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Last Dance
A famous Russian ballerina is found dead in a downtown LA loft. No marks, no bruises. The suspects are many: spies, hit men, a gunrunner, and one of Hollywood's most powerful and mysterious film producers. Detective Sam Carver becomes entangled in a perilous reignited Cold War between Moscow and Washington. He chases leads from Europe to Africa.
But Carver faces other demons, too. He is haunted by Dylan Cross, a killer who got away a year earlier. She knows his secrets, whispers to him in his dreams. His obsession with Dylan threatens his new case and his relationship with Lily Hernandez, a uniform cop who wants to work as his partner.
'LAST DANCE' explores dangers within and without, and how we reconcile the damage, love, and things lost, in a Los Angeles that is as tempting and alluring as it is cruel and sinister.
RUNNING TIME => 10hrs. and 8mins.
©2020 Jeffrey Fleishman (P)2020 Blackstone Publishing
But Carver faces other demons, too. He is haunted by Dylan Cross, a killer who got away a year earlier. She knows his secrets, whispers to him in his dreams. His obsession with Dylan threatens his new case and his relationship with Lily Hernandez, a uniform cop who wants to work as his partner.
'LAST DANCE' explores dangers within and without, and how we reconcile the damage, love, and things lost, in a Los Angeles that is as tempting and alluring as it is cruel and sinister.
RUNNING TIME => 10hrs. and 8mins.
©2020 Jeffrey Fleishman (P)2020 Blackstone Publishing
- GenresFiction
Audible Audio
First published November 10, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
September 15, 2020
I did not finish this book because of unexpected content. After reading 10% of the story, I realized that I personally am not the target audience for the novel. That’s okay, because not every book is for everyone, but I thought I would mention what I did and did not like about the story, as others may find it useful. All of the below is right at the beginning of the novel (first 10%), so definitely do not spoil the plot or the ending. 😊
Pro’s:
• The writing style is fabulous – great imagery combined with succinct sentences – perfect!
• A detective who keeps mementos of the victims. It is a bit taboo, but also shows how deeply he cares for those murdered unjustly. (The locket shaped like a swan is a particularly lovely piece of imagery.) Oh, he also plays the piano – so chic!
• Some great quotable quotes. A couple I loved were: “…I may be too grooved to the self already made”; and “’The body is fallible to the dream.’”.
• The descriptions of the ballerina Katrina make me wish I could have met her and seen her dance, if such a thing were possible – she sounded so magical and elegant.
• Fleishman appears to be attempting to make this novel absolutely up-to-the-minute with current events, which is quite tricky and his success at this is quite impressive.
Con’s (for me personally):
• Unrealistic portrayal of female characters.
• One-sided politically charged conversations involving topics such as Harvey Weinstein, U.S. elections, and the President.
• Forced-in hot topics.
Seeing as how I didn’t like the book enough to finish it, it would normally rate at a 1-star for “I did not like it”, however, I appreciated Fleishman’s talent and writing style, therefore I am awarding an extra star for that. Again, while I didn’t finish “Last Dance”, I was very impressed with Fleishman’s writing style and will definitely check out some of his other writings.
Pro’s:
• The writing style is fabulous – great imagery combined with succinct sentences – perfect!
• A detective who keeps mementos of the victims. It is a bit taboo, but also shows how deeply he cares for those murdered unjustly. (The locket shaped like a swan is a particularly lovely piece of imagery.) Oh, he also plays the piano – so chic!
• Some great quotable quotes. A couple I loved were: “…I may be too grooved to the self already made”; and “’The body is fallible to the dream.’”.
• The descriptions of the ballerina Katrina make me wish I could have met her and seen her dance, if such a thing were possible – she sounded so magical and elegant.
• Fleishman appears to be attempting to make this novel absolutely up-to-the-minute with current events, which is quite tricky and his success at this is quite impressive.
Con’s (for me personally):
• Unrealistic portrayal of female characters.
• One-sided politically charged conversations involving topics such as Harvey Weinstein, U.S. elections, and the President.
• Forced-in hot topics.
