| Title | : | The Last Woman in the Forest |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0399587047 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780399587047 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 352 |
| Publication | : | First published March 5, 2019 |
Marian Engström has found her true calling: working with rescue dogs to help protect endangered wildlife. Her first assignment takes her to northern Alberta, where she falls in love with her mentor, the daring and brilliant Tate. After they’re separated from each other on another assignment, Marian is shattered to learn of Tate’s tragic death. Worse still is the aftermath in which Marian discovers disturbing inconsistencies about Tate’s life, and begins to wonder if the man she loved could have been responsible for the unsolved murders of at least four women.
Hoping to clear Tate’s name, Marian reaches out to a retired forensic profiler who’s haunted by the open cases. But as Marian relives her relationship with Tate and circles ever closer to the truth, evil stalks her every move.…
The Last Woman in the Forest Reviews
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The Last Woman in the Forest Diane Les Becquets is a 2019 Berkley publication.
A beautifully written, purely intellectual, psychological thriller!
Marian Engström works with rescue dogs to help protect endangered species. Stationed in Alberta, she falls in love with Tate, her mentor. However, her happiness is short-lived when Tate dies tragically.
Her grief soon turns to fear, as evidence surfaces that suggests Tate could be a serial killer. Torn between needing to know the truth and needing to believe Tate is the man she thought him to be, she seeks advice from retired Forensic Profiler, Nick Shepard.
Is it possible the man she loved was a murderer? Was Tate guilty?
Before I got around to reading this book, several of my GR’s pals had already left reviews, and the results were a mixed bag. One of the chief complaints seems to be the pacing, with ‘slow burn’ being the phrase du jour.
I was a little concerned, because my attention span, like most us, has suffered a hit because of the pandemic. But, of course, as is so often the case, I came away with an entirely different experience- I just have to be an outlier. LOL!
As our moods shift, in response to how the world has suddenly changed, it is hard to stay focused on reading sometimes. A slow moving novel is probably not the best prescription under the circumstances, but for some reason, the pacing didn’t bother me one whit.
Honestly, I found the book to be very suspenseful, just not in the traditional way most thrillers are designed. In many ways this plot device reminded me of ‘The Pilot’s Wife’, where after a significant other becomes a possible suspect, scenes from the past suddenly develop new connotations. Memories surface in which the clues one should have picked up on, are either explained away, ignored, or passed by unnoticed. It’s an effective approach, if done with careful planning and in moderation.
Marian is looking back over her relationship with Tate, seeing things through a different lens, that of hindsight. No, this is not an action- packed nail biter, with loads of plot twists. It’s more subtle, cerebral, and psychological. Marian and Nick are both analyzing Tate- but from different angles. Nick is experienced, clinical, and is not as emotionally invested in the findings the way Marian is.
Marian, however, is relying on her personal experiences with Tate, looking at possible alternate suspects, while questioning her own judgment.
Adding to the story is the atmosphere that the landscape and vivid scenery provide. It’s invigorating, but very dangerous, and makes the perfect backdrop for this story. I was able to put myself in this environment, which helped me experience things the ways Marian did.
It was quite unnerving, to be honest. I couldn’t imagine being in her shoes, thinking I had been close to such a cunning, cold blooded murderer, and might have narrowly escaped the same fate as Tate's alledged victims. I’d also want to find some evidence that my suspicions were wrong, because the alternative is too horrible to contemplate.
As Nick’s insights penetrate, so do questions about Nick, his health, his past, and his ability to read Tate. His findings are interesting, and as Marian's awakening slowly mounts, so does the suspense.
While I was busy thinking and rethinking all the angles, a huge turn of events in the last few chapters of the book took me completely off guard!!!
Once I finished the book and my pulse returned to normal, I had one more surprise in store, via the author’s note at the end. Be sure to read that note because it explains some things in the book, once again causing one to reflect on things in hindsight.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It is a different approach for a crime novel. While I wouldn’t want ALL of my books to use this format, it was a nice change of pace. It is a very well-written book, and I do hope future readers of this novel will give it a fair chance- because good things really do come to those who wait!!
4 stars -
Marian Engström works with rescue dogs to help protect endangered wildlife - wolf, moose, and caribou. She loves her job, she loves being a dog handler and she loves the outdoors. Through the course of her work, she falls for her mentor, Tate. Everything seems to be great until Tate is killed while working on an assignment. Shortly after his death, Marian begins to wonder about some of the things Tate has told her, something doesn't feel right. Tate often embellished his tales,and yet kept his personal thoughts and feelings to himself. Marian begins to wonder, if perhaps Tate was not the nice guy, she thought him to be. What was the truth? What was made up? What was a lie? Could Tate be responsible for the unsolved murders of young women? Tate seemed to know details about the cases...how would he know? Soon she enlists the help of a retired forensic profiler, Nick, who would love to solve the murders of the young women.
The opening scene with the woman needing help got my attention right away. From there the book took a slower route and the reader is introduced to the characters and given wonderful descriptions of nature and wildlife. We learn in detail about Marian's work and her thoughts about working with the dogs. The descriptions of nature are vivid and wonderful, I did wish that more attention was given to the characters in this book. I would have liked to have seem them developed a little more.
There are beautiful passages in this book. The writing is top notch, but this book was a little on the slower side for me. I would have liked more feelings of dread and suspense in this book. The book does jump around a little bit in time both before and after Tate's death. There are a couple of twists here and there which keep the book moving.
Overall a beautifully written book but I wanted the characters to be fleshed out a little more and the pace of the novel to be a little faster. As I mentioned, I would have loved a little more suspense.
Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss who provided me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. -
Slow burning, descriptive & eerily entertaining!
THE LAST WOMAN IN THE FOREST by DIANE LES BECQUETS is an interesting, enjoyable, and chilling tale that immediately grabbed my attention and held steadily throughout. Being from Alberta, Canada & visiting Montana often I absolutely loved the outdoor & wilderness backdrop to this story.
DIANE LES BECQUETS delivers a character driven, atmospheric, slow-moving, intriguing and well-written read here that I wouldn’t necessarily say was all that suspenseful or gripping but the vividly descriptive details, the remote setting and the animals within this story made for quite the exciting, fascinating and intriguing read.
