Last Seen Alive
Authors: Carlene Thompson
| Last Seen Alive |
| Carlene Thompson |
| USA (2006) |
Chyna Greer was sixteen when her best friend, Zoey, disappeared: one
evening Zoey snuck out to the lake to meet her secret crush, and was
swallowed up forever into the warm summer night.
Chyna has recently returned to her hometown to bury her mother, and
is confronted with memories of Zoey at every turn. As Chyna delves into
the town's past, she learns that two other teenagers also went missing.
Soon Chyna's search for answers becomes a desperate race to uncover a
chilling secret that strikes at the heart of everything she holds dear,
and reveal the remorseless evil that has been hiding in plain sight.
Praise for
CARLENE THOMPSON
SHARE NO SECRETS
“Intriguing … brims with madness and creepy thrills.”
—
Romantic Times BOOKreviews
“Turns and twists make you change your mind about who the killer is and the ending is a real shocker. Get this one quick.”
—
Rendezvous
“Thompson knows how to write gripping suspense and keep readers enthralled throughout. A great mystery with thrilling intrigue.”
—
Fresh Fiction
“A chilling murder mystery with lots of twists, turns, and unexpected curves… one of the best romantic mysteries I have read … a great book that you don’t want to miss”
—
Romance Junkies
“A page-turner that will leave you on the edge of your seat… another wonderful thriller from Carlene Thompson … a must-read.”
—
A Romance Review
“An intriguing tale told in a wonderfully fresh voice. Thompson has a truly unique style that blends beautiful prose with compelling plots … this novel reads like lightning—and has the same effect on the reader … Thompson has created sharp, smart characters with motives that drive the story along. They are enough to keep the story moving at a quick pace. Her voice has a sense of rhythm and a rustic beauty that lingers in the reader’s memory.”
—
Romance Divas
“An action-filled read with plenty of twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the very end! This story is highly detailed with an array of in-depth characters that are smart, funny, and engaging.”
—
Fallen Angel Reviews
IF SHE SHOULD DIE
“A gripping suspense filled with romance. Ms. Thompson has the reader solving the mystery early in the novel, then changing that opinion every few chapters. [An] excellent novel.”
—
Rendezvous Reviews
“With engaging characters and intriguing motives, Thompson has created a smart, gripping tale of revenge, anger, and obsession.”
—
Romantic Times BOOKreviews
“If She Should Die
is a riveting whodunit!”
—
The Road to Romance
“In the tradition of Tami Hoag or Mary Higgins Clark, Thompson has created a gripping page-turner. The storyline is engaging and the characters’ lives are multi-dimensional. This is literally a book the reader will be unable to put down.”
—
Old Book Barn Gazette
BLACK FOR REMEMBRANCE
“Loaded with mystery and suspense … Mary Higgins Clark fans, take note.”
—
Kirkus Reviews
“Gripped me from the first page and held on through its completely unexpected climax. Lock your doors, make sure there’s no one behind you, and pick up
Black for Remembrancer
—William Katz, author of
Double Wedding
“Bizarre, terrifying… an inventive and forceful psychological thriller.”
—
Publishers Weekly
“Thompson’s style is richly bleak, her sense of morality complex… Thompson is a mistress of the thriller parvenu.”
—
Fear
SINCE YOU’VE BEEN GONE
“This story will keep readers up well into the night.”
—
Huntress Reviews
DON’T CLOSE YOUR EYES
“Don’t Close Your Eyes
has all the gothic sensibilities of a Victoria Holt novel, combined with the riveting modern suspense of Sharyn McCrumb’s
The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter.
Don’t close your eyes—and don’t miss this one.”
—Meagan McKinney, author of
In the Dark
“An exciting romantic suspense novel that will thrill readers with the subplots of a who-done-it and a legendary resident ghost seen only by children. These themes cleverly tie back to the main story line centering on the relationships between Natalie and Nick, and Natalie and the killer. Carlene Thompson fools the audience into thinking they know the murderer early on in the book. The reviewer suggests finishing this terrific tale in one sitting to ascertain how accurate are the reader’s deductive skills in pinpointing the true villain.”
—
Midwest Book Review
IN THE EVENT OF MY DEATH
“[A] blood-chilling … tale of vengeance, madness, and murder.”
—
Romantic Times
THE WAY YOU LOOK TONIGHT
“Thompson … has crafted a lively, entertaining read… skillfully ratchet[ing] up the tension with each successive chapter.”