Seeing as how I didn’t like the book enough to finish it, it would normally rate at a 1-star for “I did not like it”, however, I appreciated Fleishman’s talent and writing style, therefore I am awarding an extra star for that. Again, while I didn’t finish “Last Dance”, I was very impressed with Fleishman’s writing style and will definitely check out some of his other writings.
April 7, 2022
Opening paragraph, The Last Dance:
“She lies pale and light as shaved ice. Her hair spreads like a black flame across the pillow. Classical music plays in whispers. Schubert, I think. The place is scattered with toe shoes, tights, diet pills, opioids, suitcases, dresses, scarves, and empty bottles of Stoli. I snap on gloves and kneel beside her, study the small, nude map of her body.”
We are immediately back in the weighted world of detective Sam Carver. In L.A. In the hands of smooth storyteller Jeffrey Fleishman.
There is no blood or bruising on the dancer’s body. Only a “slight frozen shiver on her face, as if she were bracing against a sudden wind.” She is, Carver thinks, “a broken bit of magic fallen from a music box.” Suicide? Carver thinks not.
The victim is a world-famous Russian ballerina. There are few leads. The new case looks like a puzzle, but Carver is still grappling with the one that got away. Her name is Dylan Cross. (In My Detective.) Cross, Carver’s boss tells him, “was a clever, messed-up, vicious broad.” Dylan Cross was obsessed with Sam Carver.
But Carver is a dedicated cop. He’ll give the case of ballerina Katrina Ivanova everything he’s got. In fact, we are deep in Carver’s skin from first sentence to last. Carver likes to “chase the odd angle.” He doesn’t like to explain why a certain dark alley appeals to him. Shortly after Katrina’s body is taken to the morgue, her body vanishes. No body (and the theft was pre-autopsy) means big problems. There’s the case, of course, but also the reputation of the whole department.
Leads include Katrina’s neighbor and friend. There’s a writer who might have been getting ready to put together Katrina’s story. And a cellist who would play while Katrina danced in her loft. But he turns up dead, too. Overdose? Or staged overdose? And then the FBI shows up. Carver learns there were Russians pursuing Katrina, too. And a tight Los Angeles noir suddenly explodes to Brussels and South Sudan. The locations change, but Carver carries his world-weary gloom wherever he goes. And then back to L.A. There’s a big-shot movie producer. Oh, and connections track back to one Vladimir Putin and issues around hacking in the 2016 election. Along the way, Carver picks up Officer Lily Hernandez as a partner. Lily was the uniform cop on duty at the murder scene of Dylan Cross’s second victim. Lily is tough-as-nails, athletic. She has a witness who could provide key information. Until …
Fleishman’s pace is steady. He makes sure that Carver, well, slices it all into manageable pieces. Carver pauses. Reflects. Carver notes what people say and he notes what questions they don’t ask. There’s a ton of plot here for a brisk read, but Carver’s quiet moments are as interesting as the whodunit. Carver has an issue with time. He sometimes feels suspended by it. He’s got a “weird aloofness.” And knows it. And there’s always Dylan Cross to ponder. She is never far from Carver’s thoughts.
I think that’s the key to the success of Last Dance—equal parts noir gravity, well-rounded and well-grounded character, and high-stakes plot.
Familiar turf? Sure. Does the occasional line of dialogue make you wish you could hear Humphrey Bogart read it (as Sam Spade)? You bet. But we read on, thoroughly immersed, because it’s so well done.
“She lies pale and light as shaved ice. Her hair spreads like a black flame across the pillow. Classical music plays in whispers. Schubert, I think. The place is scattered with toe shoes, tights, diet pills, opioids, suitcases, dresses, scarves, and empty bottles of Stoli. I snap on gloves and kneel beside her, study the small, nude map of her body.”
We are immediately back in the weighted world of detective Sam Carver. In L.A. In the hands of smooth storyteller Jeffrey Fleishman.
There is no blood or bruising on the dancer’s body. Only a “slight frozen shiver on her face, as if she were bracing against a sudden wind.” She is, Carver thinks, “a broken bit of magic fallen from a music box.” Suicide? Carver thinks not.