So we are pretty much privy to what was happening and who we should be suspicious of quite early on but the execution and the unfolding is what intrigues and grips the reader. It definitely didn’t interfere with my reading experience or hinder my enjoyment for the story at all.
The story is told through multiple timelines and perspectives from our main character’s Marian, and a retired forensic profiler Nick. I really enjoyed the character of Nick and felt like we were actually put right into the investigation along with himself and Marian. His insight into the motivations and behaviour of a psychopath was extremely interesting and fascinating to read.
* Traveling Sisters Read *
Norma’s Stats:
Cover: Beautiful, intriguing, eye-catching, haunting, appealing, isolating and an extremely fitting representation to storyline. I absolutely love the look and feel of this novel!
Title: Intriguing, haunting and an extremely fitting representation to storyline. Love this title!
Writing/Prose: Engaging, beautifully and descriptively written.
Plot: Slow-building, steadily paced, fascinating, thought-provoking and powerful.
Ending: A predictable outcome that left me feeling totally satisfied and pleased.
Overall: I didn’t necessarily find this a thrilling read but I did rather enjoy the mystery, atmosphere and setting making this a great reading experience and escape! Would recommend!
Thank you so much to Elisha at Berkley Publishing and Diane Les Becquets for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a review! I thoroughly enjoyed the reading experience!
Review can also be found on our blog:
https://twosisterslostinacoulee.com/ -
What would you do if you found out you were in love with a serial killer???
This was a wild story packed with gorgeous imagery and beautiful words. Diane Les Becquets has an amazing way with words, she really brought the wildlife setting and the tension in the story to life. I truly felt as though I was in the middle of nowhere with Marian. The feel of the trees, the smell of the dirt, and the sounds of the animals all leapt off the pages. The tension was palpable especially in the last 10% of this book, yikes!
This was a slow burning thriller. Marian is working as a conservationist when she meets Tate. Marian is working for an oil company studying the impact oil has on wildlife. Tate is her superior, but that does not stop her from falling for him. After the study is over Tate and Marian are sent to work in separate locations, and that is when Tate meets his unfortunate demise. Marian is devastated at first, but then she starts to realize some things just don’t add up. As she begins piecing the puzzle together she begins to wonder if Tate was a killer? She then contacted a retired FBI profiler and so the investigation begins...
This book was cleverly structured, I liked how time jumped around as Marian looked back on her relationship with Tate. I am fascinated by FBI profiling so I really enjoyed that bit. All the dogs were wonderful and I loved their bonds with their humans. The flashback scenes with the serial killer and his victims were disturbing and brutal. The tension throughout the story really kept me on the edge, and the ending had my heart racing. My only little niggle with the book is the characters weren’t as well drawn as I would’ve liked.
A vividly constructed tale, A slow burner fraught with tension. Recommend
🎵🎵🎵 Song Running Through My Head
I can't seem to face up to the facts
I'm tense and nervous and I can't relax
I can't sleep 'cause my bed's on fire
Don't touch me I'm a real live wire
Psycho Killer
Qu'est-ce que c'est
Fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-far better
Run run run run run run run away oh oh
Psycho Killer
Qu'est-ce que c'est
Fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-far better
Run, run, run, run, run, run, run, away oh oh oh
Yeah yeah yeah yeah!
You start a conversation you can't even finish it
You're talking a lot, but you're not saying anything
When I have nothing to say, my lips are sealed
Say something once, why say it again?
Psycho Killer
Qu'est-ce que c'est
Fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-far better
Run run run run run run run away oh oh oh
Psycho Killer
Qu'est-ce que c'est
Fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-far…
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bM9SHDN...
*** Big thanks to Berkley for my copy of this book *** -
Marian is a conservation worker, globe-trotting from one assignment to another. Her latest contract takes her deep into the Oil Sands region of Northern Alberta Canada to study the effects of the oil industry on local wild-life habitats. It’s here she meets and falls for her mentor, Tate. But what may have developed into a beautiful love story will take a tragic turn.
Fully aware of the string of unsolved murders of women in the area, Marian enlists the help of a retired forensic profiler to help answer some deeply troubling questions.
Tate has spun some intriguing stories about finding a body. Any truth to it? Or was this just another of his many self-serving fantasies?
For her own peace of mind...she’s just got to know.
This is a slow-burn of a thriller. The writing is very descriptive, and at times the vast amount of detail made it a bit difficult to focus on the overall story-line. But there were enough strategically placed pieces of the puzzle laid out to keep me on the path to a satisfying conclusion.
A buddy read with Susanne!
Thank you to Elisha at Berkley Publishing Group for an ARC to read and review. -
My sincere thanks to Netgalley, Author, Diane Les Becquets and Berkley Publishing Group for the privilege to read an ARC of this novel to be published May 2019.
Since reading Diane Les Becquets' Breaking Wild, published in 2016, I have been impatiently waiting for a new book. I even went so far as to contact her to see when I might expect that event. Granted the privilege to read the ARC of her latest work, The Last Woman In The Forest, made my day.
I wondered if Les Becquets would continue the characters in Breaking Wild. Though this is not the case, all that I loved about that book is present here. The themes of wilderness adventure, rescue dog training, strong female character, survival technique, the beauty of nature, and the great outdoors continue and come alive in Les Becquets' powerful writing.
Marian Engström, joins a conservation study group in the northern Rockies. She is intrigued with the K9's for Conservation, rescue dogs, that lead her way to scat specimens for a study to prevent a dwindling population of wolf, caribou and moose. She soon realizes she would prefer being a dog handler rather than her orienteering role. She also finds herself falling for the handler on her team, Tate, a relationship not without some issues. Tate is a hard man to read, holding his thoughts and emotions close.
When Tate is killed in a bear attack, Marian begins to wonder if Tate was truthful with her or if their relationship was full of deceit. Tate seemed a storyteller, often embellishing tales, making it hard for Marian to know what was truth or fantasy. One of these is a cold case involving several deaths of women. Marian cannot ignore the questions she has regarding Tate's knowledge of the killings. Could she have loved a serial killer? To prove his innocence Marian collaborates with a forensic profiler.
