Harrowing, heart-wrenching and compulsively readable, cancel all your plans because once you start J R Adler’s Last Day Alive, putting it down will simply not be an option.

Ten year old Piper set off on her pink bicycle towards the woods on Black Heart Lane for a sleepover with her new friend Miley. When her grandparents had waved the little girl off, they never imagined that that would be the last time they would ever set eyes on her again. Out of their mind with worry when the little girl does not return home, her grandparents raise the alarm and hope that Detective Kimberley King will find their precious little girl.

The first 24 hours in a missing child investigation are the most crucial, but Kimberley seems to be going down one dead end after another. Nobody in the town of Dead Woman Crossing has seen Piper and with no leads and no witnesses, Piper’s chances diminish with each passing second – until her team makes a discovery that breaks Kimberley’s heart: Piper’s body has been discovered in a woodland clearing. Kimberley thinks that she cannot handle any more shocks and surprises – until she gets a chilling phone-call that intensifies her fears: Piper’s friend Miley has gone missing…

One little girl has already died and Kimberley will move heaven and earth to ensure that the monster who killed Piper will not ruin another child’s life. Convinced that the summer camp holds the key that will lead her to Miley and to catching Piper’s killer, Kimberley will do whatever it takes to nail the perpetrator who committed this barbaric act, but could she be looking in the wrong direction? Could danger be far closer to home than she initially realised? Or is Kimberley about to make a serious mistake that could end up jeopardising another child’s future?

Brilliantly plotted, fast-paced and so twisted and sinister that it had me chewing my nails to the elbow, J R Adler’s Last Day Alive is a terrific and terrifying crime thriller aficionados of the genre are going to lap up. A gripping tale that packs plenty of punch, Last Day Alive is a dark and disturbing thriller featuring a fabulous detective who is smart, intuitive, clever and relatable: Kimberly King.

A captivating police procedural, locks the doors, switch on all the lights in your house and lose yourself in this top-notch crime novel by JR Adler: Last Day Alive.

Absolutely love everything by JR Adler so far. I was obsessed with her first book so was extremely excited to get m my hands on the sequel. Will continue reading anything that she writes for sure! Thanks Netgalley for a copy of this book!

I enjoyed J.R. Adler’s first novel and couldn’t wait to settle in and read Last Day Alive. I typically don’t love series because I feel like the characters and plots tend to be recycled a bit but I didn’t feel that way with this one, the second in a series about Detective Kimberley King.

The writing flows, the story moves quickly which I appreciate. I don’t need long paragraphs of inner dialogue, give me action in a suspense novel!

Synopsis:

One hot summer’s evening, ten-year-old Piper Chase went for a bike ride. She never came home…

Piper cycles off one hot Oklahoma evening for a sleepover with her new friend Miley from summer camp. But when she doesn’t come home, her grandparents raise the alarm. Their little angel is missing, last seen on her pink bicycle, heading towards the dark woods on Black Heart Lane.

Detective Kimberley King knows that the first twenty-four hours in a missing child investigation are the most critical, but with no witnesses, and darkness falling in the small town of Dead Woman Crossing, she begins to fear the worst. She longs to find the little girl with wide blue eyes and an infectious smile, but when her team discovers Piper’s body in a woodland clearing, lying on a bed of moss, something inside her dies.

In a town where people leave their doors unlocked, Kimberley is terrified that another little girl might be snatched, and that night she holds her own daughter tighter. Desperate to find the monster who took the life of an innocent child, Kimberley chases down all the leads she has. The summer camp counselor, who got too close to Piper and Miley and lost his job. Piper’s shifty uncle, who arrived back in town the day she disappeared…

Then she gets a call that chills her to the bone. Miley has gone missing. Has the killer who stole one little angel just taken another?

Get this now but don’t forget to read the first book in the series too.

I read J.R. Adler’s first book, and first in the series “Dead Woman Crossing” right before I read this one. I definitely recommend reading this first, although you don’t necessarily need to as Adler touches on pertinent information. However, in order to fully understand Kimberley’s viewpoint of Oklahoma as an outsider from NYC and her dynamic with not only her family but the people of the town it helps to have the read the first one.
I thought the first book was just okay, but this second one was so much better! Usually, I find the opposite to be true. But in this one I felt that Adler had finally found her grove. The story flowed much better and I felt that both the main and secondary characters were strongly built. I loved the developing relationship between Sam and Kimberley - and of course Barb!
The story flowed well and had me constantly asking questions and trying to figure out what was going on alongside Kimberley and Sam. I liked the added bonus of a viewpoint through the killers mind. Although I did have suspicion as to who the killer was and I found it ended quite abruptly. Overall, it was a solid thriller and I’ll definitely be tuning in to the next book in the series!

