Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read the latest book in Mark Edwards’ Magpies series. I remember being blown away by The Magpies when I first read it several years ago. It rekindled my love for reading so I have a lot to thank Mr Edwards for. Last of the Magpies brings the story of Jamie, Kirsty and The Dark Angel Lucy to a close. It is a fairly short story but it doesn’t disappoint. We meet some new characters, as well as some old. I’m sure everyone who has read the previous two books has their own ideas of how they’d like the story to end. Although it’s not the ending that I wanted, it’s actually the perfect ending to a fantastic trilogy.

Wow wow wow I absolutely loved the magpies and enjoyed a murder of magpies so when I saw that the 3rd instalment was available I jumped at the chance to read it.
And it did not disappoint, filled with the same terrifying, page turning tension that the other books were, this final instalment just got better and better. Sad that it is the end, but what an incredibly thrilling end to a brilliant trilogy.

Twelve months have passed since the frightening trauma that Jamie and Kirsty dealt with at the hands of Lucy Newton, and although she is on the run, Jamie just cannot let her go.

This novella really concludes the story and brings everything to a close.
I can’t praise Mark Edwards enough, 5 stars simply brilliant.

A quick read, this provided a great conclusion to the Magpies series. If you haven’t read them all yet, you probably should. Mark Edwards’ writing is - as always - fantastic and gripping.

This is the last book in the Magpie trilogy.
If you haven't read any of this series why not?
Have you been in HIBERNATION???
I last met Lucy Newton when she escaped from the police yet again. I love this series, a female serial killer and one evil psychopath that is Lucy Newton. This woman takes great pleasure in ruining the lives of others she deems weaker than herself. In other words anyone is fair game. This read starts off slowly, gradually reeling the reader in then WHAM!!!! All I can say is WHAT DOESN'T KILL YOU MAKES YOU STRONGER. I loved this book and a fitting ending to a fantastic series. An easy five stars and so Highly Recommended.
I would like to thank the author, Amazon Publishing UK and Netgalley for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

Years after his book, Magpies, was published, Edwards answers questions left hanging at the end of the first book. Jamie Knight and his ex Kirsty survived their close encounter with Lucy Newton, but the police are no closer to tracking her down. Undeterred, Jamie joins forces with a true crime podcaster to find Lucy

Thank you to Net Galley, the publishers and Mark Edwards for an ARC copy.

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.

A quick short story, a 100 pages but a nice conclusion to the "Magpie story" with even in this short story still a few twists and shocks.

I guess the only compliant I have is maybe the story was too short.

I did enjoy reading Mark Edwards own story of his enormous success with self publishing "The Magpies", it's success, then finding a publisher. How one book gave him the financial freedom to become a full time writer which was good news for us readers!

First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Mark Edwards, and Amazon Publishing UK for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

The series that first pulled me into the web of Mark Edwards’ writing is finally coming to an end. Perhaps one of his most eerie psychological thriller series, The Magpies, pushed an unsuspecting couple—Jamie and Kirsty Knight—to the brink. After a harrowing few pieces, this novella seeks to tie it all together. After their horrible experience at the hands of their neighbour, Lucy Newton,, Jamie and Kirsty are no longer on speaking terms, having gone their separate ways. Jamie is still trying to bring closure to things, made all the more difficult when Lucy escaped from prison in a past story. Now on the lam, Jamie seeks to find her, trolling through the various fan sites that have arisen, parsing through the comments of the ‘Newtonites’ to find the woman who has wreaked such havoc. Jamie turns to a podcaster with much experience bringing justice in a world where knee-jerk solutions appear to be the norm. As Jamie and Emma Fox begin their trek to find Lucy, the official story remains untold, at least from the victims’ perspective. Lucy published her tell-all, citing innocence, which the public devoured in short order, but Jamie has yet to really seek to tell his version of events. When he approaches Kirsty with the idea, she is anything but happy, even though she would love nothing more than to put the Lucy narrative to rest. When Emma follows a lead and falls off the grid, Jamie cannot help but wonder if she has finally found Lucy. Now it’s time to decide, follow the digital breadcrumbs and potentially face Lucy, or ignore it and hope Lucy truly does disappear forever? The choice is surely not easy! Edwards does well with this finale, though using the novella format, he may have inadvertently rushed things and left series fans a little deflated. Still, I’d recommend this one for fans of the Magpies collection, if only to get a sense of closure.

