Dr. Andromeda “Andie” Markos knows her patient is lying to her. Her instincts tell her something far more nefarious than just a simple “dive accident” happened in that cave. When she sees that same patient dead, his body twisted and frozen in his last moments of pain, her hunch is verified. His death thrusts her into a world of deceit and betrayal she had never before experienced in her home town … town of Tarpon Springs, Florida.
Dragged headlong into the situation by her pushy best friend, who is the medical examiner assigned to the case, Andie does her best as her sometimes complicated- but safe- world rapidly unravels. A single mother, saddled with the emotions and expectations of her widowed Greek mother, Andie must find a way to navigate this treacherous new world of criminal behavior.
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Hidden secrets, underwater murder, a realistic protagonist, and romance–what more could you want?
What began as a routine treatment of decompression sickness left Andromeda (“Andie”) Markos tangled in a net of deceit. With a sleazy ex-husband, a culturally assertive mother, and the demands of a single mom, Andie has her plate full. The last thing she needed was to be dragged into a deadly ring of lies, especially when the cop investigating it sends her heart into overdrive.
At the epicenter of this fast-paced thriller is the high-pressured expectations of her Greek heritage, which delves into the heart of the protagonist. Andie, along with the rest of the characters know each other so well, it’s like being with old friends. The plot drives the story along at an outstanding pace without losing the hallmark of Andie’s personality. The deeper you read, the deeper the mystery goes until it’s impossible to put down.
The author does an excellent job of balancing pace and intrigue. I found myself carrying the book in one hand as I attempted to do chores with the other, unable to set it aside without finding out what happens next. Last Man Out has a bit of everything, from thriller, to romance and mystery. I highly recommend reading this book!
The title, “last man out,” refers to a protocol for cave divers – the first man in is the last man out. Sometimes, the last man doesn’t make it out alive. This short novel is very well written and edited, making it a pleasure to read. It moves along at a good pace and is equal parts romantic adventure and murder mystery, written from the point of view of Andie, a general practice doctor in a small Florida town. Andie has several side-plots involving her brooding teenaged daughter, a lurking ex-husband, an overbearing Greek mother (there is a lot of reference to the Greek culture of the family and the town), a pushy best friend who is also the county medical examiner, and a hunky former high school classmate who is now the chief detective investigating the case of at least two murders involving cave divers. Andie’s ex-husband is an expert cave diver, and there is a lot of detail about the cave diving process in this book. Searching for lost Spanish treasure in the hidden caves of Florida is certainly an intriguing setting for a story.
The main plot starts off with the murder of a diver by his fellow diver and treasure-hunting companion. The reader knows very little about the treasure or the hunt, or (in the beginning) why it involves cave diving. Soon after, the murderer is also found dead. Andie is pulled into the investigation because she examined the now-dead murder suspect, because she is friends with the ME, because she knows about diving, and because she knows the detective, Sean. After Andie happens to witness a mysterious skinny man fighting with a rival dive shop owner, whose shop is blown up shortly after, the race is on to solve the mystery.
But, the main plot is never the focus of this book. The mysterious skinny man is never named, and the reader has to speculate about why the other two members of this team of treasure hunters were killed and why the skinny man does what he does through the rest of the book. We get no history about the treasure itself, how it came to be in its hidden place, how the unnamed skinny man found it there, or who the other two divers were. There are several big plot holes and several convenient coincidences, as well as a substantial logic problem with the exciting climactic sequence. But, that’s not the focus of the book. The book is about Andie, and the side plots. It’s more of a cozy mystery with romantic suggestions than a crime thriller.
Despite the plot issues, this is a fun read, with interesting characters. The side plots about Andie’s romantic interest in Sean, her embattled relationship with her daughter, her Greek heritage, and her tense dealings with her ex-husband are the main focus of what is already a pretty short book. The good news is that these side plots are interesting and well-written. Since Andie is not a cop (or the ME), she’s not really “investigating” the murders, but is still our point-of-view into the story. Sometimes the author has to stretch to explain exactly why Andie is so involved, but we’re glad she is since she’s such an engaging person.
If you’re looking for a quick, fun read and a well-written book, this is an excellent choice.