Review – The Final Episode by Lori Ryan
Synopsis
When a true crime series chronicles the tragic childhood summer that changed her life forever, a young woman must grapple with the truth about her father…and herself.
Jennifer Jones and her best friends spend every summer at Big Cypress Swamp, and this summer, Jennifer will finally turn eleven. She hopes to gain the “second sight” foretold by family legend and fulfill her destiny. Instead, the swamp serves up dangers greater than the gators lurking on Halfway Creek. Little Francie Farrow vanishes—and Jennifer’s father goes to prison.
Twenty years later, Jennifer has almost shed the label of Paul Jones’s daughter when her past comes barreling back. Inspired by True Events, a TV series that solves the unsolvable, is recreating that fateful summer. As the series plays out, Jennifer Did the show finally find Francie Farrow? And is Jennifer’s father truly guilty?
Someone else wants answers even more than Jennifer does, and they won’t let her forget it.
As the series nears its finale and the long-awaited truth, Jennifer must come to terms with who her family is…and what that makes her.
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Review
This is not an ending I was expecting…or was I?
Told from two timelines, the past and the present, offers another look at the crime, those involved, and what might have really happened to Francie Farrow.
The past is told from the viewpoint of each episode of the show, Inspired by True Events. They look at unsolved crimes to see if they can uncover what might have happened, or with new technology, does it change how evidence is viewed? The past and present are interwoven, and I felt for several characters. There are others who are unlikable, which adds to the story’s tension.
The story is told primarily from Jennifer’s point of view, from how she handled events as a child—she was only eleven—to how things are going for her as an adult. While some characters might make you suspicious, the truth surprised me in the end.
I thought the author did a great job with the imagery of the swamp. I could picture the murky water, the wildlife, and the hopes that Jennifer left there.
There were times when the book felt a little slower than others, and sometimes, I got confused with the names because they would be called Mr or Mrs in the book, but sometimes by their first name. So keeping those straight took a little effort. However, I understand the why for Mr and Mrs because that is how children were raised to respect their elders.
This was a highly enjoyable book; we give it 4 1/2 paws.
About the Author
Lori Roy’s debut novel, Bent Road, was awarded the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel by an American Author. Her work has been twice named a New York Times Notable Crime Book and has been included on various “best of” and summer reading lists. Until She Comes Home was a New York Times Editors’ Choice and a finalist for the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel.
Let Me Die in His Footsteps was included among the top fiction of 2015 by Books-A-Million and named one of the best fifteen mystery novels of 2015 by Oline Cogdill. The novel also received the 2016 Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel, making Roy the first woman to receive an Edgar Award for both Best First Novel and Best Novel—and the third person to have done so. Gone Too Long was named a People magazine Book of the Week, and Lori was featured as an Inspired Woman by J Jill and Oprah Magazine.
Lake County, Lori’s latest work, is out now and has been nominated for the International Thriller Writers award for Best Mystery of 2024.
Her upcoming novel, The Final Episode, hits shelves June 2025.
Lori lives with her family in west-central Florida.
