Say it isn't so Mark, say it isn't so!

Well, like all good stories, they have to come to an end. In many ways, I'm happy Mark (I think by now after all his books I've read, he wouldn't mind me using his first name) decided to conclude this story, but I have to be honest, I'm sad it's over.

I'm glad to see that he brought closure to our beloved characters, Jamie, Kirstie, Paul, and even Lucy. Maybe it isn't what we expected, or even hoped for, but it wasn't our story to tell. I think maybe the most unexpected, was Paul. Unsuspecting Paul... that's what he will forever be known as.

Alright everyone... it's time to "Move on. Live your life."

I hope that Mark doesn't stop here with creating series though. I think he has an even better one in store for us, but he just doesn't know it yet!

I want to thank NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK, and especially Mark Edwards for allowing me the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for my review.

Thankyou to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK, Thomas and Mercer and the author, Mark Edwards, for the opportunity to read a digital copy of Last of the Magpies in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
I thought this book provided a good read. The storyline was well thought out and written with well developed characters. Can always count on this author for a gripping tale to while away the hours.
Well worth a read.

I wish I had read the first two books in the series before I read this one! Now I need to go back and read them, which will clarify a lot, I am sure. Nonetheless, this was a gripping ending! Thank you to NetGalley for my copy of this novel.

Last of the Magpies by Mark Edwards is the third and final book in The Magpies series.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Thomas & Mercer, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.



Series Background: (Warning – May contain spoilers from previous books)
Jamie and Kirsty thought they had found the home of their dreams until the downstairs neighbours started to torment them. Chris and Lucy Newton made their lives hell. Kirsty eventually left, but Jamie’s pride took over. He refused to give in. Eventually he discovered that the Newton’s had bugged their apartment, and videotaped them. He also discovered that Lucy Newton was responsible for 18 deaths in the long-term care facility in which she worked. A scuffle with Chris lead to a fire in the flat, resulting in Chris’s death, but not before Jamie had all the evidence he needed to put Lucy Newton behind bars. However, on appeal, Lucy was freed, and again Jamie and Kirsty were drawn into her world. Again, Lucy was apprehended, but escaped custody before even hitting jail.


My Synopsis: (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
It’s been a year since Lucy escaped custody, and Jamie is still obsessed. The police have not had any luck in finding her, but Jamie feels he cannot move on until she has been dealt with. Kirsty is handling things much better. Her torture by Lucy has made her stronger, and she is doing everything in her power to take control of her life.

Emma is a podcaster who has had luck tracking down people who don’t want to be found. She and Jamie decide to work together to find Lucy. Kirsty ends up being dragged in again.


My Opinions:
I loved this series. Please….this is a series…Do not read this as a stand-alone book.

Each installment has quickly sucked me in. Thankfully this is another short read, so I didn’t have to set it down.

I think Mark Edwards created wonderful characters. The Lucy/Jamie rivalry expanded in this one, and the characters all stepped up. Continued to love the direction the author took the plot, and although I wasn’t surprised by the final twist, it was well done.

This book is again about revenge….and justice….

I think the author ended the series well. I will continue to pick up any book he writes.

This novella is the perfect ending to Mark Edward’s Magpies trilogy. It’s a quick, easy read with larger-than-life characters ranging from likeable young podcaster, Emma, to the deliciously evil Lucy who’s been Kirsty and Jamie’s nemesis for years. We learn more about Lucy through the unseen first draft of her book, which - unlike her published novel - tells her true story. It makes for chilling reading.
Emma is young, spunky, determined and breaks all the rules. I really enjoyed her. She has a podcast about criminal cases and has successfully helped the police in the past. She helps Jamie try to track down Lucy who escaped custody after finally being arrested in book two.
Lucy is your archetypal villain. Evil to the core, she finds her victims’ weak spots and uses these to terrorise and manipulate them. In this book, we see Kirsty taking steps to ensure she manages to control one of her deepest fears, one that Lucy has preyed on in the past. She’s also been working on her self-defense skills and strength. Jamie could also have done with a bit of strength building in the meantime, but he’s such a genuinely nice guy that I forgave his weaknesses.
This short book will keep you racing through to see what happens next. It’s suspenseful, surprising, clever and great, great fun (provided you don’t mind a dose of sheer evil, death and gore). It’s not a standalone, and the Magpies books should be read in order. I suggest you read one after another, as I did. The second two are novellas, making the entire series very quick to read.

This is the conclusive chapter in the "Magpies" trilogy, written by one of the true master of the psychological thriller genre, Mark Edwards. Unfortunately, when I requested the book on Netgalley I didn't know that this book was part of a series and as a result I cannot evaluate "The Last of the Magpies" in a fair and thorough manner. The truth is that after reading this one I am earnestly thinking of going back to read the first two novels, never mind knowing the grand finale.

Nevertheless this is an intriguing novella of about 100 pages that bears the author's trademark characteristics as far as the gloomy, suspenseful atmosphere and the well fleshed-out characters. Sadly, due to my ignorance of the first two books I couldn't have a proper oversight of the protagonists' character arcs, much to my frustration. The pacing is fast and the plot unravels in such a way that the reader can keep up with what's happening, leaving no plot holes or room for misinterpretations.

