Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆
M/F Mystery

In the fifth installment in this series, you get to see Ellery back at it.

Since the last book, both Ellery and Reed have found different paths, but the cunning and sociopathic Coben is finding a way back into both their lives again.

Reed is still trying to keep Ellery safe and away from danger. He can't help it. It's in his blood. Despite knowing that Ellery can take care of herself, Reed can't help but feel that he's facilitated Coben coming back into her life.

Ellery is no shrinking violet. She wants to make sure that Coben sees that she's not broken. She beat him and is continuing on in her life. But the memories take over every once in a while.

As Reed and Ellery play Coben's cat and mouse game, you'll have to decide who the cat is and who the mouse is.

While you don't necessarily have to read these books in order, I highly suggest that you do. The relationship between Reed and Ellery is complicated and while I can understand their hesitance, it does sometime detract from the story. I wish that they would develop a different path, but it seems that they are destined for the path they were set on when Ellery was just a girl.

You won't be disappointed in this book. It has anxiety inducing scenes and when you face your fears, something unexpected always comes up.


Sarah – ☆☆☆☆
3.5 stars

This fifth book is probably the most exciting and the most disturbing book in the series. The initial premise still doesn’t quite work for me. Somehow the FBI approves and encourages a reality television show wanting to reunite a child survivor with the serial killer who tortured her. It leads to all sorts of drama for Ellery, but I found myself continually having to suspend my disbelief.

I did enjoy the tension and drama in this story. I’ve never been a huge fan of the slightly creepy relationship between Ellery and Reed, and I’ve been getting tired of the hot and cold nature of their relationship for a couple of books. Thankfully, this story introduces a whole new cast of characters to the series.

While this is an exciting, fast-paced action story, it isn’t the most carefully plotted psychological thriller. I loved the action sequences but found the twists either too predictable or entirely implausible. The story is littered with dead bodies and potential suspects. It’s a bloodbath that will appeal more to readers who enjoy a gory thriller than readers who want to untangle a psychological puzzle.

This feels like the end of the series, and I feel like I’m ready to leave the series here. Ellery has been a fascinating antihero and I’ve really enjoyed her journey.

I could not put this DOWN! The last few chapters really had me on the edge of my seat.
One minute I was sure, I knew who was helping Coben and the next I was surprised to change my mind. The final reveal was pretty good.

Months after Det. Ellery Hathaway ended their relationship, Agent Reed Markham is approached by a television personality. Serial killer Francis Coben is ready to cooperate and reveal the location of his remaining victims--- on one condition Reed must bring Ellery.

After meetings with the FBI, the production people putting together this interview, Ellery agrees with the agreement that she'll not be in the same room as the man who tried to kill her.

But before they can even make it to the prison, a missing young woman's hands are discovered in her freezer. Leading them to believe that someone is either working with Coben or trying to copy him.

#FirstLine ~ Prologue: Her mother had warned her not to go to the window.

This book was intense and hard to put down. I am a lover of thrillers and this book did not disappoint. I was so invested from page one, to the very last page. I love when a writer can pace a book with such ease and the dialogue meets the pace in perfect unison. You will be swept into the story and will find it hard to put down. I have not read all the other books in this series, but you believe I will be going back to read them now!!! So good!

Boston detective Ellery Hathaway met FBI agent Reed Markham when he pried open a serial killer’s closet to rescue her. To free herself of Francis Coben, Ellery just let go of Reed too. But Coben refuses to give up so easily. In exchange for Reed bringing him Ellery, he will finally give up the locations of the other missing women.

This is my second book by Joanna Schaffhausen and I was once again blown away! I had no idea this book was part of a series and I will definitely be going back and reading the other four books. This can be read as a stand-alone, I never found myself feeling lost. I was on the edge of my seat from the very first page! Just when you think the situation couldn’t get any worse, look out! The characters were all so unique and interesting. I really liked how the author touched on the subject of how obsessed people have become with serial killers and how there are countless documentaries and books about them.

Thank you NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Joanna Schaffhausen for my E-ARC!

This is the fifth book in the Ellery Hathaway series, but it worked very well as a stand-alone novel for me.