The victim is a world-famous Russian ballerina. There are few leads. The new case looks like a puzzle, but Carver is still grappling with the one that got away. Her name is Dylan Cross. (In My Detective.) Cross, Carver’s boss tells him, “was a clever, messed-up, vicious broad.” Dylan Cross was obsessed with Sam Carver.
But Carver is a dedicated cop. He’ll give the case of ballerina Katrina Ivanova everything he’s got. In fact, we are deep in Carver’s skin from first sentence to last. Carver likes to “chase the odd angle.” He doesn’t like to explain why a certain dark alley appeals to him. Shortly after Katrina’s body is taken to the morgue, her body vanishes. No body (and the theft was pre-autopsy) means big problems. There’s the case, of course, but also the reputation of the whole department.
Leads include Katrina’s neighbor and friend. There’s a writer who might have been getting ready to put together Katrina’s story. And a cellist who would play while Katrina danced in her loft. But he turns up dead, too. Overdose? Or staged overdose? And then the FBI shows up. Carver learns there were Russians pursuing Katrina, too. And a tight Los Angeles noir suddenly explodes to Brussels and South Sudan. The locations change, but Carver carries his world-weary gloom wherever he goes. And then back to L.A. There’s a big-shot movie producer. Oh, and connections track back to one Vladimir Putin and issues around hacking in the 2016 election. Along the way, Carver picks up Officer Lily Hernandez as a partner. Lily was the uniform cop on duty at the murder scene of Dylan Cross’s second victim. Lily is tough-as-nails, athletic. She has a witness who could provide key information. Until …
Fleishman’s pace is steady. He makes sure that Carver, well, slices it all into manageable pieces. Carver pauses. Reflects. Carver notes what people say and he notes what questions they don’t ask. There’s a ton of plot here for a brisk read, but Carver’s quiet moments are as interesting as the whodunit. Carver has an issue with time. He sometimes feels suspended by it. He’s got a “weird aloofness.” And knows it. And there’s always Dylan Cross to ponder. She is never far from Carver’s thoughts.
I think that’s the key to the success of Last Dance—equal parts noir gravity, well-rounded and well-grounded character, and high-stakes plot.
Familiar turf? Sure. Does the occasional line of dialogue make you wish you could hear Humphrey Bogart read it (as Sam Spade)? You bet. But we read on, thoroughly immersed, because it’s so well done.
November 9, 2020
This book is many things. It is a love ballad sung to Los Angeles. One of author Jeffrey Fleishman's characters makes films, all of which "are about loss," according to another character. So, too, this book -- it's about loss.
But above all else, Last Dance is a cracking good story. Sam Carver is not your typical detective. Indeed, none of his characters are typical. They are a complex, intelligent group of iconoclasts, including a ballerina, a choreographer, a fashion designer and a couple of spies.
The pace of the book is tense but not artificially so, as Carver unpicks the convoluted, international connections between his characters. There are two apparent-yet-suspicious suicides, a body stolen from a morgue, and a good bit of cross-jurisdictional competition and cooperation.
It is the writing, though, that sets this book apart -- sometimes almost metaphysical, as in: "We were raised in the church. We drifted from it, but we know the narrow space between the sacred and the profane."
Last Dance is as good as any noir out there, but so much more. Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for an advance readers copy.
But above all else, Last Dance is a cracking good story. Sam Carver is not your typical detective. Indeed, none of his characters are typical. They are a complex, intelligent group of iconoclasts, including a ballerina, a choreographer, a fashion designer and a couple of spies.
The pace of the book is tense but not artificially so, as Carver unpicks the convoluted, international connections between his characters. There are two apparent-yet-suspicious suicides, a body stolen from a morgue, and a good bit of cross-jurisdictional competition and cooperation.
It is the writing, though, that sets this book apart -- sometimes almost metaphysical, as in: "We were raised in the church. We drifted from it, but we know the narrow space between the sacred and the profane."
Last Dance is as good as any noir out there, but so much more. Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for an advance readers copy.