My only advice is to read the first "The Magpies" and "A Murder of Magpies", the first two books in this trilogy, and then devour the finale of the saga. Mark Edwards proves once again that he is a trustworthy, stable value in the psychological thriller genre and his work is well worth checking out. This is a solid 4/5 stars and I strongly suspect that I would give a majestic 5 star rating if I've read the books in their right order.

Follow Edwards series to completion. This final book is worthy of the series. An author worth following .

Didn't realise this was the last in a series when I requested it. I may come back if I pick up the first two books.

I really enjoyed this trilogy. My sense of terror was ignited with the first and I just had to know what happened next. Sad this is the final one but a great way to finish

With thanks to the Author and Publishers for ARC in return for an honest review

Of all the series I’ve ever read, this truly has to be the best ever ending! Last of The Magpies is, as usual, masterfully written, and one of those books you can’t put down, but on the other hand, you don’t want to reach the end because you can’t bare it to finish.
Although Jamie and Kirsty are no longer together, they are forever linked by the horrors of their entwined history and the scars left behind by Lucy and Chris.
The whole story flows perfectly, and you’ll find yourself on the edge of your seat reading a lot of it with one or two surprises along the way.
Mark Edwards wrote this with his heart on his sleeve, and you can feel the genuine affection for the main characters, yet manages still to show the evil embodied in Lucy.
Another bestseller for sure

#LastOfTheMagpies #NetGalley
#Markedwards. The last installment of the magpie saga and it did not disappoint. Mark you have a gift, the way you bring your characters to life, you instantly are able to connect with them. The way you build momentum is amazing. Great conclusion.

Thanks to Netgalley for my copy.

The last in the trilogy of the Magpies. I loved the first book and have sadly come to the conclusion I should have left the series alone at that. In the first I was totally absorbed in the story and really believed in the torment and psychological havoc wreaked by Lucy in her victims. In the subsequent books I felt she became a bit of a caricature of a baddie.

EXCERPT: The room smelled of dust, like it hadn’t been cleaned for a long time. If this was Paul's parents house, where the hell were they? There was a churning sensation in Jamie's stomach and his mouth was so dry he wasn't sure if he would be able to speak. A memory seized him, a memory of the time he had entered Lucy and Chris's flat,searching for evidence. He remembered what he had found there. The CCTV system. The spectacles from Lucy’s victims. That night had changed his life forever, and a wave of dread crashed over him as he realised this could be another night like that one. That, after tonight, things might never be the same.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: Twelve months ago, Jamie Knight walked straight into Lucy Newton’s trap. Both Jamie and his ex-wife Kirsty barely survived. Now, with the police investigation into Lucy’s disappearance going nowhere, Jamie teams up with a true crime podcaster to track down his nemesis.

But can Jamie persuade Kirsty to help? Can Kirsty forgive him for his past mistakes? And who, if anyone, will survive the final showdown? Featuring extracts from Lucy’s secret memoir, Last of the Magpies brings the trilogy to a shocking conclusion.

MY THOUGHTS: While I generally love Mark Edwards writing, I am not this series biggest fan. I always felt that I was on the outside looking in, that I was being told what happened rather than living through it as it happened. Not something I am accustomed to feeling about Mark's writing.

I felt that the whole thing was a bit OTT, that everything was too extreme, almost as though it was written for shock factor rather than a good plot development. Sorry Mark, but I far prefer all the other books that I have read by you to this series.

THE AUTHOR: Mark has sold over 2 million books since his first solo novel, The Magpies, was published in 2013. Since then he has topped the bestseller lists several times. His other novels are Because She Loves Me, Follow You Home, What You Wish For, The Devil's Work, The Lucky Ones, The Retreat and In Her Shadow. He has also published A Murder of Magpies (a short sequel to The Magpies) and six books co-authored with Louise Voss.

Mark lives in the West Midlands, England, with his wife, their three children, two cats and a golden retriever.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Amazon Publishing UK via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Last of the Magpies by Mark Edwards for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system. This review and others are also published on my webpage

This final instalment in The Magpie books did not fail to disappoint- my only gripe is it was too short!
We return to the same characters seeing where life has taken them and when Jamie tracks down ex Kirsty about final writing a book things turn from bad to worse. The usual great twists and a great ending

I'm so sorry - I really wanted to enjoy this book, as I enjoyed the Magpies immensely. Sadly, I found it really hard to get into. impossible to feel any empathy with the characters, and all in all rather rushed.

Last of the Magpies is the 3rd book in this excellent series the last 2 being novellas.It brings to an end the story of Lucy,Jamie and Kirsty.With it only being a short read i will not go into detail suffice to say as with all Mark Edwards' books it is a superb ending to a superb series of books and it goes without saying really that you do need to read the other 2 books first ! I look forward to Mark's next book with anticipation as he hasn't failed to deliver yet.

I really like this author who writes fact paced mysteries full of good characters and are always plot driven keep you guessing reads
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book

thank you for allowing me to read this book. it was very easy to read. i enjoyed the story line and the characters. look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for letting me read this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
This was the perfect ending for The Magpies Trilogy. It was short and to the point but still answered any remaining questions and I did not want to put it down. Mark Edwards is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. 5 stars!

The Magpies has always been my favourite of Mark Edwards books and this final instalment was a fitting tribute to what has been a great story with brilliant characters. It was just the right length and kept me interested throughout. Really pleased with the ending!