Mayfield, Texas - Present Day

The first time police officer, Marco Juarez met Francis (Feenie) Malone Garland, she was standing in her backyard, shotgun at her shoulder, calmly blasting her husband’s precious trophies to smithereens. It was the same day she threw prominent attorney Josh Garland's clothes out of their Pecan Street home and all over the front lawn. Marco was quite impressed with this woman. She was pretty and a spitfire. But that was two years ago. Now, Marco is working as a private investigator, having been drummed out of the Mayfield police department on false charges. These days, he takes routine cases that maintain a steady income to pay his bills, while most of his days are taken up searching for his sister’s killer, which brings Feenie Malone (she pitched Josh's last name along with his clothes) back into his life.

Marco’s sister, Paloma, was working undercover with the San Antonio police department when she vanished two years ago. The SAPD did little to find her, and it was rumored that she ran away with her partner. Marco knows that’s a lie. Paloma would never have left her four year-old daughter, so Marco continues what the SAPD dropped, and now he’s sure he’s closer than ever to finding the brains of the operation -- Josh Garland. But Josh is untouchable. One of Mayfield’s richest sons, he has too many friends in high places covering his tracks. But Marco has a plan to nab him. When Feenie turns up at the Garland estate in the dead of night while Marco is casing the place, he realizes that she might know what Josh is up to. And what better way to learn Garland’s secrets than to cozy up to his ex-wife?

Feenie Malone is desperate after a tree falls through her roof. Facing financial devastation and the possibility of losing her beloved home, she'll do anything to grab the proverbial brass ring, which in her case means a blockbuster headline story that will get her hired full time. Her part-time job as a reporter for the Mayfield Gazette just doesn't quite manage to pay the bills. Now she has a partially demolished house and no hope of getting it fixed in the near future. Oh well, she doesn't mind living with a tree in her kitchen. She'll just close off that part of the house and let life go on. And, as if she doesn't have enough troubles, she finds Josh piloting her sleek yacht, the same one that he told her he lost in a poker game. That boat is hers, and she plans to see Josh back in court. But first she has to have evidence of his lies.

Feenie and Marco send sparks off one another from their initial meeting in the pages of ONE LAST BREATH, the first book in a new series (as yet unnamed) by debut author Laura Griffin. Feenie will do anything to get her byline on the front page and a full-time position at the Gazette. The last to know about her husband’s philandering ways, Feenie was helpless when Josh left her with almost nothing in the divorce, except for their home and its huge mortgage payments. But when Marco confronts her with his suspicions about Josh, Feenie sees an opportunity to do a little investigating, and maybe come up with a breaking news story. Marco intends to bring Josh Garland down; however, he doesn't count on Feenie’s sheer determination and naiveté, which spells danger for both of them.

ONE LAST BREATH is a fine debut, but the story falls short in many ways. The pacing is rapid and the continual action leaves little room for emotion and true romance. We are told that Feenie and Marco are falling in love, but it all happens too quickly to be truly believable. There is lots of sex, but no real passion, no depth of feeling, and without an emotional connection the romance just doesn’t work. Feenie’s best friend, Cecelia Strickland, the elderly Mrs. Hanak, and reporter McAlister watch out for her, but Feenie’s worst enemy is herself. Much of the time she charges full speed ahead without concern for her own safety or anyone else’s. All in all, ONE LAST BREATH is a good beginning for this promising new author, and I look forward to reading her next novel, ONE WRONG STEP, due out in April 2008. In the meantime, be sure to grab a copy of ONE LAST BREATH and get a head start on this new series.

Diana Risso