January 1, 2021
Last Dance - Let’s hope it’s not
By Jeffrey Fleishman
A review by Scott Wade
World traveling journalist Jeffrey Fleishman’s Last Dance puts us in modern day Los Angeles the way Hemingway’s words transported us into Pamplona when The Sun Also Rises came out in 1926.
Ernest Hemingway was only 26 years old when he wrote The Sun Also Rises in 1925. It was a story that involved a handful of well drawn characters, absent context of world affairs, as opposed to Farewell to Arms, which took us inside the Spanish Civil War. By contrast, Fleishman had already traveled the world, with posts for the Philadelphia Inquirer and LA Times in Rome, Berlin and Cairo, not to mention covering wars in Iraq, Libya and Kosovo, by the time he started Last Dance, the second in the Sam Carver detective series.
Fleishman’s tale takes us inside a world of Russian intrigue when a Moscow born Ballerina is murdered in her Los Angeles loft, then her body abducted. The context around Carver is a California on fire and much of the world feeling burned that Russian spies might have hacked the American presidential election, placing a “spoiled orange king-baby” in the White House. Was there a connection? Did the Ballerina know too much?
Protagonist Sam Carver, a modern version of noir detective Sam Spade, is compelling and Fleishman’s tightly written dialogue is something like Bogart’s crisp, tight-lipped quips in the screen version of author Dashiell Hammett's 1930 novel The Maltese Falcon. But a squinted glance at most pages of clipped dialogue in Last Dance may make any reader imagine they were reading a page from a Hemingway novel.
But there is a difference. Though Fleishman’s sleuth Carver may have the intuition and acumen of Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot or even Poe’s C. Auguste Dupin, the inspiration for Doyle’s Sherlock, this book takes us around the world like Dan Brown’s Langdon bouncing from Florence to the Louvre. But I like Fleishman’s world because it takes us to places we’ve never been, more like travel writer Paul Thoreux taking us into villages in Malawi in his Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Capetown.
It’s not surprising that Carver ends up in a medical clinic outside of Juba in the new country South Sudan; he’s been there, literally. Fleishman was a reporter at the Allentown Morning Call about 20 feet from my own desk in that newsroom in the late 80s when he told me one day, “I want to be a foreign correspondent. I want to cover wars.” Thirty years later, he has not only been in the most dangerous places in the world as a journalist, but he’s actually been to places such as those in the book, including Tunis on the south Mediterranean coast. He took time to hone his skills as a Neiman fellow at Harvard. The characters he creates include survivors of the Bosnian war, which he should know about, a sizzling razors in honey female counterpart named Lily Hernandez, as tough of Indiana Jones’ Marion Ravenwood in Raiders of the Lost Ark, Russian spies, an reliable step ahead Iranian lesbian intelligence officer, and a cast of Hollywood persona, the kind of people Fleishman likely encountered as the Times’ senior writer for film, art and culture before becoming the newspaper’s foreign and national editor last April.
Writing is where the real separation begins, Fleishman’s mind-altering prose. It’s no wonder he earned the distinction of being a Pulitzer finalist for his telling of how Tibetan buddhist monks escaped through the Himalayas. While the style may conjure the work of other writers, the writing is uniquely Fleishman. The dead ballerina, in the book’s first sentence, “lies pale and light as shaved ice.” Later, when Carver looks out over Ventura wildfires, he feels a “glimmer of something sacred, reminding me of candles burning against stained glass." The magic doesn’t end until the book’s final horrifying prophetic final two words.
I asked Fleishman about his writing. He wrote back: “As for the imagery, I think a lot of it comes from years as a journalist sucking up details and trying to write them in a unique way with a distinct voice. Some phrases come to me as soon as I see them. Others, I suppose, slip into subconsciousness until I’m writing and then they appear, often needing a lot of polishing and reworking.”
Reading the result is a pleasure and a journey worth taking. Now we wait to see if Carver’s ghosts revealed in Book 2 will take us in the world in Book 3. Can’t wait. Sir, may we have another?
By Jeffrey Fleishman
A review by Scott Wade
World traveling journalist Jeffrey Fleishman’s Last Dance puts us in modern day Los Angeles the way Hemingway’s words transported us into Pamplona when The Sun Also Rises came out in 1926.
