Some stains are permanent.

Jack Winchester has a past, one he has mostly left behind him. He travels around, not staying anywhere for long and, if asked what he does might say that he helps people. One such cry for help came from Jenna, a journalist from a small town in West Virginia. She had become obsessed over the apparent failure of the police or F.B.I. to interest themselves in the deaths of five women, locally known as the Greenback Five. All had been prostitute, died of drug overdoses and were found in water, and Jenna was convinced that all had been murdered. Reluctant at first to become involved, Jack makes the ten your drive into Virginia after a final distressed call for help indicated that Jenna was in physical danger and he feared he'd be too late to save her.

Powerfully written from the perspective of several of the protagonists, Jon Mills builds a complete and complex picture of the area, the people and just what is going on. The clues are there, too, if the reader want to follow them. The characters are well developed and three dimensional. They are sufficiently real to engage our emotions, Both good and bad. The writing is also fresh and visual, bringing a place alive with few words as in the description of a room where a chair was 'stacked with books and shoe polish'. Very enjoyable.

The narration by Adam Gold is equally good, his pacing and intonation suitably matching the text. His individual voicing of each protagonist is also well done. A fine performance, although there is the very occasional editing glitch where a line is repeated. Overall, this is a totally immersive, enjoyable thriller, a fair amount of action but none of it out of place or overdone. Winchester himself is a complex character: always good to have a strong but flawed, main protagonist.
My thanks to the rights holder of Her Last Breath, who at my request freely gifted me with a complimentary copy, via Audiobook Boom. I really enjoyed it and will be looking out for more in the Debt Collector series. Recommended.

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