| Title | : | The Last Good Day |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0316098736 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780316098731 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 432 |
| Publication | : | First published May 1, 2003 |
The Last Good Day Reviews
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Seeking the safety of suburbia, Lynn and Barry Schulman fled Manhattan following 911 and moved to Riverside, New York, a slow-paced, soccer mom community where Lynn had attended high school and several of her long-time friends still resided. All seemed to be going well until the headless body of a woman surfaced on the river beside the train station, terrifying local commuters and sending the small town into turmoil.
The body turned out to be Lynn’s best friend, and the small-town detective assigned to investigate the murder was Lynn’s high school boyfriend, Mike, who still had an unhealthy flame for Lynn and a distain for the lifestyle she chose over him many years ago. The socio-economic division that existed between the multigenerational families of Riverside and the nouveau riche who’d recently claimed the town widened as the investigation of the murder proceeded.
The book got off to a fast start, rapidly building the background of the characters and the mystery surrounding the murder. I was instantly intrigued and excited about the prospect of a page turning thriller. Unfortunately, what I discovered was I would need to turn about 150 more pages before the story returned to its murder mystery roots. Much of the story was about the behind-the-scenes stress and strain faced by the upwardly mobile commuters of Riverside and how their troubled lives intersected the dead woman. You learned that life was not always as it seemed for these families – their companies were losing money, their personal histories were jaded, their relationships were suffering, and their outwardly beautiful homes were barren from within. I wondered at times if the author was writing a murder mystery or providing a documentary on the unseen family trauma associated with suburban life.
In the final third of the book, Peter Bluaner returned to the maniacal infatuation that Mike still had for Lynn, and steamy relationship Mike had pursued with the deceased woman , building him as the prime suspect in her death. Other motives and suspects quickly surfaced as the drama once again built to its thrilling conclusion.
Peter Blauner is undeniably a very talented writer and story teller. It was just a lot of the story he told in THE LAST GOOD DAY didn’t interest me, and it came at a time when I really wanted to be interested. That said, the beginning and end of the novel were suspenseful and well worth a reader’s time. -
Forgettable mystery, un-thrilling thriller
The Last Good Day, a tepid less-than-riveting mystery/thriller, is Blauner’s unsuccessful attempt at creating a believable tense backdrop of New York suburban life shortly after September 11, 2001. While some parts of the storyline ‘hold water’, the majority of the novel lays fallow and unfortunately fails to deliver on almost every level imaginable.
The various not-so-subtle references to 9-11 are not apropos to the plot, and as a result, appear to be a flimsy attempt to draw curious readers possibly scouting for terrorist intrigue. The shallow two-dimensional, and often gutter-mouthed, characters fail to engage the reader, and only highlight the carelessly constructed plot which is neither absorbing or captivating.
Is it just me or does Last Good Day read like a tacky made-for-TV movie? It certainly meets all the criteria, which seem blatantly placed there to appeal to the so-called ‘trendy’…far too melodramatic, ladder-climbing elitists, gratuitous severity, and obscenities too proliferate to excuse. Take my advice and give this one a pass.
Any redeeming qualities to the novel? The photo on the cover is nice…
- reviewed for Time Warner books -
This book took me awhile to really get
Into it, but when I did-I really enjoyed it. I was drawn into each characters life and could relate to where the story took place as I lived in Northern NJ for 10 yrs. I was surprised at the way it ended but thought it was very appropriate in the way the author played it out. Will read more books by this author as I like his style. -
In a small coastal Hudson river community a murder hangs over the heads of the residents, while a cloud of smoke still hangs over Ground Zero and New York City. I can still remember the weeks following 9/11 and the author really hits the nail on the head and puts into perspective the overall sense of dread and paranoia. This is the third book I have read by Blauner, when it comes to writing believable characters that seem like you someone you would pass on the street, he is second only to Stephen King. This book is what seems a murder mystery in a small Hudson town in the days following 9/11, but it is filled with a solid cast of characters each with their own backstory and motives just below the surface. I wont give anything away, but this is certainly Blauner's best I have read so far.