Ernest Hemingway was only 26 years old when he wrote The Sun Also Rises in 1925. It was a story that involved a handful of well drawn characters, absent context of world affairs, as opposed to Farewell to Arms, which took us inside the Spanish Civil War. By contrast, Fleishman had already traveled the world, with posts for the Philadelphia Inquirer and LA Times in Rome, Berlin and Cairo, not to mention covering wars in Iraq, Libya and Kosovo, by the time he started Last Dance, the second in the Sam Carver detective series.
Fleishman’s tale takes us inside a world of Russian intrigue when a Moscow born Ballerina is murdered in her Los Angeles loft, then her body abducted. The context around Carver is a California on fire and much of the world feeling burned that Russian spies might have hacked the American presidential election, placing a “spoiled orange king-baby” in the White House. Was there a connection? Did the Ballerina know too much?
Protagonist Sam Carver, a modern version of noir detective Sam Spade, is compelling and Fleishman’s tightly written dialogue is something like Bogart’s crisp, tight-lipped quips in the screen version of author Dashiell Hammett's 1930 novel The Maltese Falcon. But a squinted glance at most pages of clipped dialogue in Last Dance may make any reader imagine they were reading a page from a Hemingway novel.
But there is a difference. Though Fleishman’s sleuth Carver may have the intuition and acumen of Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot or even Poe’s C. Auguste Dupin, the inspiration for Doyle’s Sherlock, this book takes us around the world like Dan Brown’s Langdon bouncing from Florence to the Louvre. But I like Fleishman’s world because it takes us to places we’ve never been, more like travel writer Paul Thoreux taking us into villages in Malawi in his Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Capetown.
It’s not surprising that Carver ends up in a medical clinic outside of Juba in the new country South Sudan; he’s been there, literally. Fleishman was a reporter at the Allentown Morning Call about 20 feet from my own desk in that newsroom in the late 80s when he told me one day, “I want to be a foreign correspondent. I want to cover wars.” Thirty years later, he has not only been in the most dangerous places in the world as a journalist, but he’s actually been to places such as those in the book, including Tunis on the south Mediterranean coast. He took time to hone his skills as a Neiman fellow at Harvard. The characters he creates include survivors of the Bosnian war, which he should know about, a sizzling razors in honey female counterpart named Lily Hernandez, as tough of Indiana Jones’ Marion Ravenwood in Raiders of the Lost Ark, Russian spies, an reliable step ahead Iranian lesbian intelligence officer, and a cast of Hollywood persona, the kind of people Fleishman likely encountered as the Times’ senior writer for film, art and culture before becoming the newspaper’s foreign and national editor last April.
Writing is where the real separation begins, Fleishman’s mind-altering prose. It’s no wonder he earned the distinction of being a Pulitzer finalist for his telling of how Tibetan buddhist monks escaped through the Himalayas. While the style may conjure the work of other writers, the writing is uniquely Fleishman. The dead ballerina, in the book’s first sentence, “lies pale and light as shaved ice.” Later, when Carver looks out over Ventura wildfires, he feels a “glimmer of something sacred, reminding me of candles burning against stained glass." The magic doesn’t end until the book’s final horrifying prophetic final two words.
I asked Fleishman about his writing. He wrote back: “As for the imagery, I think a lot of it comes from years as a journalist sucking up details and trying to write them in a unique way with a distinct voice. Some phrases come to me as soon as I see them. Others, I suppose, slip into subconsciousness until I’m writing and then they appear, often needing a lot of polishing and reworking.”
Reading the result is a pleasure and a journey worth taking. Now we wait to see if Carver’s ghosts revealed in Book 2 will take us in the world in Book 3. Can’t wait. Sir, may we have another?
May 27, 2021
The story here is interesting. A past-her-prime Russian ballerina is murdered in her bed then her body stolen from the morgue before it can be autopsied.
But that’s where the good ends.
Fleishman stops the flow of the story too often to let Sam Carver wax poetic about the view outside his window, the sunset, or his feelings, like he’s trying to elevate the book from a genre novel to something more literary. It doesn’t work. All it accomplishes is making this a slow and ponderous tale. At one point, I felt like I had been reading forever and was sure I was well into the second half of the book. Nope. I had only made it through 37%.
