Last Seen at Lighthouse Lane Book 1

Outer Banks Mystery #1

by Sage Parker

Laura Williams hasn’t stepped foot in her hometown since she was old enough to leave.

But when a doctor calls about her mom’s declining medical condition, she has no choice but to return home and look after her.

Besides, it couldn’t be as bad as living in a city with the man who broke her heart. 2 weeks before their wedding.

As a 35-year-old journalist, hanging onto her job by a thread, and healing from a broken heart, Laura goes back to North Carolina to take care of her mom, agreeing to take on any stories that come her way.

When she arrives, the small-town is on edge because a thirteen-year-old girl has gone missing from Lighthouse Lane…again.

Memories come flooding back, and it all sounds eerily similar to when Laura’s best friend went missing from that exact location 17 years ago…

It gets more complicated when she realizes she knows the missing girl’s father. Harry Matthews, who is just as handsome as she remembers.

Laura makes it her mission to do whatever it takes to help Harry find his daughter.

Join Laura and Harry in this small-town romantic mystery as they work together to unravel this high-stakes case, while facing their past and finding love in the most unexpected ways.

This is Book 1 of 6 in the Outer Banks Mystery series.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Summer Reads, Romance, Suspense, Cozy Mystery

102 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 24, 2022

Reviews

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining mystery listening 🎶🔰

Another will written mystery family and friends relationships adventure thriller short story by Sage Parker (Outer Banks Mystery book 1). Laura comes back to the Carolinas after getting a phone ☎ call about her mothers health. She walks in too a kidnapping of the daughter of an old friend. Investigation into the stepdad leads the daughter and his arrest. But then the daughter ask about the others? I would recommend this novella series and author to 👍 readers of mystery novels 👍🔰. 2023 👒😊😡

[Kenzie · Rating 1 out of 5]

It just wasn’t at all interesting. I felt like a bunch of random information is just thrown at you. It felt so rushed.

Like why is Scott even important to the story?

Is her mom sick? Cause we never found out what “condition” she had.

Why is she flirting with a guy whose daughter just got kidnapped ?

Just what?

[Talor North · Rating 1 out of 5]

A good first draft of a book, but a poorly executed finished product. It is missing 100 pages of substance and plot development.

[Tamara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick little read that left me wanting to read the rest!

[Lindsay Hudak · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not sure why these are all separate books. They are short but the first one sucked me in! Onto the next.

[BP34 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book of six in the Outer Banks Mystery Series. You'll enjoy Laura and Harry in this angst filled mystery. She's a reporter who has returned home to care for her ailing mother. She learns that Harry's teenage daughter is missing and he's a suspect. She helps him investigate and try to find the truth. Meanwhile the chemistry has started building between them. This book is an emotional roller coaster that is hard to put down. Can't wait for the next book to see how the investigation goes. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too much conversation that lead to nowhere. Left me bored, and lost my ability to focus on the story that lulled to a stop. I have read some of her books. This one fell short.

[victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow. those last 7 words really hooked me for the rest of the series. i am blown away.

this book was short, which is exactly what i was looking for! it may have been short, but it was packed with so much and i loved the unraveling of the mystery! definitely gonna read the others!!

[Missy Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so good!! I'm such a Sage Parker fan!

[Mindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very short, but I’m not sad about it

This was 102 mobile app kindle pages long. I paid 3 cents a page and feel I was over charged.

*SPOILERS*
This was very poorly written. At one point I googled the author because I suspected that she wasn’t a native English speaker, so stilted and unnatural was the dialogue. The characters did and said things that made no sense.

Ex:
The protagonist’s mother manages to host book club maybe a week after she breaks her leg so badly she requires surgery (the whole reason the protagonist came to town, although she does absolutely nothing to help her, and makes no real attempt at uncovering the truth of her mother’s ‘condition.’)

The missing girl’s phone is found broken and buried on the beach and the dad says she would never do that on her own because she LOVES her phone- she’s using it to learn French. Lolololololol. Yeah. 13 year olds love their phone because of Duolingo.

The protagonist’s old friends are so glad she has arrived to solve the case because she was ‘so good at puzzles in high school’ even though she didn’t put together that the girl missing might be related to her best friend as they share the same last name in a very small town.

