[REVIEW] The Last Day of Emily Lindsey

title: The Last Day of Emily Lindsey
author: Nic Joseph
genre: adult fiction, mystery, thriller
published: October 3, 2017 by Sourcebooks Landmark
format: Paperback, 327 pages
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 3.5 / 5 stars
goodreads

She doesn’t know him, but the symbol she draws on her skin has always been in his nightmares  

Detective Steven Paul has had the same nightmare for as long as he can remember, a strange symbol figuring prominently into his terror. He decided long ago that the recurring dreams are nothing more than an unfortunate side effect of his often traumatic profession. Until, that is, he's assigned to the case of Emily Lindsey, the beautiful, elusive, and controversial blogger found alone, holding a hunting knife and covered in someone else's blood.  

As Steven questions Emily, she repeatedly scratches out the same odd symbol he sees when he closes his eyes. A thrilling suspense ensues as Steven must get inside Emily's head to solve a mystery without a crime—a mystery that is connected to him in ways he can't even begin to fathom.

Had me at: WTH's the connection?

I really like mysteries. It's like I LIVE for mysteries! Okay, no. That's overstating. But mysteries are my thing and I love reading them and guessing things, and hyping myself for the big reveal. We've talked about this on my review of Girl in Snow. lol.

The Last Day of Emily Linsey is told in two points of view (POV). The THEN POV features kids that are in some kind of strict orphanage and taken care of by a set of 'mothers'. On a specific day of each year, these mothers gather and keep the kids strictly on their respective floor of the orphanage. What do they do on that they? What is this orphanage? Who are these kids?

The NOW POV features Detective Steven Paul who's adopted by an old couple. He gets these strange nightmares and see hallucinations. He takes medication and still works in as a detective. Things escalate for him when he encountered the case of Emily Lindsey who was found with a whole lot of blood but is perfectly safe but in a complete daze. What happened to her? Where did she get all those blood? What is this strange marking she's writing that's putting Paul into so much headache?

This book is one of those mysteries that really makes you ask a WHOLE LOT of questions and makes you draw LOTS of conclusions that probably won't be right at the end of it all. There really isn't much to tell without spoiling anything, to be honest. And you just have to take my word that The Last Day of Emily Lindsey is a mystery novel that wraps into something that really puts you into that so-that's-how-it-is kind of realization. It's full of unexpected twist (which you'll probably be expecting by now) and it really throws the story into very interesting turns.

Aside from finding the connecting between the 'Then' and 'Now' of the story which I have to say was really good, I was really invested in the whole investigation on the Emily Lindsey case. Emily Lindsey is a local blogger and influencer who exposes several people into  things behind their business and such. She's got such an infamous reputation that there's so much to explore on who did things to her. There's also that slow unraveling on Detective Paul's memories. What is his connection to this investigation? Why was his name found with Emily Lindsey? If you're not sold to all my questions,  I don't know what will. But this book just got me super curious.

OVERALL, The Last Day of Emily Lindsey is an entirely intriguing novel full of exciting twists that you definitely won't see coming. Everything was well-written from the 'Then' and 'Now' POVs to Paul's dilemmas to the unraveling of the mystery.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

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