The Last Goodbye

by Reed Arvin

Book Overview

When a down-on-his-luck attorney gets mixed up with a gorgeous singer with a secret past, it results in a volatile tale of love, betrayal and murder in the tradition of Richard North Paterson and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060555513
• ISBN13: 9780060555511
• Release Date: February 2004
• Publisher: Harper
• Length: 340 Pages
• Weight: 1.38 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.3" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

The Human Condition

The authors insights, deprecating, honest and realistic, are delivered casually, almost as if from a swing on the front porch. It is this delivery that distinguishes his prose fromt the usual run-of-the-mill writer. His specialty is desperation and hope - two emotions that seem inextricably bound. This is yet another combination police procedural/mystery/drama with a dose of romance - just my cup of tea. The hero commits a lawyer's fatal error by sleeping with a client who must then face the consequences of her actions. Years later he is a defender of the down and out whose hopeless squalid lives in the Atlanta inner city are wonderfully and bitterly portrayed. An old friend is found dead, a needle in his arm. Since he was once a drug addict the conclusion is suicide - something our hero refuses to accept. So begins the story. Through a brilliant set of circumstances we are introduced into the world of opera and one diva in particular. Of course, the two fall for each other in a searing mixture of race (she is black), adultry (she is married) and secrets (she has lots). Along the way we meet one of his clients, Nighhawk, a bitter computer hacker who helps Hammond in discovering the truth of what really happened to his friend. The beauty of the book is the way it ties everything together even if the ending is a tad rushed. Reed Arvin is a splendid writer that I would encourage everyone to read.

A very good read!

I loved this book; just read what everybody else said for a more complete description. I'd like to point three things out, though: (1) The opening chapter is delightful, for its combination of Mickey-Spillane-Plot with Wodehouse-Genteel-Language. The main character is down on his luck, but spins a beautifully sardonic line of high-flown thoughts about it all. (2) The author has a fine touch when constructing plot twists. That is, he didn't give the game away with obvious choices, or go for cheap shock value with really unlikely angles. Instead, you think you're figuring things out, but then find out you were only half-right, and the other facts are still lurking somewhere. That is, someone has been murdered--but it wasn't exactly how you thought, though you're on the right track; there's more than one obvious murder method, and more than one reasonable suspect. It kept me not just guessing but *thinking*--instead of distracting you with plot twists or red herrings, the author gives you a damn good puzzle to put together, and more than one of each piece will fit. I enjoyed trying to outguess the main character by putting things together faster than he did. (3) The book has a bitter streak, and the ending, while not altogether unhappy, still punches you in the gut. I can't say more without giving it away. It's emotionally powerful but never gets sappy or melodramatic. Good stuff. Anyway, I loved it and I'd love to see more of the author's work, with this set of characters or others. Five stars.

A must-read - incredibly intelligent novel - wowser .....

I'm not sure what's more amazing - the story of TLG itself or how Arvin has re-created himself since The Will. Not that The Will lacked anything, TLG creates a new slant on writing intelligent, edge-of-your-couch reading. Point being: Arvin has not simply created another story for Henry Matthews from The Will. The creation of Jack Hammond shows Arvin's way of approaching life, mystery and thinking from a totally separate point of view - which I think is nothing short of brilliant.Excellent reading. If you're not a fan of Arvin's, you will be soon ......

marvelous mystery with superior writing

I won't recap the plot here, since everyone does that. I bought the book because of the New York Times rave, which was well deserved. The plot is ingenious, the writing is superior, and I loved the detail about Atlanta's class structure. A great high-tech angle about two companies racing to cure hepatitis C, too. I highly recommend this book!

Spellbinding!!!

"Let me tell you" says Jack Hammond at the very beginning of one of the most intriguing novels I have read in some time. And tell us he does. He says he is doing it because confession is supposed to be good for the soul.Jack's first confession involves his downfall from a prestigioius Atlanta law firm. He is approached by a beautiful woman who begs him to accept a pro bono representation of her boyfriend who is charged with a drug crime. At first he declines but the vision of the woman remains with him and he finally asks for permission from his firm to take on the case. Once permission was granted one thing leads to another and the grateful girlfriend winds up in Jack's bed for a night of lovemaking. The boyfriend is successfully defended and thanks his girlfriend for her efforts on his behalf by beating her to death. This time he gets a bargain basement lawyer who thinks the jury might have some sympathy for his client if the fact of the amorous relationship is brought out, so Jack is subpoenaed to a deposition and the story comes out. End of job in tony Atlanta law firm.Two years later...he is trolling the depths of the criminal justice system as the sole practitioner in Jack Hammond and Associates when he is notified that one of his former clients has died of a drug overdose. As Jack explores the cirsumstances of the death, things do not add up and he is inexorably drawn into a mystery which has many roads, but no easy endings.Another beautiful woman surfaces as he tries to unravel the facts behind the death. Powerful forces are at work to prevent both of them from finding the answers they seek and the story weaves together like a fine rug to a powerful ending.Reed Arvin is an outstanding writer with a keen ear for diologue and the ability to tell a story in such a way that you are sorry to see the pages getting fewer. The Last Goodbye was my first exposure to this writer. It will not be the last.