Rowan Healy has sworn off police work. As a research genealogist, she's fascinated by the way DNA evidence and the popularity of private genealogy have become intertwined..... but she can't let it consume her life. She doesn't have the stomach to be up all night every night hunting down killers and seeing more bad than good. She's content to continue with her private work and not become involved with police again.....until Austin, Texas Detective Jack Bruner asks for her help in a series of rape cases that she has a personal tie to. Unable to say no, Rowan struggles with her involvement in the case..... and it's lead Detective.

This book was everything I love about Laura Griffin. It's fast-paced, Texas-based with good characters and great writing. It's pretty similar to the other stories she's written (lay person gets tangled up with law enforcement in more ways than one) but that's exactly the kind of story you're looking for with this author, and this one doesn't disappoint. I think what makes this story, and this author in general, stand out is that it's clearly a mystery story, the romance is definitely secondary, but instead of letting the romantic scenes fade to black like a lot of authors do, Griffin doesn't shy away. These books have a decent amount of pretty steamy scenes. They're definitely NSFW or listening with little kids around, but they're perfect for grown adults looking for a good story for their commute or their walks. I look forward to more from this author!

As a true crime--fan isn't the right word, but it's all I've got--I've been waiting to see how, if at all the use of genetic genealogy to catch the Golden State Killer would affect the fictional crime solving world. I should have known Laura Griffin, whose Tracers series followed cutting edge crime scene technology, would be among the first to dive in. The Last Close Call follows genealogist Rowan Healy and Homicide Detective Jack Bruner as they work to put a name and face to a rapist/murderer with multiple victims over multiple years. But the genealogy work is just the first step in a twisty tale that goes in directions I never expected and the story is the better for it. True to form, Griffin manages to build a sexy, believable romance while at the same time keeping the reader guessing as to what will happen next in the mystery.

Having listened to almost all of Griffin's books in audio as well as reading them in book form, I think
Stephanie Németh-Parker is my favorite narrator after Teri Clark Linden who narrates The Texas Murder Files. I hope the powers that be will use her again. Narrators matter!!!

Detective Jack Bruner and Generic Genealogist Rowan Healy team up to find a serial killer that has resurfaced after many years.

This was slow for me and I didn't think there should have been a relationship between the 2 MCs.

Many thanks to Net Galley for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded down for an unnecessary, unconvincing plot line.

This was a fun, quick read overall and I think cop drama fans will enjoy it. That said, the twists weren't quite twisty enough for me - if you're paying attention, you can see them coming.

Beyond that, this should have been a romance - not a romantic suspense. Jack and Rowan have zero chemistry and some of the juxtapositions of him being a little pushy in his wooing (nothing that wouldn't be totally fine in another romance) just left a bad taste in my mouth given their proximity to bone-chilling descriptions of a rapist. The romance feels tacked on, like Griffin's development editor said 'hey, romances sell well, let's make these colleagues get it on.' Jack and Rowan would have worked better as respectful, friendly colleagues.

All in all, it was an enjoyable quick read but I won't rave about it or reread it.

Thanks, NetGalley and Berkley, for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks, NetGalley and Berkley, for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.