The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave #LauraDave #RebeccaLowe @SimonAudio

the setup…
Hannah Hall is a talented woodworker who met her husband Owen Michaels when she was living in New York. After they married, she joined him and his sixteen-year old daughter Bailey in Sausalito, living on their houseboat. Bailey’s mother died in an accident when she was a toddler but the teen isn’t keen on having a stepmother. One year later, Hannah gets a handwritten note from Owen, delivered rather strangely, saying simply, “Protect her.” She knows he’s referring to Bailey but beyond that she’s clueless. However, as the FBI and a mysterious US Marshal descend upon her after arresting Owen’s boss, things become clearer. As Hannah probes and tries to find Owen, the clues lead her to another town in another state and the recognition that Owen wasn’t who he claimed to be and Bailey unwittingly seems to hold the proverbial key.

the heart of the story…
There’s no lead up to anything unusual in Owen’s behavior before he disappeared so I was depending on Hannah to provide clues and insights to get my bearings. As she begins her search for him, Hannah revisits the past as she finds herself in curious situations, jogging her memory about snippets he shared with her about his past, beyond the fictional resume he created. It took me a bit to grasp that this was more than just an attempt to escape potential workplace fraud or embezzlement. When the US Marshal showed up, that shifted the story into new and puzzling directions. I loved how Hannah’s first instinct was to keep Bailey safe, despite the teen’s surly behavior towards her, sacrificing her own agenda for Owen’s beloved child. She made smart deductions and trusted those instincts to put Bailey first.

the narration…
I enjoyed the narrator’s performance, particularly the storytelling style, told without a lot of drama even when she could have exploited that at so many opportunities. It worked best for the story.

the bottom line…
This was so much more than what I thought this story would be, lacking predictability so much that I had no clue as to where it might lead almost to the moment it landed somewhere meaningful. Hannah was an interesting character, fairly laid back with a creative soul, which made her an ideal investigator. She didn’t rattle easily and was thoughtful not only in assembling clues but in handling the difficult Bailey. I enjoyed the journey, even though at times it could be maddening how reflections could be repetitive and delay revelations right before they were made. It affected the pacing but not enough to detract from my overall enjoyment. I also liked how Hannah and Bailey’s relationship evolved, both forced to trust one another when it wasn’t easy to do for either of them. The ending is complex and fit Hannah’s nature and mission to first protect Bailey. I was hanging on through the very last word! This lived up to the hype.

Book Info

• Release Date: May 4, 2021
• Narrator: Rebecca Lowman
• Audio Length: 8 hours, 49 minutes
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

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(Thanks to Simon & Schuster Audio for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)