The plot had its hiccups for me but I easily forgave these for the journey, a wilderness I can only imagine. The breathtaking, and beautifully written passages made this a winner. As in Breaking Wild, Les Bescquets writes from the heart and her own experiences to bring this story to life. My only regret is the wait to see what Diane Les Becquets writes next. -
3 Stars
What do you do when you discover that everything you thought you knew was a lie? When you find out that the man you loved and lost may not have been who you thought he was? You investigate.
Marian is a conservationist who is most at home in nature, working with rescue dogs. On assignment in Alberta, Canada, she meets Tate, her new mentor who teaches her how to identify caribou, moose and wolf, based on their scat specimens and how to protect endangered wildlife. The two grow close and she eventually falls for him. Then Tate is killed while away on assignment and everything goes awry - life as Marian knows it goes up in flames.
As it turns out, while Tate was still alive, women were murdered over the course of several years and he is now the main suspect. Marian, of course, doubts everything she ever knew about him and their relationship. Retired forensic profiler Nick Shepard begins investigating at her request and what he discovers terrifies both of them.
“The Last Woman in the Forest” by Diane Les Becquets is a character driven thriller told in a few different timelines. Though I felt like it moved at a snail’s pace at times and included a myriad of details about scat specimens (which became a tad unnecessary), I appreciated the beautiful descriptions of the land, the wilderness and of course, the dogs. The suspense leading up to whether or not Tate was responsible for the killings of the women was palpable and held my interest even though the pace of this suspense novel was on the slow side.
This was another buddy read with Kaceey.
Thank you to Elisha at Berkley Publishing Group and to Diane Les Becquets for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Published on Goodreads on 3.3.19. -
Do you ever truly know the one you love?
When Marian receives an opportunity to work as a dog handler for a biological study researching endangered species in the remote Northwest, she jumps at the opportunity.
It is perfect for her. The freedom and beauty of the outdoors, working with dogs and ultimately being able to help the species they are studying.
Before she knows it, she is there, trying to fit in and adjust to her new lifestyle. Her mentor and trainer, Tate, is an attractive man with a strong personality, and as often happens they end up falling in love.
Ultimately, assignments end up taking them in different directions however, and once separated, Tate dies in a freak accident. Marian is devastated and wants to find out all she can about the circumstances leading up to his death.
Unfortunately, as she is looking into his past, she begins to discover startling inconsistencies about who he told her he was. She begins to harbor great suspicion that Tate may have been involved in the disappearances and murders of multiple women taking place in the area of their studies.
In fact, her feelings are so strong, she ends up contacting the now retired criminal profiler, Nick, who worked the unsolved cases. Between the two of them, the reality of Tate's life and deeds are slowly pieced together for the reader.
Told in alternating perspectives between Marian, Nick and the killer's victims, this slow-burn thriller captures perfectly the horror of one man's deeds set against the beauty and ferocity of nature. I really enjoyed the setting of this and this nature of Marian's work was also very interesting.
While the narrative was a bit slow, I think the story itself was very well pieced together. It was horrifying for poor Marian to realize how close she slept to death.
I felt for her and ended up really enjoying her character as a person; Nick as well.
The scenes told from the victim's perspectives are very dark and graphic but felt truthful and disturbingly real. The more I sit and think about this story, the stronger my appreciation for it grows.
Initially, I was thinking this would be a 3-star for me but after reading the Author's Note and really thinking about what she had to say, and the courage it took to write it, I bumped it up to 4-stars. I did really enjoy this and would definitely read more from this author.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley Books, for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review. As always, I appreciate the opportunity! -
3 stars. A chilling and atmospheric journey.
Marian Engstrom works with rescue dogs, traveling to the most remote and uninhabited parts of the world to help protect endangered wildlife. She falls in love with her team leader, Tate, making her feel the happiest she has ever been. When Tate is found dead, Marian is devastated but also curious to learn more about his secretive past. What she finds out will make her question everything about the man she loved.
I enjoyed learning about Marian’s job responsibilities, living accommodations while on the job and her way of coping with the isolation. It would take a very brave and adventurous person to do the job she did. Throughout the novel, I had a hard time fully immersing myself in this story as the detailed descriptions overshadowed the narrative. Instead of intensifying the story, I found the overly detailed descriptions took away from the story progressing and my interest wavered. I liked the characters and their individual stories, but didn’t feel a true connection to any of them. The Victim reports were a nice touch to break up chapters.
Overall, this was an interesting read that kept me curious to the end. Thank you to Edelweiss and Berkley for providing me with an ARC to read and review! -
A chilling first chapter gave this one a pretty suspenseful beginning, but overall it was more of a slow burn.
Les Becquets writes beautifully and captures the descriptions of the forest setting and the atmosphere perfectly. I could easily picture the terrain, the wildlife and surroundings. The Protagonist, Marian Engström goes to Canada to work with rescue dogs for a project and ultimately meets Tate, who she "connects" with. She begins to fall for him, but things don't go well for him when he meets a bear.
Alternating between two timelines, Marion's work in the wildlife research group and later, her investigation into her fears about Tate being a psychopath. The other timeline follows the serial killer as he apprehends his victims ( scary and disturbing stuff).
All the details about Marion's job/work assignment really slowed the pace down more than I would have liked. I also wanted to feel more for Marion. I was interested in finding out more about Tate and wanted to know if Marion's suspicions would lead to any conclusions.
Fans of more descriptive, atmospheric reads will likely enjoy this one. It does remind us that trusting strangers could be a deadly mistake.
Thanks to the publisher for my review copy! This one comes out 3/5/2019 -
Something quite different with its atmospheric descriptions!
Marian Engstrom is working with rescue dogs to protect wildlife. It’s her dream job, and she travels to northern Alberta only to fall in love with her mentor, Tate.
Marian is on a different assignment, away from Tate, when she finds out about his tragic death. On top of that, things start falling into place that suggest Tate may have been responsible for murdering four women.
