Book Review: LAST GIRL MISSIING (A Detective Callie Ford Mystery Book 1) by K.L. Murphy

About the Book

She wanted to avenge her father. She needed to save herself. 

When Detective Callie Forde is called to the home of a missing teenaged girl, she doesn't initially suspect foul play. Hampstead is a quiet college town. It's safe—if you don't count the other girl. But as the hours wear on with no sign of Natalie, the police are forced to consider the teenager might have been abducted. 

No one is more surprised than Callie when all their leads are eerily similar to that of another case, the five-year-old cold case that ended with a botched investigation, a shooting, and her father in a wheelchair. Determined not to make the same mistakes he made, Callie races to find the girl, avenge her father, and maybe, stop history from repeating itself.  

Review

Callie Ford returns home, determined to find the person responsible not only for the missing girl of the past but for the devastating effects on her father. She's now the detective he once was and another girl is missing. The trail of clues reminds her of the previous case and she asks her father questions about the case, though initially he's not very responsive. Callie's uncovering secrets, some going back to the original case. Her search for the killer now puts Callie in danger. 

The story has all the elements of a thriller and at the same time, her struggle with her father is poignant. It is well-written, the pace is good, and character development is strong. The suspense and tension kept me reading. This is the first in a series and I'm looking forward to the next in the series. 

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in the hopes that I would post an honest review. This has not affected the content of my review in any way.

AMAZON

About the Author 

K.L. Murphy is the award-nominated author of Her Sister’s Death, a 2023 Silver Falchion Finalist for Best Mystery and the January 2023 Once Upon a Book Club Pick. 

She is also the author of the Detective Cancini Mystery Series: A Guilty Mind, Stay of Execution, and The Last Sin. Her short stories are featured in Deadly Southern Charm and Murder by the Glass. Last Girl Missing, the first book in her new crime series, published in July of 2024.