Her Last Goodnight (Detective Finnegan Beck #3) by Michael Scanlon
Genre: Crime fiction, police procedural
Read: 7th March 2020
Purchase: Amazon
(publication date: 14th January 2020)
★★ 2 stars
The third installment of the Detective Finnegan Beck series, HER LAST GOODNIGHT is a little different from the first two in that Beck is forced to confront his past with various flashbacks reminding him of what he would rather forget. All while investigating the murder of a well-liked man in a small Irish community. What also makes it different is that can also be read as a standalone...with the ending hopefully bringing an end to one part of Beck's destructive behaviour.
When Beck is called to the scene of a brutal murder, the obvious question is what motive did anyone have to kill kindly old Eddie Kavanagh? The answer is, no one. Eddie was well-liked, kind-hearted and not a bad word could be said about him. So why would someone bash his head in so brutally and leave him to die?
Eddie Kavanagh lived a solitary existence on his farm in rather non-descript Irish town. He had lost the love of his life - Emily Tuffy - 50 years before as he had been too slow in proposing...and Emily got tired of waiting so she upped and left for America. But now, Eddie has a second chance at love...complete with engagement ring and the promise of a better life. But then Eddie is found dead the following day...the ring still in his pocket. What happened to Eddie and who was his mysterious new woman?
Beck and his partner Claire Somers investigate this brutal murder and are soon put on the trail of some rather questionable goings-on which indicate sex trafficking, kidnapping, prostitution and a travelling brothel! However, it takes several more murders before the pieces finally come together as Beck almost loses his life in the process. If not for one rather timely companion.
Which brings me to the show stealer of the story for me. He doesn't feature a whole lot but his presence is always there and very often felt. Max, a sheepdog, who has become Beck's constant companion. Before finding love with Beck, Max belonged to Eddie Kavanagh...and the scene where Max is found beside Eddie's body, pining for his dead master, is heartwrenching for me. Animal Services had no room in the shelter for Max, so Beck offered him a home in the interim. That is, until Max saves his life as well as from himself. So Beck decides to keep him. A far better match than a bottle of Jameson, in my opinion.
As we've seen over the course of the series, Beck has had his demons...one of them is alcohol. And his friend and colleague, Dr Gumbell, doesn't help by perpetuating the problem and shoving yet another pint or a whiskey chaser in front of him. Thankfully, he didn't feature as he was away at a conference but I think Beck would be better off without Gumbell's influence. I was quite proud of Beck for turning away the invitation for a drink only to have that shattered when he bought a bottle and downed it before attending a post mortem. I felt like screaming at him!
Sadly Beck has not had the best of upbringings, with estranged parents and the death of his father, now battling alcoholism and constant nightmares rooted deep within his past. He is a complex character and utterly infuriating at times, but also somewhat likable.
While Beck is a flawed character with too many demons to mention, I am a little tired of the stereotypical police detective battling the demon drink. And as likable as I found Beck in the first book, by this one he irritated me. He did show some promise at the end when instead of turning to the bottle, he cuddled up with Max.
With a promising premise, I felt HER LAST GOODNIGHT was lacking in excitement and intrigue. Although it was complex, dark and disturbing, Beck's constant to-ing and fro-ing with the bottle just gave me the s***!
HER LAST GOODNIGHT is atmospheric and can be read as a standalone as Beck tries to deal with the memories of his past.
Fairly enjoyable, but I don't think I will continue with the series myself. However, good luck to Beck and I hope Max continues as his constant companion. Whatever you do, Mr Scanlon, please don't kill Max off!!
I would like to thank #MichaelScanlon, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #HerLastGoodnight in exchange for an honest review.
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