Marian hires a forensic profiler to help prove Tate’s innocence and solve the murders, but as Marian gets closer to the truth, a darkness surrounds her.
The Last Woman in the Forest is a slow builder with beautiful writing easily bringing to mind the majestic landscape. I found the twists surprising, the overall the plot was chilling, and the back and forth timeline only added to the suspense. Overall, I recommend this creepy, original, atmospheric thriller.
I received a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
My reviews can also be found on my blog:
www.jennifertarheelreader.com -
First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Diane Les Becquets, and Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.
Diane Les Becquets presents readers with an interesting thriller that straddles two timelines to potentially track a serial killer’s path. Marian Engström loves working with tracking dogs and has been employed on a number of sites to locate movement patters of a number of animals. While on a site in Northern Alberta, Marian meets Tate, one of the coordinators. Their connection is strong and they grow closer at a rapid pace. During one of their post-coital chats, Tate reveals that he’s seen a dead body while on the job, one of the victims of the Stillwater Killer, a serial murderer who has been targeting women across the western United States. In a flash forward segment, Marian approaches one of the long-time investigators of the Stillwater Killer, Nick Shepard, to reveal this information. In a constant flip-flop between the present day and months ago, the reader discovers the ongoing closeness that Marian and Tate find, as well as the current investigations that Nick uncovers as he pokes around this Tate revelation. What follows is a series of coincidences that neither Marian and Nick can ignore, especially as they relate to Tate’s whereabouts during four concentrated killings over the past few years. When Nick delivers some of his chilling news, Marian can only wonder if she really knew the man she came to love and what her role might have been in the larger web Tate wove for himself. A chilling tale that keeps the reader wondering until the pieces all begin to fit together. A decent read, recommended to those who like criminal thrillers with a nature flavouring.
Having never read Diane Les Becquets before, I was not sure what I might expect, though the dustcover blurb did pull me in quickly. The premise of the story worked for me and I felt a strong connection to the characters throughout. Marian proves to be an interesting protagonist, whose passion for dogs and nature seeps from her in many ways. The reader is able to learn much about her through the actions she takes in camp and the conversations she has with others. That she has struggled of late is not lost on the attentive reader, though there is much to be said for her passion to do right by those around her, human and canine alike. Others within the story offer interesting flavours, particularly Tate and Nick, pushing the story in interesting directions to keep the reader wondering what is going on. I can only surmise that Les Becquets was trying to offer up an eerie sentiment with her writing, which succeeded as she spun a wonderful tale for all to discover. While the story was strong, it seemed somewhat disordered. I understand the concept of flashbacks and revelations, but there seemed a jilted ‘ping-pong’ effect, bouncing the reader through trying to keep information straight. I found it somewhat confusing to continue the flip-flop, especially as the revelations could have been revealed in ‘real time’ and then a few small remembrances used to refresh the reader’s memory. Les Becquets does offer something interesting when speaking of the stories related to the murder victims, drawn loosely on some of her own experiences. While the preface was the tale of one such young woman, there are summary chapters to give the reader a better understanding of how the other women met their demise and what choices they might have made. Quite effective on the writer’s part and it keeps the reader connected throughout. A decent piece whose only downfall is what I felt to be a lack of smoothness in its narrative delivery based on chronology.
Kudos, Madam Les Becquets, for your great piece that really gets to the core of a chilling tale. I would like to try some more of your work to see if it is as intriguing.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge:
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/... -
Marian Engström is a dog handler who works with rescue dogs, to help protect endangered wildlife. She loves her job, the challenges it presents, and the places it takes her. Also she falls in love with Tate, an experienced, long time dog handler, who becomes not only her mentor but her lover. Tate enjoys relating stories of his past jobs, his past life, and people from his past. At times, some of the stories that Tate tells Marian, spark a tiny bit of doubt in her mind, of the validity of what Tate relates to her. And then Tate is killed by a bear and Marian feels compelled to look deeper into Tate’s past before she can feel at ease with the memories of her relationship with him.
Marian contacts Nick, a retired forensic profiler, who is dealing with brain cancer and who also is lost in the memories of the women who died violently, whose murders he couldn’t solve. Marian is hoping what she learns from Nick can help her eliminate Tate as a suspect in a series of women’s deaths. Nick’s heart hurts for the dead woman and for Marian, who he considers a victim of the damage a serial killer does to more than just those who died.
I enjoyed the details we learn from Nick, concerning the mind of a psychopathic murderer of women and how that murderer will manipulate events and people to fit the crimes he plans to commit. Marian is a strong, independent woman who is made to feel incompetent and doubtful by her controlling boyfriend. The book moves slowly but I felt tension for the safety and sanity of Marian, because she knows she’s been manipulated in some way, by her dead boyfriend. Still she loved him and doesn’t want to think her their relationship was a lie or that he could be a serial killer.
The only thing that bothered me about the book was the detail that went into the serious injury of one of the rescue dogs. I had to walk away for a while, to let my feelings settle. I know I’m reading about murdered women and I can deal with the story of the women, in a distanced way, but the insertion of the animal injury, in such detail, almost stopped me from going on. But the author handled the resolution of the dog’s situation in a very satisfactory way for me and for that I am thankful.
After the book was finished the author goes into the process she went through to write the book and how various people and the things she learned from them, helped her to develop the characters and the story. I enjoyed that insight into the creation of the book and knowing how she gathered her information and developed her ideas, added to my enjoyment of the book.
Thank you to First to Read for this digital advanced read copy and allowing me to give my honest review of this book. -
The opening chapter to Diane Les Becquet’s The Last Woman in the Forest is positively chilling! From the moment I read it, I seriously couldn’t put the book down. I wouldn’t say this is an action-fueled thriller, but it is absolutely a plot-driven thriller. As I read clue after clue, I needed to understand how the pieces would come together. Outstanding and powerful—this thriller is a must-read!
About the Book
Told primarily from Marian’s point of view, we see Marian’s search for answers unfold across the pages of this book. While training to be a handler for rescue dogs, Marian meets and falls in love with her mentor Tate. He makes Marian feel special and connected for the first time in her life. Marian has always felt somewhat adrift from other people. A loner. With her work with the dogs and with Tate, Marian has finally found her place in life.
