Rating: 
Summary: Suicide, accidental overdose, or murder?
Review: Doug hated needles, so when he died of what the Atlanta cops brush off as just another accidental overdose, his lawyer friend, Jack, gets to thinking: no way Doug would have been injecting drugs, and that's how the fatal dose was delivered. In this gripping book, everyone seems to have a past they'd rather others not know about. Doug's secret married lover, her pharmaceutical-owner husband, Doug's lawyer friend... Skullduggery is uncovered as Jack digs through the dirty little secret layers. The Last Goodbye has love, sex, greed, money, and violence - an excellent combination for this nevertheless subtle noir of a book. Great stuff.
Rating: 
Summary: A Wonderful Legal Thriller
Review: Every now and again you come across an author who writes a good first book and you think, Okay, that's a great start, but can they back it up? Reed Arvin is just such an author with his terrific debut THE WILL under his belt. He has followed it up here with another heck of a legal thriller. In this book, as in his first, Arvin takes the principal character out of his comfortable, secure life and throws him into turmoil, threatening not only his job, but also his life. The result is an unpredictable thriller in which I found it easy to put myself in the protagonist's shoes and ask myself, "Now, what would I have done?"The protagonist thrust into the extreme situation in this case is Jack Hammond, an up and coming lawyer who works for a major Atlanta law firm. After making a serious error in judgement while working on a criminal case, he loses his job and winds up working as a public defender, relying on a friendly judge's clerk to send cases his way. When he hears that friend and former client Doug Townsend has died of a drug overdose he is at first saddened, then surprised because although Townsend was known to take drugs, he thought he was clean now. He decides to have a look around Townsend's apartment in an attempt to find a clue as to why he would have killed himself and in doing so he discovers 2 surprising things. The first is, not only was Doug clean of drugs but he seemed to be doing quite well for himself, particularly when you consider the number of airplane trips he had taken recently. The second, judging by the hundreds of photos stuck to the walls of one of the rooms in his house, was that he had a rather disturbing obsession with noted opera singer Michele Sonnier. Not only that, but the airplane trips coincided with Sonnier's performances. Jack's next step is to seek out Michele Sonnier to find out what she knows about Doug Townsend. It's the first of many chances he is to take. Sonnier turns out to be the lynchpin to the whole story, linking Townsend to a groundbreaking company called Horizn Pharmaceuticals, but the question is - was the link friendly or deadly? The company has some sort of involvement with a potential new cure for hepatitis C and will soon be listing on the stock market. The money involved is huge, therefore so are the stakes and the desperation to keep Hammond's nose out of Horizn's business. From the moment that Michele Sonnier makes her appearance the story splits off into numerous themes taking in the world of the opera diva, computer hacking, the possibility of a cure for hepatitis C, big business and a conspiracy that may be behind the deaths of 8 people. As you can tell, it's a fairly diverse story and Arvin does well to hold the various threads together to ensure that it's compelling throughout. From very early on you get the impression that Hammond is operating under a feeling of complete acceptance of the consequences of his earlier actions. He seems perfectly willing to take whatever chances are necessary to accomplish his goals and so, because of this, I was prepared to accept that he would be willing to make difficult decisions. The result is a continual increase in momentum as he puts himself in ever greater danger, always against his better judgement. A very important part of the story and a point that makes him a particularly endearing character is that Jack is a flawed character. He falls in love with women he shouldn't, he enters places that he knows will be dangerous to his health and he ignores warnings to stop investigating things he shouldn't. I found that I was pulling for Hammond to succeed even more than I usually might because of his flaws and because he was aware of them and accepted them. It made him much more believable as a character. There was also a feeling throughout the book that someone was lying but I found it difficult to decide who it was because everyone's stories were so darn convincing. Sure, I had my suspicions but I kept thinking they were based on who I wanted to be telling the truth rather than who actually was. It kept me guessing which way the story might head right up until the bittersweet ending. Anyone who loves a good legal thriller in the John Grisham style will certainly enjoy this book and it shows that a riveting courtroom battle is not necessary to make a legal thriller terrific reading. With sharp dialogue, a complex, but not convoluted plot and likable central characters, THE LAST GOODBYE provides terrific entertainment.