I read this as a stand alone and although it was ok to do, I would probably have read them in order just because I think I would prefer that than reading them separately.

Last Day Alive continues a very after the first in the Detective Kimberley King series, Dead Woman Crossing. While this could be a stand alone I would recommend reading the books in order. I already found that I knew about the characters background which made me able to just jump right into the next story and plot. Kimberley is faced with another case involving a missing girl, Piper. She and Sam are determined to find her but the odds are against them. Sam and Kimberley had a ton of sexual tension in the first book and that tension is still there! Maybe one day they'll just get together. Not only is Kimberley dealing with the case, there's a new guy in town and she's having some issues with her mother, Nicole. I love reading how the story unfolded and Jeneva's writing is so captivating. Definitely recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with an advanced release copy in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve quickly become a fan of Jeneva Rose/JR Adler’s books! Last Day Alive is the second book in the Detective Kimberly King series and it was such a fun, fast paced read. I was instantly hooked from the first chapter. I was impressed with this story and I have to admit to being surprised by the ending. It kept me guessing until the end! I've read the first book and certainly I did want to continue along with Kimberley King and her story. There is a lot going on in this book but you never feel bogged down by any one thing.

I hope that Book #3 is in the works! Definitely add this series to your list!

FANTASTIC reading with a very likable leading detective, well written with lots of intrigue in this terrific police procedural. Enjoyed totally & RECOMMEND both #1 & #2 highly. Looking forward to #3 with great anticipation. Thanks to NetGalley& Bookouture for this ARC in return for my honest review.

Detective Kimberley King is back with a new case and more complications in her life. When a little girl disappears, ten-year-old Piper Chase, Kimberley and her team chase what turn out to be false leads. With the most likely suspects cleared, they seem to be at a standstill and when Piper's body is found, the disappointment is almost unbearable. But then Piper's friend, Miley also disappears. Set in the out of the way town of Dead Woman Crossing, Oklahoma, Kimberley and her boss, Sheriff Sam Walker, refuse to take it easy until the cases are solved, regardless of the risks involved. In the midst of the case, Kimberley's life is thrown off course when she discovers that her mother did not get divorced, and is still communicating with her husband, a convicted murderer. Handling her family complications and considering a move to dating again keeps Kimberley on her toes. Last Day Alive is wickedly twisty and the author makes good use of misdirection, fooling me a number of times. I look forward to seeing what happens in book three.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Bookouture via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Favorite Quotes:

Barb was their first line of defense. But Barb was feisty, and Kimberley had recently learned she had a conceal and carry permit. She kept her Glock in her top desk drawer when she was working and then had it holstered on her hip, underneath her flowery, flowy blouses when she was off the clock. She had named it Helen. When Kimberley had asked her why the name Helen? Barb had replied, “Because Helen was an ex-friend that stole my famous chocolate chip cookie recipe, and she was a real bitch. It seemed fitting.”

“What do I got to do to get you to call me sir?” … “Build a time machine and take me back to the nineteen-fifties,”

Yeah, her name is Ginger. That’s not even a name. It’s a root… There was a chance I would have gotten back with him. We have kids together, for God’s sake…but now, not a chance in hell. He can have the skanky root vegetable.

He’s trying to woo her… You gotta woo before you do.

You just gotta be patient with Sam. He’s like a ten-thousand-piece puzzle without the box for reference. It just takes a little while longer.


My Review:

I am continuing to enjoy this series and new author. It is surprisingly enjoyable to read a story that incorporates a small rural area that I was once familiar with. I felt so engaged and familiar with the unfolding story that I was expecting to see family names and gossip of the actual denizens reported. The storylines were active, tragic, and tense with anxiety, grief, and frustration as the small rural county police force labored to find a missing child, only to experience the heartbreak of finding her body and then endeavoring past exhaustion to solve her murder with little to go on. So much for a peaceful downsized job after leaving the NYPD.