The dialog is choppy. That’s acceptable where the speaker is a Russian or Armenian unfamiliar with American speech. It’s not acceptable where two life-long Americans like Sam and his boss are taking. Gaps in the flow made some conversations hard to follow. There’s a herky-jerky feel to much of the narrative, too, with lots of passages where is no real flow to the sentences.
Fleishman also has a case of Namedropitis. He must have mentioned at least 50 actors, writers, and directors. One or two can have a place in a book, helping to fix the time frame of the story. But when done to excess, like here, it always smacks to me of an author saying, “See all the famous people I know.”
On more than one occasion, I had the urge to quit this book before I finished it. But I slogged on to the end. I should have followed my urges.
This book should have been run through a sieve to filter out the crud and unnecessary fluff.
And one more thing: Keep your politics to yourself, Mr. Fleishman.
I can guarantee I won’t be back for more Sam Carver mysteries.
But that’s where the good ends.
Fleishman stops the flow of the story too often to let Sam Carver wax poetic about the view outside his window, the sunset, or his feelings, like he’s trying to elevate the book from a genre novel to something more literary. It doesn’t work. All it accomplishes is making this a slow and ponderous tale. At one point, I felt like I had been reading forever and was sure I was well into the second half of the book. Nope. I had only made it through 37%.
The dialog is choppy. That’s acceptable where the speaker is a Russian or Armenian unfamiliar with American speech. It’s not acceptable where two life-long Americans like Sam and his boss are taking. Gaps in the flow made some conversations hard to follow. There’s a herky-jerky feel to much of the narrative, too, with lots of passages where is no real flow to the sentences.
Fleishman also has a case of Namedropitis. He must have mentioned at least 50 actors, writers, and directors. One or two can have a place in a book, helping to fix the time frame of the story. But when done to excess, like here, it always smacks to me of an author saying, “See all the famous people I know.”
On more than one occasion, I had the urge to quit this book before I finished it. But I slogged on to the end. I should have followed my urges.
This book should have been run through a sieve to filter out the crud and unnecessary fluff.
And one more thing: Keep your politics to yourself, Mr. Fleishman.
I can guarantee I won’t be back for more Sam Carver mysteries.
December 16, 2022
Brilliant continuation in a new favorite series.
I knew it! Another winner! Book 2 in the Sam Carver series lives up to Book 1. Both author Jeffrey Fleischman and narrator Richard Ferrone are again perfectly paired for this murder mystery. After a previously disappointing listen, I was excited to continue this series and with good reason! Well-paced, Fleischman pens a complexellent detective investigation with surprises and eccentric and oddly lovable characters. Ferrone’s narrative skills are spot-on. Subplots and the few humorous jabs at “the former guy” and Putin makes it even better. The jaw-dropping ending snuck up on me hoping for me. Bringing back past characters, I was ecstatic! Though I had a suspicious hunch… no spoilers here, but a jaw-dropper nonetheless. To make this even more enjoyable is that both Books 1 and 2 were available in the Audible Plus catalogue at no cost. Shrieking from my rooftop, “Epic, I say! EPIC! EPIC! EPIC!
✍🏻👏🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟👏✍🏻
I knew it! Another winner! Book 2 in the Sam Carver series lives up to Book 1. Both author Jeffrey Fleischman and narrator Richard Ferrone are again perfectly paired for this murder mystery. After a previously disappointing listen, I was excited to continue this series and with good reason! Well-paced, Fleischman pens a complexellent detective investigation with surprises and eccentric and oddly lovable characters. Ferrone’s narrative skills are spot-on. Subplots and the few humorous jabs at “the former guy” and Putin makes it even better. The jaw-dropping ending snuck up on me hoping for me. Bringing back past characters, I was ecstatic! Though I had a suspicious hunch… no spoilers here, but a jaw-dropper nonetheless. To make this even more enjoyable is that both Books 1 and 2 were available in the Audible Plus catalogue at no cost. Shrieking from my rooftop, “Epic, I say! EPIC! EPIC! EPIC!
