Last To Die

Jack Swyteck #3

by James Grippando

In an exciting new series that critics have called "John Grisham meets Robert Ludlum," Miami criminal defense lawyer Jack Swyteck faces his biggest challenge yet. Tatum Knight is a former contract killer. Ruthless. Conniving. And he's Jack's newest client. Tatum is the older brother of Jack's best friend, Theo. Theo himself spent time on death row until Jack found the evidence to prove him innocent. Jack isn't so sure about Tatum. A gorgeous young woman has been shot dead in her Mercedes on a Miami street. Tatum denies that he had anything to do with it, but he admits to Jack that he did meet with her in Theo's bar, where she tried to hire him. Sally Fenning was worth forty-eight million dollars when she died. Money had never made her happy, so she left it all to her enemies—left it for them to fight over, that is. She named six heirs in her will, but there's a No one gets a penny until all but one of the heirs are dead. It's survival of the greediest. Quickly the lawyers gear up for a bitter legal battle, but Jack braces himself for much worse. He alone knows that heir number six—Tatum Knight—is a professional killer. As the heirs begin to fall, Jack and his unforgettable sidekick, Theo, are in a race against time to discover if Tatum is behind all the killing. Or is someone even more frightening, more dangerous, the odds-on favorite to be the last to die? From the harrowing first scene through its shocking climax, Last to Die delivers nonstop action and chilling suspense that fans around the world have come to expect from bestselling author James Grippando.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Crime, Legal Thriller, Audiobook, Suspense

464 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 1, 2003

About the author

The first thing you should know about bestselling author James Grippando is that he is no longer clueless—or so they say, after “A James Grippando Novel” was a clue for #38 Across in the New York Times crossword puzzle. James is the winner of the Harper Lee Prize for legal fiction and a New York Times bestselling author with more than 30 novels to his credit, including the popular series featuring Miami criminal defense attorney Jack Swyteck. His latest, "Goodbye Girl" (HarperCollins 2024), is the 18th in the Swyteck series. His novels are enjoyed worldwide in 28 languages. As an adjunct professor he teaches "The Law & Lawyers in Modern Literature" at the University of Miami School of Law. He is also counsel at one of the nation’s leading law firms, where he specializes in entertainment and intellectual property law, representing clients who have won more than 40 Tony Awards. He writes in south Florida with Atlas at his side, a faithful golden retriever who has no idea he’s a dog.
Series:
* Jack Swyteck

Reviews

[Cindy B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author’s usual excellent storyline and writing. Narrated well and clearly. Clean of profanity although some sexual scenes are described.

[Valleri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised by how much more I liked this book than I liked the first one: The Pardon. The issue of child slavery in the chocolate industry was worked into the story, which was interesting and heartbreaking at the same time. On to the next book!

[Lynn Tieman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good thriller. Had me guessing until the last.

[Dara S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sally Fenning's will chooses five people she hated as her beneficiaries. Jack Swyteck is the lawyer for one the beneficiaries. The only restriction is that the last person alive inherits her 47 million dollars. The persons involved start bargaining and knocking each other off. This book has several twists that keep you guessing as to whom is going end up with the money.

[Amanda McGill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good book in the series, but could also be read as a standalone.

I liked the mystery and the concept of being the last one to live gets the money. Unfortunately I found that Jack’s personal life got in the way and I wasn’t a fan of every woman he meets falls for him.

I was surprised by the ending and will be continuing on with the series

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

The setup and execution of this book was perfection. I was entertained from the first page. Sometimes those challenges like read a yellow covered book, brings you across some reads you never would have found otherwise. It did not matter this was book 3 in the series other, than maybe Jack Swyteck, the lawyers personal life? And maybe not even that. Who's to know 🤔 Loved it and highly recommend. I would categorize this as suspenseful, revenge.

[Phillip III · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Jack Swyteck. Another great legal thriller.

[William · Rating 2 out of 5]

Audio: the ingredients of a good mystery were there, however, the craft of writing a good story were not.

[Karen West · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my second Grippando novel and I've found a new author that I am loving. This one is based on the premise that a young woman dies and 6 people are named as heirs to her $46 million estate. The catch is that only the last living heir will inherit. Let the games begin!