But as the novel opens, Tate has died tragically. Amidst her grief, Marian starts to question small things from her time with Tate that don’t quite add up. A story he once told that she later found out can’t be true, or a moment where he was particularly distant, almost vacant when he responded to her. And then there is the story of the body her once discovered. One of the Stillwater Girls, so named for a string of four women found murdered and disposed of in the forest.
As Marian begins to suspect that Tate may be responsible for the murders of at least four women, she reaches out to a forensic profiler who worked on the case in the hopes of proving his innocence. Because how could she have fallen in love with a monster?
Reflection
Marian’s character is a mix of strong and vulnerable. The more we learn about her past with Tate, the more confusing it all becomes for both the reader and for Marian. The truth is, her memories with Tate are complicated. He shows her so much love and caring, at a time when she’s particularly in need. But then there are the tall tales he tells, which may just be the words of a man inflating the truth to impress a girl, or may speak to something more sinister…
I wondered myself what to make of Tate. Marian’s story is filled with all the wonderful moments and inconsistencies. And with the passage of time since his death and through her investigation, the rosy glasses of love come off and it is easier to separate truth from lie. But what is the lie? Could Tate have been responsible, or was it another tall tale?
The profiler Nick is such a wonderful character. I loved his story with his wife Cate, and how their relationship has been so supportive all of these years as Nick took on the worst aspects of humanity in an effort to find closure for the victims of crimes. The Stillwater Girls always stuck with Nick, the way horrific murders without conclusion often do. The first story we hear at the opening is about a woman named Natasha. And her story haunts me, more than any of the others. She’s so alone and vulnerable and kind. I don’t think I’ll soon forget Natasha’s story, brought to life by Nick.
The mystery itself completely captivated me. How do we track down the whereabouts of someone who is gone now, and who lived a non-traditional life with his research? The clues are muddled. For everything that makes Tate look innocent, another clue lends credibility to his guilt. But isn’t that the frustrating thing about this type of search? The truth is in the absence of plausible evidence that it can’t be Tate. So Marian’s search for closure feels unending. There’s always another clue to follow.
More than anything, this is a novel about our instincts. How do we learn to trust that small moment that tells us something may not be right? The author’s note at the end is vulnerable, haunting, and powerful. She talks a lot about why she wrote this book and what she wanted to convey. I won’t repeat her story, but I do encourage readers to read through to her note at the end. I will leave you with this, directly from the author:
“This novel is my attempt to address the fear and vulnerability too many women live with every day, and to encourage women to pay attention when something doesn’t feel right, to heed that small voice inside themselves.”
Thank you to Berkley for my copy, opinions are my own.
I read this with Jennifer and Berit, and we loved it! -
3.75 Stars → Marian is a conservationist who works with rescue dogs in research projects, often in very remote and dangerous locations. After her boyfriend Tate is killed on assignment, she begins to suspect that he was responsible for the unsolved murders of four young women. Marian enlists the aid of a retired criminal profiler in hopes of putting her mind to rest.
The cold, desolate, and quiet natural setting of this book added an eerie sense of dread to the story. The writing was beautiful, and the ending was not what I expected. The story jumps around quite a bit, before and after Tate's death, and also snippets from the victims leading up to their encounter with the murderer. There was a big focus on descriptions of the natural world and conservation projects which were enjoyable, though I would have liked the characters to have been fleshed out more. It was a bit slow moving for a mystery/suspense, but it held my attention and kept me guessing until the end.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book through Penguin's First to Read Program in exchange for an honest review. -
An atmospheric thriller with vivid details of the wildlife and outdoors explored by the characters and animals in the story.
This one had remarkable settings and I loved the pictures painted of the areas, some of which I’ve visited. That is always an added bonus for me. The author did a great job of bringing each area to life.
The story itself had it’s up and downs. Some spots were a little slower than I like. Still, the story was very well-written and had some very exceptional areas.
Thank you to Edelweiss, Berkley and Diane Les Becquets for this digital ARC, in exchange for my honest review!
My reviews can be found on Amazon and BN.com after publication.
My Rating: 4 ⭐️’s
Published: March 5th 2019 by Berkley
Pages: 352
Recommend: Yes
#TheLastWomanInTheForest #Edelweiss #RomanticThriller
@BerkleyPub #DianeLesBecquets
You can find the author at:
http://www.lesbecquets.com -
This book is psychological suspense, with really no suspense until the last 5% of the book. Marian and Tate become romantically involved while working together on conservation projects that involve tracking and monitoring various animals. After Tate dies, Marian begins to suspect (based on pretty much no evidence) that Tate may have been a serial killer responsible for the deaths of four young women. She enlists the help of Nick Shepard, a retired psychologist and criminal profiler who has brain cancer, to help her determine whether Tate was capable of committing these crimes. The book switches back and forth between the months before and after Tate’s death. The manner in which Tate died was withheld until almost the end of the book. I thought that was both annoying and unnecessary.
Maybe the author was too close to the subject matter. In the author’s note she mentions that she was once assaulted and that this novel is her “attempt to address the fear and vulnerability too many women live with every day, and to encourage women to pay attention when something doesn’t feel right, to heed that small voice inside themselves.” That may have been the goal, but women are threatened, stalked assaulted or killed in approximately 90% of suspense novels, and this one does not set itself apart with any special guidance or message. This book was just ok for me, but it held my interest enough for me to finish it. Marian wasn’t a very well developed character. She was pretty one-note throughout. Nick was slightly more interesting, mostly because he was dying. There were a lot of details about dog training and the work of conservationists. I can see how some people would find that process interesting and the author seems to have done a lot of research on it. Some people might be disturbed by the fact that one of the dogs is seriously and graphically injured near the beginning of the book, but that’s the only time this occurs. There are a lot of murders of women though.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. -
Marian learns about four unsolved murders, and wonders if her recently deceased boyfriend, Tate, could have been involved with them. She finds it difficult to reconcile the man she loved with him also being a murderer. She wants to keep her questioning private, and involves a retired profiler to help her learn more about the unsolved cases.
