Last Witness

Really?where/when? Cause except for in the civil war days there ain't no such gun as a 36 caliber . Not in the last 100 or so years anyway. If this had been on page one I would have quit reading it then. Get it right or go home.

Thought this was a great book. Kept my attention throughout. Since I had read the first book Retribution I enjoyed it even more. It is the first time I have read this author's books but will definitely read her others.

I love anything by Jilliane Hoffman, she is my favorite author and wish she'd write some more books! I've read all her books 3 times now but Retribution was what got me hooked...a PAGE TURNER for sure. Kept me up all night!

Since I had read "Retribution", I looked forward to this second book. They weren't among my favorites, as each book sort of leaves you hanging. I like books that end, even if the characters carry on in subsequent books. In fact I enjoy the "folks" that carry on, however, I think the story should complete.

I hated this extremely poorly written, ovely graphic and violent murder mystery. Jilliane Hoffman is a dreaful writer, she shouldn't have given up her day job. English murder mysteries by P.D. James and Ruth Rendell are a thousand percent better written than anything by Hoffman, and without all the graphic gore. James and Rendell write murder mysteries that are ( a ) very well written unlike this poorly written piece of trash, and (b ) are exciting, interesting murder mysteries whereas Hoffman's characters are cartoon-like and laughable.
This is a terrible book, don't read it unless you like terribly written , and very violent books,with no redeeming value!

Great sequel to Retribution! I don't understand why some reviewers didn't like this or were disappointed in it because I thought it was great. It may not have been as face-paced as Retribution was, but I thought it was excellent. I do agree that you need to read Retribution first so that you will know what is going on with the characters. Jillian Hoffman knows how to write great characterizations of her protagonists. I felt like I knew exactly what C.J. was going through. I felt her pain. The only complaint I have on this book is the fact that it is a little too much like current day romance novels where the two leading characters have a love/hate relationship going on. In actuality they love each other but spend the whole book mad at each other or staying apart for whatever reason, and always end up together in the end. Well, C. J. and Dom spent the majority of the book apart when they should have been together helping each other. Aside from that, this was a very good read. Read Retribution first and then read Last Witness - you won't be sorry that you did.

If you haven't read Retribution, I strongly encourage you to do so before reading this book. You will enjoy that novel, and you will enjoy this one even more.

Seldom has a sequel taken a fine first book to such exciting heights of story-telling. Even if you haven't read Retribution, you will be able to fill yourself in on the plot because Ms. Hoffman does such a good job of filling in the back story.

C.J. Townsend survived prosecuting the Cupid killer in Retribution . . . but just barely. In Last Witness, she faces up the unpleasant consequences of that case . . . in which she railroaded an apparently guilty man, William Bantling, towards Death Row through perjured testimony to "fix" an illegal stop and search. She's haunted by the memory of having put the ends over the means . . . and the memory of Bantling's rape of her many years earlier.

Soon, she has more to worry about when bent members of the Cupid investigation who know about her illegal act begin to turn up dead . . . but only after being gruesomely murdered and mutilated by an obscure drug-cartel method. Where will the killings stop? Who's the killer? It can't be Bantling. He's on Death Row.

Before the book ends, she has to face up to her worst fears, and the love of her life, Dominick Falconetti, special agent with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, must make a difficult decision.

Both Townsend and Falconetti are deliciously complex characters whom you will get to know much better throughout the novel. Bantling is an above-average villain, and you will enjoy thinking about the problems that someone like him presents to society.

Ms. Hoffman has a great talent for building suspense . . . and terror. In this book, there's a rising crescendo of action, conflict and crisis that will leave you virtually breathless. You'll have a hard time putting this book down.

She is even more talented at putting her characters into morally ambiguous situations and making you feel like you are faced with the same choice. So you have two ways to squirm.

Enjoy!

LAST WITNESS is a wonderful follow up to the author's debut novel RETRIBUTION. Her attention to detail and her experience as an assistant state attorney have helped her craft and amazingly intricate and suspenseful second novel. As with the previous reviewer, I agree that it is essential to read RETRIBUTION before tackling this one.

LAST WITNESS is one of those books that require you to pay attention. So much is going on that it is impossible to skip over passages without loosing the flow of the story. Hoffman has created excellent characters in C.J. Townsend and Dominick Falconetti. She has written intelligent, likable, 3-dimensional characters that make you believe they really exist. The book is not bogged down with their romantic relationship. Instead it lies below the surface, never drawing the reader away from the main focus of the story. It has a suburb ending that sets the stage for the next book. I highly recommend this excellent novel.

Jilliane Hoffman made an impressive debut in 2004 with RETRIBUTION, hitting a number of public and private Top Ten lists. A lesser writer would experience a sophomore slump, or perhaps even the dreaded "one and done" syndrome. Thankfully, Hoffman, with the newly published LAST WITNESS, has written a work that exceeds the promise of RETRIBUTION, taking Florida State Prosecutor C. J. Townsend into new and darker territory of the body and soul.

One suggestion before you begin LAST WITNESS: Read RETRIBUTION. Though Hoffman does an admirable job of bringing new readers up to speed with respect to what has transpired before, reading RETRIBUTION will not only give you the full backstory but also will prepare you for the even wilder ride that you will experience in this latest novel.

