Cover of the Last Bridge

about the last bridge

For ten years, Alexandra Rucker has been on the run from her past. With a bottomless flask of bourbon and a series of meaningless jobs, Alex is struggling to forget her Ohio hometown and the rural farmhouse she once called home. But a sudden call from an old neighbor brings it all rushing back; her mother is dead. Alex is forced to return to the home and family she never intended to see again.

What Alex finds at the old farmhouse is disturbing and confusing: A suicide note, written on lilac stationary and neatly sealed in a Ziploc bag that reads "Alex, He's not who you think he is. Mom xxxooo"

One note, ten words–one for every year Alex has been gone–will completely turn her world upside down. Seeking to unravel the mystery of her mother's death, Alex must confront her past to discover who "he" might be: her tyrannical, abusive father, now in a coma after suffering a stroke just before the suicide? Her brother Jared, named after her mother's true love (who is also her father's best friend)? The town coroner, Andrew Reilly, who seems to have known her mother long before she landed on a slab in his morgue? Or Addison Watkins, Alex's first and only love?

The closer Alex gets to the truth, the harder it is for her to repress the memory and the impact of the events that sent her away so many years ago.

Taut, gripping, and edgy, The Last Bridge is an intense novel of family secrets, darkest impulses, and deep-seated love. Teri Coyne has created a stunning tapestry of pain and passion, where past and present are seamlessly interwoven to form a story that sears and warms in equal measures.
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Author Q and A

Q: So every fiction writer has to answer this first question–is this autobiographical?

A: I'm not sure how to answer that so I usually say "No" and then, "Yes." The "No" part is easy-the story is not about me and does not directly reflect any experiences I have had in my life.

The "Yes" part of that answer means that while it is not factually about me, it all came from my imagination and is an exploration of a lot of themes in my life and my writing. While the characters all have their issues, I identify with each of them and their struggle to integrate their past with the present. This is a long way of saying-I feel the story reflects many of my core beliefs.

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