Format: Kindle, 328 pages
Release Date: January 14, 2020
Publisher: Montlake
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Three sisters’ secrets collide in a shocking novel of suspense by the bestselling author of the Mercy Kilpatrick series.
Twenty years ago Emily Mills’s father was murdered, and she found his body hanging in the backyard. Her younger sister, Madison, claims she was asleep in her room. Her older sister, Tara, claims she was out with friends. The tragedy drove their mother to suicide and Tara to leave town forever. The killer was caught. The case closed.
Ever since, Emily and Madison have tried to forget what happened that night—until an eerily similar murder brings it all back. It also brings FBI special agent Zander Wells to the Oregon logging town. As eager as he is to solve the brutal double slaying, he is just as intrigued with the mystery of Emily’s and her sisters’ past.
When more blood is shed, Zander suspects there’s a secret buried in this town no one wants unearthed. Is it something Emily and Madison don’t know? Or aren’t telling? And Tara? Maybe Emily can’t bear to find her. Because when Tara disappeared, she took a secret of her own with her.
Twenty years ago Emily Mills’s father was murdered, and she found his body hanging in the backyard. Her younger sister, Madison, claims she was asleep in her room. Her older sister, Tara, claims she was out with friends. The tragedy drove their mother to suicide and Tara to leave town forever. The killer was caught. The case closed.
Ever since, Emily and Madison have tried to forget what happened that night—until an eerily similar murder brings it all back. It also brings FBI special agent Zander Wells to the Oregon logging town. As eager as he is to solve the brutal double slaying, he is just as intrigued with the mystery of Emily’s and her sisters’ past.
When more blood is shed, Zander suspects there’s a secret buried in this town no one wants unearthed. Is it something Emily and Madison don’t know? Or aren’t telling? And Tara? Maybe Emily can’t bear to find her. Because when Tara disappeared, she took a secret of her own with her.
The Last Sister is the first installment in author Kendra Elliot's Columbia River series. This series features characters from the author's previous works, including FBI Agent Ava McLane, who is engaged to marry Detective Mason Callahan of the Portland Police. The Last Sister is a blend of psychological suspense, small-town intrigue, and buried family secrets. The story centers on Emily Mills, a woman haunted by the violent death of her father two decades earlier in the quiet Oregon town of Bartonville.
When she stumbles upon a new murder scene—a local man strung up in a manner that mirrors her father’s killing—the past comes roaring back. Shaken but determined, Emily reports the crime, drawing the attention of FBI Special Agent Zander Wells and his partner, Ava McLane. As the trio digs into the case, they uncover a tangle of lies, racial tensions, and a conspiracy that threatens to destroy what’s left of Emily’s fractured family—particularly her estranged sister, Madison, the titular “last sister.”
When more blood is shed, Zander suspects there’s a secret buried in this town no one wants to be unearthed. Is it something Emily and Madison don’t know? Or aren’t telling? And Tara? Maybe Emily can’t bear to find her. Because when Tara disappeared, she took a secret of her own with her. The central mystery—who killed Emily’s father, and why is the pattern repeating?—is layered with subplots about racism, community loyalty, and the cost of keeping secrets.
The dual-timeline structure—alternating between Emily’s present-day investigation and flashbacks to the night of her father’s murder—adds depth and urgency, gradually revealing how the past shapes the present. Bartonville feels like a character: a sleepy coastal town with a dark underbelly, its foggy woods, and creaky old houses amplifying the sense of unease. Elliot’s descriptions are vivid but never overwrought, grounding the story in a believable, lived-in world.
The pacing dips occasionally, bogged down by expository dialogue or overly detailed procedural moments that slow the momentum. While sweet, the romance between Emily and Zander sometimes feels tacked on, lacking the depth to fully resonate. And while the small-town setting is evocative, some of the supporting cast—like the local sheriff or townsfolk—fall into familiar stereotypes, missing opportunities for richer complexity.
Elliot excels at building a slow-burn mystery that keeps you guessing. My only issue is that Ava is pushed to the back as a secondary character, and it's only when she and Emily are targeted by a menace that you wonder where she's been all this time. Where The Last Sister shines brightest is in its tension and atmosphere. Scenes of Emily alone in her family’s eerie mansion or Zander piecing together evidence in the dead of night are genuinely unsettling, capturing the dread of a town hiding its sins. The action, when it comes, is brisk and impactful, particularly in the climactic showdown, which delivers a satisfying resolution without overstaying its welcome.
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