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My friend messaged me last week to say that she’d just finished this book and that she couldn’t put it down. That’s a pretty good badge of quality from Kelly as we have very similar tastes in books. (Movies? Not so much – Speed 2 anyone??!) The next day I got sent The Silence to review which just happens to be book 2 in this Columbia River series so The Last Sister leapt right to the top of the virtual pile.

FBI agents Zander Wells and Ava McLane are sent to the coastal town of Bartonville Oregon to investigate a grisly double murder. A high school teacher and his young wife have been slaughtered in their home and Sean’s body was hung from a tree in the garden.

Emily Mills found the bodies, reporting it directly to the FBI as a hate crime because of the symbol carved into Sean’s head. A distressing find for anyone but even more so for Emily whose own father had been found hanged when she was a child.

The Mills family have a long history in Bartonville. Emily and her sister live with their three maiden aunts in the family mansion at the edge of town. A building that cripples them financially but the locals still think that they are rolling in family money. In truth it is only their meagre earnings from running the local diner that keeps things afloat. (Hence the short stack rating – I really want breakfast at the diner here!)

As Zander and Ava begin their investigation it soon becomes clear that there is an underbelly of hate in Bartonville and they will stop at nothing to silence those who threaten their peace and security.

So Kelly was right – it is a great story and I couldn’t put it down either. Kendra has a way of fleshing out her characters so well it feels like you’re watching a drama unfold rather than reading a book. I’ll be heading straight into book two next! Always a joy to discover that there are a couple of books in a new series that you love.

Supplied by Montlake Romance and Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Uk publication date: Jan 20 2020. 328 pages.