Rating:
Summary: A Special Tale of Mystery, Suspense and Romance
Review: From the opening paragraph of THE LAST GOODBYE, the reader knows that this tale of mystery, suspense and romance is going to be special. That introduction --- only a few sentences, sentences that say so little yet tell so much --- creates an air of quiet foreboding that permeates this somber, electrifying story of greed, faith and, in the end, hope. Reed Arvin showed promise with his earlier work. THE WILL is a modern-day morality tale about gaining the world and losing a soul. Hints of Arvin's potential were seeded throughout THE WILL; reading that fine novel, however, hardly prepares one for THE LAST GOODBYE. THE WILL was set primarily in rural Kansas, with occasional glimpses of Chicago as a method of providing contrast, but little more. THE LAST GOODBYE takes place entirely in present-day Atlanta, a city full of history (which it revises and rewrites each day), a place that proudly describes itself as "too busy to hate." Passions, however, still run high, as this book demonstrates. Jack Hammond is the story's narrator. He's a rising star in one of Hot-lanta's white shoe law firms until a violation of ethics results in a tragedy that he should have foreseen. Reduced to taking court-appointed criminal cases in a law firm of one, Hammond is surprised to learn that Doug Townsend, a college friend (and, so Hammond tells us, the reason why he became a lawyer), is dead from a drug overdose. But there are puzzling circumstances associated with his death. Townsend was making strong efforts toward recovery from drug addiction and, more significantly, had died from an injection overdose --- a strange ending for a man who was terrified of needles. Dissatisfied with the official version of events, Hammond begins his own inquiry. When one represents the bottom strata of criminal society, one acquires all sorts of contacts. One of Hammond's is a computer hacker named Nightmare, an enigmatic, amoral character who assists Hammond in hacking into Townsend's computer, which contains information that puts Hammond onto the discovery of an experimental drug trial gone horribly wrong. This finding dovetails with Hammond's meeting and his infatuation with Michelle Sonnier, an opera singer of unparalleled ability and beauty --- who herself is unhappily involved in a marriage of convenience with the CEO of a pharmaceutical company. There are levels, and dangers, to Sonnier that Hammond cannot even begin to imagine, but he deepens his involvement with her even as he realizes that doing so is becoming increasingly more dangerous for himself, and for her. Arvin slices easily through multiple levels of the Atlanta societal stratum --- economic, racial, political --- dropping little breadcrumbs of local commentary through a complex plot that keeps the reader interested and on-track. Though Hammond is an attorney, THE LAST GOODBYE is anything but a courtroom thriller; Hammond is less a Joe Antonelli and more a rumpled knight in the vein of Travis McGee or Lew Archer. It is unclear whether more will be seen of Hammond in the future. What is certain, however, is that we will see more, much more, from Arvin. Highly recommended. --- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
Rating: 
Summary: Just Say 'Goodbye'
Review: Given the great reviews of "The Last Goodbye", which include the coronation of Reed Arvin as the next Grisham, this was a book I was really anxious to read - a novel I really wanted to like. Unfortunately, I was disappointed - Arvin offers little in this muddled tale that can be recommended. Set in Atlanta, it is the story of Jack Hammond, a once-promising young attorney down on his luck after sleeping with the wrong woman. Now, as an independent defense attorney, Hammond is barely getting by living on the cases of those who can only afford a court-appointed public defender. Hammond is drawn into the apparent but suspicious drug-induced suicide of a former best friend and computer whiz, Doug Townsend. Hammond learns that the nerdy and destitute Townsend was infatuated, and perhaps even romantically involved, with Michelle Sonnier, a breath-takingly beautiful and wildly successful diva of the Atlanta opera. But Michelle has a past, and she is also the wife of a hugely popular and ultra-rich CEO of Horizn. Horizn, an Atlanta pharmaceutical upstart, is in the closing days of a much anticipated IPO. Predictably, Hammond finds himself drawn to the magnetic charm and beauty of Sonnier, and in the process manages to attract the attention of a number of unsavory characters from the Atlanta drug trade and the stereotypically-evil