✍🏻👏🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟👏✍🏻
June 4, 2023
The second installment of the Sam Carver series is my favorite so far. I have yet to read the third and final book.
I like this one better than the first, as I didn't favor the back-and-forth POV between Sam and the antagonist, Dylan, but I was happy when we heard less from Dylan and were more squarely in Sam's POV.
I enjoyed the complicated case in trying to solve who murdered an older but talented Russian Ballet dancer living in NYC. Sam's POV informs not only the setting but allows us to see him losing the battle with his mother's dementia. LA is as much a character as anyone else, and his relationship with his girlfriend shows another side on his complicated personality with the world around him.
I like this one better than the first, as I didn't favor the back-and-forth POV between Sam and the antagonist, Dylan, but I was happy when we heard less from Dylan and were more squarely in Sam's POV.
I enjoyed the complicated case in trying to solve who murdered an older but talented Russian Ballet dancer living in NYC. Sam's POV informs not only the setting but allows us to see him losing the battle with his mother's dementia. LA is as much a character as anyone else, and his relationship with his girlfriend shows another side on his complicated personality with the world around him.
October 27, 2020
Last Dance is a captivating second book in the Sam Carver series by Fleishman. Fleishman's writing is as vivid as always and we are drawn right back in. With Dylan still on his mind, Carver is drawn into a new mystery, that of a dead Russian ballerina. Different from the first book, this one brings in more geopolitical intrigue while not overdoing it. The beauty of it is that it stands on its own (i.e., you can read this without having read book one, though I would recommend that too). Just like the first in the series, I sat down with it, and the next thing I knew I was done. Can't wait for the next one!
November 6, 2020
I volunteered to read this book, through netgalley in exchange, for an honest review. This book is well written and the characters are described well. I enjoyed Sam Carver's character. This book mentions Berlin and it is set Los Angeles. The way they described Berlin makes you want to visit there. It had my attention from the very first page. The pacing of this thriller is great. TRIGGER WARNING ⚠️ mentioning of RAPE, ALCOHOL, AND DRUG ABUSE. With every twist and every turn it will keep you on the edge of your seat. I never would have thought that character did it. You guys need to get this book to figure out who did it. This book will be in stores on November 10, 2020 for $25.99.
September 11, 2020
Great follow up sophomore novel in this series. Sam Carver is (sort of) recovered from his experiences with an obsessive serial killer and is ready to take on new cases. A murdered Russian ballerina leads him down all sorts of paths to solving the case with connections to Hollywood, the mob, and presidential election fraud.
I enjoyed this one just as much as the first book. I loved the hints of Dylan Cross from the first book and looking forward to more in the series!
I enjoyed this one just as much as the first book. I loved the hints of Dylan Cross from the first book and looking forward to more in the series!
November 10, 2020
I loved Fleishman’s first Det Carver novel, My Detective, but I actually like Last Dance even more. It’s a true page turner with layered storylines and prose that pull you in and keep you there. Fleishman’s a beautiful writer and it really brings Carver and his cast of misfit colleagues and criminals to life. I won’t give away any spoilers but if you, too, enjoyed My Detective, you’ll want to read what happens next...
December 14, 2020
Wow, NetGalley, thanks for that!
So very Los Angeles, in a good way! The first-person writing is intense and immediate, the characters and dialogue nearly perfect. Extra points for The Last Bookstore in downtown LA, all the wonderfully specific (accurate!) references!
I should've seen that it's a second book and I'm not sure how I feel about Sam Carver but I love the writing and will likely read more Fleishman.
So very Los Angeles, in a good way! The first-person writing is intense and immediate, the characters and dialogue nearly perfect. Extra points for The Last Bookstore in downtown LA, all the wonderfully specific (accurate!) references!
I should've seen that it's a second book and I'm not sure how I feel about Sam Carver but I love the writing and will likely read more Fleishman.
November 7, 2021
Sadly I can only give this 5 stars. What a phenomenal piece of storytelling. Deep and contemplating when needed, at other times sparse prose is what the author gives you.
I have not read the first book yet but will, as soon as it arrives.
