Unfortunately, the first half of the book did not grab my attention. The characters were not that well developed, and in spite of the subject matter, not particularly sympathetic. Identifying the perpetrator in the beginning of the book is not my favorite style of writing for mysteries/thrillers. However, about half way through the book I was curious as to how the perpetrator would be caught. His capabilities and modus operandi were not that believable. The plus for the book is making the reader more aware of the issues regarding missing and exploited children and how these children and their families deal with the trauma.

"The Last Girl" is a compelling read. The novel grabbed my attention from the beginning and I couldn't put it down. The book is a police procedural featuring DC Maeve Kerrigan. The characters are fully developed and the interactions with Maeve's co-workers and the relationships in her private life are well presented and believable. I really cared about what happened to the characters and particularly enjoyed the bantering between DC Kerrigan and DI Derwent. The dual plots move along nicely with enough twists and turns to keep the reader interested and to try to determine whodunit. I am an avid mystery reader and thoroughly enjoyed the book. "The Last Girl" was my first introduction to the series and I plan to read the earlier books featuring DC Kerrigan. I also hope there will be subsequent books to look forward to in this series.