corporate America, in this case Horizn. The plot, while implausible, is no more so than much of today's popular fiction. For sure a more talented author could have pulled it off with the same material. But Arvin's dialog is silly, and while the pace drags interminably for long stretches, it is not time effectively used to inspire any empathy for the characters from the reader. For those who appreciate technical accuracy in their reading, Arvin's knowledge of IPO's and the public market was abysmal ("Horizn is going public today. We're going to buy it as high as we can, and sell it short.") But among the many flaws of Arvin's "Last Goodbye", most prevalent is the breadth and incongruity of issues and messages that continously assault the reader. That is, rather than simply concentrating on thriller for entertainment value, Arvin clutters the story with unnecessary and clichéd sermons regarding race, corporate excess, honor, and virtue. Neither the story nor the thinly developed characters provide the substance to support such weighty issues and, by the end, the story collapses in one of the most maudlin and melodramatically silly endings since James Paterson's abominable "1st to Die". Trust me, this is no "DaVinci Code", nor is it remotely on par with Grisham's vintage thrillers. Save your time and money and just say "Goodbye" to Reed Arvin.
Rating: 
Summary: The Long Goodnight?
Review: I approached this suspense novel with a certain amount of trepidation - one of the back jacket blurbs was from Phillip Margolin, who IMO is one of the more dreadful hacks in contemporary airport reading. But THE LAST GOODBYE is a pretty decent book (NOTE TO AUTHOR: "The Last Goodbye"? Why not "The Long Goodnight"? or "The Final Farewell"? Seriously, this is not what I would call a memorable title). The writing is crisp, and if it at times veers into the "loner, knight in battered armor" prose associated with any number of writers in this genre, author Reed Arvin pretty much earns it. The protagonist, Jack Hammond, is yet another down on his heels lawyer, eaking out a living as a criminal defense attorney in Atlanta. Some of the book's best writing comes in its descriptions of Atlanta and the New South, actually, and at times I felt as though a more serious, less predictable novel was struggling to burst through the more conventional genre confines.
Overall I enjoyed the book. It's the kind of thing you could read on a plane, at the gym or on your lunch break and not hate yourself for wasting your time. I am rating it down a star because the ending to me was a disappointment. Any further elaboration would risk a plot spoiler, but let's just say genre convention reared its ugly head, creating a moment of poignancy at the expense of future complexity in the sequels to come...
Rating:
Summary: Powerful, entertaining thriller!
Review: I don't like this sort of thriller because I cannot help but picture a big-budget Hollywood movie deal lurking in the background, but The Last Goodbye is a gripping, powerful, can't-put-it-down suspense novel. I hadn't expected to like it as much as I did. This book sucked me in and didn't let go until its flooring ending. Jack Hammond had a thriving career as a civil attorney. That is until he set eyes on a beautiful, desperate woman who sought his services regarding her boyfriend's drug case. The incident results fatal to both his heart and his career. Now that he's a bottom-tier criminal defender, fate does another dangerous game on him. Jack's friend Doug is found dead. The police dismiss it as suicide, but various inconsistencies arise as Jack refuses to let the case rest. What transpires is a complex, enthralling rollercoaster ride of hacking, espionage, medical conspiracies and brutal murders. To make matters worse, he falls for a beautiful and complex opera singer with a mysterious past. I don't want to get into details, for I don't want to spoil the plot, but I can sum up by saying that there are some interesting twists throughout the novel. What I love most about The Last Goodbye is the backdrop of Atlanta's underbelly. The topics of race, interracial romance, drugs, inner-city neighborhoods and crimes are insightful and realistic. The aforementioned backdrop and topics are my favorite aspects of the novel. I also love the fact that the story is ironic at times. Reed Arvin is a very talented writer. As said earlier, I often read this sort of book with a cynical eye, for I can't help but wonder who will star in the inevitable film version, but this novel floored me. It's one of the best thrillers out there -- much better than The DaVinci Code and Paranoia. Highly recommended...