When Ellery Hathaway, a Boston police detective was fourteen years old when FBI agent, Reed Markham saved her from Francis Coben, a twisted and vicious serial killer (is there any other kind?) As she tried to move on, Coben had a dark notoriety while in prison. Since her rescue, Markham remained in her life albeit not in the way that he would like.

Now Francis Coben is going to be interviewed and he has agreed to disclose the location of his victims’ bodies if Ellery agrees to be in his presence. Not something she wants to do. Who could blame her? She has had to bear the scars from her ordeal with him. But she wants to give the families of the victim’s closure, so she agrees.

Enter copycat killer stage left...….


As I mentioned I had not read the previous books in this series, and I was able to pick this book up and never felt as if I was missing out on anything. As the book progresses, the tension, and dread mounts. Coben is creepy and deadly on his own, but with a copycat killer out there, there is even more danger, more anxiety, and more to lose.

I enjoyed this book and it made me curious as to what happened previously in the series. I enjoyed both Ellery Hathaway and Reed Markham. Both were characters I rooted for. I enjoyed the pace of this book, nothing felt dragged out nor rushed. The book/plot was entertaining, dark, and deadly.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Happy Publishing Day for "Last Seen Alive!"

"Last Seen Alive" is book five in Joanna Schaffhausen's Ellery Hathaway series. I haven't seen any information on whether this is the last in the series, but it is a very satisfying conclusion to the series and I would be happy to see the series end on this high note.

I highly recommend that the series be read in order. I have enjoyed each of the books in this series, but would not have enjoyed it nearly as much if I read any of them as one-shots or out of order.

The entire series features Ellery Hathaway, a woman who was abducted and tortured as a teenager before her rescue by FBI agent, Markham Reed. As an adult, Ellery has become a detective, but she has never been able to 'live' past the trauma that she faced as a teenager. Ellery's character growth throughout the series, as well as the interesting episodic mysteries, really make this series stand out.

I am very impressed with how well Schaffhausen has concluded this book. There are many parts of the series that are dark and painful to read (serial killer that rapes and cuts off the hands of his young female victims!)- but the storytelling is interesting and I felt it was easy to get invested in the lives of the characters.

Thank you Netgalley,St. Martin's Press, and Joanna Schaffhausen for an advanced e-book copy of "Last Seen Alive." I have enjoyed every release in this series and highly recommend this series to people that enjoy mystery/thrillers.

Joanna Schaffhausen creates some heart-pounding scenes with each book I've read of hers. I'm not usually a series reader, so you can read this one easily as a standalone. Some horrifying scenes are played out for a 14 year old teenager when she was rescued from a serial killer. Locked in a closet and horribly mutilated, Ellery is pried from a closet by FBI agent Reed Markham. A relationship builds with the two of them when she is older.

The capture of the killer, Francis Coben, is caught and locked away, although he is committed to keeping his silence and deny the families closure for his horrendous acts against women.

Ellery is a detective now and is coerced or convinced if she will indulge Coben in a Q&A in prison, he will reveal where the bodies have been hidden. She agrees and will soon be regretting this Hannibal Lecter scene, which is both bone chilling and disturbing. The families of the lost girls demanded the interview to help them seek justice for their loved ones, so she does it out of guilt. When a new victim has surfaced, her interview to Coben might help solve the copy cat killing, but at the expense of her own safety.
This is gruesome and may not be for all. I had a hard time stomaching some of it, especially Ellery's description of her experience in captivity. This edge of the seat thriller will have you seeking justice for the families and especially Ellery.
Thank you NetGalley for this title in exchange for my honest review.

Joanna Schaffhausen’s Last Seen Alive continues the story of Ellery Hathaway, who survived being tortured by a serial killer. Ellery’s horrors didn’t end when the serial killer was caught and convicted. She tries to exist while seeing herself as a horror and frequently being recognized as “that girl”. Others exploit her in the name of solving crimes, preventing crimes, bringing in huge TV ratings and book proceeds because they’ve convinced themselves she needs to meet with her serial killer again. Will people get the answers they want, or is the killer just manipulating others for his continued publicity and pleasure?

