The Last Shift by Susan Phelan - 5 stars

THE LAST SHIFT definitely cannot be Susan Phelan's Last Book if I have anything to say about it. This vampire Grisham-esqe suspense has everything a reader could want. I highly recommend this book for its excellent writing, innovative vampires, and smart suspense.

THE LAST SHIFT tells the tale of Elizabeth Leigh Bryan, aka Libby, a District Attorney-turned-writer, who gets shot one Friday evening during a robbery at her local food mart. Or rather, she thinks it was a robbery. The actual reason for the attack is soon revealed; someone wants Libby dead. Lucky for Libby, the homicide detective assigned to her case, Jude Madison, is a vampire (but don't call him that because the word allows too many misconceptions of who he is) and an excellent detective. The drama unfolds as Jude and his fellow officers search for the killer and try to keep her alive, while she tries to deal with the separation from her husband and the new reality of being on someone's hit list.

I loved this book, and really cannot say too many good things about it. The prologue hooks you immediately, and the tempo, especially in the first few chapters, keeps you glued to the edge of your seat.

The plot is fantastic - just the right number of elements and no distracting tangents. Every aspect of the storyline has a purpose, and all the questions raised throughout the book are resolved by the end. The mystery is smart and keeps you guessing. I thought right off the bat I knew who the bad guy was, but then new suspects kept popping up. The vampire element of the book is refreshing and also explained well - simply, straightforward, and with appropriate timing. The ending was not what I expected, but was even better, giving me what I wanted without a lot of fuss.

The relationship between Jude and Libby was developed appropriately for the circumstances. There was depth, dialogue, and desire. Regarding the heat level, this book definitely rates a 1 out of 5 (a lot of emotion and looking, but no serious contact), and given the subject matter, the book is appropriate for readers 16 and up. The relationship between Libby and her soon-to-be ex-husband is also well done. Their interactions are heavy with the emotions of shared history and heart wrenching betrayal, and their story is mostly revealed through dialogue, which for me, is the best way to tell a story.

There were only minor editing errors, but they did not detract from the story. The book cover, though, is too cheesy for words, and to my immense relief, is wholly unrepresentative of the book.

THE LAST SHIFT was a fantastic read, and I absolutely intend on reading Ms. Phelan's three other books in The Blood Tapestry Series. Don't worry; since each story is distinctly different, it won't make a difference in what order you read them. If the others are as great as this one, I'll be a happy reader for a long while.

 
Review was originally written for The Romance Reviews:
http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooksreview.php?bookid=6784