I'm getting so tired of buying one bad book after the other. I only took a chance on this one because of the other ratings on this page - and will not buy another Blauner. There is no suspense, there is no mystery, there's just boring page after boring page. I'm over half-way through and really don't care "who done it." I read about 4 to 5 books a month and I guess I'm just going to have to change my genre, because the so-called mysteries and psychological thrillers sorely lack mystery and thrills!

Not a standard murder mystery, The Last Good Day quietly shatters the myth of the safe harbor of the suburbs. Peter and Lynn Schulman flee the city in the wake of 9/11 only to encounter a different and more personal catastrophe in Lynn's hometown.

Author Peter Blauner takes what could have been a predictable plot by lesser writers and throws in twists that has the reader questioning their expectations. Each character including the secondary players are well drawn. Peter and Lynn, the main characters, are not necessarily as upstanding as they seem at first glance. Michael, the "villian" who harasses the couple, is filled out fully as well. While the reader can't condone his actions they come away with a greater understanding of his motivations.

Blauner takes care with all the character and surrounding details to the point that the reader finds themselves in his environment.

This book is great for a summer read.

Three of Blauner's earlier works--Slow Motion Riot, The Intruder and Man Of The Hour-- were excellent books. Both of which read like thrillers but are really great, adrenaline-pumping fiction. Consistent with these past successes, Blauner's latest, The Last Good Day, is another must-read and may be his best yet. As a matter of fact, referring to this book as a very good -- even an excellent -- thriller does it an injustice. Its strong, well-developed, credible characters, its smart dialogue, its ability to capture the mood and fear in an affluent suburban community shortly following 9/11 and a local murder makes The Last Good Day a book you don't want to put down -- but, at the same time, don't want to see come to an end. Beyond its exciting plot, Blauner has created a work of fiction that places it near the top of a very limited group of books in regards to rich prose and style. Do yourself a favor and put The Last Good Day at the top of your Must Read list. While you're at it, do yourself another favor and pick up copies of Slow Motion Riot, The Intruder and Man Of The Hour as well.

Now that I have read Peter Blauner, I will be buying anything of his that I can find. He is a wonderful writer, and this is the type of book you read and wonder why this man is not at least as big as, say, Jonathan Kellerman. The main character, Steven Baum, is a probation officer who is a good man living in a gritty world, supported by the idea he can make a difference. Blauner writes an extremely likeable and realistic character in Baum, who is a bit downtrodden overall but a fighter and a realist. His nemesis, Darryl King, is one of the scariest characters I have come across in a book. Blauner does a wonderfully subtle job of "evilizing" this character.

This man can write, plain and simple, and I am glad to have found such a talent.

Slow Motion Riot is one of the best books I've read in the last two years. The story is terryfying and doesn't let go of you for a second. Best part about it is the note perfect dialogue of the characters. Really a good, good book. Some of the images Blauner depicts will stay with me for a long time. I will definitely read it again!

The most important value in fiction is truth. When an author is telling the truth, you know. Slow Motion Riot draws you into a dangerous facet of our society that most of us never encounter at close range -- one that will not soon go away. Peter Blauner has done and extraordinary job of illuminating the conflicts faced by his central character (Steve Baum) and created something close to a miracle in his brilliant portrayal of Darryl King. This is a book you are compelled to read quickly as the plot unravels -- but one that will draw you back to appreciate the value and rhythm of the language. Blauner is a brilliant and empathetic storyteller who deserves every word of this book jacket's ample praise.

This book was compelling from the first page. The relationship between the main character Fitgerald and his flawed wife showed that heroes in books don't always have perfect lives. The terrorists lives were interesting but, only because I wanted to find out what they would do at the end.

There was nothing spectacular about this book, but for some reason I kept reading and reading. I think it is because anytime you see a tragedy happen on the news, you wonder how you would have reacted in that situation. You wonder if you could have been a hero. In this book, a boring average guy becomes a hero and has to deal with the resulting publicity. Then he becomes a suspect and has to overcome the adversity to get his life back.

I think the plot is what kept me reading, and not the characters or the style of the author. I don't think I'll read any more books by Blauner unless they have a great sounding plot, because I don't think he can carry a story on his own.

This is a book right out of today's headlines. Extremist Religious groups, Overzealous Media, Misguided youth, Violence, it's all in this book. Yet the plot brings this all together in one believable story. The author does a great job at showing each character and why they are performing such atrocities or why they have such courage to stand up for their believes. At some points you almost feel sorry for the bad guys because you know why they are in this predicament. This is a fast paced story with great characters and plot development, you will find yourself turning one page after another while you are engulfed in the story.

In these jaded times it sounds corny and false to say that a writer just keeps getting better and better, but in Peter Blauner's case, it's the absolute truth. Although his novels have the pacing of thrillers, I consider them to be the very best urban fiction of our age. From "Slow Motion Riot" to "Man of the Hour", Blauner has brilliantly dramatized the perils and rewards of life in urban America in a way that makes the territory his alone. If you dig a great story...if characters you'll never forget are your thing, make "Man of the Hour" the next book you read.

This novel was just average and it took me forever to get excited about it. I finally started enjoying the last 100 pages. This novel has only three main characters and the plot is pretty straight forward. You have the lawyer and family being harassed by the Intruder and the handyman/mobster who comes to the aid of the lawyer. If you think you know the ending halfway through the book, you are probably right. If you like to read a lot of books, I recommend this one as a change of pace. I did buy Man of the Hour by the same author so I liked Intruder enough to read the same author. If you are choosy about your books, then skip this one.

This was a really good story, and it went in unexpected directions. It's great to read a book and be unable to predict the next twist. Peter Blauner did his research and created a believable and realistic drug-dependent homeless man. The ending was hard to believe, with the Schiff family banding together like that, but ...

This was a very good read.

I devoured this book's 449 pages in three days, unable to stop reading --- on the train, in the elevator, over dinner, and long past bedtime. Peter Blauner has contructed a realistic, shocking story that explores how far a man will go to protect those he loves, and, should he fail, how far he can fall. The characters are complex and believable, the situations plausible and the action non-stop. If you love stories that send a shiver up your spine, you must read this book.