GROUP A BOOKS 2023-2024: 14 Nominated books. Vote for no more than 7.

A12 Type: Private Detective (PI) Stories The Last Place You Look by Kristen Lepionka, 2017 / MVLC: 25

Basics · Protagonist: Roxane Weary is a richly drawn PI who proves that 'hardboiled' and 'feminine' aren't mutually exclusive. She has been asked to look into the murder conviction of a man on death row because the convict's sister says she has just seen the "dead victim" alive and well. · Setting: Contemporary Columbus, Ohio · Context: This the 1st of four (so far) in her series. · % of Amazon readers giving 5-star ratings: 49% · Combined % of Amazon readers giving either 4 OR 5-star ratings: 83% · Total all Amazon ratings this book: 1,224 Long Form Nobody knows what happened to Sarah Cook. The beautiful blonde teenager disappeared fifteen years ago, the same night her parents were brutally murdered in their suburban Ohio home. Her boyfriend Brad Stockton―black and from the wrong side of the tracks―was convicted of the murders and is now on death row. Though he’s maintained his innocence all along, the clock is running out. His execution is only weeks away when his devoted sister insists she spied Sarah at an area gas station. Willing to try anything, she hires PI Roxane Weary to look at the case and see if she can locate Sarah. Brad might be in a bad way, but private investigator Roxane Weary isn’t doing so hot herself. Still reeling from the recent death of her cop father in the line of duty, her main way of dealing with her grief has been working as little and drinking as much as possible. But Roxane finds herself drawn in to the story of Sarah's vanishing act, especially when she links the disappearance to one of her father’s unsolved murder cases involving another teen girl. The stakes get higher as Roxane discovers that the two girls may not be the only beautiful blonde teenagers who’ve turned up missing or dead. As her investigation gets darker and darker, Roxane will have to risk everything to find the truth. Lives depend on her cracking this case―hers included. -------- "Roxane is a wonderfully complex character...This is a remarkably accomplished debut mystery, with sensitive character development and a heart-stopping denouement. Let's hope there are more Roxane Weary novels on the way."―Booklist (starred review) "Introducing a fascinating protagonist who combats her emotional demons with the aid of sugar, booze, and sex, this suspenseful, original, and confident debut will please fans of the hardboiled PI genre."―Library Journal (starred review) I have read many PI novels over the years, and I have suggested a few PI authors that I really like such as Sara Paretsky and Robert Crais that may or may not be familiar to you. But I wanted to identify a really good newer, emerging PI writer. So I looked at the "Shamus" awards given by the Private Eye Writers of America during the last 6 years. I noticed that a female writer I had never heard of, was awarded twice in four years: Kristen Lepionka. I researched her books and liked what I saw. I noted that the "Shamus" was not the only mystery book organization to select this book for an award. I was happy that Leslie volunteered to test-read the book and she gave it a solid thumbs-up. That's how this got nominated. –Dick Awards for this Book § 2018 Shamus Award for Best First PI Novel § Finalist 2018 Anthony Award for Best First Novel § Finalist 2018 Macavity Award for Best First Mystery