Told from Marian's point of view, the story alternates between past and present. The past is about her work in wildlife research and her relationship with Tate. In the present day timeline, she questions everything she knew about Tate. Marian loved Tate, but she is faced with inconsistencies between what he told her and what she learns after his death.
The wilderness is a large part of this story. Personally, I loved that aspect of this novel. As someone with a background in environmental research, I enjoy stories that highlight outdoors and research. The research Marian is involved with uses rescued dogs to track and monitor wildlife populations. The setting is the wilderness of Montana and Canada.
This is a character-driven mystery. Intriguing, atmospheric, and complex. Good for fans of mysteries and thrillers.
I received a free eARC of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. -
Marian loves her job. She works as an orienteer and dog handler on a wildlife conservation project in Canada. She even falls in love with a man she she works with. Tate quickly becomes everything to her. After a few weeks, they are placed on separate assignments and Tate is killed. Only then does she discover that he lied to her about his background, his family and childhood, nearly everything about himself. Even his story about finding a woman's dead body in the wilderness seems off. That particular lie makes Marian think that perhaps Tate may have been involved in the murders of at least four women in the area. Did she really know the man she loved? She reaches out to a forensic profiler who worked on the original investigations. The truth will either clear Tate's name or prove that he was a dangerous killer.
This story mixes the beauty of the Canadian wilderness with the horrific violence of a serial killer. I can only imagine what it would feel like to wonder if a loved one had killed multiple people. It would be devastating to discover after a death that maybe you never really knew the person at all. Marian is a strong and intelligent main character. She doesn't just slough off her suspicions and fears after Tate's death but calls Nick Shepard to ask for help unraveling the truth underneath all the lies.
This story builds slowly but definitely kept my attention from beginning to end. The plot is dark and twisty. Each time I thought I knew where the story was going, it zigged off in a new direction. The ending was definitely twisted, but perfect. Loved it!
I will definitely be reading more from this author!
**I voluntarily read an advance readers copy of this book from Berkley via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.** -
I won this book from First Look book club website. I am very happy to have won it and I really enjoyed reading it. It was a quick read and an interesting story. In the beginning, was not sure I would enjoy it because it skipped around in time a lot, past, long ago past and present. but it came together and the second half of the book was much better because it mostly remained in the present and was much easier to follow. I loved the main character and was very interested in her jobs and her love of animals, especially dogs. I will definitely read another book by this author and definitely recommend this especially if you like nature, wild animals, endangered species and dogs!
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Tl;dr: A lyrically written novel about a serial killer, the nuance of life, and how beauty and terror are encapsulated in nature. (Seriously!)
The Last Woman in the Forest is ostensibly a thriller, but it's more of a psychological profile of how closely linked life and death are, both for the mc, Marian, and for those last few places in the United States (especially Montana) where there's true wilderness.
That's not a bad thing--in fact, it's a great thing! Ms. Les Becquets' novel does away with a lot of the usual thriller style, most notably dropping a brisk pace for one that's slowed down to really examine the construction of something few of us see: true evil (thank goodness!) and the beauty of land outside civilization (this one, I wish more people got to see)
I can't say enough good things about the way the great outdoors--or what's left of it-- is within The Last Woman in the Forest. It goes beyond describing the beauty of it, to not just an appreciation of it, but a real understanding of it. Nature, in its purest state, is staggeringly beautiful. It is also frequently (and terrifyingly) dangerous, and I can't remember the last time I saw that written about so well, or with such passion.
Although the above is the best part of The Last Woman in the Forest, there are some great characters in here too. I adored Marian, who was such a walking contradiction--so smart, but naive too--as any person is, but it takes a lot to pull that combo off well within a novel, and Ms. Les Becquets does so in a way that's completely believable. I also loved Jenness, and it's a sign that a minor character is done exquisitely when you want more about them, even as you know there won't be. I also thought the "profiles" within The Last Woman in the Forest were exceptionally done. In a few pages, I really cared about every woman within them, and they enhanced what The Woman in the Forest said about life and how there is so much beauty--and sadly, for many women--terror-- in it.
Nick, the main male character, was fine, although more of the typical "old smart guy" you see in thrillers. I did think his relationship with his wife was well done, though, with a layer of tenderness normally absent these types of characters.
The climax of the novel is standard thriller fare--which is to say it's fine, good even--but when placed inside such a delicately done meditation on the outdoors it seemed almost too easy, but then, maybe that's how it is when everything is on the line. (And I never ever want to be anything near a situation like Marian's to find out!)
I'm not usually a fan of the term women's fiction because it seems to give " serious" outlets a pass on reviewing great fiction because it's "commercial," aka "oh, a woman wrote it" (I mean, look how many books it took for Jodi Picoult to be taken seriously, or Kristin Hannah,etc. etc.) but the term is fitting here because behind the thriller facade Ms. Les Becquets is deeply and passionately committed to exploring something that every woman knows--that by simply being a woman, life is that much more dangerous.
I think the best way to sum up this gorgeous novel is its luminous last line:
"And in that moment she felt such great empathy it hurt to breathe, as if she were one with everything."
(I told you the writing was beautiful!) Highly recommended, and although I'm sure it will be paired up with Wild, I think those who liked Molly Gloss' phenomenal The Jump Off Creek, Surfacing by Margaret Atwood, whatever that famous book by Annie Dillard is, or, more recently, the aforementioned Ms. Hannah's The Great Alone will find this a perfect fit. -
I read The Last Woman in the Forest during one night of wretched insomnia, but I can't help but wonder if the gripping readability of this outstanding thriller simply made it impossible for sleep to catch hold and take me under.
Marian Engström works in a rarefied circle of wildlife professionals known as "conservation gypsies" who travel around the world on short-term assignments. She lands in northern Alberta and begins to train as a dog-handler for a study of the effects of oil exploration on caribou. Not unexpectedly, a romance flares between her and one of the study's project managers — sensitive, perceptive, and heart-cracking gorgeous Tate Mathias. In this specialized world, where the environments are harsh and remote, trust between co-workers must be quickly established or lives could be lost.