[Jeff Dickison · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story got off to a very good start, but when I got into the book it frittered away to almost nothingess. By the time I finished I was just glad the book was done. Not really recommended except to diehard Grippando fans.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somehow, author, James Grippando never came to my attention even though he was published as early as 1994. I’m glad I discovered him as I like his style of writing. This is the third of the series with attorney, Jack Swytek. In addition to the courtroom drama, Swytek gets into some tense, potentially deadly situations. Looking forward to more of these books.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on the discussion in my book group of the first book in the series, I decided to do a few more of the Swyteck books.
Unfortunately, b/c of the availability of the audio thru my library, I’m doing this series out of order.

I like the Jack Swyteck character. I like his best friend Theo as well. (and now I’ll have to go back & read the one in which he was introduced)
And this was an unabridged audio as opposed to some of the others.

I liked how this one was part investigation & part court room drama. B/c the protagonist is a lawyer (and I’m not), I appreciated that the writer didn’t use a lot of legal terms and explained “the law aspects” in an easily understood manner.

Similar to other thrillers starring a lawyer, it was dark in tone.

Like the previous book, this one moved at a fast pace w/enough suspense & drama to keep me on edge.

This mystery was a very intriguing one.
Who killed Sally? Who is the 6th heir? What was really going on?
It kept me guessing throughout the narrative.

FYI- the crimes are graphic in description. And it’s probably best to do this series in order.
and makes you rethink chocolate.

[Scott Parsons · Rating 4 out of 5]

An earlier Jack Swyteck novel, Last To Die has an interesting premise. Having lost her daughter to an intruder some years before Sally Fenning has remarried and then divorced a wealthy French businessman who, among other things, is involved in the cocoa business in the Ivory Coast using child slave labour to enhance his profits. After only 18 months married to him, Sally gets a sizeable divorce settlement which has now grown to $46 million. For reasons which don't become clear until late in the novel Sally decides to hire a hit man to kill her. And she is killed. Jack Swytek becomes involved when he is asked to represent Tatum, criminal brother of Theo whom he had rescued from death row some years before. Tatum informs Jack that he was approached by Sally about killing her but turned the job down.

Then Jack and Tatum are invited to a lawyer's office re Sally's will. Sally has named six heirs, none of whom are family and one of whom is Tatum.The wrinkle is that only the last surviving of the six named will inherit the money. Then the games begin as there are attempts to scare some out of the running and the killing begins.

There is an interesting twist at the very end which helps make sense of the whole shebang.

Not Grippando's best novel but an interesting read nonetheless.

[Catrinka · Rating 3 out of 5]

I began reading Grippando's Jack Swyteck series with book #12, Gone Again, which I liked quite a bit and prompted me to read more of the series. Unfortunately, I didn't find the writing in this book, Last To Die, nearly as good.

The story got off to a fairly rousing start with a horrific murder in the prologue and there was a good bit of action throughout. But, it felt like the author was just throwing everything he could think of action-wise into the book, which made the story seem disjointed from too many unnecessary events. Another thing that bugged me was that the author seems to be trying to make Swyteck into a really funny guy, and many of those moments fall flat IMO.

There is an interesting, although totally unnecessary, secondary story about the problems of child labor and slavery in Africa's cocoa farming. It sparked my curiosity to google and read more about it.

[L · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love it when the authors of "murder & mayhen" mysteries include some social issues--it reduces my guilt for reading and thoroughly enjoying my "trashy novels." In this case, Grippando brings in child slavery in the chocolate industry and mentions the FL tomato pickers. Without overdoing it for those who just want a quick read, Grippando gives a solid view of life and hardship among some of Africa's most disadvantaged.

Of course, there is the matter of the novel itself. Grippando has written another great mystery, with twists, turns, and (for me) a quite satisfying ending. Because Grippando write "real" characters,the relationship between Swyteck & Theo is great fun. As for Theo's brother, Tatum, well, wait read, and you decide. Swyteck is not so great with women, which is ok, since the relationship part of the story is about the buddies, in any event. Along with the buddies, you've got beautiful women, a reformed contract killer, and a wicked will. Enjoy!

