Last Writes

Forensic Handwriting Mystery, Book 4

By: Sheila Lowe

Narrated by: Anna Crowe

Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's Summary

Claudia’s friend Kelly learns that she’s an aunt when her estranged half-sister, Erin, shows up at her home in desperate need of help. Erin and her husband have been living quiet lives as members of the Temple of Brighter Light in an isolated compound. But now her husband and young child have disappeared, leaving behind a cryptic note with a terrifying message.

Seizing an opportunity to use her special skills as a forensic handwriting expert, Claudia becomes one of the few outsiders ever to be invited inside the temple’s compound. She has only a few days to uncover the truth about Kelly’s missing niece before the prophecy of a secret ancient parchment can be fulfilled and a child’s life is written off for good....

©2016 Sheila Lowe (P)2022 Sheila Lowe

difficult material

These were some difficult issues for me,and I had a hard time listening to much of it. I struggled to understand the cult mentality and became frustrated and incensed with their behaviors. I enjoyed seeing Joel and Claudia in action doing their detective thing!! I voluntarily listened to a free copy of this and am giving an honest review. The narrator did a good job bringing it to life.

This one was fascinating

*Might have spoilers*

I have always loved stories about cults so, this one really drew me in. As always Ms. Lowe creates a wonderful story and the narration is good.

Good series

Loved this book! Good writing, consistent with authors style, important is a series. I definitely recommend this book!

Excellent read!

suspense, mystery, child, cults, family-dynamics, friendship

It begins with the half sister of a friend who had had a miserable childhood coming to ask for help about her husband absconding with their three year old only child. The child's mother and father are part of a seculsive fundamentalist religious organisation so the mother is conflicted about a course of action. There is a note that the father has written, but the mother is reluctant to let Claudia photocopy it for further analysis despite its red flags to the forensic graphologist. Then comes the temporary stay at the group's compound and things get really twisty and gripping. I love this author's writing and the way she makes me feel like a fly on the wall of the story's reality. Another excellent read!
I love the narrations performed by Anna Crowe!

Great story!

Great story in this great series! Keeps you guessing until the end and very pertinent to the times we live in! Great read!

I received a free copy and left my honest review

Great Read

Last Writes: Forensic Handwriting Series was a great read by Sheila Lowe. Claudia's friend Kelly finds out that she has a niece when her estranged half sister comes looking for help. Her husband has disappeared with their daughter from the Temple of Brighter Light compund that they lived on. Claudia and Kelly decide to go to the compound to look into the disappearance and what is truly going on there. Thsi was a great read by Shelia Lowe and I can't wait to read more in this series.

Another fascinating mystery for Claudia to tackle.

Last Writes is the fourth book in the Forensic Handwriting mystery series, but it can be read as a standalone. That said, I highly recommend all the books in the series as well as anything written by Sheila Lowe. Last Writes not only gives readers the fun of spending time with Claudia Rose as she forensically examines handwriting, but it offers an interesting view into the life of a religious cult. After attending a meeting at which a highly charismatic speaker tries to encourage members of the audience to join his religious cult, Claudia is approached by said leader to examine handwriting samples by some of the cult's members. This works perfectly into Claudia's plans because her friend Kelly and she were trying to infiltrate the cult to find Kelly's missing three year old niece. Thus begins a mystery with plenty of foreshadowing and misdirection as well as an intriguing look into the psyches of and daily living for cult members.

As with all of her mysteries, Lowe intermixes fascinating facts about handwriting analysis with twists and turns as Claudia attempts to solve the mystery of the missing child as well as the ambiguous and potentially frightening intentions of the cult leadership. Although Claudia's police detective boyfriend wasn't as present as in some of her stories, Claudia continued to consult with him throughout her stay at the cult compound. Their relationship is one of my favorite parts of this series, and I continue to enjoy what an amazing, supportive and loving couple they make. I have listened to all of the books available in the series on Audible, and I can hardly wait until book two is released. I highly recommend Last Writes to any mystery fan.

Anna Crowe narrates most of the books in this series, and she is an incredibly talented narrator. I thought she handled the delivery of Last Writes especially well. This book was a little spookier than some of the others with the overall creepy feeling of the cult, and Crowe does a great job of enhancing the author's description of these more frightening events. Crowe's performance is flawless, and she differentiates subtly but well between characters.

I received a copy of this audiobook at my request in exchange for this honest review.

