Review goes live on the blog on May 11 and will show up on Goodreads sometime later.

In a Flutter: Entertaining
Fluttering Thoughts:
Worldbuilding: Richmond setting.
Characters: Kaitlin is a very driven woman with a complicated and painful past. I admired her determination and loyalty to Gina.
Adler is one awesome alpha detective, focused on the case and in a tough place as far as personal life is concerned.
They had some nice chemistry and I really liked them together.
Plot: It’s all about the mystery of what happened to Gina 14 years ago. But the mystery is multilayered, a then and now structure, and it’s pretty engaging. The romance is slow burn, nice and tense.
Writing: First person and third person past tense narrative combo, multi-POV of which I’m not a fan as style, but I get the why.
Curb Appeal: Very cool cover, hooking blurb – impulsive buy material for my Romantic Suspense moods.

I recommend Her Last Word to fans of Romantic Suspense which includes detectives and murder investigations.

Mary Burton has done it again!!! Best book this year. Keep me guessing all the way though till late in the night. Could not stop reading. What a great mystery and a little romance. A must read!!!! I have been following this author for 3 year and have not been disappointed yet

Kaitlin Roe is has decided that she is going to find out who had kidnapped her cousin Gina 14 years ago. She feels guilty for running as the abducter had told her to do. She didn't have many answers for police and she was drunk on top of it all so she was on their radar. Now as she is asking questions someone wants to shut it up and she finally gets the attention of the police who had no real interest in the case since it was a cold case. Since a woman is killed they woke up and decided to look into it but she is back on their radar. Detective Adler doesn't think she has anything to do with it and is extremely interested in the Kaitlin. So who is it?

4.5 I really enjoyed this psychological thriller from Mary Burton. The plot was fantastic. Kaitlin was with her cousin Gina when she was abducted in her high school years. Kaitlin carried the guilt for not saving Gina, for running off. She comes back years later to try and find out once and for all what had taken place. In doing so more murders take place, Kaitlin doesn't have a great history with the police and things just keep spiraling ." It's this one, no it's this person, no, it was this one, wait, its who??? " My thoughts as I was reading. :) One thing kept me from giving it a "real" 5. and that was the style. I was not a fan of it, and it kept throwing me off. Thank you Montlake, thank you Netgalley and thank you Mary Burton! All opinions are my own, and I highly recommend this book.

Fourteen years ago Kaitlin Roe is the only witness to the kidnapping of her cousin Gina . Still suffering from the guilt of not saving her cousin Gina she comes back to interview everyone that was there that night but someone is not going to let that happen ! This is a perfectly crafted work of art ! A vivid riveting story that was masterfully done . A must read ! I love Mary Burton ! Thanks to #Netgalley and #MontlakeRomance for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review . #HerLastWord

This psychological suspense was an exciting, nonstop-action story about Kaitlin Roe, who comes back to Richmond to do a podcast on an event that happened 14 years ago. This cold case has been on Kaitlin’s mind, as she was the only witness to the abduction of her cousin, Gina, and she hasn’t been found, dead or alive. The interviews for her podcast unfortunately bring about more killings. Homicide detective John Adler joins in the search and in protecting Kaitlin. This book was well written, precise, and to the point, which is one of the reasons why I love reading Mary Burton’s books. I thoroughly had fun trying to not only solve who was behind this, but also in trying to figure out the reasons why psychopaths do what they do. Other characters in this book that could be guilty have secrets of their own, and trying to weed out what they really know was a difficult task for all involved in the investigation. I always get excited when a new book comes out by Mary Burton. The next one cannot come soon enough. [I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author through NetGalley and my opinion is my own.]

Her Last Word – Mary Burton

I was fortunate to receive this novel as an Advance Reader Copy, in exchange for an objective review.
Kaitlyn Roe cannot forget – fourteen years ago, after a gathering with her teenaged friends, she stood helplessly by while her cousin was abducted in front of her by a masked man – and she ran. Gina’s body was never found. Now, an older, sober, and focused Kaitlyn has returned to Virginia in an effort to discover, once and for all, what happened to her cousin that night.

Kaitlyn has plans to bring attention back onto Gina’s disappearance in the form of a podcast. She has been making waves in her hometown, requesting interviews from all that were involved in the events of that night – including her ex-boyfriend, Randy Hayward, in hopes of jogging old memories and perhaps discovering new information. Randy was a suspect in Gina’s disappearance, but never charged – he presently sits in jail on an unrelated charge. She has captured the attention of the local police department, and Detective John Adler.

