Finally, a good mystery. If you like stories that unwind slowly and that have characters you really like even when you do not understand their actions then The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave is a good read for you. In her novel, we come to know the main characters through flashbacks. We meet Owen the coding genius who disappears leaving behind a duffel bag full of money, and a note that say “protect her”; his teenage daughter; Bailey, a bright 16 year old who is wary of anything that changes the life she shares with her father; and Hannah, a bewildered new wife who finds herself caught up in a mad race against time. In a charming boy meets girl setup, we learn that Owen had swept Hannah off her feet with a passionate love she had longed for her entire life and then transported her away from her steady life on the east coast to his floating home on the west coast. Owen led her to believe that he and his daughter had no family to speak of and even though Bailey is a typically selfish teenager, Hannah tries desperately to fill the void left by her dead mother. Their life seems to be nearly ideal until the day Hannah suddenly finds herself swept up in the mystery of Owen’s disappearance. Because she loves Owen and truly believes he is a good man, Hannah is determined to protect his daughter which was his last request. Hannah’s fear and confusion is compounded by the appearance of FBI agents and a U.S. Marshall who claims to be Owen’s friend, demanding answers that Hannah does not have. With the help of her old boyfriend, a lawyer, Hannah is able to piece together Owen’s past and she finds that it is not at all what she believed it to be. Laura Dave shows us through this well plotted novel that there is often a fine line between good and evil and that sometimes a person’s best intentions bring much heartache and sadness. I love a good mystery and this is one that I recommend highly. Enjoy!