The high school baddie turned cop is either inviting her to grab a coffee or is mad at her without any provocation.

There is much more but I don’t want this review to be longer than the actual book.

If I wasn’t stuck on a long flight with little else downloaded to my kindle I would have DNFed this one. Best to skip it.

[Sally Copley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would have rated this book higher, but the kindle version needs serious editing. There were so many errors, it truly interfered with the flow of the story for me. I almost stopped reading halfway through. On the positive side, it is a good little mystery. I’m on Book 3 now, and I will continue reading the entire series, as that’s the only way to find out what happens. Each book ends with a cliffhanger. I am not a fan of this approach and would have preferred these short books being written as a single novel.

[Kristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sage Parker never disappoints with her writing. I'm loving these little series that are enjoyable, quick reads you find hard to put down.

The story is well written, enjoyable, easy to get swept up in and hard to put down once you start reading. The characters are realistic, easy to get to know and just as enjoyable as the story itself.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Gail Jewett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting a fast read enjoyable. Started the next bookkeeping

[Arlena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: Last Seen at Lighthouse Lane
Author: Sage Parker
Publisher: S.P.
Series: An Outer Banks Mystery Book 1
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Five
Review:
"Last Seen at Lighthouse Lane" by Sage Parker

My Sentiments:

I enjoyed this well-written mystery that brings in family and friend relationships in a thriller short story that keeps one interested until the end and leaves you wanting more. We find Laura Williams has returned home due to her mother giving her a call from the hospital. Laura, a journalist, has to leave her home in San Francisco for Outer Banks, North Carolina, to see about her mom Jacqueline. Right after Laura gets there, she finds out that a young girl Trin has been kidnapped and happens to be the daughter of an old friend Harry Matthews. Laura will get involved because her boss is having her find out information about this...since she was a journalist for the California Daily News. As Laura works closely with the head detective Greta Hughes what will come out as they investigate? This whole situation was strange in that 20-some years ago, Laura's best friend Chloe had come up missing, and they still hadn't found her. Were these the same mysterious kidnappers? What will happen when Laura and her friends dig into Trin's stepdad? To get the complete story of this series, you will have to pick up Book 1, and at the end, we will be left with a cliffhanger, and you will have to get Book two as this story continues. By the way, there will be six series, so get ready for a ride as the story continues.

[Barbara Labbe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laura, a journalist, is called by her mother’s doctor to return to the Outer Banks of North Carolina where she grew up. Laura returns to her help with her mother’s recovery with the stipulation from work that she writes whatever story assigned to her remotely. What she didn’t bargain for is a story about a missing teenage girl, Trin, from the same area and same time of year of Laura’s best friend, Chloe from high school 15 years earlier. Plus Trin is Harry’s daughter, another high school best friend of Laura’s. This is a great start to a new series.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Margaret Fraleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laurie gets a call from her mother's doctor. Her other has fallen and broken her leg.

Laurie's boss has agreed that she can go to help her mother, but she must be available to
write up articles for the newspaper at their request or lose her job.
When Laurie arrives at Outer Banks, she learns of a girl missing named Erin Matthews.

This brings back memories of Laurie's friend that went missing when she was 13.

Laurie works with a police officer, whom she used to attend the same school she did.

The girl that is missing is the daughter of Harry, a friend from school of Laurie's.

Will they find Erin?

[Renate Deutsche Oma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sage Parker is a new author for this reader. I enjoyed the Outer Banks setting. As a caregiver for my aging parents, I understand Laura's dilemma in returning home to care for her mom Jacqueline. Sage Parker is a gifted cozy mystery writer - just enough description, drama, conflict, suspense for a page turning who did read. What this reader is not fond of are cliff hanging endings to a story - even the title of the books are confusing Last Seen at Lighthouse Lane (Book 1, 2, 3, etc.). Most authors give each book a new title. As a retired high school English teacher and grandmother to an 8 year old granddaughter Trin acted more like a tween, not a 13 year old. A short quick read.

[Colleen N · Rating 4 out of 5]

Journalist Laura Williams is pulled back to her hometown when her mother takes a fall and needs help.

However one of the conditions from her work is that she will need to write about any story that they ask her to in order to get the time off. Unbeknownst to Laura she’s about to be thrown into a mysterious kidnapping, that will bring up memories from when she was a teenager. This is a very short novella with a lot of action and a well written start to the series. Please note that this does end in a cliffhanger so I recommend buying the series. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book.