Mark Edwards does well with his writing, usually able to pull the reader into the middle of things from the get-go. His Magpies series seems to have garnered the most fame for him, as I have seen scores of people speaking about it and anticipating new work on the subject of Lucy Newton. He’s gone so far as to reference her in his other work, for the attentive reader. With this piece, Edwards must not only tie-off loose ends, but also work to deliver new information to keep the reader hooked. Working with the Jamie Knight and Kirsty characters, their past pain and anguish is less of a discussion point here, but rather the attempt to get closure. The reader has little time to really see what they have been doing to bide their time since the last instalment, as it would seem trying to bring normalcy is the sole item on the agenda. Lucy Newton’s character finally gives us some of the context series fans have been searching for. Edwards injects unpublished chapters of her memoir into the novella, offering backstory about her childhood and courting by Chris Newton. While brief and sometimes only tangential, the curious reader can learn something here and is able to find a nugget or two on which to feast. The story flowed well and seemed rapid, taking the reader on quite the ride in a short time. That being said, I almost would have liked more meat, more spine-chilling action as things progressed to a final reveal, where all is decided once and for all. I cannot say more, for it would spoil things, but perhaps the haste to get this to readers left Mark Edwards churning out something swiftly between projects, rather than a stunning and mind-blowing psychological thriller we all expected. Still, it was enjoyable, with its short chapters and teasing about the backstory of Lucy Newton.

Kudos, Mr Edwards, for a great finale. Maybe I am alone in my criticisms, but it does not detract from the pleasure I have for this novella and series in general.

I absolutely love Mark Edwards and the first magpie book was one of my favourite books of all time - sadly this didn't deliver for me, not believable and just rather poor

Review
Thank you to @netgalley Mark Edwards and the publisher for this arc of Last of the magpies.
I was thrilled to be approved to get an advanced copy of this book, having read the first two books in this series I was counting the days until this was released.
This book did not disappoint! I read it in one day as really wanted to see how this story ended. My mind was a little rusty on the story, but the book brought it all back, so cleverly written.
You need to read magpies and murder of magpies before this, they are great books.

I just love Mark Edwards books so was looking forward to reading this last instalment of the magpies series. I wasn’t disappointed although I wish the book was longer as I read it in a few hours. Although it can be read as a stand-alone I would recommend you read the first two books in the series first so you can get the background of the characters and the references to previous things happening will make more sense. It was a great fast paced storyline with a couple of twists that turn it into a great book. I highly recommend all of Mark’s books.

I was extremely excited to get approved for an ARC of this via NetGalley! This has been an anticipated read for me as I love the Magpies series. Loved it!

WoW..................Noooooooooo.........Last of the Magpies by Mark Edwards was Just a OMG read and sadly his last of The Magpie instalments. There are 3 books in this series and everyone has been a Brilliant read.
I have so enjoyed these books. My only complaint is - it was too short but a brilliant read. This book follows the story of Jamie, Kirsty and Lucy to its conclusion.


Thanks to Amazon Publishing, Thomas and Mercer and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read.

When I received my copy of this book it immediately went to the top of my TBR pile. I have to say that The Magpies is one of my favourite books, and I loved A Murder of Magpies too, so reading this was top priority!

I will say first of all that this does not read well as a standalone. You really do need to read the first two books in the series - in fact if you haven't read them then why not?? This is the final showdown between Kirsty, Jamie and Lucy and is a novella, so a quick read, but there is a lot packed into it. This time we get an insight into Lucy's past through an unseen manuscript of her memoir. As always with Mr Edwards books, it is brilliantly written with a couple of great twists, and is a fitting end to the Magpies story. My only complaint is that it was too short!

It was also nice to read Mark Edwards thoughts on the trilogy, and it's great to hear that The Magpies is as special to him as it is to his fans. All good things must come to an end and I'm quite sad, but looking forward to seeing what Mr Edwards produces next.


Thanks to Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer and Mark Edwards for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

The last one.. I'll miss the characters, but a very satisfying ending. The Magpies has always been a great read am glad the author continued with the story.

The end of this fabulous trilogy!!

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?

