing. I struggled to keep the characters separated and to keep track of who was who but I really enjoyed the general feeling of the text. Lepionka did a fantastic job at keeping her reader continuously guessing.

I really liked Roxanne and am glad that this book will not be the last of her; I was amused with her unconventional methods and her sassy attitude. I also loved the softer side of her in relation to her father and her unresolved family issues. It made her feel more human and I enjoy a bit of humanity in my crime fiction.

I really enjoyed this debut and am hoping that Lepionka will only continue to become cleaner in her execution since I really did enjoy the general delivery of this novel. I’ll be waiting for book two!

I'll be honest, first fifteen or so pages I was like... how is this different from any other mystery I've read? Same old same old, ho-hum. I mean, it hits the nail on the head for every single trope, but the author makes it WORK!

It grabbed me around page fifteen or so and took me on a fantastic ride. I didn't want to put it down and it kept me up late.

Brilliantly written, fast paced and fantastic plot. I didn't see the ending coming and frankly, I usually can these days.

Add on top of all of that excellence? A perfectly flawed, broken character I could feel with every bone of my body.

Highly recommend if you like this type of book.

PI Roxane Weary is well known for being able to find lost things and missing people so when Danielle Stockton thinks she sees a missing girl, Sarah Cooke, who has brother Brad has been convicted of killing, she hires Roxane to find Sarah and get Brad off death row. Sarah disappeared 15 years ago, the night her parents were found murdered and Brad, her boyfriend was found guilty of all three murders. Danielle has never accepted that Brad would kill Sarah and her parents and believes if Sarah could be found then she could tell them what really happened that night.

This thriller is a bit of a slow boiler as Roxane sets out to find the girl Danielle saw and gets involved in looking into another case her Dad, a cop, was investigating before he died, involving another girl who went missing. It takes a while for the various threads to come together but once they do they lead to very tense and suspenseful finish. Roxane is an interesting character, still grieving for her Dad who died nine months before while on the job. She is bisexual and has problems with past and current lovers and frequently drinks too much. However, she is a determined investigator with a strong sense of justice and is tenacious in finding the truth. This is clearly intended to be the first of a series featuring Roxane so I'm looking forward to the next instalment!

Roxane Weary is a PI, just like her dad has been, before he got shot nine month ago. She is a woman with a whole lot of problems in her life, drinking is just one of those problems. When she gets a job offer, she’s not turning it down. Because she needs the money. In the beginning it doesn’t seem like there is something she can do to help her client. But then she starts to unravel the past and when she tries to answer all questions coming up, slowly a picture is starting to form. I found that the story about the murders of Sarah Cook’s parents very interesting and I got really involved in the book. I started to dislike some people really early in the story. And Roxane was one of them. But it added to her depth that she had family problems, alcohol problems and relationship problems. It made the whole book more believable and she was a great PI besides all of her problems. If you’re looking for a good thriller to read, this is a book I really would recommend. I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thanks to NetGalley and Faber and Faber Ltd!

This is an absorbing mystery with a tremendous sense of urgency. A Private Investigator, with lots of personal problems, is hired to try and prove the innocence of a young man on Death Row, as the date of his execution approaches.
The investigation points to a possible serial killer still operating and targeting a particular type of victim. Another troubled young girl vanishes, but the local police department not only refuses to accept the likelihood of a serial killer but does its best to obstruct enquiries in the original case and to take the girl’s disappearance seriously.
There are many twists and turns in the story but each is totally logical and taken to its conclusion. The final twist leads to a surprising but satisfying ending.

This is the first in a new private investigator series. Roxanne Weary is a fascinating character. Her dad was a police officer and liked a drink and Roxanne loves a whisky or two. She is asked to look at a case of a man about to be executed on death row for the murder of his girlfriend’s parents. His girlfriend has been missing for years, since the murders and although he protested his innocence evidence was found in his car. His sister wants to prove his innocence at this late stage because she thinks she saw the girlfriend.
You get to know Roxanne and the way she works and why her background has shaped who she is. It’s a page turner that keeps you guessing. She’s determined to get to the bottom of this case despite opposition
I am already keen to read the next in the series

A great book, although somewhat rambling at times. Looking forward to more books from this author.

I really enjoyed reading this book, Roxane is exactly the sort of character I like flawed, gutsy and determined and I was on her side from page one.The story is interesting and flowed nicely.I liked the pace of the book and the slightly old fashioned feel in a good way.It felt like a homage to PI's of the past and that was refreshingly different, at the same time Roxane with her complicated private life seemed modern and I liked that dichotomy.I would definitely like to read more in this series and I think this one is a belter.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in return for my honest opinion.

I instantly loved Roxane (with one n), I do love a damaged character and she is nothing, if not damaged. This book was a wonderful adventure; I was convinced I knew who the Killer was so many times and was pleasantly surprised that I had guessed it and was wrong so many times. Not super action packed until the end, but suspenseful and enjoyable. It was easy to read and hard to put down. The characters were great, I loved the interaction with her brothers and mother; it felt honest and funny.

I will definitely be reading the next book in this series.

