J.G. Hetherton

Reporter Laura Chambers finds herself in her newest case when a woman is struck by a car and killed. It seems that the last person she tried to phone was Laura. Her police nemesis Lietenant Whitley is certain that Laura must know the woman. However, Laura doesn't recognize her.

As Laura investigates, she begins to learn that the woman's death may uncover some clues to the mysteries of Laura's childhood. She fears that the woman is her childhood best friend Emily Merritt, but she doesn't know why Emily would be trying to contact her after so many years.

From a man on death row to human trafficking to police corruption, this story builds a lot of suspense. Laura finds herself in great danger as she tries to unravel the mystery.

Laura is an intriguing character who had a very difficult childhood. Her father was her hero and teacher, but he died of brain cancer when she was nine, leaving Laura with a mother who disliked her and who was extremely self-centered. Laura doesn't seem to form connections with other people beyond finding out what they can do for her and using them.

The mystery was intriguing and learning more about Laura's past was interesting. While this episode was largely resolved, a mysterious letter from her father provides a sort of cliffhanger ending.… (meer)

Laura Chambers is back home in Hillsborough, North Carolina, after being fired as an investigative journalist in Boston. She ran afoul of the powerful and her paper let her go rather than being sued. Now she is working for the local paper and dealing with another reporter who is resentful of her previous success and abusive because of it. She is also living back in her childhood home with her emotionally abusive mother and going to therapy to deal with her problems.

When a young girl's body is found in a field, Laura's first thought is that reporting this could be her chance to get her career back on track and out of Hillsborough. Another young girl is missing and the hunt is on to find her. Laura is sleeping with a police deputy and using him for inside information. Through him she learns the name of the FBI agent who is also working the case and goes to him to share a tip.

The FBI agent points her to a previous series of killings of young girls that happened in 1988 which has a number of similarities to the current case. Laura's investigation into the old case leads to a previous police chief who is still haunted by that case and who offers Laura insights. When a clue leads to the possible whereabouts of the second missing girl Laura can't the the police to take her seriously and her FBI contact is unavailable. So she goes to the man she was sleeping with who is going to be fired because the police believe he is the one who shared information with Laura. He is killed while investigating and so is the supposed killer. Laura is hurt. The police and the FBI are eager to mark the case closed and Laura is the pariah who got a police officer killed. Then another girl disappears.

This was a fast-paced story with a damaged main character. She has lost her faith in humanity and her own ideals. She is, however, determined to find out what happened to the two girls who are still missing even it it costs her life. There were a number of twists and turns to the story and a surprise that I didn't see coming that made this a compelling story.… (meer)

4.5 stars.
Last Girl Gone , the first installment in J.G. Hetherton's Laura Chambers Mystery series, is a twist-filled, suspenseful mystery.

After losing her job at the Boston Globe, Laura Chambers reluctantly returns to her small hometown in Hillsborough, NC. Now working for the Hillsborough Gazette, her latest story about the horrifying kidnapping and murder of a ten year old girl is front page news. Fighting to keep the story, Laura connects former Sheriff Don Rodgers and FBI Agent Tim Timinski in order to find out more information that might help locate the other ten year old girl who still missing. The similarities between the current cases are eerily similar to crimes that Rodgers worked on during the 1980s. Could the same killer be responsible for the kidnapping/murders in both the past and present?

Laura's fall from grace puts her right back in the life she fought so hard to leave behind after graduating from high school. Now nearly thirty, she is living with her verbally abusive and spiteful mother, Diane, and she is struggling to resurrect her career. Laura is stubborn and tenacious as she investigates both the current and previous cases while also competing with her ambitious and aggressive colleague Colin Smythe. Her interest in the fate of the still missing girl goes deeper than the story she is chasing since she genuinely cares about the ten year old girl's fate. Laura does not hesitate to put herself in harm's way in her effort to save the girl but will she escape from the twisted killer unscathed?

Laura has good instincts and she refuses to give up her quest for the truth. Despite pleas from her therapist/friend Jasmine DeVane, Don and the local police, she refuses to stop searching for answers. Bothered by inconsistencies and quite certain things are not as they appear, Laura stumbles onto shocking new evidence that puts her in the crosshairs of a clever but very troubled murderer.

Last Girl Gone is a spine-tingling mystery that is fast-paced and impossible to put down. Laura is a very intelligent, compassionate and intrepid woman whose efforts to salvage her career take a backseat to saving a kidnapped girl's life. Don and Tim are wonderful secondary characters who are never dismissive of Laura's concerns or instincts as they go the extra mile to assist her. Laura's investigation unearths several startling leads but the perpetrator's identity remains tantalizingly out of reach. With several shocking twists and unexpected turns, J.G. Hetherton brings this spellbinding mystery to a jaw-dropping conclusion. The Laura Chambers Mystery series is off to a strong beginning that will leave fans of the genre eagerly awaiting the next installment.… (meer)