“I know who you are.” “You’re the one that survived.” “Hey, you’re that girl.” “She’s the one who lived.” “She’s that girl in the closet.”
Ever since new FBI Special Agent Reed Markham followed a hunch and rescued Ellery Hathaway very near death inside a nailed closet, Ellery Hathaway learned to shut out those voices. At the same time she has learned to bear the weight of the more than sixteen girls who didn’t survive the murderous attentions Francis Coben; and the lives not lived.
When Ellery was fourteen years old and running loose on the hot streets of a Chicago night, Francis Coben stopped his car and grabbed her. Over three days he tortured, raped, and starved Ellery; leaving her in the blood of her dead predecessors. When Reed pried open the door Coben was close to killing Ellery and burying her on the farm no one knew he owned.
Schaffhausen, in an unusual and brilliant move, never made Francis Coben central to Ellery and Reed's story. Ever since Ellery Hathaway burst upon the scene in the heart stopping The Vanishing Season, Schaffhausen only made the Coben story the back story to all of the books in the series, just enough to explain Ellery’s oddities and her relationship to Reed.
Coben, however, has hovered like a malevolent spider in the background waiting for his time in the spotlight. In Last Seen Alive (Ellery Hathaway #5), his time has come. The final reckoning the readers have been expecting has finally arrived.
Coben says he wants to make amends by giving up the location of the missing girls in return for a visit from Ellery. Coben has also agreed to appear on a TV show for his epic showdown with Ellery.
Now that Coben says he has something on offer, Ellery is willing to answer the pleas of the parents of the missing. Ellery and Reed have also found a new body outside of Boston with all the earmarks of a Coben kill, ending Ellery’s complete resistance to meeting with Coben..
Coben’s mistake is in thinking he is meeting with scared little Abby, he has no idea what he is getting with grown up Ellery.
Reed, Ellery and the TV show crew mistake is believing Coben doesn’t have his own plans for Ellery.
Over the series Ellery has grown and fought for normalcy. She has gone from a woman who nails her closet shut and not allowing a single person into her house to buying a loft apartment and letting all sorts of people in the front door. At the same time Reed begins to realize the FBI might be more about headlines than the work; cringing when he thinks about being was one of the worst headline hounds at the beginning of his career.
Last Seen Alive is terrifying but so compelling. It is stunning in it’s complexities and pain. There is something about serial killers that draw us to their stories. Maybe we look to the outstanding authors like Schaffhausen to explain the unexplainable. Maybe we just like the chills and thrills. Coben is leaving his hook on the car door; he is the Bunny Man, Candy Man, the man under our bed. If we read about Coben, maybe we don’t have to think about Bundy.
The settings are the scariest Schaffhausen has given us; the cold of a Boston winter, the barren winter scenery of rural Indiana, but mostly the hopelessness and fear rampant in the interior of an Indiana medium security prison.
Ellery and Reed are trying to fight their way past Coben being their horrific origin story; leading to an ending surprisingly tender and amusing in Last Seen Alive. This ending, this book, this series will all remain on the top or near the very top of all my different lists. I'm a list maker.
Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for a review copy ARC.

This is my first Ellery Hathaway book and I def will read the first four. I figured one plot point out early in but that didn't ruin the suspense or the story; I was however infuriated by a few characters, while also feeling guilty about consuming the true crime/final girls kind of pop culture. Creepy and interesting study via fiction on the American obsession we have with serial killers. 3.5 stars rounded to 4.

I received a free copy from NetGalley. This is book five in the series but I have not read the first four and did not feel like I was missing something when I read this one. The only living survivor of a cereal killer, now working for the police and often with the FBI her torturer is willing to tell were the bodies are if she will talk to him, talk about continued torture for her. Current with media wanting into every part of our lives this book keeps the pages turning and would do well as a TV mini series.

This book is so mysterious and so horrific that it is difficult to write about. It was sent to me on Kindle by Netgalley for review. It reads like an episode-or several-of the show Criminal Minds. A serial killer...perhaps Blue Bloods but even more gruesome. A survivor...many didn’t not...friendship...memories good and horrible...it is a book that I had to keep reading to see what happened...surprises...red herrings...this author has it all...whew...I just can’t find the words...

5/5 stars!

I loved every book thus far in the Ellery Hathaway series - and this one is no different!

This installment of the series picks up shortly after where it’s predecessor ended, with Special Agent Reed Markham navigating how to respond to imprisoned serial killer, Francis Michael Coben’s demands to see Ellery Hathaway in order for him to reveal the location of his missing victims.