In addition to the murder case bonus entertainment value was provided by additional servings and tasty offerings of family drama, potential romantic considerations, and observations of small-town issues and the off-beat and eccentric characters residing there. I’m always eager to get the down-low on secrets and amusing sightings of quirk. But, of course, my favorite character continues to be Barb, the ever cheerful, spunky, genius baker, and gun-toting senior citizen who seems to be three steps ahead of everyone's needs, both in and outside the office. We could all use a Barb in our lives.

iper Chase's grandparents didn't mind giving their ten-year-old granddaughter more freedom and responsibilities. Piper was to bike over to her friend's house nearby, instead she disappeared without a clue. Since she was going to have a sleepover with her friend Miley, her grandparents were not worried. It was the next day, however, that they realized that something was dreadfully wrong.

When Detective Kimberley King is assigned the case, she is shocked to realize that nearly 24 hours had passed since Piper was last seen. Where will she start? A former FBI Special Agent and now living in the town of Dead Woman Crossing, she is no stranger to difficult cases. And the case does find its worst possible situation - Piper's body was soon found in the woods. This breaks Kimberley's heart.

With hopes of finding the kidnapper, Kimberley worries that another child could be at risk. With no shortage of suspects, Kimberley leaves no stone unturned in her investigation.. When indeed another child goes missing, Kimberley digs even deeper, knowing she has to race against time.

In the first book of this series, Dead Woman Crossing, we see how dedicated Kimberley was during her years at the FBI and what drew her to the town with the unusual name. The cases that Kimberley takes on a difficult at best, but her determination is unrivaled.

What a thrilling book and a great addition to what is already an exciting series! I love how this book is written as it switches between Kimberley's POV and that of the killer's. This goes a long way to increasing the tension in this intense read. With shocking twists and turns and a bevy of suspects, the identity of the killer threw me off and the book reached an amazing crescendo as it came to a conclusion. I simply cannot wait for the next book in the series.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

A year has passed since the shocking events of the previous book and for the detectives of the Custer County Sheriff's Office in Oklahoma life has been fairly quiet. There time has been taken up by the usual run-of-the-mill crimes that happen in any small town in Middle America. But that all changes when they receive a frantic phone call that sends a chill down the spines of every officer in the room. Ten year old Piper Chase hasn't returned home to her grand parents house after a sleep over at her best friend Milly's house. Cops hate investigating crimes that involve children but the investigation has a more emotional impact on Sheriff Sam Walker because the location of Piper's disappearance and where her body is subsequently discovered conjures up upsetting memories of the tragic deaths of his wife and young son. The team find themselves investigation a complex, frustrating case that has more dead ends that a maze. Then to their shock and horror Milly also suddenly disappears and they find themselves in a desperate race against time to solve the case before Milly suffers the same fate as poor little Piper.

The story is told predominantly from the perspective of Chief Deputy Kimberley King who over the last year since she moved with her young daughter Jessica to Dead Woman Crossing from New York City has begun to feel settled in the small town and that the residents have actually started to accept and respect her. She is still struggling with the emotional fallout from the previous year and her conflicting feelings for Sheriff Sam walker. Coping with balancing work and being a single parent, a emotionally charged investigation and Sam's erratic behaviour, the last thing Kimberley needs is for a new arrival in town to start showing a romantic interest in her causing Sam to display unexpected feelings of jealousy.

I thought the detectives were a very likeable bunch of vivid characters with the exception of Lodge but I suppose there always had to be one one bad apple in the bunch. Each of them was a individual in their own right with their own unique personalities and character traits. My favourite character was kindly, motherly Barb who manned the front desk at the Sheriff's office and was always readily available with good and caring advice.

Who would murder a innocent young girl and then kidnap her best friend and why? Was there a connection between the crimes and the summer camp where the two girls met and became friends? Why did Piper's dodgy uncle suddenly reappear on the scene in the same day as her disappearance? Would Kimberley, Sam and the team be able to uncover the identity of the kidnapper and figure out Milly's whereabouts before another innocent child losses her life?

