The Last Witness By Glenn Meade

I received this book from Howard Books for no charge in exchange for my honest review of this book. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Book Description: 

 After a massacre at a Bosnian prison camp, a young girl is found alone, clutching a diary, so traumatized she can’t even speak. Twenty years later, the last witness to the prison guards' brutal crimes must hunt down those responsible to learn what happened to her family.

Twenty years ago, after the fall of Yugoslavia, the world watched in horror as tens of thousands were killed or imprisoned in work camps during an “ethnic cleansing” in Bosnia. Carla Lane has little knowledge of what went on halfway around the world when she was a child. She is living a near perfect life in New York City, married and soon to have a family of her own. But when her husband is murdered by a group of Serbian war criminals, strange memories start coming back, and she discovers that she underwent extensive therapy as a girl to suppress her memories. She is given her mother’s diary, which unlocks her childhood memories and reveals that she was, along with her parents and young brother, imprisoned in a war camp outside Sarajevo.
As her memories come back, it becomes clear that she is the last witness to a brutal massacre in the prison and that her brother may still be alive. She sets out to find her brother, but first she must hunt down the war criminals responsible for destroying her life. But these killers will stop at nothing to protect their anonymity and their deadly pasts...and are determined to silence the last witness to their crimes.
From the talented storyteller who gave us The Second Messiah, The Last Witness serves up another captivating and nail-biting thriller that will keep you holding your breath right to the end.


My Thoughts: 

The Last Witness is Glenn Meade's latest thriller and it is AWESOME.  Glenn Meade is one of my top 10 must read authors so when I was offered his latest book to read and review I jumped at the chance. In this latest thriller, Carla Lane can't remember her life in Yugoslavia or in a Bosnian prison camp but it happened. Carla was raised by her Grandma in the US and is now married and pregnant. When her husband is found dead, murdered by Serbian War criminals, memories start to rush back. When Carla sees the therapist she saw 20 years before, he gives her her mother's diary from their time in the prison camp and finds out that she went through extensive therapy as a child with this therapist to suppress these memories. As she reads this diary she begins to remember everything from her time at the camp including her family. As she sets out to avenge her family and find her brother she realizes she is the last witness of this horrific experience and hopes she can find her brother. Carla is on a mission to find these men but doesn't realize how much danger she is in and how all of this has ties to her husband. 

As a huge fan of Glenn Meade I knew I had to read his latest thriller and I am so glad I did.  Glenn Meade has written a fast paced, action filled story that takes place in the present and the past. Glenn Meade writes with authority about The fall of Yugoslavia, the ethnic cleansing, the work camps in Bosnia, the state of the world during the fall of Yugoslavia, and PTSD.  The Last Witness has a component of Historical Fiction as Glenn Meade recounts the fall of Yugoslavia, something I didn't know much about when I first read this book. This book has a perfect blend of fact and fiction to give more people a look at what really happened during this time in history.  I loved learning about this time in history and it really got me to read more about it.  I loved the characters in this book, good and bad, because they have a depth and a realness. My favorite character would have to be Baize, Carla's Grandma, who raised her after she lost her parents. Baize is a true Grandma, doing what she can to help and protect her granddaughter no matter the cost to her. Baize had to keep her grief to herself so she could help Carla grow up.  I could NOT put this book down. From page one until the end it kept me guessing. I found myself holding my breath, waiting for what was coming next. This book kept me on the edge of my seat, surprising me until the end. The Last Witness is a fantastic thriller! I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Christian Suspense/Thrillers, you will not be disappointed. I cannot to see what Glenn Meade writes next. I give this book 5 STARS.