[Carmela Dimattia · Rating 5 out of 5]

My oh my this book had my heart in my throat with this mystery. I was so caught up in this book I could not put it down and I was constantly gasping and biting my nails. Another great read by Sage Parker who has a knack to capture you with her words and characters. I cannot wait for the next instalment and the mystery and intrigue that will no doubt continue and the ending has me holding my breath in anticipation. Loved it so much.

I received an arc copy via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[Vicki Stephens · Rating 5 out of 5]

This first book in this series introduces the primary characters which includes Laura, a remote journalist working on a news story about Trin Matthews who is a thirteen year old student who is missing. Laura once again meets Harry who is her childhood friend and the divorced father of Trin. Secrets are revealed as Laura researches the background of her news story. There is a suspenseful cliffhanger at the end of this book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 45% out of sheer annoyance and boredom.
Slow story that’s way too repetitive and the author tries to set up little moments of mystery / intrigue that just fall flat. Terribly edited - so many grammar and spelling errors! Also, “Outer Banks, NC” is not a place like a town - it’s a name given to a REGION - a series of tiny villages and larger towns. The author doesn’t seem to know this, or much about the area she’s set her story in.
Not sure why all the rave reviews for this, frankly. I literally could not finish.

[Chuck L. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Swing and a miss. I purchased this book because I love the Outer Banks. There was not one landmark, restaurant, or even road located in the Outer Banks that was mentioned in this book. You don't even know in which section of the OBX that the action is taking place. This story could have been set in the desert (except for the boat) as well as any other place in the world. On top of all that, the writing was very bad. The writer expects you to know characters and events without properly introducing them. At least it was short and quickly over.

[Sharon S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very intense beginning to the new series.
Laura’s mother took her ex fiancé’s side in the breakup so things were a bit cool between them. Now her mom, Jacqueline, is dying so Laura flies home to help her.
As she arrives at the hospital she learns of a missing child, the situation sounds like an incident that happened years ago. “Just like Chloe.”
The coincidences of the two cases are eerie.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Margery Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bringing back intense memories
When Laura learns that her mother is dying she flies back home to do what she can for her. She is, however, sidetracked when she learns that a 13-year-old girl has gone missing. This, of course, brings back memories of what had happened to her best friend at the exact place 17 years earlier.
Being a journalist she can’t help but start her own investigation.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Merry Jelks-Emmanuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intriguing story that has twists and turns that keeps you guessing. Laura gets a call about the deteriorating health of her mother. She goes home and stumbles upon a mystery that she is determined to solve. He friend Harry is the father of the missing thirteen-year-old girl. She is determined to help him find his daughter. I can't wait to see how this story ends! I am volunteering to leave a review for an ARC of this book.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

warning! Cliffhanger. Good book except for that.

I’m not a big fan of stories that don’t really end. That said, this was pretty good except for some parts of the story with abrupt things happening. The last chapter seemed jerky, with not enough explanation, like it had been written by someone who just wanted this book to end because they were tired of writing and had enough pages already. That said, I’m intrigued enough to explore the next one.

[Terri Giffin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is probably a 2.5. The writing is pretty good, and the setup for the “mystery” is believable, but the eventual conclusion of said mystery is hurried and shallow. I know - not much you can do in a ~100 page “book” so it’s to be expected. And it seems that further books continue to flesh out the whole story more fully. At $0.99 a pop they are a good, light beach read. I will probably try another one.

[Jacqueline Johnston Cotton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sage Parker's back again with another amazing series. This is book one and this book checked all the boxes for me. This book has the perfect amount of suspense and chemistry between Laura and Harry. A fantastic start to this new series. I'm hooked!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jeanne Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read a lot of books written by Sage Parker; she is one of my favorite authors. I can’t wait to read more of her books.

This is the first book in the Outer Banks Mystery Series; it is the beginning of a new series. The story continues into the next book and needs to be read in order.

I received a free copy of this book via booksprout and I’m voluntarily leaving a review.

[B E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laura goes home after her mother is hurt. Her boss lets her work remotely as long as she writes whatever they ask her to. She needs to write about a missing child, which hits close to home for her. Can she help her friend and help find his missing daughter?.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.