But she has also captured the attention of someone else. First one of Gina’s friends is found dead. Then, another disappears, and Kaitlyn is injured in an ambush attempt, with her assailant vowing to ‘finish at a later time’. But who would want all of Gina’s friends dead? And why?

I very much enjoyed this romantic suspense novel from Mary Burton and look forward to more from her. Being fond of series type characters, I’d absolutely LOVE to see Kaitlyn & John’s story carry over into future books. Engaging characters, page turning suspense, and an old wrong made right make for a perfect beach or rainy day read!

Mary Burton is one of my favorite authors and I love her books; however, this one is not one of my favorite. It is still a good read but I just did not enjoy the writing style. In my opinion, it is choppier due to the style instead of flowing smoothly. It is not written as a straight suspense story but flips through past and present with witness interviews related to a cold case file 14 years prior intertwined with the current search by the missing girl’s (Gina) cousin, Kaitlin Roe, and the lead detective (John Adler) involved in the case. There has been no activity on Gina’s case and since Kaitlin was a witness to her abduction she suffers a huge amount of guilt from her actions at the time of the crime. She wants to appease her conscious and help find answers and ends up stirring up a hornet’s nest from her search. Someone does not want the truth revealed and they have turned their attention to Kaitlin. Overall, I liked Kaitlin and John and there was plenty of suspense and mystery throughout the story. I was just not a huge fan on the delivery, jumping from current interviews and conversations by Kaitlin and John to past interviews in the cold case file, to current conversations and actions in the middle of the search for Gina’s whereabouts. It was too distracting for me and a bit hard to follow, I had a lot of starts and stops to get through the book. This does not, however, alter my opinion of the author or her other works in any way. She is still one of my favorite authors and I will continue to read her stories. *I received a copy of this book via NetGallery and am voluntarily leaving my honest review.

Be warned, you will not want to put this book down until you reach the end.....BOY OH BOY, “Her Last Word” is a fabulous story that you will not regret reading. If you like suspense then this is a must read, Mary will leave you guessing all the way to the end. The characters are well described and very believable. Her Last Word is about a girl that comes up missing after a party at the lake. There are 4 girls partying before they go off to college. They all are drinking and 2 get a ride home. The other 2, Gina and her cousin Kaitlin are walking home very drunk. Gina gets grabbed by someone in a clown mask....and Kaitlin runs to get help. Gina is not seen again. now we fast forward to 14 years later. Kaitlin is on a mission to reopen Gina’s case. She’s determined to find out what happened to Gina....but someone doesn’t want her poking around....and try’s to stop the remaining 3 girls from talking, but WHO? Well, you’ll have to read it to find out. Super, super great suspense to keep you guessing!! :)) enjoy!

I enjoyed the story and the characters, but the timeline jumps back and forth between the past and the present. I know that a lot of books do this, and a lot of people don't have a problem with it. I would have preferred a more linear story though. For me, the jumping back and forth pulled me out of the story and made it hard to stay engaged. I will definitely be looking at this author in the future though.

It's 2004. A drunken Gina Mason is grabbed off the road where she is walking with her cousin, Kaitlin Roe, who is also drunk. They are returning home after a graduation celebration party at a favorite beach hangout. The abductor is wearing a scary clown mask. He yells at Kaitlin, "Run or I'll kill you." She runs.

Fourteen years later Kaitlin decides to do a podcast to try to figure out what happened to her cousin Gina all those years ago. It's a cold case. The police rarely spend much time and energy on a cold case. Unfortunately they will have to now. Kaitlin's podcast project has stirred the pot. People are dying. Why now? Who is the murderer and why kill these people?

Author Mary Burton is one of my all-time favorite romantic suspense authors. She has an uncanny ability to draw you in and keep you in suspense in such a way you just can't put her book down. She crafts characters so well you can easily identify with them. Her villians scream "evil" when you read about them. They just "get" to you. Her plots are always very smooth and Her Last Word is a perfect example of this. I never get lost or confused while reading this author's books. In addition her police procedures are so authentic. I especially appreciated in this story the inside peek of the state forensic department which gave me a good idea of all the latest forensic tests and abilities.

Mary Burton is a "Must-Read" for me. This story captivated me and I can't wait until I get my next adventure with Mary Burton.