Last Seen Alive isn’t just a book. It’s an experience. It’s the giant hill at the beginning of the roller coaster that starts with a slow, agonizing climb. Missing girls, new murders, new TV movie - each new piece cranks up the dread of what’s coming next. Then the plot points furiously wind together in a breathless plunge toward the resolution.

The book is also like watching a horror movie. I had so many frustrated thoughts while reading. Don’t go there. Don’t stay there. Don’t trust them. Someone’s about to die. Those thoughts culminated in an audible, “Oh no!” leading up to the pivotal scene and relief when it was over.

I had read a previous Ellery Hathaway book, Gone For Good, before reading this book, and I appreciated knowing more of the backstory. Last Seen Alive can be read as a standalone book that provides enough information to bring a new reader up to speed. Either way, Last Seen Alive is an agonizing, breathless, horrifying story, and I mean that as the highest compliment.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur books for providing me an Advance Reader Copy of the book.

In the four novels leading up to @Joanna Schaffhausen's LAST SEEN ALIVE, Ellery Hathaway and Reed Markham were drawn together partly because he was the young FBI agent who found and rescued her from the quirky and vicious killer, Coben. It's the dead of winter, and Coben is back, or at least a cheap Coben imitator. A famed reality television crime reporter wants a part of the action. The FBI brings Ellery in to interview the torturer/killer from the safety of his prison quarters in Indiana hoping he will say something that will lead them to an unknown murderer who mimics Coben's work. It's been a while since Ellery and Reed have seen each other. She is surprised to discover that her chemistry with him is still there. This is an exciting addition to the series, which just keeps getting better. Every time I read one of Shaffhausen's books I find that it is better than the last one. In this novel, the author forces Ellery to dig even deeper into her reserves of trauma and survivor guilt to find that strong core. It's a wild ride, and one the reader won't soon forget. (Reviewer's note: this book is even better if you read its prequels in order.).Many thanks to @MinotaurBooks and @NetGalley for a preview copy of the book.

I knew I was in for a treat because every one of Joanna Schaffhausen books is a winner and as always it didn't disappoint. A must read. Don't pass up this gripping book. It is book five of the Ellery Hathaway books which has become of my most favorite characters ever. Happy reading!

Ellery Hathaway was the only survivor of a serial killer when she was just a girl. Now she is a Boston detective and has left everyone behind in order to start fresh, including the man who saved her and the only one who has ever understood her, FBI agent Reed Markham.

When Reed comes to see her, she knows she is in trouble. The serial killer Coben is making a deal. If Ellery will come and see him in prison, he will give the FBI details on where the rest of the bodies are hidden. Can Ellery play this game of cat and mouse with the man who terrorized her for days or will this finally be her breaking point?

JoannaSchaffhausen has written another amazing thriller with this novel. I literally could not put the book down. You can feel the tension between the characters coming off the pages as another twist or turn occurs. Ellery’s past is well documented in this book if this is the first book of the series you will read, but I do recommend reading them in order to see how Ellery matures and evolves. This is one of my all-time favourite thriller series and I would like to extend my thanks to St. Martin’s Press and the author Joanna Schaffhausen for an advanced readers copy that I voluntarily read and reviewed.

Last Seen Alive is the latest of a series I have only read about half of. I don't think the breaks in the series had any real detrimental effect on the understanding of the story. I think this could have been a stand alone.

The story once again centers around Ellery and Reed. One a survivor of a serial killer when she was just 14. The other the FBI agent who saved her. Now, the are former lovers, as well. In the previous book I had some trouble with that relationship. It seemed icky. This book does explore the reason for the bound they have-beyond Coben and his crimes. It faces head on-frankly people like me-who judged their relationship. It did help with my feelings about what they had with each other.

So, Coben is being Coben. Meaning evil. There are two pretty common....I don't know if I want to say tropes, but it fits...in this book. I often wonder how common they are because I find one of them annoying and one of them fascinating.

