HER LAST FEW DAYS

The mysterious death of a banker is investigated in Martin’s second novel.

After completing grad school in Chicago, only child Lizzy Chapman moves home to Minnesota to be with her dad, Jim, and their dog, Nero. It’s been four months since Lizzy’s mom, Claire, died after being struck by a car. While throwing a stick near the backyard pond for Nero to fetch, Jim’s weight loss—due to cancer—causes his wedding band to fly off and land in the water. Lizzy contacts Scottish diver Ian Morrison—who has a metal detector—and asks him to search for the ring. He locates it, plus a small cylinder tied with string to the dock. As it turns out, the cylinder holds a flash drive, which he and Lizzy plug into his laptop. The drive just happens to contain records indicating fraud at the bank where Claire worked. Lizzy then visits the bank to try to glean info from her mom’s former co-workers. And soon, bad things begin happening. While Lizzy is riding with Ian, his car is run off the road, and his laptop containing the flash drive mysteriously disappears after the accident. Undaunted, Lizzy decides to dig deeper while also enjoying Ian’s company. Martin’s novel is a quick read but not quite a cozy—there are some swear words and a bit of sexting—but it’s not a bloody mess either despite some dead bodies. Early chapters begin after Claire’s death, and later chapters flash back to take us through the events leading to her demise. The characters—except for the baddies—are likable, and most conversations are relatable. Lizzy and Ian make for a cute couple, but the author’s decision to give Jim cancer seems like overkill. Environmental issues and a backstory of a big polluting factory (“Almost everyone in the area had profited one way or another from the manufacturing giant”) supply the book with a certain political timeliness.

Delivers an emotional-roller coaster ride and a gripping crime-related plot.