Thank you to netgalley, the author and publisher for an ARC of this book.

I've not read Mary Burton for a long time and I can't remember why!

I found this book really good, and liked the podcast idea of a reformed Kaitlin trying to find out what happened to her cousin Gina. My only snipe is that the killer was boring and not creepy enough.

While not her best work, this book was an easy, enjoyable read. At times I found it a bit disjointed and there were occasional apparent errors in the plot. Unlike some books in the genre (including some of the authors own titles), I felt that I could easily put the book aside to get on with something else. I hate the use of 'unputdownable' but this certainly is not a book in that category - I did not find myself reading into the dawn and then noticing with a start that the sun was coming up. The characters were appealing but they could have been more deeply portrayed and my general impression was that the book was a bit rushed - it started with a good plot but then unravelled a little to a rushed end point. Slightly disappointing but by no means a waste of precious reading time.

I am a fan of this author's. The last several books have really been winners. While, I did like this book, I was not in love with it as I was the past several books. For me, I found my connection with Kaitlin and John but the story as a whole moved at a slow pace. There was not a lot happening. Yes, there was a killing but the details and the intensity of the investigation was not very hyped up. The killer stayed back and didn't appear too much in the lime light. In fact, I found the "interview tapes" more exciting then the story. I wanted more of a cat and mouse game.

Yet, I will say that this is more character driven. I was cheering for Kaitlin that she was like a one woman crusader fighting for justice for her cousin, Gina. She would not give up no matter what the cost. Detective Adler is smart. Plus, I like that he did not discount Kaitlin and her theories. They did strike up a romance but it was subtle and not distracting from the story. Overall, this was an enjoyable read.

“...,when you see God, put in a good word for me.” Burton serves up another stunner that delivers you into the hands of a killer and the only one you can rely on is a police detective who isn’t 100% sure of your innocence. Meet Kaitlin Roe, a girl with a troubled past who is haunted by the abduction of her cousin Gina 14 years ago. Kaitlin is determined to find out the truth of what happened to her cousin by doing a podcast and interviewing people from her past. Detective John Adler enters the picture when one of the people Kaitlin interviewed is murdered. Did Gina’s abductor come back from the past to make sure secrets remain hidden?

Well thought-out, enthralling story that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) provided by the Author and Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an fair and honest review.

I am always excited to read a Mary Burton book. The are very different from the standard Romantic-Suspense works that abound. She blends a really interesting plot with an intelligent romance to create books that are totally unique. This one drew me in and kept me engaged throughout.

Kaitlin Roe is a woman on a mission and that mission is to find to person who kidnapped her cousin, Gina, 14 years ago. Gina was never seen again. Kaitlin is now a communications professor and is interviewing everyone from that time with the goal of developing a pod cast about Gina . As a cold case the police are not exactly motivated to help her, but that isn't going to stop Kaitlin.

She expected the police to be apathetic, but is really annoyed when Gina's closest friends don't want to help her solve Gina's disappearance either. Everyone seems to have moved on, but Kaitlin has found there is no moving on for her until Gina is found, dead or alive. When one of Gina's friends is bound stabbed to death, and links to Gina's case are found, the police finally take notice.

Detective John Adler takes the seeming link between the two crimes seriously and is drawn to Kaitlin in a way he has never been drawn to a woman before, which could be a real complication because Kaitlin was a suspect in the original abduction. John doesn't believe she was anything other than a scared, confused and grieving kid. But, right now, she is dead center in a killers crosshairs.

This is my first time reading anything by this author. Once I started I just had to keep reading. It was a well - written fast paced psychological suspense book. I just had to keep reading to see what Kaitlin could uncover after many years.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this amazing book

my first time reading a mary burton novel and it wont be my last...this is the one of the best whodunnits i have read in ages...on par with agatha christie...clever storyline with loads of red herrings and plenty of twists and turns, with strong characters leading the way in the book

i look forward to catching up on more mary burton books and the future ones as well

This was good, a cold case that has relevant crimes happening in the now. Kaitlin had ben a witness 14 years ago to an abduction...
With so many years gone by, she re looks into the case, that hasn't ever been solved. A detective has been called to a murder to investigate, but the thing is that same murder is a young girl Kat had just interviewed...

I enjoyed this, and will look into the authors other work.

Awesome story and mystery! I liked the forensic science details.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review.