A bridesmaid has been found murdered and detective Gina Harte will investigate the case. The victim, Holly Long, was stylish, smart, beautiful, and one of the most talked about women in town. And, apparently there were a number of people who might have wanted Holly dead. Gina has her work cut out for her.

Her Last Mistake is the sixth book in the Detective Gina Harte series and, once again, Carla Kovach has written a stellar crime thriller. It has all the right elements: fast-paced, twisty, good characters, and well-written. Not to mention that it’s also a good police procedural. What a fine book to spend the afternoon with. Many thanks to Ms Kovach, for producing yet another great book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

Really enjoyed this Gina Harte police detective mystery/suspense/thriller. This is a new author for me, and sixth of the series. I think I'd like to go back and start the series with book one, as I enjoyed the writing so much. Loved the writing and style. Here is the description from the publisher:

Dressed in a sage green bridesmaid dress, and smiling for pictures, Holly is the happiest she’s ever been. Hours later, Holly is dead.
People love to hate Holly Long. Smart, beautiful and a woman who men find it hard to say no to, she’s the town’s most gossiped about resident.
Now Holly’s body lies in her hotel room, strangled at her best friend’s wedding party. And the gossip has stopped, because nobody wants to look like they did it.
When police search Holly’s immaculate apartment, amongst her stylish furnishings and expensive jewellery, they discover a different side to Holly. Orderly and precise, she wasn’t the chaotic party girl everyone thought her to be. In fact, Holly was a planner, and her next plan was to come out and tell her biggest secret – something she had been hiding for months, something that had the potential to ruin the lives of more than one wedding guest.
There are plenty of people who might have wanted to kill Holly, but only one who has finally made good on their promise.
I found myself hooked from beginning to end. Filled with many characters, the murderer is kept a secret and keeps you guessing to the very end. And what a twist the ending had! I didn't see that ending coming!
This is the first Carla Kovach novel I've read and I look forward to reading more from this author. I read the kindle and purchased the audible version so when I couldn't read I could listen. Great narration! Definitely one credit worthy. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery/detective thriller.
A very special thank you for the advanced readers copy from Bookouture Publishing via NetGalley for my honest review.

Wow !! A deliciously intense and addictive thriller that is frighteningly believable ! I love this series and highly recommend it ! Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review this book ! Opinions are solely my own ! #Netgalley #Bookouture #HerLastMistake

‘The beast had escaped and it was never going back in its cave now…’

I’m not sure why I’ve only just found this series?! But I am sooo glad that I did! I read this in 24 hours which is always a sign of a gripping read for me. It’s the sixth in a series but not having read the first five in no way detracted from the enjoyment of reading it. In fact I enjoyed picking up little clues about what may have happened previously and of course I now need to read all the others!

What the blurb says:

Dressed in a sage green bridesmaid dress, and smiling for pictures, Holly is the happiest she’s ever been. Hours later, Holly is dead.

People love to hate Holly Long. Smart, beautiful and a woman who men find it hard to say no to, she’s the town’s most gossiped about resident.

Now Holly’s body lies in her hotel room, strangled at her best friend’s wedding party. And the gossip has stopped, because nobody wants to look like they did it.

When police search Holly’s immaculate apartment, amongst her stylish furnishings and expensive jewellery, they discover a different side to Holly. Orderly and precise, she wasn’t the chaotic party girl everyone thought her to be. In fact, Holly was a planner, and her next plan was to come out and tell her biggest secret – something she had been hiding for months, something that had the potential to ruin the lives of more than one wedding guest.

There are plenty of people who might have wanted to kill Holly, but only one who has finally made good on their promise.

My thoughts:

The story starts before the wedding mentioned in the blurb when we see Holly at home preparing a meal for her partner. Straight away there are suggestions that this relationship may not be entirely healthy but Holly comes across as ultimately strong-willed and in charge of her own destiny. It’s at this point, right at the start of the book that we find out The Secret, which I won’t reveal here…

Fast forward a little and Holly is a bridesmaid at one of her best friend’s weddings. Holly, Kerry, Fran and Lilly have been friends since school – they are The Awesome Foursome – and so of course when Kerry marries Edward, the other three girls are all her bridesmaids. All is going swimmingly, until shockingly, Holly’s body is found the morning after the party in her hotel room.