The first is that adults are somehow angry with a child who was the victim of an adult. What is that? Who looks at a kid and says, "I hate you for being alive?" Someone pretty horrible. I always wonder if that is something that really happens to people who survive or if it is just an author's way of making survivors guilt a little more obvious and understandable to the reader. We don't need it, if the latter is the case. We get it without a couple of old people yelling at a girl who survived all kinds of torture because their child did not. We even get the anger of the parents. Not the action. It always seems over the top to me.

The second is the serial killer who won't tell where a body is without meeting with either the one that got away or the one who caught him. In this case we get both. I only find it fascinating because it presents this dichotomy of what each person in that relationship thinks of the other. Compare and contrast their feelings toward each other. I doubt it ever works so easily in real life, or that anyone would let it happen, but it gives the reader so much information about each character.

Overall, the book was interesting but didn't open any new paths. It seemed to me that it was meant to provide closure to the characters. It was successful in that.

BOOK REVIEW: Last Seen Alive by Joanna Schaffhausen
Series: Ellery Hathaway Mystery Series | Book 5
Publication Date: January 25

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐⭐️

T.I.M.E. Favorite Books To Read
T.I.M.E. Best Book Club Books
T.I.M.E. Recommended Books By Genre | Thriller
T.I.M.E. Most Anticipated Books of 2022

CONNECT WITH THIS BOOK | T.I.M.E. SIMPLE LIVING TIP
Stay present… And stay connected to your inner voice... ✨😎✨

T.I.M.E. Brief Review: One of my favorite thriller authors who never fails to deliver a heart-stopping and heart-racing story… Mingled with underlying cultural issues that will focus the lens with deeper questions into the role society plays in “sensational crimes”… ✨😎✨
Pages: 320
Genre: Thriller
Sub-Genre: Crime Fiction
Time Period: Present Day
Location: Boston | Chicago | Terre Haute

IF YOU LIKE THIS BOOK THEN TRY…
Book: Gone For Good by Joanna Schaffhausen (Detective Annalisa Vega Series | Book 1)
TV: Mare Of Easttown

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All my reviews can be seen at This Is My Everybody | Simple Living | Denise Wilbanks at www.thisismyeverybody.com

♡ Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

"Last Seen Alive," by Joanna Schaffhausen, is her fifth novel featuring Boston-based cop Ellery Hathaway and FBI Agent Reed Markham. When Ellery was fourteen, she was kidnapped and held captive by serial killer Francis Coben, a predator who stalked, tortured, and murdered at least sixteen young women. For the past seventeen years, Coben has been on death row in Indiana, but he longs for a reunion with Ellery, the only female he abducted who survived. At thirty-one, she is still haunted by nightmares from her encounter with this fiend, and she bears physical and emotional scars that may never heal.

Against her better judgment, Ellery decides to meet with Coben if he promises to reveal where he buried victims whose remains were never found. Reed Markham begs Ellery to steer clear of Coben, but she will not be dissuaded. Adding to Reed and Ellery's anxiety, another murder occurs that suggests a copycat killer may be at large. Moreover, members of the media who are eager to reel in a large audience are taking a renewed interest in the Coben case. They have no qualms about invading people's privacy and interfering with an ongoing investigation.

Unfortunately, instead of breaking new ground, Schaffhausen relies too much on formulaic plot devices that are used far too often in mysteries. Coben plays his usual exasperating mind games; red herrings abound; and both Ellery and Reed have crucial decisions to make about their on-again, off-again relationship. There is plenty of action and angst, but the secondary characters are unmemorable, and the conclusion holds few surprises. Alas, "Last Seen Alive" is too heavy-handed and cliché-ridden to please thriller fans who are eager for a fresh and compelling story.

This is a dark and disturbing story about a woman coming to terms with her past. Ellery was kidnapped and the only survivor of Coben who was convicted of murders without every confessing. He now claims to want to give up details to these grieving families, but can he be trusted? Then there is a new body that fits Coben’s MO, while he is still safely in jail. It is a complex story with rich characters.

I just love the author’s writing style and the breakneck pace she sets as the details unravel. You connect with the characters and root for them. I read this in just a few days and could not put it down. You can read this as a stand alone as the author does a nice job of including pertinent details, but this is a great series.