A race against time

Claudia Rose finds herself in a race against time to save a three year old girl from an unknown fate in a religious cult. Together with her friend Kelly, she goes undercover to find out where the child is. Along the way we see how cults recruit their members and ultimately control their lives. Anna Crowe's narration is spot-on, helping to keep my interest throughout.
I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

life is never boring for Claudia and Jovanich

Life is never boring for handwriting expert, Claudia, and her boyfriend, LAPD Detective Jovanich, but will Claudia get out of this latest escapade alive? This time Claudia is helping her best friend Kelly. Kelly has just discovered that, not only does she have a half sister, but that sister is seeking her help to locate her 3yo daughter. The kicker...the 3 yo and her father are members of a cult living in the hills of California. Claudia and Kelly go undercover in the compound, using Claudia's handwriting expertise...turns out that the cult leader would like her assistance is reading applications to determine who is honestly trying to become members of the cult. When Kelly is drugged and things begin to go wrong, can Claudia save herself and Kelly while still getting to the truth behind the missing girl?
Another good book in the series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Great read, great series

My fourth read from author Sheila Lowe and the fourth book in the Forensic Handwriting Series. Good, well-written mystery, with every book she writes Lowe continues to sculpt her craft and gets better & better. The characters likable & attention holding. The plot and the sub-plot were both well-developed. I'll definitely be reading more in this series. Narrator Anna Crowe adds to the book's enjoyability with her excellent narration. I was given an Audible copy of this book & I’m voluntarily reviewing it. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).

Religious cult theme

Having enjoyed the first 3 books in the series I looked forward to listening to this one too. To be honest I didn’t enjoy it as much as the previous novels. In part that may have been due to the subject matter as the theme of religious cults really makes my blood boil, though I’m fine with murder and killings etc in novels, so what does that say about me?

Anyway, once I got into the story I quite enjoyed it. I did work out many of the details and mysteries very early on and knew what was coming so no surprises when it all happened as expected. I can’t say it was entirely believable either as some of Kelly’s, Claudia’s and even Joel’s actions or inaction seemed a little far-fetched but maybe my bias against the cult theme just played on those negative vibes and made me view it differently.

In the end though I’m glad I read it and look forward to the next in the series.

I was given a free copy of this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review.

Great

I enjoyed listening to Anna Crowe.

Claudia Rose is a handwriting expert. A great plot, we have religious cult and a isolated compound.

A great plot with twists and a great pace.

brilliant.

Brilliant mystery adventure a page turner

Absolutely loving this series a new author for me but an amazing author, and the narration is brilliant love all the main characters

Fascinating lead character

Another fast paced and exciting novel from Sheila Lowe, with the added plus that the main character Claudia Rose uses her handwriting analysis skills to help solve the mystery. Again, the hero is an intriguing and multifaceted character - Harold Steadman, who leads a religious cult. We are given some insight into what drives him to be the man he has become and finding out more kept me turning the pages, metaphorically of course as I was listening on Audible.

Gripping

This was gripping right up to the end. Super scary to think that these things can happen. Well written to keep you going to find out what next!

Nothing stays secret for long in the Ark.

Kelly's long lost sister, Erin, wants her help: her little daughter, Kylie, has gone missing, presumed taken by her father. It was the first time Kelly learned that she had a nice and the little girl was almost three. Erin had been married to the father for six years. At first, they had been missionaries but after the baby's birth, had been recalled to live in the Ark, the main centre of the Temple of Brighter Light, the religious sect which had taken in Erin when she was still quite young.
Kelly, and her forensic Handwriting expert friend, Claudia Rose, agree to help find the child and return her to her mother so secure invitations to stay at the Ark for a few days to try to find the father's whereabouts. And why he'd taken his little girl, if indeed it was him.

The detailed information about determining character from notes and other handwriting is fascinating, but the story is fairly predictable, sadly. The character of Claudia is quite well developed, given that this is the fourth book in the series and much of the personality work has been covered earlier. Kelly, however, is much more unlikely - a promiscuous, hard drinking, foul mouthed solicitor doesn't really sit too well in context - but there are a couple of nice cameos of other members of the church. The narrator, Anna Crowe, helps breathe life into the various protagonists, and her reading has expression and is pleasant to hear.

There is a lot to enjoy in this book, and it is refreshing to find cult members described as contented and, mostly, normal ordinary people but there seemed to be too much rushing around to little effect towards the end and mystery planted where none needed to exist. Nevertheless, Last Writes is well written and perfkrmed, and is a quick and easy read with fascinating handwriting revelations. My thanks to the rights holder who, at my request, freely gifted me with a complimentary copy via Audiobook Boom..

Last Writes!

Sheila Lowe captured my attention with Last Writes. The premise of this book is both fascinating and terrifying. Cults have ahold of people like drugs affect others. The imagery in this book was so well done. I could envision so many details. I love the science behind the forensic handwriting. This story kept me on my toes with all of its twists and turns. Anna Crowe was wonderful bringing the characters to life. I could hear exactly who was speaking. I did not see the ending coming, which is kudos to the author. Awesome listen!

Magnificent!!

The science behind the hand writing analysis is true and incredible!! I was intrigued from beginning to end! Never was I lost, bored, or unhappy with any of the story! Absolutely love this book. Definitely added to the "favorites" list!