The Last Straw by Ed Duncan is a crime thriller filled with suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat as you watch the story unfold!
I had previously read and reviewed Pigeon-Blood Red by Ed Duncan and I really loved it. When I was approached and asked to read the second book in the series, I anxiously awaited for my copy to arrive in the mail. I’m so happy to say that this book did not disappoint!
Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my rating in any way.
My Thoughts on The Last Straw by Ed Duncan
I said it in my review for Pigeon-Blood Red, and of course I have to say it again here. Ed Duncan’s writing style is so fantastic! It’s so easy to read and very realistic. The action and suspense is so well done that I struggled to put The Last Straw down!
I just love how well the author organizes his stories; there are various characters and different storylines, but they are all woven together in such a wonderful way!
One of my favorite things about Ed Dunkin’s writing style is that he is able to write these sentences that totally catch me off guard. It happened this time on page 27. It was another instance where I read the sentence, stopped, and immediately had to jump back and reread it.
Because this was the second book, I was really interested to learn more about a few of the characters we had met in book one. We got to see Paul and Evelyn together which stuck in another very intense situation. And while stressful, there were also some really lovely moments. I enjoyed the very tense relationship between Rico and a man named John D’Angelo. I couldn’t wait to see how things would turn out there! And I especially loved getting to know Rico and Jean more and seeing a more “normal” look into their dynamic as a couple.
There were some other main characters, but I don’t want to discuss too much there because I’ll give away too much of the plot! So I’ll just say that I thought Sandra was an incredibly strong character, even though her involvement in the actual narrative was on the lighter side. I do wish the story had spent just a little bit more time with her, but the time that was focused on her was very powerful because it was so brief.
My Favorite Passages from The Last Straw
“I’m sorry,” Jean said. “But it’s such a shock to hear you admit that you’re human.”
“Don’t get excited. It’s not that big a deal.”
The last few days he had felt like he was inside of Salvador Dali painting or a Franz Kafka story. It was as though he were wide awake and sound asleep at the same time. He could see all kinds of bizarre things happening around him and to him, but he was powerless to influence or stop any of them.
“You’re very brave young lady,” Evelyn said after Sandy confided in her.
“No, I’m not. I’m scared to death.”
“The two aren’t mutually exclusive. Brave people are frightened all the time, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t brave. What makes them brave is standing up for what they believe in or risking their own safety despite being scared.”
My Final Thoughts on The Last Straw
Another wonderful crime novel by Ed Duncan! I cannot wait to see what he writes next! If you enjoy crime novels with characters that will stick in your mind, you have to give this one a read!
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Thanks for reading!
What is your favorite crime novel?
This series sounds really good. I will have to check it out.
I recently discovered Peter May and love his Lewis series.
And, I love Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad series. Oh, there's so many good crime novels out there…
Dinh@Arlene's Book Club
Definitely! I love these books so much. I will definitely be re-reading soon! Ooh, I'll check those out. Thank you!
I shall have to pay particular attention to page 27. =) The last crime novel I read was _The Thirteenth Gate (Dominion Mysteries Series)_ by Kat Ross. It's a bit Sherlock Holmes and a bit Jack the Ripper.
Lonna @ FLYLēF
Oooh! That sounds awesome! I'll have to check it out!
Wow, consistent high praise. I must look into these more. Like Lonna, I've read The Thirteenth Gate and really enjoyed it too. But I'll go a step further and say you need to read The Daemoniac first because even though it's 0.5 in the series, it's a full length novel and I actually liked it a tad better!
😀 Oh! I'll look into it! Thank you! 🙂
Sounds like a cool read! Glad you're enjoying this series!
It was so fun! I'm a total sucker for fast-paced crime novels!
This sounds like a great crime read. And how freaky would it be to be in that situations? Sounds like he captures that very well.
I don't know if I have a favorite crime novel, but I really liked What She Saw By Gerard Stembridge. It's about a woman in Paris who sees something she shouldn't… it was a fun read. 🙂
Right?! I love when crime thrillers are realistic like this! It makes them so much more interesting.
I have What She Saw on my TBR! I must have added it after I saw you talking about it 🙂 I hope to pick it up soon!!
I am so happy you can absolutely love his book every time you read them and his writing style too! Being able to be caught off guard when reading shows just how great of a writer he is!
My recent post: http://oliviascatastrophe.com/2018/02/5-mini-movie-reviews/
Yeah! I cannot wait to read more of his work!! 🙂
I am glad that you loved the sequel so much! Sometimes it is a little scary with sequels and the "second book curse" so the fact that the story is still going strong says a lot about the story and writer! Awesome review E! I have to put this series on my TBR
Definitely!! 😀
I think I'll have to look into this series. 🙂
For sure!! 🙂
This sounds great! I’ll have to add the first one to my to read list. Great review!
😀
I love it when authors make you pause when you're reading. There are certain authors whose writing is just so beautiful, it makes me want to savor every word. Glad to see you enjoyed this one so much!
Right?!
The premise sounds brilliant! I totally love your review, and I want to read this! 🙂
😀 I hope you can snag a copy soon!!
Those books that grip you like that are the best! I'm very curious about the writing style and those kinds of sentences you're talking about that catch you off guard. And ooh, relationships with tension can be the most interesting sometimes cuz like you said, you never know what will happen. The couple sounds like an interesting one too! Glad you liked this!
It was a great novel for sure!! 🙂 I highly recommend it!
Books you're not able to put down are the best! It seems like the author has a very intense writing style, and I love being caught off-guard. I usually highlight or mark those parts of a book to go back to!
The cover is unsettling!
Do You Dog-ear?
Right?! I love being caught off guard too! And of course I'm a total sucker for great covers like this one! 🙂
Oh, I love mystery/crime novels that ALSO have really good characters – it doesn't always work that way. I hadn't heard of this series so thanks for sharing. 🙂
-Lauren
http://www.shootingstarsmag.net
I highly recommend it! They're such fun reads!
Great review Erica, this is actually the first time I have heard about this book and author. And the book really looks and sounds absolutely amazing and fantastic. I am glad you enjoyed it. Thank you so much for sharing your awesome post and putting this book on my radar.
Definitely! You should check out the first book in the series! 🙂