Marian and Tate's passion burns bright and after years of drifting between lovers, it seems Marian has found her soulmate. The couple separates for a few weeks on different assignments and tragedy strikes: Tate is mauled to death by a bear in the mountains of Montana. Beneath Marian's grief is a current of doubt: certain things Tate shared with her are shaded at best, lies at worst.
A woman mourning the loss of her lover begins to suspect him of being a serial killer. Sorrow turns to horror and this psychological thriller begins a slow burn that escalates into a searing chase for the truth.
Marian is aided by Nick Shepherd, a retired psychologist and forensic profiler. Nick is haunted by his imminent death- he has a rare and fatal cancer- and by the hundreds of violent crimes he has investigated during a decades-long career. The unsolved murders of four beautiful young women in Montana continue to trouble him, and when Marian contacts Nick with her suspicions, he reenters the dark world of the mind of a sociopath.
There is oh so much to love about this captivating thriller: a fresh take on a familiar trope; characters who surprise and endear; spellbinding settings; and beautiful, evocative writing. Les Becquets, with this dark tale of trust shattered by evil, fierce female protagonists, and lovely but treacherous landscapes, calls to mind the atmospheric dread and drama of Rene Denfeld's The Child Finder and Peter Heller's Celine.
As I continue to delve deep into the genre of mystery/thriller/crime fiction, I find my head and heart pulled in the direction of literary thrillers, where the characters and writing hold as much sway as the plot. Writers like Les Becquets, Denfeld, Heller, and the recent discovery of Tim Johnston, who can balance suspense and tension with sublime writing, hold this reader and writer in their spell.
Highly recommended. -
Marian Engström loves working with rescue dogs to help protect endangered wildlife. In a new assignment to northern Alberta, Marian is assigned to work with Tate, who she eventually falls in love with. But months later on a different assignment, Marian is blindsided when she learns Tate has been killed in a bear attack. In her grief, Marian begins to question the man she loved. There are inconsistencies in his life and she starts to wonder if he could be the man responsible for four women's brutal murders...
READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT
FRESH FICTION! -
Marian falls in love while working in for an environmental group in northern Alberta, but when her boyfriend dies she starts to wonder if he might have been a serial killer. I was unsettled the entire time. The wilderness is scary enough without a killer on the loose!
I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley. It came out March 5, 2019. -
This powerful book, with its unique characters and wilderness projects, really resonated with me. It literally took me to the wilds with the research teams and was beautifully descriptive of nature that most of us will never personally be able to navigate or to see, it is so remote. Some of this research, however, is done right here in our own National Parks in the U.S., such as Glacier National Park or Yellowstone.
Within this nature story is a story about a research team of men and women who collect samples with trained (rescued) dogs. It is a solitary job most of the time; your one companion being your trained dog and the trainer/team leader must be in full charge and responsibility for their working animal.
You come in as a volunteer or a contracted orienteer. That is the lowest level of service and the duties are varied. Some projects are seasonal; some offer housing and access to common areas like a cafeteria, tv room, exercise room. When you move up the ranks and have put in the time and experience, you would have your own dog to train and become a conservation canine handler. The dogs are trained for wildlife scat detection and samples are taken and sent back to the lab for analysis to ensure their preservation and management. Or in this one case, the impact oil exploration is having on the wolves, caribou and moose. I found this type of worldwide research/work quite interesting, and truly necessary.
There is a certain type of person who loves this world travel, loves what they are doing scientifically, and loves animals and nature and is interested in conservation. And because of this small team membership being in such close, remote quarters/places, sometimes something besides work related relationships happen. Thus, the story of Marian and Tate. It’s their work story and it’s also their love story.
Marian had previously been working with field technicians on a sea turtle project when it ended and she filled out the application for the K9s for Conservation program in Montana, and the story takes off from there.
Insert some previously missing/dead young women at the hands of a serial killer and add a retired criminal psychologist and profiler, Nick, into the mix and you’ve got some real interesting events going on. Nick is on borrowed time with a cancerous brain tumor(s) and the fact that this serial killer/psychopath was never identified or found while on his work watch, makes him determined more than ever to try and close this case before the cancer takes him. I loved reading how the profiler’s mind works in analyzing and identifying the victims and who he thinks the possible serial killer(s) could be. I felt his frustration with his race for time and closure.
I’m in agreement with other reviewers that this was a slow burn of a book, but it had to be, to come across the way that the author intended. Clearly, what’s the rush? Enjoy it!
Please read the authors notes and acknowledgements at the end of the book as to why she wrote this story. You will be shocked at her personal life experiences she reveals, which gave her the strength and fortitude to write this book. Amazing! -
In the end, I very much enjoyed this book; in the beginning, I wasn't so sure. The "thrilling" action really didn't pick up until the last quarter or so; after that, my eyes were glued to the Kindle pages and I didn't put it down till I'd reached the last page.
The story centers on Marian Engstrom, who, after college graduation, applied for and landed a job working with dogs as part of a study on the impact of oil exploration on the caribou, moose and wolf populations in Canada. There, she meets and falls in love with the more experienced Tate, her supervisor of sorts. He's exciting, intriguing and helps her learn the ropes. But happiness over their professional and personal coupling is short-lived; when Tate sets off to help with another project, he doesn't return. She's devastated to learn that his mangled body - the damage apparently done by a bear attack - has been found in the deep woods
Marian is devastated, but at one point before he left, she learned about four women who were murdered over a period of six years and mentioned this to Tate. Surprisingly, he claims to been the person who found one of the bodies. As she deals with Tate's death, Marian begins to recall inconsistencies in what Tate told her about his earlier life and finding that body in particular. When she learns that some of that information wasn't the truth, she begins to wonder if Tate had another, more sinister, connection to those murders. Finding the name of a retired forensic profiler (Nick Shepherd) who worked on the cases, she contacts him. He, too, remains haunted by the still-unsolved murders, and the two begin to share information and dig for clues.