I loved this well written,addictive,intense,gripping thriller,the plot had a number of red herrings and viable suspects,kept me guessing and had me captivated and glued to my kindle. The identity of the protagonist was a genuinely mind blowing shock. The author has created a fantastic cast of recurring characters,individuals that worm their way into your heart and make you care about them. Although this is the second book in a series,it can be read and enjoyed as a standalone. I thought this was a really enjoyable, enthralling read and very very highly recommended.

Last Day Alive by J.R. Adler
Detective Kimberley King #2

Two little girls
Close as sisters
One disappears
Then the other.

Gripping story
Beginning to end
Once I began reading
I couldn’t stop till the end.

What I liked:
* Kimberley: mother, daughter, detective, professional, experienced, focused, dedicated, may be ready for a bit of romance but…with whom?
* Sam: widow, lost both son and wife, lost at times, professional, focused, conflicted, may have potential romance brewing…if/when he is ready
* Caleb: single father, new in town, works construction, interested in Kimberley, intriguing but is he the one for Kimberley or not?
* The police procedural aspects of the story
* The writing style and how it drew me in
* The setting of the story
* Barb: an anchor for the police department
* Most of the team that works with Sam and Kimberley
* Jessica: Kimberley’s toddler
* Wondering if Nicole would get her act together
* The HEA for at least one character in the book
* Looking forward to what comes next

What I didn’t like:
* The psycho killer on the loose
* Knowing that people are as crazy and lethal as the psycho killer
* Having to wait for the next book to come out

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Definitely

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

I enjoyed this one more than the first in the series! Jeneva does such a good job of grabbing readers from the first page. And as always I am always wrong on who did it! Way to go! Definitely enjoyed this one.

I went into Last Day Alive without reading the previous book Dead Woman Crossing and I found it easy to follow but I was missing a lot of background information about the characters especially Sheriff Sam Walker.

I really enjoyed the storyline and found that all of the characters were complex in their own way. My favourite characters were definitely Sam, Barb, Bearfield and Jessica. I liked Kimberley but sometimes I could stand her attitude or the way she treated people. I absolutely love and adore Sam so much.

I loved the way that the murderer’s perspective was written and it definitely had me thinking wait what did I just read? I felt like it was almost poetic in the way that it was written and very calming. I never figured out who the murderer was but I did blame everyone even Barb (sorry Barb).

This was a great book and I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book.

I recieved an advanced copy for free, and this is my honest opinion.

First, I want to thank J.R. Adler, Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I may bring you this review.

OHHH SNAP!!! This book was GOOD!! J.R. Adler I am a new fan of yours! I was intently glued to my Kindle reading Last Day Alive! The storylines were incredibly twisted, fascinating, and had mind blowing shocking revelations! This is a book that should be added to your TBR List!

Last Day Alive is J.R.’s second book in her Detective Kimberly King Series. It can be read as a standalone or part of the series. I mention this because I read this as a standalone and was able to follow along. However, reading this book I now wish I read the first one. You better believe I will be reading the next one in the series.

WOW!! J.R. Has a way with words when painting a picture in our heads of the graphic scenes. It was the intensity of that scene that hooked me into the book.

I loved how fast paced the book was and if you blinked you would miss something!

2 ½ year old Jessica pulled on my heartstrings with her baby talk! She was just too cute for words! There were some comical moments with her.

There was one scene in the book where I was literally yelling into my Kindle! This situation with Kimberly’s stepfather rubbed me the wrong way in so many ways. I was furious with this situation! I was team Kimberly for this one all the way!

Missing person cases are one of my fave genres to read. This one was different from the rest. J.R. Pulled out all of the raw emotions from all of the characters to make it a great read. There was one scene that pops out to me that literally shattered my heart into a million different pieces. It was a scene that was difficult for me to read and the character to be a part in.

J.R. Let’s her readers get a glimpse into this individual's sick and twisted mind who had captured these girls. Oh how juicy of a read that aspect of the story was.

Ohh how there were so many heart-wrenching stories within the main storyline that will keep you on your toes!

J.R. Brings awareness to many important issues in this book.

There are so many twists and turns you better hold on tight to your seat!!

I had to smile when I saw J.R. 's character moved from Upstate, NY. I was born and raised in Buffalo, NY.

Last Day Alive has a totally unpredictable very climatic ending that I was shaking my head at! Just WOW!! What an ending to an amazing read!!

