Final Look

A Christine Lane Mystery #1

by Dianne Scott

KOBO EMERGING WRITER AWARD NOMINEE!
On an island full of intrigue, a killer’s identity is the best-kept secret.

Policewoman Christine Lane felt the humiliation like a slap. Transferred to a sleepy island station, she could almost hear her career screeching to a halt.

During a violent protest on Toronto Island, a resident is found dead and Christine is hurt. Her boss threatens to sack her for incompetence and she vows to maintain a low profile.

When the homicide leads dry up, Christine is shocked when investigators move on to their next case. So she secretly gathers information on suspects, digging up local dirt. When Christine is ambushed, she knows she is closing in on the perpetrator. Can she flush out the murderer before she is shut down for good?

Final Look is the first standalone book in the award-winning Christine Lane mystery series.

If you like strong female protagonists, a lush island setting and page-turning suspense, then you’ll love Dianne Scott’s Final Look.

Buy Final Look for an engrossing mystery featuring an unforgettable female sleuth.

Crime Writers of Canada Excellence in Crime Writing Award Winner!

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Ebooks, Book Club

278 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 1, 2022

About the author

Dianne Scott lives a short ferry ride from Toronto Island, which is the setting of her mystery novels. She is the award-winning author of the Christine Lane Mystery series.

The first book, FINAL LOOK, was a #1 Amazon bestseller, Kobo Emerging Writers Award nominee and winner of the Crime Writers of Canada Arthur Ellis Award. The second book, MISSING, was a Finalist for the CWC Excellence in Writing Award. LOST AND FOUND and SABOTAGE are the third and fourth books in the series.

When Dianne is not writing, she is walking Toronto’s neighborhoods, coffee klatching with friends and cuddling her Bichon Poodle. She also teaches literacy skills and is working on her Erne in pickleball.

Dianne loves connecting with readers and book clubs, so feel free to contact her at https://diannescottauthor.com.

Receive a free short story when you sign up for her monthly newsletter at https://diannescottauthor.com/newslet... where she describes the writer’s life and things she's been enjoying lately.

Reviews

[Luis Nuñez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really did like this book. It was very well written and the plot was unusual and fun.

What was most enjoyable was that this was a solo female police officer in an all-male police force.

She has a horribly uncomfortable uniform, so...is she going to be issued lightweight summer pants after solving this difficult murder?

The ending was most satisfactory, and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

[E.A. Briginshaw · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I started the book, I didn't realize that the time period was the 1960's so I was a annoyed at the sexist thinking. Even after that, the continual sexist and racist thinking put me off. Even the protagonist thought that way, which was surprising. The story was okay, but a little slow, and I found a few of the "action" scenes a little confusing and had to re-read them to figure out what was going on.

[Shelley Amazon ca reviews as Purrrplehaze]

Freebie via Book Cave

[Leanne Lieberman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Policewoman Christine Lane has been assigned a position on Toronto Island. Faced with sexist coworkers, unsympathetic bosses and a questioning public, Christine must prove herself and track down an Island killer.
This is a fast-moving mystery that also paints a fascinating portrait of 1960’s Toronto and the challenges of female police officers.
I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

[Deborah St Clair Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an enjoyable book - slightly unexciting but nice characters and OK plot. I kept wondering when the book was published because story was set against a background of racism and sexism. Then I realized it must have been set in the 60s because of mention of Joni Mitchell singing at a festival. If that's correct, perhaps the reader should be warned at the start about the chronological setting?

[Julie Larham · Rating 2 out of 5]

This took such a long time to get anywhere and then when it did it felt a bit rushed.
Found it a bit boring if I'm totally honest, it just didn't do it for me - sorry to those that rated it highly!

[Dresden Haskell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pros:

Thoroughly well-researched, and it shows.

A female mystery novel protagonist who is big and strong for once.

The style of prose is fine.

Cons:

The pacing was off.

The characters were a bit bland and samey, which is especially unfortunate when there are so many of them - it felt like we had met 5, not 25. Which also made it hard to keep track of possible suspects when they all blended together (several sharing rather similar names didn't help).

Not a very good mystery. There weren't really clues given to us, the readers, that could have allowed us to actually figure out the killer. You could have thrown a dart at a wall of names at any point in the book and had equally good chances no matter what. The characters remind us of this often, with every recap conversation ending with, "Well it could be anyone, so we accomplished nothing!"

And then they don't even solve it anyway. The culprit just throws himself at them repeatedly in the last 30% of the book until they finally see his face. It really felt like the author realized she had written herself into a corner and had to make the killer pick up the idiot ball for the story to get a chance at concluding. It wasn't a particularly satisfying conclusion either. I was left the emotion of: "Okay. Sure. I guess it's that guy. Who was he again?"

Prose gets a little lazy near the end. I got the feeling she was in a rush to finish it and her editor was in a rush to get it printed.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was quite a fast read for me. I loved the fact that it is a historical novel, set in the 1960s, on Toronto Island, a car free island located between Toronto Harbour and Lake Ontario at the south end of downtown Toronto. Reachable only by ferry, water taxi or private boat, the inhabitants of that island are reasonably isolated after the ferries shut down for the night and the day trippers have left. Although this novel is set in the 1960s, life has not really changed much on the linked Toronto Islands in the decades following that time period so the novel that Dianne Scott has wriitten, feels current in many ways, except that there is no cell or computer technology to assist the intrepid Christine Lane and her fellow police officers. What is sad is that many of the issues that Christine faced in this first novel of the series could still be valid even in these times. A good read that sets readers up for more of Christine Lane..

