Last Rights

by Philip Shelby

From the author of the stunning bestseller Days of Drums comes a novel of Washington intrigue that thrusts the reader into a whirlwind of murder spawned by elaborately masked scandals in the corridors of power. When General Griffin North, a highly decorated African American icon, is killed in a suspicious plane crash, the special commission, led by renowned federal judge Simon Esterhaus, deems it a tragic accident caused by pilot error. But Mollie Smith of the Criminal Investigation Division vows to keep the investigation alive -- single-handedly and on her own terms, if necessary. Certain the general was assassinated, and keenly aware that certain officials in high places would have stopped at nothing to keep a black man from a possible vice-presidential nomination, Mollie intensifies the pitch of her inquiry. Then Mollie -- her investigation nearly complete -- is found murdered. Rachel Collins, Mollie's protégé and close friend, is left to follow the scent of conspiracy enveloping the dead. With the help of Mollie's brother, Logan, the head of the hermetically-sealed FBI team tracking domestic terrorists, Rachel comes head to head with the Engineer, an ingenious and ruthless killer whose sole goal is to cut short her inquiry -- and her life. For Rachel, this assassin becomes her only link to a conspiracy that is much more deadly and far-reaching than she thought possible. It becomes clear to Rachel that she is marked by a man whose mysterious resources and top-secret information continually help him to thwart her. From its harrowing first scene to its conclusion, Last Rights is a masterfully crafted thriller spinning around an unforgettable heroine. Phillip Shelby once again demonstrates that he is among the great thriller writers in america today.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller

Hardcover

First published March 1, 1997

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Philip Shelby's Last Rights, a sight-unseen purchase in a wrapped bundle for me, turns out to be more satisfying than I expected at first glance. I waded through the FBI, CIA, miliary, and armament jargon to get to the bottom of how General Griffin North died. Imagine my disappointment when the killer and the reason turn out to be......well, I won't spoil the ending, but let's just say it didn't hold up against the other plot elements. However, like so many other books that I mark "three stars," I liked reading this. It's a tightly crafted thriller (still with my caveat about the taped-on ending) with an engaging female lead, even if Rachel Collins to a little too good to ring true.

[Jeannine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Competent thriller. Stands up pretty well for one written in 1997.

[Tomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unsatisfying ending, somewhat rushed. Didn't do justice to the great buildups of the villain and heroine. Not bad for something written before smart phones and the Internet.

[John (JC) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

[Kim Repinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very fast paced. Spy story

[Mike]

April 2001

[Lorraine Culver · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast moving story about who killed North and why. Unfortunately, the why was a big let down.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of suspense. Hard to put down.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An army CID investigator is snatched and killed after she started making inquiries into the wrong thing- namely the "accidental" death of General North whom was on his way to being the next Vice President of the United States. Was General North killed because he was black or due to how he might change the political climate once inside the White House? Who was behind such a treacherous conspiracy and more importantly why? Officer Rachel Collins, a CID investigator and friend and protege of Molly Smith, must go off the reservation to find the truth putting herself and others at great risk. But who is the "Engineer" and why is there no trace of this elusive figure? The Domestic Terrorism Unit starts running it's own investigation into Molly's death and discovers that CID investigator Rachel Collins is the key to the answers they seek. A shorter than average book and somewhat predictable in the Hollywood sense of a story, but entertaining nonetheless.

[Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good action thriller book for political junkies

This political / action thriller revolves around the murder of a Colin Powell-type successful black general that was staged to look like a plane crash. Army Warrant Officer Rachel Collins discovers a clue to the actual cause of the general's death while investigating another crime and a nation-wide chase ensues while victims fall all over the place at the hand of the professional assassin "The Engineer."

It started out slow but the middle part of the book is really quite good. Shelby creates good tension and the main characters get banged up most thoroughly and realistically.

http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/

[THX · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a slow-read compared to some other stories. This also seems like a season of 24. interesting because this was written several years before 24?!? It was ok.

[Cindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this a bit hard to follow and the ending was cut short, like it all had to summed up at once.

[Jim Moffett · Rating 5 out of 5]

02-00

[Jackie Simons]

Read 3/97