I’ve quickly become a fan of JR Adler’s books! Last Day Alive is the second book in the Detective Kimberly King series and it was such a fun, fast paced read. I was instantly hooked from the first chapter when I realized I was getting a glimpse of the killer’s POV. I love the way Adler built suspense around each suspect and left you confused on who was actually guilty until the very end. There were lots of twisty moments and misdirections which I loved! I said this with the first book in the series and I still stand by it - if you loved Karin Slaughter’s Grant County series then you will love this book as well!

𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕀 𝕝𝕚𝕜𝕖𝕕:
* chapters with the killer’s POV = big yes
* lots of twists and red herrings/misdirection to leave you confused
* a plot that sucks you in so you don’t want to stop

𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕀 𝕕𝕚𝕕𝕟’𝕥 𝕝𝕚𝕜𝕖:
* nothing! I am such a fan of this one and highly recommend it!

*Thank you to JR Adler for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.*

Wow what a story. Completely addictive. Totally absorbing. The very definition of unputdownable. I was transported, completely drawn in by the characters. I just did not want to stop once I'd started and read this in a breathless gulp. Wonderfully thrilling. Very highly recommended

Chief Kimberly King is my new favorite police officer, and I absolutely love the everyone at the station and the people in the town. Jeneva Rose is an amazing thriller author, and I will read anything she writes even if it is under a pen name!

This was such a fast paced thriller, and I HAD to know what was going on so I stayed up all night to finish it! This book had me guessing up until the very end of the book, and I was still shocked after it was revealed

I enjoy getting to know these characters, and I look forward to reading the next book! Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and JR Adler for my early copy in exchange for a honest review!

Last Day Alive is the second instalment in the Detective Kimberley King series, set in Dead Woman Crossing, Oklahoma. Former NYPD Homicide Detective Kimberley has been working as Chief Deputy for the past 12 months where she had hoped she might see less crime, especially of the murder variety, but one positive is that a relationship may be about to blossom between Kim and single father, Caleb. Once again, though, she and her colleagues are thrust into the middle of a complex investigation when, in the middle of her surprise birthday party at the station in which they are all binging on cake and coffee, an urgent call comes in and they must set aside their moment of indulgence. Kimberley and Sherriff Sam Walker gear up and head to the home of missing 10-year-old Piper who has now been gone for over 12 hours. Her grandparents inform them that Piper had cycled to friend Miley's house for a girly sleepover and they had no clue anything was wrong until Miley had called them this morning looking for her. The team immediately release an Amber Alert, to make other Police in the area aware that they should be on the lookout for her, and they mobilise a series of search parties to scour the area hoping that she may have gotten lost or just wandered off. However, the following evening Piper's body is discovered extinguishing any hope the family may have had of finding her safe and alive. So the missing person’s case has now become a murder inquiry and the Police are hellbent on catching the vicious killer in their midst. They poke around in the private lives of her family for any discontent or dark secrets and look into Piper's absent parents and the story behind their separation from their young daughter.

Although there's no doubting the family is broken everyone questioned so far has a solid alibi. Then, unbelievably, the Police receive a call claiming that Miley has vanished too and they jump into action given the previous horrific outcome hoping they might be able to find her alive given that she hasn't been gone long. They revisit the areas searched when looking for Piper in the hopes of a better conclusion but all they can find is Piper's vibrant pink bicycle. Kimberley soon finds herself in the crosshairs - trapped by a demented killer. Can her team come to her aid before the monster can end another innocent life? This is a compulsive and absorbing police procedural with an expertly hidden perpetrator, plenty of motives, twists that leave you open-mouthed and a series of events that are well woven. Almost solely told from Kimberley's perspective, with some interspersed chapters featuring the deranged killer's thoughts and reasoning, this allows for easy immersion within the story adding to the enjoyment. Protagonist, Kim, is a durable woman who knows exactly what she wants and who isn't afraid of hard work; she is also not sure if she feels more than just platonic love for Sam. Everything moves at a decent clip and there are plenty of tense, heart in your mouth moments as the Sheriff's Office pool their resources to find the two girls. The way Adler assembles each suspect and then slowly rules them out had me clamouring to find out who the culprit was yet despite several guesses I was nowhere near the mark. It's wickedly twisty and the author makes good use of red herrings/misdirection, which fooled me, a seasoned crime reader, on more than one occasion. Highly recommended.