—Charleston Daily Mail
ST. MARTIN’S PAPERBACKS TITLES BY
Carlene Thompson
LAST SEEN ALIVE
LAST WHISPER
SHARE NO SECRETS
IF SHE SHOULD DIE
BLACK FOR REMEMBRANCE
SINCE YOU’VE BEEN GONE
DON’T CLOSE YOUR EYES
IN THE EVENT OF MY DEATH
TONIGHT YOU’RE MINE
THE WAY YOU LOOK TONIGHT
Alive
Carlene Thompson
ST. MARTIN’S Paperbacks
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
LAST SEEN ALIVE
Copyright © 2007 by Carlene Thompson.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
ISBN: 0-312-93731-8
EAN: 978-0-312-93731-7
Printed in the United States of America
St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition / June 2007
St. Martin’s Paperbacks are published by St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To my canine and feline family Who graciously appear in my books
Thanks to Pamela Ahearn, Jennifer Weis, and The Mason County Emergency Services
Special thanks to Beverly Watterson
Sixteen-year-old Chyna Greer eased up her bedroom window. Hot July air washed over her face. Behind her, Chyna’s best friend, Zoey Simms, squealed, “I can’t believe we’re doing this!”
“I don’t think we
should
be doing this,” Chyna said. “If I get caught going to the lake at night—”
Zoey grinned. “Absolutely nothing will happen to you”
“Mom and Dad aren’t as laid-back as you think, Zoe.”
“Compared to mine, they are. The two weeks I get to spend with you every summer are the only fun I
ever
have.”
Chyna rolled her eyes. “You live in Washington, D.C., but your time in little old Black Willow, West Virginia, is the highlight of your year?”
“Getting to come here
is
the most fun I have all year because I’m with you. I’m going home day after tomorrow, so don’t be a drag, Chyna.”
Chyna looked into Zoey’s large velvety brown eyes and sighed. Although Chyna was only a few months older than Zoey, she often felt years older. Sometimes she regretted never having been the ebullient sprite that was Zoey and tried to be less “sensible” all the time, but wishing couldn’t change her personality.
Chyna didn’t have a good feeling about this trip to Lake
Manicora, but then, Chyna didn’t have a good feeling about a lot of things. Her older brother, Ned, always told her to “lighten up” and quit thinking so much. As dearly as she loved Ned, she had no idea how to stop thinking as he apparently did when he got that blank look on his face for days at a time.
Chyna pushed her long dark brown hair behind her ears, stalling. “We’re upstairs, Zoe. One of us. might fall and break a leg. How will we explain that?”
“Oh, will you chill out?” Zoey huffed. “Sometimes you sound really old, like thirty. Climbing down the rose trellis from the second floor isn’t exactly death defying. Geez!”
Zoey was getting angry. She hardly ever got angry, but she’d fallen madly in love eight days ago and since then she’d turned into a mass of swirling emotions. Zoey wouldn’t tell Chyna her beloved’s name. Chyna thought this was either because Zoey knew Chyna wouldn’t approve of the guy or because Zoey thought that secrecy made the romance more exciting. Whatever the reason, Zoey remained adamant about meeting her anonymous Romeo at the lake. “This is a romantic tryst, Chyna,” she explained hotly, “and if you won’t go with me, I’ll go alone!”
Chyna noticed Zoey’s false bravado. She was certain Zoey feared going down to the lake alone at night, but Zoey had made a promise to her mystery man and she intended to keep it.
Chyna closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She couldn’t turn her back on Zoey. After all, Zoey had been Chyna’s closest friend since forever. Their moms were best friends in college, and Zoey was even Chyna’s godsister, if there was such a thing. Chyna felt it was her duty to look after Zoey.
“We’re only going down the hill, and across the highway,” Zoey persisted, her voice taking on that sweet wooing tone most people found hard to resist coming from such a pretty girl.
“But it’s late at night and across the highway is Lake Manicora. It’s a big place, Zoey.”
“You make it sound like one of the Great Lakes.”
“It’s thirty-two acres.”
“Leave it to you to know the exact size,” Zoey snapped. “Let’s see … that would be thirty-two acres of sharks, electric eels, octopuses—”
“Octopi.”
“Excuse me. I forgot you
are
a genius.”
“I’m not a genius.”
“You just have an IQ that’s in the stratosphere. There, did I say that right?”
“You’re trying to charm me with compliments.”
“They don’t seem to be working,” Zoey said glumly as she twisted a lock of her short sandy blond hair the way she did when she was nervous. She looked frustrated enough to cry. “Look, you’re not gonna get caught. Your mom’s in bed with a headache, your dad’s working late in his study and he never checks on you anyhow, and Ned’s in his room listening to music through his headphones. No one will notice we’re gone, so are you going with me or do I go alone?” Chyna hesitated. “Okay, I’ll go by myself,” Zoey announced. “He said to, anyway.”
“Who is
he?’