Teenager Sarah Cook disappeared fifteen years ago. The same night her parents were brutally murdered in their home in Ohio. Her boyfriend, Brad, was convicted with the murders and sits on death row. He has always maintained his innocence. His execution is only weeks away and his sister is insisting she spotted Sarah at a local gas station, so she hires PI Roxane Weary to look into the case. Roxane's father had been a cop and she thinks she has linked Sarah's disappearance to one of her fathers unsolved murder cases involving another teen girl.

This is quite a good debut novel . What's starts as a missing person case quickly turns into something darker and much more sinister. It's fast paced, tension filled and gripping from beginning to end. I can't wait to read more in the series.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Faber and Faber Ltd and the author Kristen Lepionka for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed The Last Place You Look very much. It's a well-written and exciting crime story with an engaging protagonist.

The story is narrated by Ohio private investigator Roxane Weary, and sounds rather well-worn. A man's date of execution is finally fixed for two months hence, but his sister believes that she has just seen his alleged victim whose body was never found and she seeks Roxane's help in proving him innocent. Roxane meets suspiciously strong hostility from the local police as her investigation leads her into unexpected and dark territory.

So far, so familiar, but it's very well done so the whole thing felt pretty fresh to me. Roxanne is a fine creation: tough and determined but flawed, she seemed very real to me, as did the other characters. The plot development was well handled and the final stages are genuinely exciting. Kristen Lepionka writes very well; I know it's usually just lazy cliché to trot out the name of Raymond Chandler when talking about a PI novel, but there did seem to me to be some Chandleresque features here. There's the odd striking simile like "My stomach felt like I'd swallowed a bottle opener," for example, and the smug, hostile small-town police department felt rather like Bay City Police in Farewell, My Lovely. Nonetheless, Lepionka has her own style, and I like it.

This isn't an instant classic, but it's an enjoyable, well executed thriller and a very promising start to a series. I'll be looking out for the next Roxane Weary book and I can recommend this one warmly.

(I received an ARC via NetGalley.)

I’m presuming because the title includes “Roxanne Weary #1” in the title there is another book to follow. Which delights me! This book was a pleasure to read. Unlike a lot of others these days which claim to be thrillers.

I can usually spot the “twist” a mile off, but Kristen Lepionka kept this story very interesting.

Hard to believe it is a debut!

Unfortunately the title was archived prior to me downloading for a weekend read and review up next week. The archive date wasn't near whatsoever. And the release date is a month away. This is quite unfortunate. Sorry for the inconvenience.

This is an atmospheric and stunning crime fiction debut set in Columbus, Ohio. PI Roxane Weary has a gift for finding things, but hasn't had a job for a while. Her brother, Matt, sends Danielle Stockton to Roxane. Danielle is the sister of Brad, who is on death row for the murder of the Garrett and Elaine Cook, and is suspected of the murder of Sarah Cook, his girlfriend. However, Brad will not have a bad word said about Sarah, even if it could save his life. Danielle is convinced she has seen Sarah at a gas station recently and she wants Roxane to find evidence that will clear Brad, but time is running out.

Roxane's father, Frank, a cop, has recently died, she is griefstricken but full of conflicting emotions and it is beyond her capabilities to talk about her relationship with her father and what he meant to her. Her unresolved feelings bring forth anger and hostility to those around her, including her family. She is hitting the bottle too frequently in her attempts to cope and her personal life is a car crash revolving around a woman who is no good for her and having sex with Tom, Frank's partner, which ends. Tom, though is always there for Roxane, despite having a new partner, Pam. Roxane struggles to find any evidence of Sarah being at the gas station and instead looks at the case from a different angle, and finds stab victim Mallory Evans with a similar MO. She discovers that this was an unsolved case for her father. The Belmont police are unhappy that she is looking into Brad and Mallory's case, and go to inordinate lengths to run her out of the area. Another body is discovered and another young local girl goes missing. Roxane is tenacious and determined, but can she find the missing young woman, solve her father's old case and save Brad?

This is a top notch crime thriller, with a compelling central character in Roxane. Roxane is a deeply flawed character, having to pick herself up from drunken blackouts, but I rooted for her and wanted her to deal with her demons. She eventually comes closer to achieving this by working the Brad investigation and by her close, if fractious, relationships with Tom and her family. I also loved Roxane's positive relationship with the young Shelby. I am really looking forward to reading the next book in the series. A brilliant read that I highly recommend. Thanks to Faber and Faber for an ARC.

Roxane Weary is a private detective and has always been good at findings but not so much since her father, a police officer, was killed on the job. Now her brother has passed her details on to Danielle Stockton. Her brother Brad is in jail for murder and two moths away from execution. He was convicted of killing his girlfriend's parents 15 years earlier and his girlfriend Sarah hasn't been seen since. Now Danielle reckons she's seen her and wants Roxane to find her so that she can say what really happened and Brad will be released. Roxane starts looking into the case and begins to think Danielle is mistaken but her enquiries lead her to the murder of another girl from the same town as Sarah and Brad and Roxane thinks there's a link. A great story with a very likeable lead character that I would enjoy reading more about.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and Kristen Lepionka for the opportunity to read and review this book.