The monster from Boston detective Ellery Hathaway’s past comes roaring back to her with a deal to give up the locations of his murder victims but only if Ellery comes to see him in prison. Francis Coben is the notorious serial killer who kidnapped and tortured Ellery when she was 14 years old. She was saved by FBI agent Reed Markham and Coben was sent to prison. Even though Coben has been locked away for almost two decades, the public is still obsessed with him and his crimes. A filmmaker wants to produce a new docuseries about Coben and his missing victims with the highlight being Ellery’s face to face interview with Coben. Needless to say, things go horribly wrong.

The characters were interesting and Coben was the cliched handsome but evil monster serial killer- still pulling strings and plotting from behind prison bars. The book did highlight how society has become enthralled with serial killers with so many movies, books, and series about them. Serial killers are the new celebrities.

I didn’t realize this was the fifth in a series when I requested this from NetGalley. I didn’t have any trouble figuring out the major points of the previous books. Author Joanna Schaffhausen provided plenty of context to fill in the gaps and I never felt lost. Long time fans of the series will enjoy this next installment. Casual readers like me who jump into this book without the prior knowledge will compelled to read the earlier adventures of Ellery and Reed.

This is book #5 in a series, there is a prologue and enough references to previous events so that it can be enjoyed without reading the earlier books. I found it to be engaging and very readable although the events involving a jailed serial killer are quite preposterous and gruesome.
I look forward to reading the next book in the author’s other series, long Gone which comes out later this year. The first book in this series, Gone for Good was my introduction to this author. I do find when it comes to series I do enjoy getting in on the ground floor when I read the first book in a series shortly after it comes out.

Review posted to blog.: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend.com/

Wowza.

Seventeen years after being abducted by Francis Coben, Ellery Hathaway comes face to face with him yet again.

Tense, taut, and thrilling, we knew this moment would come, we just didn’t know how it would happen.

After what happened all those years ago, Ellery Hathway became a detective fighting crime and saving others like her. Ever since that fateful day, Reed Markham has been by her side, one way or the other. Now the two of them come together again to face the one man who brought them together in the first place.

Last Seen Alive is a doozy, my friends. Terrifying, action-packed, twisty, and turny. This one will leave you breathless, in more ways than one.

Ellery Hathaway and Reed Markham are two of my favorite characters and I so appreciate how their story has developed.

This was a buddy read with Kaceey and was one we really enjoyed.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the arc.

Published on Goodreads and Twitter.

*3.5 stars rounded up

Ellery Hathaway is a detective with the Boston PD, but several years ago, she almost lost her life at the hands of a serial killer. Her savior was a young FBI agent named Reed Markham. Not surprisingly as the years passed, they became personally involved but recently Ellery decided to end the relationship.

Now a copycat killer has stuck in Boston and Reed has been drawn into that case. He's also been informed that the killer, Francis Michael Coben, who is on death row at the federal prison in Terre Haute, IN, has offered to give up the whereabouts of more of his victims if Ellery will come to see him. The visit will be filmed by a hotshot tv anchor named Kate Hunter, and the FBI is on board with the whole idea. Reed and Ellery both have bad feelings about it but she agrees to do it, hoping Coben will actually cooperate.

This story is exciting from start to finish--I zoomed through 80% in one day. I knocked off a 1/2 star or so in my rating because it was pretty obvious to me how this scenario was going to explode in their faces and saw them missing some big clues. I've enjoyed this series from the start, only somehow missing book 4, enjoying how these characters have grown and changed. If you are new to the series, you could jump in here, as Schaffhausen catches the reader up with the pertinent details in the prologue and first chapter. But the series is so good, why not start from the beginning if you are able?

I received an arc of this new thriller from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Many thanks for the opportunity.

I will leave a review on Amazon or Barnes and Nobles on Jan. 25th

For those that enjoy suspense thrillers this book certainly fits the bill, although this book is part of a series this book can be read as a standalone in its own right. Last Seen Alive was an action-packed book, filled with lots of twists and turns. I decided early on, who I thought was helping the serial killer but I was wrong. I certainly would recommend this book to others.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Minotaur Books without any obligation to leave a favorable review. All opinions expressed here are my own.