This book had me hooked immediately from page one. Post-apocalyptic dystopias tend to draw me in easily, but this book felt different from many others. It focused less on the cause of the apocalypse - although it did feature and felt all too real at times - and less even on the survival aspect than many other similar books. Instead it felt more like an adventure book featuring a murder mystery.

I can't help but think that this period of time is going to be defined in a literacy fashion by the number of post-apocalyptic novels around. The cause of the apocalypse in this book, for example, was a very thinly veiled Trump-type US President engaged in escalating nuclear conflict. It will be interesting to look back on as this trend continues to develop and reflects the zeitgeist.

I really enjoyed not knowing which direction this book was going to go, genre-wise. It hinted at paranormal elements. There were horror elements that were genuinely chilling. And it could definitely be classed as a thriller.

The ending, unfortunately, was my least favourite part. The pacing of the book was so strong, until the final 10% or so. The closer I got to the end, the more worried I became that it would not all be wrapped up satisfactorily. Most things WERE wrapped up, but in a pretty rushed fashion and without feeling particularly linear.

However, I'm still giving it 4 stars because it was a book I really struggled to put down all along. Recommended!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was very interesting as I expected. I hope they turn it into a movie, as it would be entertaining to watch :)
In our story, the World comes to an end because of a nuclear war carried by incapable politicians. No communication, transport, everything is destroyed. Jon is an American lecturer stuck in a big hotel in Europe with 20 strangers. We're getting to know the story through Jon's diary entries. After the end of World, they finda young girl's body in a water tank. And Jon tries to find who she is and why she's been murdered?

I really enjoyed this book for this murder mystery plus the social drama demonstrated about this post-apocalyptic happening. It was very good in analysing the psychological effects of this situation, how relationships evolve, etc. I'm a bit confused on why the story sharply moved away from teh murder mystery at half way point. I wish it was also equally involved in the plot.

All in all, I recommend this book to people who love sci-fi, dystopian, or post-apocalyptic stories.
Thanks a lot to Netgalley and the publisher for granting access in exchange for an honest review.

Wow: where do I start with a review of this novel? End of the world malarkey is not my normal choice of reading material but I’m glad I made an exception. The thing about this book is that its theme is frighteningly possible given the current state of the world. If you are convinced that the POTUS is hell bent on blowing us to ‘Kingdom Come’ you might want to brace yourself for this dystopian story about nuclear war and the end of the world as we know it. It is one heck of a read.

Jon Keller is an American academic attending a convention at a hotel in Switzerland when nuclear bombs start landing in America and Europe. As the internet goes down and email no longer exists, he and nineteen other guests/staff are trapped in a very remote hotel. On top of this, the body of small girl is discovered in one of the hotel’s water tanks. When it is established that she has been murdered the realisation dawns that one of the survivors is most likely a killer.

The combination of post-apocalyptic thriller and murder mystery is very effective and there is an assuredness about the author’s writing which conjures up a seriously creepy atmosphere in a thirteen floor, one thousand room, hotel with only twenty inhabitants. Shudder!

I don’t want to create spoilers so I won’t go any further into the plot. It was, however, a very satisfying read which I highly recommend.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley and publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.

The last is a new take on the end of the world genre. It's well worth a read and uses a post nuclear world scenario to delve into some interesting topics around how we interact, what drives us and how people would react in this type of situation. Jon the lead character is beliverable and likable but I did find myself thinking his 'voice' was more female than male. Overall I'd definitely recommend and be interested in how the author deals with other subjects on any future books.

An interesting book with a very realistic and interesting premise, what would you do in the event of a nuclear war?
I found the first two thirds of the book engrossing, the detective work story line / thread running throughout, comes and goes as reality threatens to take over. However it is the human interactions that I found fascinating, how some people gravitate together and others repulse, exasperated in a catastrophic event.
I found however the final third of the book somewhat rushed and the conclusion forced, which is unfortunate as it detracted from, what up until then had been an excellent story.
However in summary, this was an enjoyable read with a very thought provoking plot, I recommend reading it.

I struggled a bit trying to decide if I disliked this book or just the world it presented. I ended on the latter. Post-apocalypse stories are nothing new, whether it be zombies or nuclear war there is plenty of media covering what would happen to mankind. It's rare to find a piece that felt so honest and real though.