Los Angeles, a dead Russian ballerina. This story unfolds so poetically it is amazing. California, Brussels, South Sudan, spies, former spies, good guys- maybe, bad guys- definitely, government agencies, but who is who?
The best book I have read this year.
I have not read the first book yet but will, as soon as it arrives.
Los Angeles, a dead Russian ballerina. This story unfolds so poetically it is amazing. California, Brussels, South Sudan, spies, former spies, good guys- maybe, bad guys- definitely, government agencies, but who is who?
The best book I have read this year.
December 13, 2020
A fairly good run at a new detective. Sam has issues, but he gets the work done and doesn't brood too much. A ballerina dies by mysterious means - and then disappears. Spies and regular bad guys are about. Carver has to follow the trail to Europe and Africa (odd for a detective story). But in the end - well the end isn't so satisfying. But we do find out who did it.
December 20, 2020
Loved it as much as the first book! Can’t wait to read more. Fleishman deftly ties in the storyline from My Detective (the first in the series) without distracting from the current action. And he continues to weave in the feel of LA - I’d call the city a major character in these novels - using beautiful imagery. I love his writing style.
February 1, 2021
Sam Carver investigates the murder of a ballerina which leads him to deal with ex KGB and some Russian mobsters. Very Hammet/Chandler like noir story set in LA. Trips to Europe and Africa stretch credibility but all in all, very entertaining. There is a backstory carried over from the first Carver novel, I'm assuming that informs the action in this one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 9, 2020
L.A. Noir has a new star.
In his latest mystery novel, Last Dance, Jeffrey Fleishman hooks the reader with a fresh look at Los Angeles, infused with dark souls and moments of true grace. Amazon found its new Harry Bosch in Detective Sam Carver.
In his latest mystery novel, Last Dance, Jeffrey Fleishman hooks the reader with a fresh look at Los Angeles, infused with dark souls and moments of true grace. Amazon found its new Harry Bosch in Detective Sam Carver.
March 8, 2021
As I get older, it becomes more difficult to find books with excellent character development and a plot that makes sense. Fleishman does both with Last Dance. I find this book a real treat to read and highly recommend it.
March 28, 2021
4.5 stars.
Interesting read. Great characters.
Interesting read. Great characters.
November 7, 2024
Excellent
Well written excellent book. I would recommed to anyone. I'm going purchase series it was that well written. Buy and read.
Well written excellent book. I would recommed to anyone. I'm going purchase series it was that well written. Buy and read.
February 2, 2021
4.5 stars
Last Dance is a tautly written homage to film noir, a hardboiled detective story that will grip you by the throat and refuse to let go.
The detail to which Fleishman goes in describing the world of the book is absolutely engrossing and completely pulls you in to the underbelly of Los Angeles. Even the way that he structures sentences gives breath to his protagonist Sam Carver. I had not read the first book in this series when I picked this up, but it did not take long at all for me to get swept up in the action.
The only disappointment for me was that I guessed one of the pretty major twists pretty early on, but the main case had me guessing until the last minute. I tend more towards thrillers than crime fiction in my normal reading, but I might have to pick up some more detective stories in the New Year!
Thank you to NetGalley and to Blackstone Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!
Last Dance is a tautly written homage to film noir, a hardboiled detective story that will grip you by the throat and refuse to let go.
The detail to which Fleishman goes in describing the world of the book is absolutely engrossing and completely pulls you in to the underbelly of Los Angeles. Even the way that he structures sentences gives breath to his protagonist Sam Carver. I had not read the first book in this series when I picked this up, but it did not take long at all for me to get swept up in the action.
The only disappointment for me was that I guessed one of the pretty major twists pretty early on, but the main case had me guessing until the last minute. I tend more towards thrillers than crime fiction in my normal reading, but I might have to pick up some more detective stories in the New Year!
Thank you to NetGalley and to Blackstone Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!
July 12, 2022
I love how 'Last Dance' captures the beauty and depravity of Los Angeles. So many things about the city ring true in this novel and it's predecessor 'My Detective.' I hope Detective Sam Carver sticks around for a while.
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