The Last Sister

I became a fan of author Kendra Elliot's after reading the first four books in her Mercy Kilpatrick series. Eager to read more from her, I grabbed The Last Sister, the first book in her Columbia River series (and the fifth book in the Callahan and McLane series since characters from that book are central in this plot).

Unfortunately, this book didn't resonate with me like the Mercy series. It was slower paced with awkward dialogue and unfocused storytelling that relied too heavily on miscommunication. There's some romance between Zander and another character, but it felt like a last minute add-on, not contributing to the overall story and just distracting.

While this book didn't tick many boxes for me, I remain a fan of Kendra Elliot's work and eagerly look forward to reading more in her Mercy Kilpatrick series. 

My Rating: 2.5 stars

Author: Kendra Elliot

Genre: Suspense

Series: Columbia River 1 and Callahan & McLane 5

Publisher: Montlake

First Published: Jan 14, 2020

Read: Nov 26-Dec 3, 2025

Book Description from Amazon.ca: 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.