Your Last Breath co-authored by Carole Parkes and Doug Lafuze takes the reader on a wild ride through the warped mind of a serial killer. American Raymond Lang was a "wannabe" author writing his first novel about a serial killer. Raymond's big problem was although he could picture the serial killer's acts and plot motivations he was struggling to get them down on paper. What he discovered was that performing the acts themselves was what was needed to break the writer's block he was experiencing. With police on his tail in America and an FBI agent with a personal stake in one of his murders, Raymond decides the time has come to leave the States. With a suitcase full of money, courtesy of his Grandfather's inheritance, Raymond relocates to London where he plans to finish the book and become a successful author. The same problem he faced in America resurfaces in London, as he finds the only way he can write is to keep killing and keep creating his plot in reality.
When Raymond's latest victim turns out to be a lovely woman who is also related to a private detective, things begin to close in on the ever elusive Raymond. Throw in a cheating and vicious British politician who gets caught up in the action and you have all the makings of a fascinating criminal chase story and suspenseful drama.
As an author of co-written books myself, I fully understand the difficulties inherent in such an enterprise. The two authors here have combined magnificently to create a suspenseful story but also a sweet tale of family and romantic love. The juxtaposition of the murderous viciousness of Raymond Lang and the loving, morally sound, and determined private detective Alex, probably shouldn't work but it absolutely does and it is Alex's side of the story that softens the absolute horror and harshness of Raymond Lang's heinous crimes and actually makes the story readable. The idea of using two different voices for the main characters was also an inspired choice. Initially I thought it wouldn't work well but I was wrong. Having the villain Raymond Lang write in the first person drew the reader into believing they were participating alongside Lang in his violent killing spree, whereas having the other characters written in third person allowed us to take a breather from being inside that evil man's head.
I loved the fact that the authors deliberately chose to leave a wide opening for a sequel to the story and I, for one, really hope they follow up with that. Your Last Breath, as a read, was indeed a "breath" of fresh air for this jaded reader and one I can highly recommend to all and sundry. This is a cleverly written book, well edited and one that rollicks along, at times, like a train out of control. Kudos to the two authors.
When Raymond's latest victim turns out to be a lovely woman who is also related to a private detective, things begin to close in on the ever elusive Raymond. Throw in a cheating and vicious British politician who gets caught up in the action and you have all the makings of a fascinating criminal chase story and suspenseful drama.
As an author of co-written books myself, I fully understand the difficulties inherent in such an enterprise. The two authors here have combined magnificently to create a suspenseful story but also a sweet tale of family and romantic love. The juxtaposition of the murderous viciousness of Raymond Lang and the loving, morally sound, and determined private detective Alex, probably shouldn't work but it absolutely does and it is Alex's side of the story that softens the absolute horror and harshness of Raymond Lang's heinous crimes and actually makes the story readable. The idea of using two different voices for the main characters was also an inspired choice. Initially I thought it wouldn't work well but I was wrong. Having the villain Raymond Lang write in the first person drew the reader into believing they were participating alongside Lang in his violent killing spree, whereas having the other characters written in third person allowed us to take a breather from being inside that evil man's head.
I loved the fact that the authors deliberately chose to leave a wide opening for a sequel to the story and I, for one, really hope they follow up with that. Your Last Breath, as a read, was indeed a "breath" of fresh air for this jaded reader and one I can highly recommend to all and sundry. This is a cleverly written book, well edited and one that rollicks along, at times, like a train out of control. Kudos to the two authors.
You can find Your Last Breath, here on Carole Parkes' Amazon page:
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