Darby Kane, the widely praised author with #1 international bestseller Pretty Little Wife, has written another suspenseful tale. 

The Last Invitation is about an invitation to an exclusive club that has devastating repercussions. Underneath prosperous but imperious and violent men, are women ready to dispense vigilante justice.

A handful of women at The Sophie Foundation, a nonprofit organization that promotes women’s health and general welfare, are the ones who administer such punishment, which ranges from physical abuse to execution. The reader’s attention is immediately drawn to two non-members, Gabby Fielding, a non-practiced attorney, along with divorce lawyer Jessa Hall, who is defending the rights of a five year-old boy involved in a bitter custody dispute.

When Gabby discovers her ex-husband Baines, a narcissistic jerk, dead and covered in blood in his home, her problems start to become worse. The investigators claimed that he committed suicide, but Gabby is adamant that he’d never do so. For Jessa, the danger starts with her boss’s warnings and the lies the five year-old boy’s parents told.

Both Gabby and Jessa had a transient relationship in law school a few years back. Strife and time had divided them, but the various threats they faced, notably Jessa’s invitation to the Sophie Foundation, drove them to work together. However, due to their troubled past, neither one of them is completely confident in the other. Police Detective Melissa Schone is unsettling and bothersome to both of them. The case is also being investigated by discredited reporter Rob Greene, whose magazine writer’s fiance was killed.

The finale of this tale delivers three shocking explosions, leaving the reader with some unanswered questions, as well as a contradictory appeal to both cold reason and heated emotion. With a wide range of exquisitely developed characters that range from being seriously flawed to completely repugnant, Kane adds to the appeal of the tale. Gabby and Jessa stand out as particularly memorable characters. The decision to have all female, upper class characters also brings some welcoming diversity to the typical characters in literature. This tale is captivating, heartbreaking, and deserves more recognition.