LAST WITNESS is full of surprises, to say the least. Someone in Miami is brutally murdering policemen. And not just any policemen. A number of the victims have ties to the investigation of the Cupid killings, resulting in the trial and conviction of William Bantling. Townsend's successful prosecution of Bantling may have been an ugly win, but justice, in its fashion, was done. Now, however, it appears that someone knows of the conspiracy of silence and omission that has sent Bantling to Death Row, and is taking pains to clear up any potential loose ends.

Special Agent Dominick Falconetti with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is charged with investigating the murders and slowly uncovers a drug connection between the slain officers and a member of Miami's high society, unaware that the trail he is following leads back to Townsend, to whom he is engaged. Townsend is in both personal and professional danger. The unknown killer seems to be methodically working his way toward her. Bantling, meanwhile, is seeking a new trial on the basis that the prosecution --- Townsend --- deliberately withheld evidence at his trial, and that this evidence was material to his defense. The problem, of course, is that Bantling is correct --- and Townsend is indeed in grave danger, as an unknown killer moves ever closer to her.

Hoffman's work here is astounding --- no other word will do. LAST WITNESS clears up questions left unanswered in RETRIBUTION and provides a fully satisfying reading experience in its own right, while creating an electrifying anticipation for her next novel. While Hoffman's protagonists are interesting and three-dimensional, she truly excels when creating her bogeymen, nightmarish characters who live and think where the buses don't run and where angels fear to tread. Hoffman also subtly utilizes the political and cultural backdrop of southern Florida to great advantage, but never lets the flora and fauna get in the way of her dynamic, suspenseful delivery.

Reading LAST WITNESS is a page-turning, terrifying experience that will keep you up all night, not only while you are reading it but also after you have finished it.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

I read Retribution and could not put it down. When I learned the author had written a sequel, I immediately read it after finishing Retribution. For some reason, I wasn't as hooked with The Last Witness as I was with Retribution. I just couldn't figure out why. Then I realized that the author retold Retribution's plot, so I felt like I was re-reading it all over again. I'm not sure why this is: for those readers who started with The Last Witness first and didn't know there was a sequel? Who knows. I did finish it, however and thought it wrapped up too neatly. I could be wrong though bcuz after reading the last page, there will be a part 3. Despite not liking The Last Witness as much, I will read the 3rd book. After all I do want see what happens next with C.J., Dominick and Cupid.

But very good. The things that happened in this book are beyond graphic, yet still possible, and likely happen on a regular basis. The editing is not so great. More than one instance of "then" instead of "than", but if you can mentally correct the grammar, it's still worth reading.

I really enjoyed Hoffman's first book, Retribution, but like other readers, I found the repetition of that story to be annoying. Having said that, it was necessary to bring first time readers into the plot from the first book. What bothered me more was the big reveal at the end of who the second Cupid murderer was. I thought the link between the two killers was poorly developed and didn't make much sense to me. Plus at some point, and I find this with so many of these thrillers, you start to wonder - how many evil murderers will target this one DA or policeman? The suspense over whether or not C.J. Townsend is going to survive another attack is very minimal, since we know she is the heroine and this is a suspense series. I tend to enjoy the stand alone books, because they can kill off characters more easily and therefore create more suspense.

Also, the sheer number of times now that C.J. Townsend has compromised her legal integrity and withheld information makes me dislike her. Sure, Bantling is worse and needs to remain in prison, but in my mind she is far from sympathetic. Her responses are also becoming predictable. I can already predict the third installment - C.J. keeps Dominick at a distance during the re-trial of Bantling, has bags under her eyes from all the stress, guilt for her legal indiscretions...In the third installment, I wish Hoffman would mix it up a little!

It has been almost three years since a serial killer terrorized the citizens of Miami and it was largely due the brilliant prosecution of assistant state attorney C.J. Townsend that William Rupert Bantling was found guilty and sentenced to the death penalty. An anonymous telephone call had a police officer stop his car and open Bantling's trunk where the cop found the body inside. They had enough cause to get a warrant to search his home where plenty of evidence from his other fourteen victims was also found

C.J. knew going in that the officer didn't have probable cause to search the car but she wanted to try him and find Bantling guilty because he raped her continuously for four hours. Everyone who knew about the tainted evidence entered into a conspiracy of silence but now there is a new serial killer operating in the Miami area and his victims are linked to the trial of William Rupert Bantling which means C.J. is in danger.

Jillian Hoffman's thriller is on a par with the works of Patricia Cornwell, Nancy Taylor Rosenberg and Barbara Parker. C.J. has never gotten over the assault and rape that occurred three years ago and it is affecting her relationship with Special Agent Dominick Falconetti of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It takes the protagonist a while to figure out what is happening but she lacks the evidence and doesn't have a clue who is behind the murders. LAST WITNESS chillingly demonstrates what is wrong within the justice system.

Harriet Klausner

Another outstanding book by this very talented author. Although it's fiction JH adds explanations of Fla law and police procedures. Only complaint I have is I' m losing alot of sleep because I can't stop turning the pages. Highly recommend.

I gave this book series only 4 stars because although I enjoyed it and it's well written, the main character goes through WAY too many horrible things to be believable. I know these books often overdo the number of times a main character survives insurmountable odds, but this poor woman seems to suffer far more than necessary. That being said, I still think the books were good.