<spoiler>There is no prescribed major character or story arc and the ending fell a bit flat. I found that a bit disappointing at first but then the more I thought about it the more that made sense.</spoiler> This isn't an epic tale, it's just a snippet on someone's life as they go through all this. Jon's skill as a historian is what drives him to keep logging the events. He makes a strong effort to be as neutral as possible and veer away from the unreliable narrator territory.

Usually in tales such as these we get a super star protagonist whose innate abilities save and support others. Here we have a bunch of regular people all going through something together. We may see things from Jon's perspective but he's certainly not the most capable at many things. I liked the pieces we saw from other characters and how they handled this horrible event. I especially appreciated the mention of narcan which shows the author has done their research and not gone the usually cliche route when drugs are involved.

All in all it was an interesting window into a world for a short while that I was equally eager and dreading to go back to every night.

This was such a different read.

The feeling of this book was so much like 'The Walking Dead' but it's without the Zombies.

The world comes to an end after the 'stupid' politicians turn each other's countries to nuclear playgrounds. Attacks on everywhere, cuts the communication, transport and destroys the order of the world as we know it. In a massive hotel building in Europe, far far away from every form of civilisation is the American lecturer Jon, stuck with some 20 strangers.

The story is told via Jon's diary, he writes to keep the journal of what happened in hopes of her wife Nadia might read it one day. Ovious and inevitable socialisation with other 'strangers' he is trapped with, will be a curse and gift for Jon at the same time. Not long after the end of world they discover a young girl's body in a water tank. She doesn't look like she's been attacked or anything but it's clear she's been murdered. Jon starts to investigate. Who is this girl? Who killed him and why?

This is the murder mystery element of the book, but this book is not a murder mystery. It's more a social dystopia, if there is such a genre. The only reason I am giving this book a 4 stars, not 5 is because it moved the focus from the girl's murder after 40-50% of the book, transforming into a psychological drama between characters in a post-apocalyptic environment. I still enjoyed reading this book and would recommend this to people who likes: sci-fi, dystopia with a hint of mystery.

A really enjoyable read. Given the glut of post apocalyptic novels.around at the moment I was more than pleasantly surprised to enjoy this from start to finish. Highly recommended!

The idea of a nuclear attack and the fall out that follows is a fascinating premise for a book and one that instantly grabbed me.

Jameson’s style is easy to read and regularly captures the nuances of human nature, thus making the characters relatable. The imagery was strong, helping to create the isolated Swiss hotel and the circumstances surrounding it. .

My main criticism would be that I always felt that I wanted more... More detail, more exposition and more from the plot line in general. This isn’t a necessarily negative note; more that I was taken into the book and wanted to explore it further.

At times I questioned logistics; internet access, phone batteries etc... but who am I to know what could or would happen in those circumstances?! Overall though this didn’t affect my enjoyment or investment in this book. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author in the future.

This was an interesting read, but the ending seemed to wind everything up very suddenly. I would have enjoyed following the characters further into their story.
I liked the 'near future' setting - which was unsettling - and while the ending left me with unanswered questions, I'm looking forward to the author's next book.

An excellent believable read, well written with excellent unusual plot, although a bit of strange ending, a page-turner found it hard to put down. Makes you wonder how easy something like this could happen.

The Last is a very tense, and unsettling post apocalyptic story of survival, and the discovery of a murdered young girl, all seen through the eyes of Jon Keller, who writes 'A Narrative Chronicle of the Initial Postnuclear Months by Possibly the Last Living Historian'.

I did really enjoy this book, and Hanna Jameson worked the tension so well in the book that I spent most of the time wanting to know what happened next, but being worried about what it would be.

Jameson has Jon say in his narrative 'I think it was Stephen King who said that the sum of all human fear is just a door left slightly ajar.' and yes, I'm sure Jameson pulls every trick to get your heart racing and the page turning.

My advice to you is to not read this book whilst listening to any music that might in any way add to the tension, because it really doesn't need it, and I might have completely unsettled myself enough to want some Disney to make it all right again!

The Last by Hanna Jameson is due to be published on 31st January 2019. Here's the pre-order link from Amazon!

I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and Viking (the publishers) for this book.

Check out my GoodReads profile for more reviews.

This is an intriguing idea, a mixed group of people, by chance staying in the same hotel, when the world is overtaken by nuclear war. Along side this is a murder mystery, so that the feel of the book is of an Agatha Christie novel in a dystopian setting. The action carries along nicely until the final section, when the surviving residents reach a nearby town. For me this was an unsatisfying conclusion.