Meet Detective Gina Harte. Gina has a grown-up daughter, Hannah; a granddaughter, Gracie and a little black cat called Ebony. Harte has taken some leave from work to spend time with her family who have come to stay with her. But when 25 year old Holly Long’s body is found, her leave is cancelled. This causes huge tension and resentment between Harte and Hannah – a tension which appears to have been there for years.

Holly’s body has been posed with her hands on her middle and flower petals sprinkled over her. During the post-mortem, the head of a carnation is found in her throat. What does it mean? What is the killer trying to communicate? Carnations crop up all over the story and I thought I was really cleverly putting the clues together, but I have to say I was spectacularly wrong in my predictions!

Holly’s present day story is interwoven with snippets from the lives of other characters. The most memorable for a whole host of reasons is that of Cass. Cass was Kerry’s childhood best friend until Holly came along. She has felt usurped for years, and coupled with intense confidence and body image issues, heightened by a failing relationship with her boyfriend, her sections of the story are a really uncomfortable read: ‘She hated herself and all she’d become’. Now that Holly is dead, ‘The best friend place in Kerry’s life was vacant and Cass had to take it back’. Could she have been involved?

Dark secrets abound in this book. Holly’s murder triggers memories for Gina that she would rather keep buried. Issues with her own marriage, now long behind her, are hinted at and later, given more detail. DCI Briggs not only works with Harte, but we find out that, ‘Once her lover, now he was the keeper of her deepest, darkest secret’. We do eventually find out this secret, but it is one of the aspects to the story that made me want to read the earlier books.

Before Harte and her team can get a handle on the case, another of the Awesome Foursome is found dead in her bathtub. ‘Two out of three bridesmaids was a bit too much of a coincidence.’ Can they solve the case before Lilly’s life is threatened?

I had a great time with this book and have now bought the first two in the series so that I can immerse myself in Gina’s earlier life! Highly recommended!

I would like to thank both Net Galley and Bookouture for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have found my new addidtion. These psychological thriller books. They just grab ahold of your attention and dont let go. Theyare simply amazing.

This was an interesting book. However, it did not capture my attention and I felt compelled to read something else throughout. It can also be me not being the correct mindset though.

Her Last Mistake is book 6 in the Detective Gina Harte investigations written by the superbly talented Carla Kovach. I have read several books in this series and feel that I have really got to know the meticulous and determined police detective. Gina has secrets from the past which still haunt her, she has a fragile relationship with her grown up daughter Hannah and a frantic work schedule.

This time Gina and her team are called to investigate the death of Holly Long. She is found dead soon after attending her best friend’s wedding as one of three bridesmaids. This group of four women were childhood friends known as the “Awesome Foursome” and formed a tight bond. However, Holly was keeping a secret that she had told no-one, could this be a link to finding the person who murdered her?

Suspects arise in the case literally all over the place, but many characters are shady criminals who lie for a living. The plot takes you down dead ends as the suspense mounts and it becomes apparant that more lives are at risk. Gina Harte really cares about the victims and their families, she likes to see justice done and the criminals behind bars. This is fast paced police procedural with a twist that really keeps you guessing.

Wow loved it. Thank you netgalley and publisher for the opportunity to read this book. I'm one to judge a book by its cover (whether I'll read it), and this one did not disappoint. I didn't realize it was part of a series but it's able to be read as a stand alone. I'm definitely going to go back to book 1 and read the whole series. Well done! Would highly recommend this to everyone!

