Review - The Last Clinic by Gary Gusick

The Last Clinic by Gary Gusick
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

ebook, 264 pages

Published November 18th 2013 by Alibi

Source: Netgalley

Synopsis:
Outside the local women’s health clinic, the Reverend Jimmy Aldridge waving his protest sign is a familiar sight. But that changes early one morning when someone shoots the beloved Reverend Jimmy dead. Sheriff Shelby Mitchell knows the preacher’s murder will shock the good people of Jackson—and the pressure to find the killer is immediate and intense, which is why Shelby calls in detective Darla Cavannah. 
 
When police detective Darla moved from Philadelphia to Jackson with her husband—hometown football hero Hugh “the Glue” Cavannah—she never imagined the culture shock that awaited. Then after Hugh dies in a car crash, Darla enters a self-imposed exile in her Mississippi home, taking a leave of absence from the sheriff’s department. Now she’s called back to duty—or coerced, more like it, with Shelby slathering on his good-ole-boy charm nice and thick, like on a helping of barbecue.
 
Reluctantly partnered with a mulish Elvis impersonator, Darla keeps a cool head even as the community demands an arrest. The court of public opinion has already convicted the clinic’s doctor, Stephen Nicoletti, but Darla is just as sure he’s not guilty—even as she fights her growing attraction to him. From the genteel suburbs to a raunchy strip club, Darla follows a trail of dirty money and nasty secrets—until the day of judgment comes, and she faces down an ungodly assassin.

My Thoughts:
I found The Last Clinic a little bit slow to start with and the storyline didn't automatically grab me right from the first page. It definitely became more interesting the further I got through it and I am really glad that I persisted and read it to the end.

This book covers the very controversial topic of abortion and women's rights and does so in a really surprising unbiased manner. It doesn't try to swing the reader's opinion either way and I was very impressed with the way the author kept this level of consistency throughout the whole story.

Darla makes a good, strong female lead character who isn't swayed by the pressures or views of those around her. The rest of the characters were all believable as well in my opinion as was the way the town itself was portrayed.

I would definitely read another book by this author and look forward to seeing if these characters are developed further in another story in the future.