#52 [2022/CBR14] The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

I needed another audiobook to listen to during my commute. I found The Last Thing He Told Me (2021) by Laura Dave because it was immediately available at my library. I picked it because it looked interesting, had good reviews, and was even chosen for Reese Witherspoon's book club. I thought it was all right; the story sucked me in, and it was easy to follow. The characters were well done, but I was sometimes frustrated by their decisions in furtherance of the plot. In the end, this wasn't a favorite, but it was as an interesting book with an unusual twist. 

Hannah is our protagonist, and her adventure begins when she receives a note from her husband, Owen, that only says, "Protect her." Right about the same time, she learns on the news that her husband's company is folding, his boss has been arrested, and Owen is a wanted for questioning. Bailey is Owen's 16-year-old daughter from his first marriage. (Owen's first wife died in an accident.) Bailey loves her father but barely tolerates her new stepmother, Hannah. But Hannah is sure that Owen's note refers to Bailey. 

With different law enforcement groups questioning her, Hannah decides to take Bailey so they can figure things out on their own. On nothing much more than a hunch, the two fly to Austin to investigate. If you have a hormonal teenager, take away her beloved father, upset her life, and force her to rely on someone she resents, it can become a tricky situation. But it can also foster closeness. Hannah is dedicated to Bailey's happiness and safety, and it shows. In addition, the reader learns more about Hannah, Owen, and Bailey in flashbacks where Hannah remembers meeting and falling in love with her husband as well as first meeting Bailey.

One of the things that really frustrated me about this book was that Owen left his wife such an annoying note. I know he had limited time, and he was under pressure. It's obvious that he couldn't come home. But he couldn't add another sentence onto that note? Or even a couple words? 

Although I wondered about some of the characters' actions, and I had some issues with the ending, I did find the mystery portion of this book pretty interesting. I would not have guessed how things turned out.

***SPOILERS*** We eventually find out that Owen's real name is Ethan. His first wife's father was a lawyer for the mob. Owen ended up doing a fair bit of computer work for him, and when his wife ended up dead, he thought it was because of her father's dealings with the mob. He blamed her family for what happened to her, betrayed his father-in-law, took Bailey and ran--changing their names and their lives.

When his new business is caught in scandal, Owen knows that it will derail their quiet, secret life, so he takes off. But because he didn't tell Hannah anything about what's going on, she wanders on down to Austin and discovers his old, mafia-connected family. In the end she decides that they can't go back into hiding again. It will ruin Bailey's life. She makes a deal with the grandfather that she and Bailey will be safe, but the grandfather will not extend that protection to Owen. Bailey and Hannah can continue their lives, but Owen must forever be on the run.

I was a little impressed that Hannah chooses her stepdaughter over her husband, but I also didn't buy it. Would Bailey choose total estrangement from her beloved father or some kind of witness protection program? And now Hannah's in a horrible situation where she feels the connection with her husband and knows he's alive but can never see him. There's no moving on from that. ***END SPOILERS***