What a book! A great view on what could be the end of the world and how a small group of people can twist and turn with their thoughts and behaviours.

Set in the immediate aftermath of a world-wide nuclear attack, The Last is more than just another post-apocalyptic story. Not only are the guests in a hotel in Switzerland possibly the last people alive on earth, all dealing with the worries of survival and enforced isolation, but one of them is also a murderer!

I liked the idea of adding a touch of Agatha Christie to an end of the world scenario, and felt the author accurately captured how people would behave in such a situation. A very enjoyable read, especially if you like dystopian thrillers or murder mysteries, but one that sometimes felt scarily too close to home politically and socially.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

The premise of this dystopian novel is electric; in our current global political climate, who knows what actions will be taken in this modern day game of thrones. This novel passively involves politics into its plot however. The lack of explicit discussion on who exactly is to blame (we know exactly who it is though) may be to centralise the underlying point of the story; how we are all just part of the collateral damage. How beyond all of these spheres, we are the greatest victims of all.

As expected, Jameson involves the discussion around humanity, and how we respond to being cast into a hellish environment. Do we succumb to our supposed animalistic tendencies and bestial capabilities? Evidently so, as a young girl is found murdered in the hotel in the days following the war. Our protagonist, Jon Keller becomes detective, understanding that the young girl must have been killed in the moments very shortly after the announcement. This heightens the sense of paranoia and suspicion within the hotel, as Jon begins to contemplate whether he can trust any of those around him at all. This layer runs alongside the main plot, providing added tension to their dire situation. More of this is demonstrated as the novel progresses, in rather unsettling ways.

It is written in diary entry form, as Jon documents the days after the nuclear war as a form of historical documentation. This provides us an intimate view into the psychological workings of Jon, and the relationships he develops with those around him. He is not the best of individuals, but the reality of a situation like this is that everybody and anybody can find themselves within it. We cannot expect the greatest of our generations to find themselves in luck of survival. Nuclear bombs are surprisingly indiscriminate, if you could describe it as that.

The ending, which I won't provide any spoilers to, was somewhat disappointing. It lost a tremendous amount of pace and concluded in a coincidentally convenient manner. Especially considering the duration of the novel is just over 2 months. However, tragedy cannot last forever and perhaps that is my own expectation on how I prefer dystopian novels to end.

All in all, I would definitely recommend this novel to anybody who enjoys dystopian novels with an inkling of crime fiction within. It is an enjoyable merge.

Thank you to both Penguin Book UK and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest unbiased review.
This is a very dark book that moves at a fast pace. Good plot and well written.

BREAKING: Nuclear weapon detonates over Washington
BREAKING: London hit, thousands feared dead
BREAKING: Munich and Scotland hit. World leaders call for calm

The world is falling apart and possibly the last people remain in a hotel in Switzerland. Everyday is a fight for survival and when the body of a young girl is discovered, Jon Keller, a historian, takes it upon himself to find out what happened to the girl.

The premise was interesting, however, it failed to deliver for me. I stopped reading a 42% as not much was happening and I soon lost interest. I am also not a huge fan of diary-format novels, so the structure didn't really make itself appealing to me either. The characters were interesting and felt real, but I struggled to relate or care about them. There was not much action either and it felt very much out of focus.

Unfortunately this book was not for me so I did not see the point in continuing, however I believe that others could find it enjoyable.

An apocalyptic story, with a crowd of people stranded in a Swiss hotel as nuclear war devastates the major cities of the world.

Jon is a historian, and takes it upon himself to document the stories of the hotel residents... but then a body is discovered and it must be murder, and he decides to investigate.

Exploring fate, community and survival, The Last is easy to read, yet somewhat over-contrived - could a whole new community with government and new methods of technology be set up in less than 10 weeks? I was enjoying it to start with but then it all got a bit far beyond belief for me.

As a fan of dystopian/apocalyptic fiction, I wasn’t expecting much from this title. The same plots have been recycled and used over and over. The Last by Hanna Jameson however offered a refreshing take on an overdone story.

One of the big things I enjoyed was use of the internet, and how social media could come into play during an apocalypse. It had an underlying feel of reality, and genuinely spooked me.

The overarching mystery of the murder in the hotel added another layer of tension and asked more questions.

Overall, definitely a good read, and would highly recommend.