The Last Word: A Novel (Volume 2) (Sophie Trace Trilogy)

After reading The Real Enemy, I couldn't wait for The Last Word to come out. It did not disappoint. This story begins with Brill's daughter Vanessa. Despite being a christian, when she went off to college, she basically put away her christian values. She fell in love with one of her professors and is now dealing with a pregnancy and a way to tell her parents. She knows how disappointed they are going to be so she waits until she is is 7 or 8 months pregnant before going home to tell them. It's quite a tense moment when she steps out of the car and they see why she hasn't come home in a while. As they are dealing with this issue, trying to help Vanessa decide if she wants to put the baby up for adoption or raise the child on her own without a father, a ex-con from Brill's past when she was working in the Memphis police department comes back and vows revenge and sets about trying to kill Chief Brill Jessup. It has some surprises and twists and turns. I really enjoyed this book. The spiritual content was quite good. Now I can't wait to read the third book in Kathy Herman's trilogy!

I believe a book should be judged by its design. The Last Word by Kathy Herman is designed for Christians who are proud of their faith and also enjoy well written thrillers. I highly recommend The Last Word to two audiences: Christians who believe in the Bible and accept Christ as Savior; and people who love suspense novels. Kathy Herman's latest novel is a Christian Thriller with multiple sub-plots. The Last Word details the struggle of Brill Jessup, Chief of Police of Sophie Trace, Tennessee to control a murder spree and threat to her own life. The author shares with us the strategy of both the manhunt and the scheme to protect potential victims. I count three main plots: Chief Jessup's efforts to catch a vengeful ex convict before he slays any more public officials; Vanessa Jessup's struggle to regain the faith she had abandoned at college; and the attempts of Ty Nicholson and Merrick Fountain to establish their purpose in life. In The Last Word, characters wonder about people who have been victimized by crime, and ask if they given themselves to the Lord? Did they have that chance? The characters ponder what makes some people evil, and what turns them toward a life of crime and violence? In the story, characters consider what God calls them to do in violent situations. Should they forgive the violent criminals? How do you comfort the families of victims? What do you say when they ask why God allowed their loved one to suffer or die? Kathy Herman's novel is full of well drawn characters, a fascinating mystery, and a plethora of teachings about Christianity. This is an excellent book for any Christian.

The second in a trilogy of books set in fictional Sophie Trace, Tennessee, "The Last Word" is actually a better story than the first one, "The Real Enemy". While the first book was very good and moved at a good pace, I found the ending to be disconcertingly abrupt. This second book also has a rather quick ending, but is much more informative and so you don't notice it as much. The sudden salvation of a major character could be a little difficult for some people to believe, but having known some real-life people who had the same sudden transition, I know that it does happen that way sometimes and the author really handled it very well. The reader who was so critical could have benefitted by reading the first book before reading this one. The dialogue about the kiss makes a lot more sense if you've read the first book. And I did not find the characters robotic. I also had no trouble believing that a teenager, naive (and forgetting her Christianity) enough to get pregnant by her college professor, could be dumb enough to go to the park alone. Teenagers often do dumb things... and so do the rest of us occasionally. Also, although I did see some plot twists coming, I didn't see them all and I felt the book was more than "ok". All in all, I can't wait for the third book!!

In the Smoky Mountains, in the town of Sophie Trace Police Chief Brill Jessup is despondent that one of her officers Detective Sean O'Toole was stabbed in the PD building's secure area and her former partner Zack Rogers was killed in Memphis. She knows the knife wielding killer is eventually coming for her as he told O'Toole that, but Brill remains hesitant as to what to do. However, her options change when her daughter Vanessa, a college sophomore, comes home pregnant. Vanessa explains to her mom that the father Professor Ty Nicholson wanted her to abort the unborn, but she refused; so the dad walked. Brill is grateful her daughter did not fold under pressure, but also fears for the lives of Vanessa and her unborn grandchild as they make perfect targets forthe killer. As the Mayor, the media and the public criticize the chief, Brill plans to do the right thing for her family and the community. The second Sophie Trace police procedural (see THE REAL ENEMY) is an exciting inspirational thriller that runs on two strong subplots that converge on Brill. The killer is coming for the heroine and others which makes for a tense tale as Brill prepares for the assault while keeping friends, family and the community safe; her dispute with the mayor seems unnecessary as the psychopath is all the tautness needed. The subplot with her daughter and Ty has a neat spin that will stun the audience. THE LAST WORD is that Kathy Herman has written another deep stirring tale. Harriet Klausner