In Courtney Evan Tate's slyly plotted thriller The Last to See Her, the supposedly close bond between two sisters is revealed to be a fraying knot of emotions and betrayals when one vanishes during a late-night walk in New York City.
At the beginning, The Last to See Her evokes a soap opera-like Lifetime movie situation. Successful romance writer Genevieve "Gen" Tibault is going through a contentious divorce from her unfaithful lawyer husband, Thad, though he continues to deny any affair. She tells her sister, Meghan "Meg" McCready, that she plans to move from Chicago back to their hometown of Cedarburg, Wis., even though she hasn't lived there and only seldom visited for 18 years. Meg, a highly respected surgeon who also lives in Chicago, believes the move is hasty, but encourages Gen to join her in New York City where she is attending a physicians' conference. After a great dinner together and more than a few drinks, Gen disappears blocks from their hotel, wearing Meg's jacket.
The search for Gen reveals a lifetime of jealousy that continues to undercut the sisters' twisted relationship. Tate skillfully, slowly uncovers their mutual bitterness. Often capricious, Gen envies Meg's solid marriage to Joe, a blue-collar worker, their adorable five-year-old and her career, while believing that Meg resents the glamorous, carefree life of an accomplished writer. The sisters and Thad have intersecting secrets as readers' allegiances shift among each character. Unreliable narrators allow obsessions and lack of trust to rule their actions.
Domestic suspense and clever twists punctuate The Last to See Her, the third novel under the name of Tate, the pseudonym for prolific romance writer Courtney Cole. --Oline H. Cogdill, freelance reviewer