cover image Last Breath: A Novel of Suspense

Last Breath: A Novel of Suspense

Mariah Stewart. Ballantine Books, $19.95 (281pp) ISBN 978-0-345-49224-1

Devoted fans will be satisfied with the comfortably predictable final volume of Stewart's Last trilogy (after Last Look and Last Words), but others may find the formulaic plot a little hard to swallow. Attractive archeologist Daria McGowan has been retained by an eminent university to catalogue the findings of one of her ancestors, who was rumored to have discovered proof of a legendary lost civilization. Her initial survey reveals that some priceless items have disappeared, and she soon learns that their innocent purchasers have been ritually butchered. She calls on a past lover, hunky FBI agent Connor Shields, and as they hunt for the killer, sparks fly between them. There's little doubt that all will end happily, both for the Shields-McGowan relationship and for the university, making this a romantic thriller of more sweetness than substance.