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Jack. He's a pretty good lawyer. He knows how and when to bend the rules. He has ex-con friends and people who surround him and love him. I have to admit that I didn't figure this one out. I had no idea why Sally left all her millions for six people to fight over. And six people who were somewhat on the revolting end of the people spectrum. Highly enjoyable thriller with a number of twists I loved.

[Nicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was a bit slower than the first two I read. But they have been consistently unpredictable. I admit to being surprised a lot of the time. I still don't love the characters. Jack isn't exactly a catch. And he seems to attract the craziest of women. The women in these books, or the way they are portrayed, is a problem. But the plot has plenty of twists and turns that keeps you guessing until the end.

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carl Hiaasen, James W. Hall, Edna Buchanan and James Grippando are top notch authors of suspense novels set in Miami. This one has an implausible premise but delivers as usual. Jack and his best pal Theo always get into compelling scrapes.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good legal thriller with twists along the way, and this was it!

[Pisces51 · Rating 4 out of 5]

LAST TO DIE [2003] (Jack Swytek Book 3) By James Grippando
My Review 4.5 Stars****

I finished reading this third installment of the Jack Swytek books last night and enjoyed it so much I was sorry to see it end. This is one of the very early works having been published nearly a couple of decades ago. I finished the second installment [BEYOND SUSPICION] earlier this month and read this one practically back-to-back. I really can’t say which one was the best between the two.

The book is listed under multiple genre designations including legal thriller, crime thriller, and murder thriller. The courtroom drama is relegated to “whisper court”, a term I had not heard before and applies to probate and wills. The story is at its heart another action-paced murder mystery more than a legal thriller, per se. The premise is fascinating and you know before you start that you are in for an entertaining and utterly enjoyable reading experience. I have tried to think what it is about Jack Swytek and this series that is so addictive, and it is like you are having genuine fun with LOL moments while you are simultaneously holding your breath in suspense for the next action scene or unsuspected turn or twist in the unfurling narrative. There is violence, murders, and assorted other criminal actions taking place in the story line but the author still manages to inject humor and render the whole book as sheer entertainment.

Grippando demonstrates his skill in character development with a colorful cast of believable personalities that you immediately despise, like, love, or hate. The lead character of Jack Swytek is especially likeable for his strong sense of ethics, his loyalty to those people he cares about, and of course for his intuitive, intelligent approach to defending his clients and finding the truth. Best buddy Theo never ceases to entertain with his straight forward honest love of life and his trait of shooting from the hip no matter what happens. He and Jack make quite a team. There is the obligatory potential romantic interest and the entrance of a drop-dead gorgeous woman in the plot to boot. This is not to mention a profound subplot involving Theo and his brother Tatum. It is not my intention to write a synopsis of the plot line since the book description on Amazon and available Editorial Reviews manage to do a highly effective job of doing so.

Simply put, this installment involves a beautiful woman named Sally Fenning. She is in the prime of her life, worth $64 million dollars, and yet she arranges to meet a reputed killer for hire to make a contract hit. The fascinating fact is that she names herself as the designated target, and she has willed her entire fortune to six (6) heirs, effectively disinheriting her only living relative, her sister Rene. The list of beneficiaries includes the people who had ruined her life. The common denominator among the list is that all of them were connected in some way to the unsolved murder of her daughter five years earlier. All that is, except for Theo’s brother Tatum who had met with Sally but refused the assignment. The terms of her will are ingenious in that the entire sum of her sizable estate goes to the last beneficiary standing, the only one of the six who is either left alive or alternately has not renounced his or her claim to the inheritance. It sounds like a tired premise, but in the talented Grippando’s hands the $64 million dollar game of survival is a thrill and a chill a minute.

I would highly recommend this albeit dated early entry of the Swytek book series to anyone who hasn’t read it. I loved it. In the same vein, anyone picking up one of Grippando’s current books featuring Swytek owes it to themselves to read the series from the very beginning.

[John Marsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Library Audible (To remind myself of the story) Fenning one night was stabbed by a stalker and her little girl was drowned in the bath. Whe divorced her husband then married a multi millionaire and after so much time was entitled to $46 million. She then hired a hit man to murder her who turned out to be Theo Knight's brother. He claimed not to have proceded with the contract. Theo Knight had along with his brother had been at a late night robbery and a person was murdered. Theo claimed innocent and a DNA sample years later proved his innocence of the murder, Miami attorney Jack Swyteck and by a fraction of time ws spared the death sentence.

