The Last Place You Look

This is the first "Roxane Weary" book from author Kristen Lepionka. Apparently there is a 4th one due out soon. I would rate the writing as competent, with good plot development and an interesting main character; although, I do get a bit tired of psychologically damaged and unreliable narrators at times. P.I. Roxane Weary has pretty much been on a non-stop bender since her detective father, Frank Weary, was killed in the line of duty. She gets a call from Danielle Stockton, whose brother Brad was convicted of murder 15 years ago and is scheduled for execution in 2 months. The victims were the parents of Brad's white high school girlfriend and they were brutally stabbed in their home. Brad's girlfriend, Sarah Cooper, disappeared without a trace. Danielle is sure she saw Sarah at a shop a few days ago and she wants Roxane to find her to learn what really happened and hopefully clear her brother. Roxane starts investigating and is immediately targeted for harassment by the local small town police force. In spite of that, she finds a body in the same woods where another stabbing victim had been recently discovered. Both were wrapped in blue tarps. But the 2nd body is not Sarah Cooper, rather a girl from the same high school who had been declared a runaway. Roxane continues to chase down leads through drug connections and old friends of Brad. At first it appears that Brad is more implicated in the murders than Roxane first believed. Then it's a friend of Brad's that seems to have a connection to all the victims. But the trail finally leads to a totally unexpected place. The last few chapters will grab you and not let go. There are several red herrings in the storyline and lots of complicated connections and mixed motives, but it all comes together in the end. 

Kirkus concludes, "Lepionka’s debut confidently portrays complex characters with multiple, sometimes contradictory, motivations and offers an unusually naturalistic perspective on sexual identity." Publishers Weekly calls this debut novel "action packed but uneven." Worth a read.