[Joe Beauchamp · Rating 3 out of 5]

More trials of living as Christine lane than international crime novel. Also, I kept feeling this was a story from the 60s. The way Christine dressed, the types of interactions, the problems of living on this island.
Probably more true than I'd like to think, but solving the crimes was more tripping over things and thinking they might be something. Not really deduction. Most of the book was how hard it was to be a woman cop and worse being one on an island where they put lousy chauvinist male cops. And poof, someone runs by in the last couple pages and everything falls into their laps. Ok, not horrible, but again, deduction was light.

[Jaclyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun to read about Toronto Islands in the 1960s and the challenges of being a woman on the police force when it was still mostly men.

I'd actually started this book months ago, and the only reason it took me so long to finish is that I somehow lost my copy. (On the subway? In a cluttered corner of my apartment? 🤷🏻‍♀️) and only this month decided its long-unfinished "currently reading" mode was really bothering me, and I wanted to clean it up. Luckily the library had ebook copies, and I actually enjoyed it more on this go-around. May check out the next books in the series.

[Keith Withers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enthralling drama

When Woman Police officer, Christine Lane, is transferred to Toronto police it triggers a period of devastating action. In the ongoing drama of a series of eviction a young girl is tragically killed when a truck runs into a group of protesters. WP Lane is the victim of a brick being thrown at her and more violence ensues. With so many possible suspects and not a lot of support, from fellow officers, she struggles to cope.

[Abby Fowler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and all the twists and turns the story takes. The mystery is well maintained and I was genuinely surprised by the perpetrator in the end! The book is well written and an easy, quick read! With only 630 pages it took me a few days to finish, I read it mostly on my work breaks! I was slightly disappointed with the finish as it is a bit open ended but overall I really enjoyed it!

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed being transported back to the 1960s era with Policewoman Christine Lane as she struggles being one of the first women to patrol Toronto Island in a male dominated police force and an A line skirt. She's tough and does a great job. The characters and storyline are great. Very enjoyable read.

[Heather Puckett-wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting read

This was an interesting read about a policewoman in a time where there were very few. Christine and the obstacles she faced drew me in as she worked to solve the case. Her relationship with her partner adds humor to this read. This is definitely a book about a strong female lead making her way into a man's profession and proving herself.

[Devon McCauley · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a solid, quick read. The pacing was just off. The beginning was quick but the entire middle of the book was very, very slow. The murder was almost an afterthought, it seemed. The revelation was wrapped in maybe 3 chapters with a fairly uneventful ending.

This is part of a series though. So maybe we’ll see a resolution to some of the problems the protagonist faces.

[Amie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great find. I do not remember how this came onto my radar, but I really enjoyed it.
I loved the setting of Toronto Island, and yes, you have to remember that it does not take place in current times, but I am sure policewomen still face the same discrimination now, as they did then.
I am looking forward to reading more in this series.

[Mark Bagley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, suspenseful read

There is something about stories with a female officer or detective as the lead character that seems to trump books featuring male policemen. I’m not sure what it is but this book has it.

[Liza · Rating 4 out of 5]

My only issue with the story was the (realistic) sexism towards the woman police officer. The story is set in the late 1960s and so she was constantly belittled.

She is trying to be treated reasonably and conduct a successful murder investigation.

[Mary McKay · Rating 5 out of 5]

One, two, three mysteries in one novel

The writing style is such that the reader can visualize each character without a deliberate description. One crime followed by another and the variety of possible suspects keeps the reader turning pages.

[Jas Drew · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too many characters were introduced at once which made the rest of the book confusing, as it was difficult to remember who was who. There was a big build up to a small revelation, which led to a quick ending of the book. Didn’t particularly grab me unfortunately.

[Connie Steinbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was an easy and interesting read. I enjoyed reading about the time period, 1960’s, during which the story was set. The way the policemen treated PW Lane was maddening. The author kept the story moving and I never guessed the who or why the crime occurred.

[John Cole · Rating 3 out of 5]

The characters just didn’t engage me enough to bond with any of them, or despise them, of appreciate their treachery. But, it read quickly and entertainingly. I could enjoy time on the islands as described.

[Judy Scaife · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting plot

I did struggle to keep reading this book, I found that it digressed an awful lot. The plot was good, just a lot of side issues with it. Being a female police officer in a male dominated posting. Interesting though

[wally walter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a very good book

[Jackson K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book, kept me intrigued and engaged until the very end!

[Dan A. Foster · Rating 1 out of 5]

Final Look

Not for me. Sprinkled with profaning of the sacred and f-bombs. There is better material elsewhere for me to read.

[Josephine Pizzimenti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Different

Amazing how times have changed for women also crazy that is was not too long ago. Good storyline and characters.

[Catherine Walton · Rating 4 out of 5]

It kept me guessing. I liked that it was set in the 70’s.

[Barbara Birchall · Rating 1 out of 5]

Almost a cosy mystery.

Set in past so language is a little different. Mystery? I don't think so. Driving around on bikes, teaching wrestling in spare time. I felt I didn't care.

[James Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well done

The author has created an interesting and exciting plot to go with an imaginative cast of characters making this hard to put down