Rating:
Summary: (5-)An Intense Thriller/Love Story by a Very Talented Author
Review: I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK. Reed Arvin does a masterful job of weaving together several elements into a fast moving thriller with a complex plot. But this is much more - it is a powerful story of love and death, right and wrong, joy and grief, medical ethics and biotechnology research, the obligations of friendship, modern day Atlanta, addiction and the culture of illegal drugs, computer and software technology, racial attitudes and Black success in modern day America, the possibility of redemption, and the interaction of free will and determinism in our lives. It even manages to incorporate a crucial role for opera into the book in a way that even I (a person with scant knowledge of and little interest in the topic) found both very illuminating and enjoyable. This book opens with a powerful self indictment by the first person narrator, Jack Hammond, regarding his conduct in an incident which took place two years ago which is responsible both for his current circumstances and more importantly for "the scar on his soul". Jack is currently a struggling lawyer with an office in a run down section of Atlanta. As he is reminiscing about the sage advice of a former law professor, he is notified that the police have discovered the dead body of his friend, Doug Townsend, in Doug's own apartment. Doug died of an apparent drug overdose, and they plan to close the case and rule it DBS (Death By Stupidity). Since Doug has recently turned his life around, Jack decides to investigate and quickly discovers evidence that amazingly Doug might in some way have been secretly involved with Michele Sonnier, "the most exciting female voice to have emerged in the opera world in the last ten years". Perhaps not coincidentally, Michele is also Mrs. Charles Ralston, the CEO of a biotech company about to engage in an IPO that will make her husband one of the richest black men in Atlanta. It would be impossible to do justice to the plot without providing several spoilers, so I will simply summarize by saying that there are several additional elements that are integral to the story and amazingly the author manages to weave them all together in a coherent plot. He also cleverly employs language in a manner which creates images that add to the enjoyment of the book. A bonus is that the story involves not only an interesting and multifaceted plot but actually raises significant philosophical issues as well. Furthermore, the character development is first rate. Obviously given the number of individuals who have key roles to play, we do not completely get to know each of them, but they are not the mere cardboard cutouts so often found in this genre. In fact, even a relatively minor character such as Blu McClendon, Jack's secretary, comes alive as the story proceeds. While this story can be a fast read, it is not the sort of mindless and escapist storyline which is so frequently found in the thriller genre and consequently requires little attention from the reader. Thus, I suggest that you plan to read it when you have enough time to enjoy the complexity of the storyline. You will miss the essence of the author's achievement if you simply speed read the book, since it is the overall experience which the details create that is so extraordinary. Finally, you should be prepared for a philosophically satisfying ending that is consistent with the tone of the story and the title, but understand that this is not a feel good tale where everything ends well for all concerned. Despite my high praise, I have two reservations which are responsible for my rating being lowered to five minus, rather than a full five stars. While they did not detract significantly from my enjoyment of the book, they were meaningful. I will only describe them in general terms, so as not to reveal any crucial elements of the plot. First, I think that the actions engaged in by certain businessmen and which were central to one element of the plot were extremely unlikely to happen in corporate America, regardless of the stakes involved. Second, there is a minor plot element regarding the financial markets which is cleverly introduced near the end of the story to add a further complication. While it won't bother readers without specialized knowledge of trading and the stock market, this an area of my expertise and the sequence of events and legal implications as depicted by the author are both wrong and impossible. (E.g. the word bid is incorrectly substituted for offer.) This is not in any way crucial to the plot, but is nevertheless unfortunate. (I have contacted the publisher and they will try to correct this in future printings. I was also been assured that the details regarding the technology elements central to the plot had been reviewed by experts in those fields.) I just want to emphasize that I regard my criticisms as minor, and believe that THE LAST GOODBYE will turn out to be one of my favorite books of 2004.