This is the sixth book in the series featuring Detective Gina Harte. This book can be read as a stand-alone but this is a brilliant series of books that you really should read. The book opens with Holly, who along with two other friends, is a bridesmaid at a fourth friends wedding. Gina and her team are called it to investigate the case when Holly is found murdered in her hotel room at the wedding venue. Then a second bridesmaid is found murdered a few days later so Gina and her team have a difficult investigation on their hands. They also discover that Holly has a lifestyle that exceeded her earnings and that she was pregnant. Could the father be the murderer? When Gina was called out to the investigation she was enjoying leave with her daughter Hannah and her granddaughter and their relationship becomes strained when Gina realises that Hannah seems involved with a nasty character who is also one of the murder suspects. This is a dark thriller with lies, secrets and surprise revelations and a book that will keep you in suspense until the end. A highly recommended read and series.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the advanced copy of this book.
I didn’t realise when requesting that this was in a series, but how glad am I that I found this, I know need to read the first 5 and then this one again. A brilliant book which really kept me hooked. I loved the characters and really want to read more of this series, Pleas keep them coming, Carla is a new author for me and I am now hooked. Highly recommend

Holly was happy, she is pregnant. She is a bridesmaid at her best friends wedding. She also dies at her best friends wedding murdered in her hotel room.
Gina Harte and her team are called in. They begin to find some suspects.
Then another of the bridesmaid Francesca is killed in her own room
Will Gina and her team find the suspect before the other bridesmaid is killed.
This is a brilliant read
Love this series of books
Thanks NetGalley

The Awesome Foursome are a group of best friends but there are secrets. One of the women, Holly, is pregnant by a secret lover and she is found dead at the wedding of one of her friends.
DI Gina Harte is the lead officer but it becomes a personal case as one suspect is linked to her own daughter. Can she put her emotions on hold to get Holly the justice she deserves...?
The action in Her Last Mistake is fast paced and we see some perspectives from the killer as well as the victims, so we gain a better idea of the motivation behind the crimes. There isn't much forensic detail so nothing to worry about if you are squeamish. The final moments of the victims is quite harrowing but also absolutely compelling, probably because it is written so well that we can put ourselves in their place.
There are plenty of good old fashioned clues and a number of suspects who are acting suspiciously especially during the interview scenes. This allows readers to follow the investigation and make their own guesses about the identity of the murderer.
Gina is a strong lead and continues to have a romantic entanglement with her superior officer. She is vulnerable due to her abusive past and desperate to reconcile her antagonistic relationship with her daughter. This makes her a character that we can feel empathy for as well as be impressed by her dedication to her police work. It also makes her realistic and likeable, as I'm sure many readers like me struggle to balance work and family life.
Her Last Mistake is actually one of my favourites from the series. I read it very quickly as I couldn't put it down!

She's done it again!

This is the sixth installment of the Gina Harte series by the talented Carla Kovach and it's as good as all the rest!

it was great to catch up Gina and her team.

DI Harte is one of my favourite characters, shes a strong independent lady, she's not perfect shes human so totally relatable too and I love how we have an insight into both her professional and personal life.

A fast paced compelling read with a clever thought out plot and I was totally blindsided by the ending!

Once again, Carla Kovach does not disappoint, I adore this series and hope it continues for a while. I can never seem to guess who the culprit is and I love that in a book. If you love a gripping, dark and tense thriller then this is the series for you.

Book six in this addictive series. Once again I was drawn in to the chilling page turner stayed up late just couldn’t put it down.Will be recommending this series.#netgalley#bookouture

Her Last Mistake is simply a fantastic crime thriller from Carla Kovach. It’s gritty, realistic, affecting and unnerving. This isn’t your average police procedural, it’s a whole lot more and it doesn’t disappoint!

DI Gina Harte is called in from her week off work after the body of a bridesmaid is discovered at the wedding reception of a prominent local family’s daughter. The case is complex, with dozens of potential witnesses, masses of forensic evidence and a number of suspects. When a second bridesmaid is found murdered a few days later, the case deepens further with very few answers for Harte and the team to go on. Will they nail one of their suspects, or is there someone altogether more sinister and deadly still out there?