Like all of Schaffhausen’s books, this one is really well done. We have seen Ellery’s character progression throughout the whole series…and she’s really come a long way, learning how to be herself after being a victim in a violent crime. In <b>Last Seen Alive</b>, she is the picture of courage and resilience in facing her past.

The mystery of the novel was interlocked with Ellery and Coben’s past with a murder victim being found with Coben’s signature all over it. But as he has been imprisoned on death row for the last 17 years…how could it be him? And what does he know about it?

The whole plot was just SO good. So many elements of suspense with multiple twists. I did figure out some of the twists before they were revealed, but that’s okay!

I really loved the ending of this novel, and it makes me wonder if this is the last in the series…? If it is, I think it’s a good place to end it off as I feel I have closure with all the characters and their plots.

<i>I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher of this advanced digital copy for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review! All opinions expressed are my own. Upon publishing of this novel, I will also be posting my review to Amazon Canada.</i>

Pretty good thriller/mystery. Lost me a little in the middle but I finished and enjoyed it. Would recommend to fans of joanna.

My thanks to Joanna Schaffhausen, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley.
First of all, I'm not with everyone else who is jumping on the bandwagon.
I had some issues with this story.
Most of them weren't with the characters. It was actually with the author. I know there is a Latin phrase for it. I call it "The monster in the machine." Some call it god. Maybe it's the same. Either way, it's annoying .
Loved the M.C.'s. Even though they did stupid stuff. Again, obvious author stuff.
I expect the machine stuff in horror, supernatural etc.. Not serious stuff like this.
I still loved the book. I'm also not one to go gaga over a man, but Reed was kinda wowsers! So, yeah. A bit gaga!

Thank you Netgalley andSt. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for allowing me to read an arc of this book. I read book four in this series first than ran out to buy books 1 -3. Then I read this book, book 5, and I wish I could give it more than 5 stars. What a fantastic end to the series. I stayed up late last night to finish it, even though I had a 6 am appointment today and it was totally worth it!. Ellery and Reed are such good characters and by this book I feel like I know them. Watching them grow and change over the course of the series felt gratifying.
The supporting characters are good too, and we also get to know them. Special shout out to Speed Bump, maybe the character I will miss most.

I didn't realize when I requested this novel that it was part of a series. However, it can definitely be read as a standalone novel. It seems like there was a lot of back and forth romance between Ellery and Reed, which I found a bit exhausting in this one so I can't imagine it in four other novels. The novel was very readable and I flew through it. It's interesting enough to hold your attention in a world seemingly full of books revolving around serial killers lately.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have only read 3 of Joanna Schaffhausen's Ellery Hathaway books, but you don't need to read them in order to enjoy the stories. (I will be reading the rest of them though!) I really like the way she builds the plot, adds side plots, and brings it all to an ending that is neither predictable nor contrived. There are no last minute "surprise" twists that you never saw coming, just a logical yet exciting climax.

Sadly this is the first book I’ve read in the series ( my loss) but I absolutely could not put it down! I read it in one sitting , sitting on the edge of my seat. It is a fast paced, totally engaging read with a few twists and turns that keep the reader captivated until the very last page. I highly recommend!

Fantastic! What a great addition to this series! Loved everything about it, Could not put it down until I finished it. Just fantastic!!

Five stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you #netgalley and #stmartinspress #minotaur for the eARC.

Boston detective Ellery Hathaway lived the ultimate nightmare when she was captured by serial killer Francis Coben. She was rescued by FBI agent Reed Markham, and the two began an intense love affair, but for Ellery, Reed’s connection to the worst time in her life was too much to deal with, so she left him. But Coben has other ideas and he offers Reed a devil’s bargain; if Reed brings Ellery to him, Coben will reveal the location of his victim’s remains. Coben claims to have been reformed and wants to make amends, but Ellery doesn’t believe it, she experienced his evil firsthand. She doesn’t want to play into his sick power games, but with the families demanding justice for their loved ones, what choice does she have? Then a body turns up, one that bears all the hallmarks of Coben’s work. This book is terrifying and allows readers a glimpse at true evil

Review of Uncorrected Digital Galley

Ellery Hathaway, now a detective with the Boston police department, is the sole survivor of serial killer Francis Michael Coben’s horrific abduction/torture/murder spree. And, despite having survived her gruesome ordeal, the ongoing struggle to define herself in some way other than as part of Coben’s legacy has led her to walk away from her relationship with FBI profiler Reed Markham, the man who rescued her from the closet in which Coben had imprisoned her.