Disclaimer: This review is based on an advance review copy (ARC) which I was furnished by the publisher. I had been contacted by their marketing department based upon my previous reviews of books in this genre. After receiving a description of the plot and checking the reviews of THE WILL (the author's previous book), I agreed to read the book but furnished no guarantee that I would submit a review. I have no relationship with and have never met either the author or anyone employed by the publisher. If anything, I have presented my criticisms in more detail than they deserve in order to prove my objectivity. Furthermore, in the majority of my previous reviews of books where I have received ARCs I have rated them less than five stars. Nevertheless, I believe that such disclosure is appropriate and thus choose to include a standard disclaimer whenever I may be perceived to have a potential conflict of interest. Tucker Andersen
Rating:
Summary: A first hello to a gifted author
Review: I picked up this book after reading about the author in a magazine. This is his third novel ("The Will" and "Wind in the Wheat" are the others), but it's the first of his I've read, and I was impressed. From the beginning, it has all the elements of a good book. The protagonist starts out with a death that's his fault in a way, and it haunts him. From that point on, the book is truly a ride. If you haven't read the other reviews and details about the book, don't! Just buy it and read it, completely obvlivious to where it's going and what's going on. Instead, find yourself lost in the maze of twists and turns the author throws out. It's much more enjoyable that way. The characters are all well done, for the most part. I think the book ended well also, which is a good thing. I'll agree with someone else that part of the ending was a little far-fetched (and hard to understand if you don't know anything about the stock market...you'll be lost and wonder what's going on). That's the only real gripe I have with the book. Not everyone is a day-trader, so the significance of what's happening will be lost to many readers. If you're looking for another John Grisham, you won't find it here. Reed Arvin writes in his own style, and while the hero is a lawyer, it means little to the storyline. This is not a legal thriller by any stretch of the imagination. It's just a good story that's told well. Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A first hello to a gifted author
Review: I picked up this book after reading about the author in a magazine. This is his third novel ("The Will" and "Wind in the Wheat" are the others), but it's the first of his I've read, and I was impressed. From the beginning, it has all the elements of a good book. The protagonist starts out with a death that's his fault in a way, and it haunts him. From that point on, the book is truly a ride. If you haven't read the other reviews and details about the book, don't! Just buy it and read it, completely obvlivious to where it's going and what's going on. Instead, find yourself lost in the maze of twists and turns the author throws out. It's much more enjoyable that way. The characters are all well done, for the most part. I think the book ended well also, which is a good thing. I'll agree with someone else that part of the ending was a little far-fetched (and hard to understand if you don't know anything about the stock market...you'll be lost and wonder what's going on). That's the only real gripe I have with the book. Not everyone is a day-trader, so the significance of what's happening will be lost to many readers. If you're looking for another John Grisham, you won't find it here. Reed Arvin writes in his own style, and while the hero is a lawyer, it means little to the storyline. This is not a legal thriller by any stretch of the imagination. It's just a good story that's told well. Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Cure
Review: I read most of this book while I was up most of the night with the a bit of a flu. If you want to help get through a long night it was a good companion. I will not review the plot as many others have done so. I measure a mystery by the characters that one meets, the excitement the plot generates and the ending. This effort gets 2 out of 3. There are wonderful characters such as Blu the beautiful secretary and Sammy Liston( a wonderful name) who move the story along. Also the portrait of Pope and his role in the housing development was terrific. Arvin also makes an effort to have some serious thoughts. There are several pages of wonderful writing in this effort. The two criticisms were a little too much foreshadowing and the ending just was not up to the rest of the story. I would go on about that but would not want to ruin the book for others. My only comment it reminded me of one of my favorite movies but not done as well.
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