ARC Review: The Last Move by Mary Burton

The Last Move
Author: Mary Burton
Publication: Montlake Romance (September 19, 2017)

Description: In this gripping stand-alone from bestselling author Mary Burton, an FBI agent must catch a copycat killer. The only difference this time: she’s the final victim.

Catching monsters helps FBI agent Kate Hayden keep her nightmares at bay. Now an urgent call brings her back to San Antonio, the scene of her violent past. A brutal new murder shows hallmarks of a serial killer nicknamed the Samaritan. Tricky part is, Kate already caught him.

Either Kate made a deadly error, or she’s got a copycat on her hands. Paired with homicide detective Theo Mazur, she quickly realizes this murder is more twisted than it first appeared. Then a second body is found, the mode of death identical to a different case that Kate thought she’d put behind her.

Now Kate and Detective Mazur aren’t just working a homicide; the investigative pair is facing a formidable enemy who knows Kate intimately. While Mazur is personally trying to protect Kate, the closer they are drawn to the killer, the clearer it becomes that in this terrifying game, there is only one rule: don’t believe everything you see…

My Thoughts: This story was an exciting romantic suspense title with two intriguing main characters. Kate Hayden is an FBI agent who is a profiler and a specialist in linguistics. When the story begins, she is trying to track down a man who puts young women in boxes and rapes them repeatedly until he gets tired of them. Kate rescues his latest victim Sara and promises to find the man. However, she is called back to San Antonio because there has been a crime committed that is eerily similar to a string of murders that Kate thought were solved. She isn't eager to go back to San Antonio. She left when she graduated from high school to get away from a family that had fallen apart after Kate's father was murdered and Kate was almost killed by her former boyfriend.

Detective Theo Mazur has caught the new crime and is eager to get Kate's input. Mazur has recently joined the San Antonio police force. His ex-wife moved there with their 14-year-old daughter to pursue her career. After losing his son to crib death and watching his marriage fall apart because of it, he wasn't going to give up any time with his daughter. He's still getting used to a new city and new job but he brought with him years of experience as a homicide detective in Chicago.

Mazur and Kate investigate first believing that the murder was a copycat killing. When there is a second killing which mimics another of Kate's closed cases, Kate begins to think that her old boyfriend, now out of prison, is going after her for revenge. Between the guy who likes to kidnap girls and keep them in wooden boxes and the ex-boyfriend with a major case of crazy, Kate and Mazur have their hand full. They need to find both of them before more people are killed.

This was an engaging mystery with really creepy villains. I liked Kate's single mindedness and her total focus on her job. I liked Mazur's devotion to his daughter and I also liked that he saw Kate's quirkiness and found it attractive. This is advertised as a stand alone mystery but I would be eager to find out what happens next for Kate and Mazur.

Favorite Quote:

"I gave press conferences and called the killer unemployed and impotent," Kate said. "I wanted to get a rise out of him."

"No pun intended," Mazur offered.

Kate blinked. "Correct."

Mazur looked at her, and when she didn't smile, shook his head. "You don't do humor well either, do you?"

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.