Coben, responsible for the torture and murder of at least sixteen young women, and imprisoned on death row for the last seventeen years, claims he is sorry for his actions. He claims he wants to make amends. And so, in the name of justice for the families of the missing, the heretofore-unrepentant killer has finally offered to reveal their resting places.

He has only one condition: he wants Reed to arrange a meeting between himself and Ellery.

After countless specials, movies, and books, the media remains hungry for anything Coben-related and news crews stand ready to follow every moment of this latest development, especially as the families of the missing urge Coben’s one survivor to do whatever it takes to get the answers they so desperately seek. Reporter Kate Hunter, the host of television’s “On the Hunt” is no exception . . . and she’s determined to get her story.

Reed, however, is hesitant; Ellery, the only living person to have seen the monster that Coben hides from the rest of the world, does not believe he has changed, does not believe his insistence that he has reformed or that he has any desire to atone for his actions. But, as unexpected elements come into play, Ellery considers a meeting . . . even though every fiber of her being resists the idea.

And then comes the discovery of a body bearing Coben’s distinctive signature . . . .

Although fifth in the Ellery Hathaway series, this book offers readers sufficient background information and so works well as a standalone. As with the previous outings, the creepy undertone remains, keeping the tension building and the suspense at a crescendo. Ellery, as readers of the series will expect, remains conflicted as she struggles to keep all that Coben has done to her from defining the person she is today.

And, while Ellery wrestles with the past, Reed’s struggles are, in their own way, just as conflicted as he seeks a way to protect the woman he has come to care for, searching for a way for her to see him as someone other than the man who rescued her from her closet imprisonment before her captor murdered her. Happily, Speed Bump, the lovable basset hound, shows up and continues to worm his way right into readers’ hearts.

As with previous stories, “Last Seen Alive” is part mystery, part character study. The conflicting emotions, the pain, the reality all play a part in the telling of the intriguing tale. Readers are sure to find themselves rooting for Ellery and Reed to find a way to escape the all-too-real consequences of the abomination that is Francis Michael Coben.

The compelling, suspenseful narrative keeps readers on the edge of their seats as the unfolding story draws them deeper and deeper into Coben’s frightening world and threatens to claim Ellery once again. There’s a constant sense of foreboding as unforeseen developments and surprising twists take the story in unexpected directions.

The search for justice here is compelling while the telling of this tale is, at times, both brutal and heart-wrenching. The pace is relentless, the action, non-stop . . . and readers are sure to find the book impossible to set aside.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books and NetGalley
#LastSeenAlive #NetGalley

Thank you Minotaur Books/St. Martin Press and NetGalley for this advanced ebook copy!

Even though I haven't read this series in order which I usually prefer to do so.
I went ahead and jumped straight into the 5th book!

Last Seen Alive will leave you guessing, then second guessing yourself.
With well-rounded characters, intriguing plot that is superb!
I thought these characters were compelling, fascinating and simply a joy to follow along on their journey.
This is a satisfying mystery led by a fantastic group of characters. I enjoyed their banter and humor.
Overall this is a great book! Well written, complex storyline with various moving parts. The descriptions of setting were beautifully written and the inner feelings and motivations of our main characters were explored in a way that felt authentic and believable. 

Again thank you publishers a d NetGalley for the opportunity to read this great story!
Now I've gotta figure out how to add this this series into my reading life!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Last Seen Alive by Joanna Schafhausen is the 5th in this criminal series, but I have never read any of her previous novels. This book can be easily read as a standalone. The story centers around a horrible serial killer of underage girls who does unspeakable things to them. The serial killer, Coben, having killed more than 15 girls, has made only ONE mistake which involves our lead heroine, Ellery, who managed to gain her freedom before Coben could kill her. She was assisted in her escape by an FBI agent, Reed, who helped her getaway and apprehended the killer. Many years later, Reed has remained her friend and eventually became her romantic partner. The serial killer is safely behind bars and awaits execution until one day, with help from outside prison, he manages one last escape to finish what he started…Coben wants to torture and kill Ellery (who is now a 30-year-old policewoman). It reunites Reed, Ellery, and Coben for one final anxiety-inducing spree of murder and mayhem. This is a book with a TON of triggers and gross details. But it is also a story of resilience, the will to survive, and love. I could not put this book down, and it was pretty stressful, but I love a good crime novel. It is, however, not for the faint of heart. #serialkiller #murder #fbi #thriller #survivor #lastseenalive @joannaschaffhausen @netgalley
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Thank you to NetGalley for this free ARC, but my thoughts and review are my own and without bias.
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