Hope is about to discover that the Lawtons have carried on a kinky sex life that leads to some seedy places and even seedier people. When he survives a gunshot wound, Matthew Hope has second thoughts about tangling with this case. Ed McBain has been named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America, and the shocking conclusion to THE LAST BEST HOPE proves that this honor is well-earned. Author flips back and forth into flashbacks too often, and then writes the flashbacks in the present tense. This makes the book too hard to follow.
Plot gets weak toward the end.