The Last Dead Girl (David Loogan) Paperback – October 7, 2014

In a small upstate New York town where nothing ever happens, there is a lot going on under the radar. A chance bar encounter with a girl named Jana that leads to more than a one night stand for David Malone, on the rebound from a fight with his fiancé, ends with the girl's murder. Devastated, David defies all advice, including blunt warnings from the police to "butt out", to hunt down the girl's killer, only to get himself enmeshed in a tangle of drug dealers, psychopaths and sociopaths who inhabit this seemingly idyllic community. This is a fast-paced twisting plot. Every turn encounters another character who is either clearly bent or has that potential. There are dark family secrets of depravity that are the root cause of of much of the deviant and illegal goings on. As David digs deeper and deeper into the mystery more people are killed as the killer tries to protect his secrets.The book is a fun ride. Though not very original in it's plot, the story is told in an entertaining way that not only appeals to those who love murder mysteries, but also the voyeuristic side most of us have and enjoy through this medium. I definitely recommend it to those looking for a mystery/thriller.

David Malone is your ordinary over-qualified home inspector tooling down a country highway in upstate NY who stops to help a girl in distress. From that humble beginning we are drawn into a whirlpool of strange events with even stranger characters. Dolan is the latest in a long line of "book noir" authors that runs from Arthur Conan Doyle through Raymond Chandler and Mickey Spillane, but I don't recall any of them being quite this enjoyable. What Dolan does so extremely well is provide us with richly-textured characters who spar with our hero as well as each other. In some ways the characters are the message, so that wherever the plot takes us we're happy to be along for the ride. It all seems very real, and in fact this tale fits very well when all the pieces are eventually in place. To say anything more would spoil the fun. I have listened to each of Dolan's books via CD, which seems the perfect way to take it in (with kudos to reader Michael Kramer who captures each role here). This is my third Dolan book and they seem to get better as they go, I can't think of anything I listen to on CD that works better on a long trip than this. Please enjoy.

The Last Dead Girl is one spellbinding, page turning, wonderful read. (There really are better words Stephen King!) Harry's first two books were also great reads - and unbelievably -this story is even better than the last!David is a main character that is hard not to love - but I think I love him even better as David Malone - he seems not quite so dark and much more social. His happenstance meeting with Jana begins the story.He falls in love with Jana in the 10 days they have together. After she is murdered the story begins as David tries to find out who murdered her and why. The characters filling the story are a very strange and evil group and he is the only one pursuing them. Moretti - the Detective handling the case is a mystery. Is he a good guy or is he a bad guy?I just love Dolan's writing. His characters are so well drawn, the story so good that you are Present for the action and it is darn hard to put the book down. And it is so sad when you have finished it! More more more!!!

I read at least on novel a week and this novel ranks in my top 5 of all the novels I have read over the last 25 years. It kept me guessing until the very end. The characters are very well developed and the story has some twists and turns that I don't see coming that always kept me on the edge of my seat. The main character is very complex. He makes a mistake at the beginning of the story and he ends up paying for it by losing a relationship he truly values. And in the end he loses more than that, but it also provides him with a experience that will truly help him to develop into the man he knows he must be. The telling of the story brought emotions out in me that no other novel has done in quite some time. Sadness, empathy and a desire to see the good guys win, which they don't always. This story truly changed me.

I was trying to think of the best word to describe the book and maybe compelling is the most accurate. It's not an overly complicated murder mystery, and you are revealed parts of the plot through the eyes of the killer, so it is not so much solving the crime that drew me in, but the back story leading up to the crime. Others have said that it is creepy and are turned off by the violence against women and seeing through the eyes of a psychopath. It is true that these elements exist, and can be difficult to read. At the same time, these descriptions draw you further in, learning what the victim went through, feeling what the protagonist is feeling as he learns as well. This is Dolan's strength, writing these characters and the their thoughts and feelings as the story progresses. This is a book that I had a hard time putting down, even though it's clear that there is no happy ending.

One night David Malone needs to have a break from his girlfriend Sophie when he finds out she has been unfaithful to him. He decides to go for a drive and meets by accident the beautiful and unpredictable Jane. There follows a steamy romantic interlude and when Jane is discovered dead Malone embarks on a course to reveal her killer and in so doing unleashes a spiders web of deceit, mayhem and murder. This is a fast fun read but with a list of characters I felt little sympathy for and a story line that is a little too pretentious and extreme to be taken seriously. I was pleased that I was able to require this book at a reduced "kindle" price (for a very limited period) as the present cost on Amazon is exorbitant (slightly under £12) and perhaps therefore a more appropriate description should be "highway robbery"

I came across a Harry Dolan book 'The Good Killer' in our local library and was hooked by his writing.This book 'The Last Dead Girl' is excellent and has twists throughout. A recommended author and is definitely worth following.

Eine melancholische Geschichte mit einem schockierenden Kern, den man fast nicht erträgt. Es ist an dieser Stelle schwer, weiterzulesen, aber dann ist die Geschichte auch wieder angenehm weiterzulesen. Ich kann das Buch empfehlen, ein Zwischending zwischen einem Krimi und einem Thriller. Schöne Sprache.