Usually I would write my own version of the blurb but on this one I'm not going to so the author's blurb is above, you will just have to read it for yourself, but make sure you read the others in this fabulous series first as you won't understand the story otherwise. This final instalment is a novella and I read it in a couple of hours, the author grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and dragged me straight back into the lives of Jamie, Kirsty and Lucy to find out how this dramatic series would come to an end and Mark Edwards certainly does dramatic well. This was a very fitting ending to the Magpies story which included extracts from Lucy's memoirs, and I have to admit to feeling a little sad that it's all over, whether it ends on a happy or sad note is for you to see, highly recommend this great trilogy.

I'd like to thank Amazon Publishing, Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for the auto approval. I will post my review on Goodreads now and on Amazon on publication day.

This novella brings a conclusion to the story of Jamie and Kristy (along with some other characters) from The Magpies. I am so glad the author continued the story. It was fast paced and exciting all the way through. Anyone who read and enjoyed Magpies should read A Murder of Magpies and this one. You won't be disappointed!
The author's note at the end is interesting too. Mark Edwards is one of those approachable authors who enjoys interacting with his readers.

Sad to see this series come to an end. But great to know what happened and ended with a bang. Felt a little rushed but still an enjoyable read. Another great book from this author. Will he waiting patiently for his next.

Excellent! I love all of Mark Edward's books but I have a real soft spot for The Magpies. I think because we could all fall foul of bad neighbours, it is scarily realistic. The things that happen to Jamie and Kirsty grow worse and worse with this awful sense of dread throughout the story. This is the third book in the series and it wraps the story up nicely. We also get to find out more about Lucy's past and if possible she is even worse than I remembered in the first book. I would urge anyone to go back and read all three books in the series if they haven't already done so.

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and Mark Edwards for the chance to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Mark Edwards has fast become one of my favourite writers with his chilling psychological thrillers now being a must read for me. So, I was filled with an eager, yet nervous, anticipation before reading this conclusion to his sinister Magpies trilogy.

The gang are all back one last time. Lucy Newton is still missing after her dramatic escape following the terrifying events in Shropshire a year ago. Her victims, Jamie Knight and his ex-wife Kirsty, are still tormented by their experiences and struggling to move on knowing she could strike again at any time. Frustrated that the police appear to be idly sitting by waiting for Lucy to make a mistake, Jamie decides he has to take action. So when his friend suggests talking to true crime podcaster Emma Fox, he agrees in the hope that she’ll be able to do what the police haven’t and Lucy will soon be safely behind bars. Kirsty is taking a different approach. Having seen multiple therapists and tried various ways to try and exorcise herself of the demon of Lucy Newton, she is still haunted by her and decides to sever the small amount of contact she still has with Jamie in the hope that it will help. But the pair are thrown back together into a final showdown with Lucy that they will all be lucky to survive…

Wow! This was a spectacular end to a series I’ve enjoyed. Written from multiple points of view this book spends a lot of time focusing on how Lucy’s nefarious games have affected Jamie and Kirsty, and their struggle to live their lives in the knowledge their tormentor is still out there, biding her time. Lucy’s point of view is for the most part given in the form of the unedited version of her memoir, which is far more damning than what was published. Reading the unfiltered inner-workings of this psychopath’s mind was truly chilling. In Lucy this author has created a villain who if she were real would be up there with the best known psychopathic killers of our age. Those chapters terrified me.

Now let’s discuss the twists (no spoilers I promise). I thought I’d got it sussed but boy was I wrong. The final quarter of the book had me unable to tear myself away as the tension reached its pique and all bets were off on the fates of our main characters. Most of all I loved that as we spent most of the story only knowing about Jamie and Kirsty in the present so that when Lucy’s whereabouts were revealed I had the same jaw-dropping sense of shock that the characters did.

Last of the Magpies ended this trilogy on the high note it deserved. You need to read the previous two books before reading this one for sure as even though it does a great job of catching you up, you’ll be lost without being able to have your memory simply jogged about past events. A quick but brilliant read I would recommend this, and the series, to anyone who loves a well written psychological thriller.

This is the 3rd and final book in the trilogy 'Magpies'. I loved the first book and not so much the second but this one was a fitting climax to a very good series.
Jamie Knight and his ex-wife just about survived when they walked into Lucy Newton's trap. Twelve months on with the police making very little progress on Lucy's, Jamie decides to join forces with a true crime pod-caster to track down his arch enemy. It may be harder to get Kirsty to forgive him for his past errors and join the team to hunt down Lucy.
You will really need to read the previous two books in this series to get a full understanding and satisfaction. This 100 pages climax is a good read and a very decent climax.
I would like to thank Net Galley and Thomas & Mercer for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.