Well Fenningwas very clever indded, as she had guessed the likely sequence of events so to trap those who failed into a life / death situation dangled $46 million dollars in front of six people and told them the last one standing gets it all. Jack Swyteck ends up representing Theo's brother. The big pot of money comes from wealthy divorcee Sally Fenning, who leaves an enormous estate following her murder. Not only is her death suspicious, the terms of her will are insidiously cunning. None of the six heirs, all people Fenning despised, can collect until all but one has either died or renounced their share of the inheritance. The common denominator is that all were connected to the murder of Fenning's daughter five years earlier. There is Fenning's ex-husband, his divorce attorney, the prosecutor who failed to bring charges against any suspect, the newspaper reporter who wrote about the case and a mystery man who can't be immediately located. Swyteck's client, hitman Tatum Knight, is the only one not connected to the little girl's murder, though his tie to Fenning is odious in its own right: Fenning tried to hire him to kill her, but he steadfastly denies taking the job. As expected, someone starts knocking off heirs. Those who survive are brutally intimidated into dropping their claim on the estate. Swyteck, meanwhile, scrambles to find out who's behind it all while balancing a possible romance affair on the side that does not take off but instead he falls for Fenning's sister, an african charity worker, who takes over as executor and in the course of performing her duties discovers a later will thus counselling out the earlier one so the murderess group were knocking each other out for nothing. The sister gets to inheiret all . The brother Tatum Knight turns up to be in cohorts with the ex husband who murdered Fennings daughter and was stalking his own wife all because at a time before they married they split and she had sex with someone else who was the fathe of the daughter. Clever plot and all us lder ones all know how the scent of possible big money changes people to do the most vile things.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this as an audio book. I was surprised by the ending, but I guess I should not be. Theo his best friend has a brother Tatum. Tatum was asked to kill Sally Fenning a woman who had $46M. He said he turned her down, but she ends up dead and it comes out that her daughter was killed 4 years ago and she could not go on. There is always a twist. So do not read anymore if you want to be surprised. Sally's ex husband was always jealous and it turns out before they were amrried she had an affair and became pregnant. The little girl was killed by her husband because he found out about the affair. She set it up so that 5 people she hated would kill each other until there was only 1 person left and that person would get the $. Tatum actually did kill her. Then Tatum hooked up with her ex who was also playing the game and they started to kill everyone else. Jack took Tatum as a client until he found out. Tatum also killed the store clerk who Theo was serving time on death row until Jack got him off. Good read. Sally actually gave the $ to her sister who did charity work in Africa.

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this audiobook. This is my first Jack Swyteck book. Jack is a Miami criminal lawyer. His best friend is Theo Knight, who he saved from death row. In this book Theo asks Jack to help is brother Tatum. It seems Tatum, a self admitted hit man, was approached with a most unusual request. Rich but miserable Sally Fenning wants to hire Tatum to kill her - suicide by hit man. When Sally is murdered a couple of weeks later, Tatum swears he had turned down the job. But when Tatum is named as a beneficiary in Sally’s will, Jack steps in to help figure out what is going on. 6 people have been named as beneficiaries, but there is a catch. Each person named is someone Sally had reason to hate. The will stipulates that only the last one of the 6 to be alive will inherit her $46 million. A dangerous game begins as beneficiaries begin to die. Tatum proclaims his innocence not only in Sally’s murder, but in the untimely demise of some of the beneficiaries. Jack has to race to figure out who is threatening and killing off the group. I enjoyed the unusual premise of the book.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The characters were well developed and the plot kept moving. Lawyer Jack is talked into representing thug Tatum, a former hit man, is a case where the murdered woman tried to hire Tatum to kill her AND named Tatum as one of 6 people set to inherit $46 million from her estate. All six are people she despised for various reasons, and her will stipulates that the last survivor gets the full amount - no splitting. People can opt out of consideration or stay in and hope the others die. Intriguing premise, and I developed strong feelings about the 6.

Someone starts threatening the "heirs" to have them drop out; then the threats are to stay in and die. Some try to opt out but die anyway; most want the money. When Jack's assistant and her son get threatened (she personally grabbed) to keep Tatum in the running, Jack takes desperate measures to figure it out. With his best friend, Theo (Tatum's baby brother), it's a race against time to save them. Good action, good conclusion.

[Nolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sally Fenning drove her car to the intersection where the homeless man wants to clean her windshield. She waves him off; he pulls a gun; Sally Fenning dies when the bullet smashes through her windshield into her face.

She left a most interesting will. She was worth 46 million dollars, and she listed six heirs. The problem is, only one gets the money—and whoever lives longest among the heirs wins the money. As you might expect, people begin dying, and one of the six heirs has never gone public.

Jack Swyteck represents one of the six. He is a sleazy guy named Tatum whose brother works for Swyteck.

I’ve not described this plot well, but I’m hopeful you have enough to dig into this entire series if starting at book three is an evil thing with you. The prologue to this book is so compelling it will stay with you long after you read the book. And there’s no letdown after you almost breathlessly move through that propulsive prologue into the book. This is an evening’s read if you allow for just a bit of sleep deprivation, and it will be worth it if you do.

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Drawn in by a 4.0 rating from other readers. Promising start but by the end I was playing it at 1.25x speed to get through it. Didn’t find the plot believable, didn’t particularly like the main character, found the writing to be inconsistent. The segment set in the cocoa fields in Africa was very interesting, but it felt like it was written by someone else and belonged in a different type of story - not this potboiler. Several weak plot points were really annoying: the DNA test that clears one brother of a murder (when the other is guilty of it) doesn’t raise any “close family match” questions for police? Voice altering software on a phone removes all traces of a Latino accent? A bullet passes through a man’s throat but it was “off center” so he can still talk while bleeding out? And the mystery heir/stalker is named “Sirap” because the bad guy saw a poster for Paris reflected on his computer screen? The letters would be reversed, not just in reverse order, so that just didn’t ring true. The Jack Swyteck series is done for me.

[AJ Bernstein · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is my favorite escapist genre, but Last to Die didn't hold my attention. John Sandford is a favorite, and never have I kept putting down a Davenport novel, I usually need to slow it down, and all the characters feel real, and lived in. Jack Swyteck should be more compelling. Yet all the women he meets fall at his feet, I couldn't imagine why; he is just not written as an appealing guy. I like his relationship to Theo, but he verges on cartoonish. And without giving it away, the plot is a bit ridic ulous, and I figured out who the 6th person named in the will was much too early. The women characters were all too slightly drawn, and Renee, the dead woman's sister, should have been more preesent but was in another story altogether. I either needed lots more of her, or much less. I read the whole thing, but in the end, spent too much time on too little to dine on.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy Grippando's Jack Swyteck series. Jack is a Florida attorney that always has his sidekick Theo in tow (who he got off from death row and quickly became best buds). In Last To Die, Jack is ask by Theo to represent his brother Tatum, when Tatum is named in a wealthy woman's will. This book has action, mystery, a little romance, and is packed with twists as the reader wonders why wealthy Sally Fenning named 6 beneficiaries in her will and the last one standing would get $46 million.

The narrator for the audio book does an excellent job and really has you hooked from the beginning. Great thriller!

[Barbara Schultz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only my second Jack Swyteck, Jacks reminds me of one of my favorite Harlan Coben character Myron Bolitar.
I hate profanity and although this cast of misfits using foul language seems “in character” ~ I still hate it and ugh too many f-bombs were dropped. ~ noun, verb, adverb, adjective etc
Anyway, these 6 misfits are in line to inherit 46 million however only the “last to die” get the loot. Needless to say, this is a recipe for trouble!
There were more twists and turns than I expected. I don’t like the ending and certainly don’t like Jack's romantic interest in Rene. I’m on “Team ~ Kelsey.

[Frederick Tan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This time around Jack Swyteck is representing an alleged reform hitman Tatum who also happens to be the brother of his BFF Theo. He was contracted by Sally Fenning to kill her in what is a bluffing exercise. However, when she was found dead from an appearance car jacking incident, her will was equally bluffing. In it she inherited her entire 46 millions fortune to six individuals who has in one way or another was involved in the death of her daughter. But the will has a sting in it. Only the last survivor among the six will inherit her estate. This results in the mysterious death of each of the inheritors. Who will stand to win?