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I read this based on the recommendation of a FB friend. For ther first 200 pages, the plot, about modern subruban life, drags. I was tempted to fuggedabod it, but decided to stay with it.
The pace picked up after the primary story focused on the crime and it drew me in as the pages quikly paased.
Nevertheless, I didn't appreciate the author's constant device of excessive descriptions of characters and/or their thoughts being compared to the obvious.
I had planned on reading another of the auhor's books, but I'm passing. -
Murder tears a Hudson Valley suburb apart. Blauner is a very good writer with a keen eye for social nuances and a fierce wit. He gets the era of economic slump and post 9/11 alarms and false pieties just right. The characters and settings are more interesting than the plot, which delves into adultery behind the suburban façade in ways that are not as titillating as they used to be.
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I tried, I even put it down and picked it back up but it could not hold my interest at all.
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the polt doubtless is enganing
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I heard so many good things about this book, so I was really disappointed when I just could not get into it. It was just hard for me to get through because I found it to be unengaging and dull.
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DA100000004330
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Read in 2003. A vivid and powerfully imagined thriller. One of my favorites that year.
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The least compelling of the works of a superb, spellbinding author.
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ملاحظة لي: لم اقرا الكتاب بعد
مقترح من ستيفين كينغ -
An interesting story but the characters seem a little off.
When a headless corpse is discovered floating in the waters, commuters soon discover she's a local who grew up with nearly everyone involved in the police investigation.
Like a cop who lives too much in his past and a best friend who doesn't realize harassment charges against the cop will bring out her own dirty laundry. Even the police chief knows her. Then there's his problem of suspecting the cop (who was passed over for the chief's job), who's also a friend, but trying to be impartial. The chief is the most sympathetic character.
The ending wrapped up loose ends but it left me dissatisfied. I won't say why since it'd be a spoiler. I will say that anyone who likes their mysteries dark, this one fits the bill. -
Most of the thrillers I read are told from the prospective of the police of PI that is investigating the case. This story is told by all the friends and family of the victim. I liked the characters I felt like they were pretty well drawn and I understood where they were coming from most of the time. The problem that I had with the story was that it seemed like the author didn't know where he was going with the story toward the end and made someone the killer and ended it. I did read this pretty quickly and would recommend this to those who like murder lite.
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Trite and stereotyped. Women are all portrayed as vicious status seekers who rip the souls out of men. The whodunnit is not obvious, until it is, but the author gives you nothing to surmise the murderer, and the ending is a "where did that come from" shoot em up and let the bodies fall where they may. Sigh. For a good summer read, with a believable plot and interesting (and believable) character, where the ending doesn't feel like a movie blocking shot--I am still waiting.
Perhaps it is time to give up on the junk reading and Bring up the Bodies. -
Total one-night stand but like his style enough to look at others he has written. Surprised to see pub date as it was on the new books shelf at my local library...trite and crappy ending and cliche characters but language use was occasionally awesome and he captured the creepy-stalker-ex -boyfriend -now-deranged-cop vibe perfectly.
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I stumbled onto Peter Blauner through one of his TV episodes and I'm glad I did. A terrific writer, and this book is an outstanding example, though not quite as riveting his his Edgar-winning debut Slow Motion Riot. The characters are rich and deep, the story is full of surprises, and the pace driven.
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I think it's meant to be a thriller, but it's more like a bit of sensationalist authoring.
Plot goes over-the-top with the evil guy being evil, and the straight arrow being straight and all sacrifice-y.
Pass on this one. -
Exciting ending. I was afraid the author was taking me on a wild goose chase, but not so. The plot strings were tied together at the end, The beginning and middle had backstory and generalized action that didn’t excite or move the story along. I was satisfied at the end.
