Author: Kathleen Walls

Publisher: Global Authors Publications, 2004

ISBN: 0974216135

This review was contributed by: CAROLYN HOWARD-JOHNSON &CLICK TO VIEW Carolyn  Howard-Johnson's Reviews

I’m a lover of literate. Does that mean Kathleen Walls’ , Last Step, wasn’t my cup of tea? Not on a bet. Even though mysteries are genre fiction but I loved it. I loved it because it explores the human condition in spite of its genre trappings

Last Step is a great read for this time of the year (rainy, blustery or snowy) and for the busy kind of life we all tend to lead these days. You’ll get to the surprise ending in this short book real fast—probably in two relaxing evenings by the fire.

The title, Last Step,  is layered. Because it is a story about a mother who is convinced her drug-addicted daughter has been murdered Last Step evokes the “We came to believe…” passage that all twelve-steppers know. It is also a story about a woman who is taking her first step toward independence and toward love.

Here we have a tale about how a woman gathers up her strength to follow her convictions and, in doing so finds muscle she didn’t know she had. Here we have a story that combines a whodunit with some memorable characters, a little romance and a straight-forward attack at moving a mystery along. For those of you who like to learn a little something as you read, you won’t be disappointed.

Reviewer:  Carolyn Howard-Johnson Author of This Is The Place and Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered and The Frugal Book Promoter: How to Do What Your Publisher Won’t