It takes quite a while for their findings come together in a meaningful way - chapters switch to before Tate's death to present happenings - but eventually a more complete picture of who Tate really was begins to form. And at that point, the picture also reveals that Marian may have taken her doubts too seriously and learned far more than someone wants her to know. That, in turn, puts her own life in danger - and brings the whole thing together with a bang-up ending.
So what got in the way of a perfect rating? It's abundantly clear that the author did far more than her fair share of research on everything from the history of animal scat to bear attacks to surviving in the wild. That's commendable (as well as absolutely necessary). But to me, research is like an iceberg; most of it can and should remain out of sight. There's just too much of it here, and it tends to bog down the flow of the story. Besides that, by the author's own admission (based on her own life experiences), the story is intended to empower and embolden women who might be dealing with similar experiences. That, too, is commendable, but some portions seemed a bit too "preachy" as a result.
Overall, though, the writing is outstanding and the story both solid and unique. I'm very glad I read it, and I heartily thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read an advance review copy. -
The story centers on Marian and working with her rescue dogs to help protect endangered wildlife. She loves her career path, working with animals, and the wildlife.
Through her career, she meets and falls in love with her mentor Tate. Sadly, Tate is killed while working on an assignment. Something doesn't feel right for Marian about Tate's death and things aren't adding up. Was Tate being truthful to Marian? What was made up and what was the truth? Could Tate be responsible for a string of young women that have been killed?
Soon, Marian has the help of forensic profiler Nick to solve these string of women that have been murdered.
The writing is beautiful and the vivid passages of nature, wildlife, and Canadian atmosphere. This was a serious slow burn of a book and was a tad bit too slow for my liking. The writing is also very descriptive and many times it was hard for me to focus on the storyline due to the amount of details.
I was interested to see where the story was going and the conclusion with Tate, Marian, and the string of killings.
Overall, 3 stars for this one.
I won this in a giveaway via Goodreads! Thank you to Berkley for my copy in exchange for an honest review!
Publication date: 3/5/19
Published to Goodreads: 3/3/19 -
I received this book for free from First to Read in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Last Woman in the Forest caught my eye on First to Read with the cover and blurb. It sounded like a me book - and I was right, it was. Here is what I enjoyed:
Setting// The story takes place mostly in Montana and Canada. I loved the remote feeling it gave the story. It definitely made the atmosphere creepy when the story needed it.
Marian's Job// She works with rescue dogs to help learn and protect about endangered animals. I never knew this was a thing. It was so interesting to read about not only the work but how they live while doing the work.
Unsolved Mystery// The underlying story to the book is the unsolved murders of 4 girls which are dubbed the Stillwater murders. We get little snapshots of these girls and how they may have been killed throughout the book. So we know that this will come to play in out present storyline and it made me keep looking for clues on how it would play out.
Forensic Profiler// When Marian becomes interested in the Stillwater murders and how they may involve her now passed boyfriend, she reaches out to a profiler who has worked on the case. I loved this other side to the story with him. I have always been interested in profilers - in shows, books and such - and how they come up with the profiles. So we get some of that here.
I will say that some of the things that happened were easy to see coming. Somehow though, that didn't bother me. I still really enjoyed all of the book whether I knew what would happen or not. I thought the pacing was done well and the atmosphere created suited the story. I will be checking out other books by this author.
This review was originally posted on Rebel Mommy Book Blog -
This book starts off strong - the opening scene really gets you quite interested... and then it just kind of goes downhill from there. Marian works in the wild, tracking and monitoring various animals - it's a lonely life without much romance or time for anything else. Although it's frowned upon to date someone within your group, when she meets Tate, she just can't help herself. However, what's too good to be true usually is and she starts suspecting him of being the killer of at least four woman.
The writing is fantastic but for me, I could have done without the overly description scenes with regards to the job at hand. Don't get me wrong, I do find it fascinating but there was a lot of it and I could feel my eyes getting blurry in certain parts and had to put this down several times.
We go back and forth from past to present and even with her suspicions, she loves him and wants to try and clear Tate's name. She couldn't have possibly fallen in love with a psychopath... right? This psychological suspense novel borders on genius but doesn't quite reach the mark. It's rather slow paced and doesn't pick up anywhere after the prologue. I with the characters had been a bit more fleshed out and had a fast pacing but the overal feel of the book was definitely consistent and I was intrigued enough to find out if Tate was really the killer or not. By the time I got to the ending, I wasn't surprised, relieved or cared and I really wish I had.
I appreciate what the author was trying to do in terms of making women aware of their instincts to get themselves out of potential harmful situations... but I think this gets lost. If you like reading stories about conservation projects with an overlaying of psychological suspense then this will definitely be a good read for you. It's very atmospheric in putting you in the feel of the places they go to for their work. While I felt the main storyline dragged on a bit and was a bit slow, I think readers who enjoy that psychological pull of did he/did he not will thoroughly enjoy this one. -
Good story with lots of twists.
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This book is written in a different manner than what we see in a typical suspense thriller or murder mystery. This book reads more as a women’s fiction story that evolves into something much more sinister.
Written in short sentences with a timeline that bounces back-and-forth between the present and the past, you have to be on your toes when reading this novel.
The author sneaks in tiny drips of clues and information. Just enough to make you doubt your gut feelings and wonder where the story is actually going.
Interesting and very unique, we get a birds-eye view of the job that those in conservation work truly do. The wonder of nature and the studies of animals and wildlife in their natural habitat is a huge part of the story.
But then you begin to wonder if everyone is as they truly seem to be. Women are dying and one woman in particular is very suspicious. Doubts sneak in as the man she truly loves seems to be the one responsible, or is it someone that she works with?
The story is written with deep subtlety that forces you to pay attention and keeps you completely engaged, wondering what’s next.
While the timeline bouncing back-and-forth does get to you and can frustrate you, it also heightens the suspense and brings in those chilling feelings and tell-tale creepy feels as the story winds up.
The author created a remarkable novel that is one of a kind tale of psychotic personalities that can completely consume you. Definitely not a book you will soon forget.
* copy received for review consideration
Full Review -
https://amidlifewife.com/the-last-wom...
