The Last Temptation
Colorado Skies Book 3
In the mountains of Colorado, a newcomer witnesses as secrets and bodies accumulate in the satisfying mystery novel The Last Temptation.
A mystery unfolds in a small Colorado town in Amy O. Lewis’s thriller The Last Temptation, the third installation of her Colorado Skies series.
Kim is running from her past, and in small-town Creede, Colorado, she learns that she isn’t the only one doing so. While working in the accountant’s office, Kim takes an unexpected liking to a sermon leader in a basement church, Laurie. Still, she’s surprised when Laurie approaches her to discuss a private financial matter. Then a local man dies, and Laurie becomes the only person of interest to the police force. When another man dies, Kim’s natural distrust of others feeds into her new investment in learning the secrets of the town and its people.
With thrills from start to finish, this novel demands attention. There are multiple mysteries at play, and each of them is captivating. The novel works to piece together Kim’s history, delve into Laurie’s traumatic past, and cover the deaths plaguing Creede. Further, information regarding previous volumes is shared in summary form, resulting in a clear picture of how Kim came to be where she is and how she developed such an inquisitive eye for unraveling mysteries.
The first half of the story also features some exceptional scene setting: Kim, a meditative wanderer, finds beauty in the silence and stillness of her fresh surroundings. Though to outsiders she seems detached and hardened, her language is picturesque and melodic, and this thoughtfulness and care extends to her deep considerations of others. And Kim’s landlord, Paula, invigorates the story further with her zany personality, helping to bring out some of Kim’s hidden self.
With great pacing and thoughtful structuring, the tension in the story builds to a swell as Kim gets closer to finding the answers she’s seeking, about both Laurie and the dead men in town. However, this crescendo clashes with the book’s chapter-long climax, which provides answers to Creede’s mysteries, if without the punchiness that precedes them. Some story lines, including that related to Laurie’s sister, remain incomplete—their particulars left, perhaps, to be resolved in future series entries.
In the mountains of Colorado, a newcomer witnesses as secrets and bodies accumulate in the satisfying mystery novel The Last Temptation.
Reviewed by
Leah Webster
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