This was my first trip into the world of DI Gina Harte and I have to say that I was completely absorbed. I will be going back over Kovach’s back catalogue to seek out the previous titles in the series. Her Last Mistake is easily digestible as a stand-alone novel, although there are a few nods to previous events and relationships. These didn’t detract from the narrative though, because Kovach so effortlessly draws you in: hook, line and sinker! The plot is full of suspense and tension - there are chapters interspersed throughout that are written from the killer’s perspective, which are both dark and unsettling - but there is also plenty of action and human interaction and drama. The novel is formed of multiple plot lines that both deceive and hint towards the final outcome and resolution of the case, but regardless of their part in solving the crime, each subplot is engaging, well written and entertaining. I enjoyed reading about Gina and her daughter Hannah’s relationship, as well as the narrative devoted to Gina’s past and her relationship with her boss, Briggs. The human element and character development is part of what makes this such an enjoyable crime thriller. The character of Cass is also well crafted and I felt a sympathy for her, as well as a suspicion. There’s also plenty of reprehensible characters here; from slimy Samuel Avery, weasel-like Phillip Brighton and unpleasant Robin “Elvis” Dawkins. Kovach brilliantly constructs these (and other) unlikeable characters, shrouded in suspicion, which keeps readers on the edge of their seats.

I also found the murder scenes to be very affecting, which is not always the case in crime fiction. Kovach simultaneously writes realistically graphically and beautifully eloquently. Bridesmaids Holly and Francesca’s death scenes are written to be tragically poetic and I could literally feel their lives ebbing away in a way that was genuinely sad and extremely powerful. It isn’t an overstatement (or a pun!) to say that they actually took my breath away - I was deeply moved and equally disturbed by the power of Kovach’s writing. Similarly, the entire case is excellently developed and brought to life. There are so many plausible suspects, that you’ll likely find yourself wholeheartedly believing you know who the killer is for a few chapters before flipping your theories and settling on someone else. This make Her Last Mistake a really enjoyable read and I loved playing detective along with Harte and the crew. Despite all the misleading avenues that are wondered down, there are some subtle hints at the real perpetrator along the way and I was pleased to have my suspicions confirmed. However, there was still plenty of shock and surprise in the final chapters and the ending is genuinely full of heart-pumping tension and action. I turned the final page feeling fully satisfied, a little bit in love with Gina Harte’s tenacity and conviction and itching to delve back into her world.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable crime thriller that fans of the genre won’t want to miss - this gets my full recommendation and then some!

I have read the other books in the Gina Harte series and this one did not disappoint. It starts out with Holly, who we find out is harboring a secret, who gets murdered at her best friend's wedding reception. The rest of the book is a police procedural/mystery twist in which we get to know the many potential suspects, as well as figure out what she was hiding and who knew her secret.

I was a little confused by the synopsis, as I didn't see Holly as "the girl everybody loved to hate" or that she had a reputation as a party animal. She came off to me as a believable character who was one of a group of 4 best friends who have known each other since they were in school together. While you do find out a little more about Holly's personal life as the book continues, I still couldn't tie it back to the book description.

There are a lot of characters in this book but they are not hard to keep straight. I had a changing ideas of who the culprit was as the story continued, and was truly surprised when it was revealed. I like the little glimpses we get into Gina's life while still focusing on the premise of the mystery, though I was a little annoyed with the continuing story around her relationship with her daughter, and I didn't feel that this added anything to the overall book.

All in all, this was a good read with a great twist. I look forward to the next book in the series.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Holly has a secret that she’s finding hard to keep and realises that she needs to be careful; but she pays the ultimate price – her life. Murdered at her best friend’s wedding party, Detective Harte is finding it a struggle as no-one will talk. With numerous people hanging around that shouldn’t be, how will she find Holly’s killer? And will she be the only one that loses their life?

I thoroughly enjoyed this and was constantly trying to work out who the killer was. Told in multiple narratives, at times you’re reading from the killer’s point of view and there is no way you can figure out who it is! I tried with my best sleuthing skills and was absolutely nowhere near right……this will have you reading until the very last page – and what a shocker you’re in for!

I’ve not read any of the previous Detective Gina Harte books so hadn’t come across her before, but this didn’t detract from the story. There is plenty in this that will let you into Gina’s world and realise that she has her own dark secrets and struggles. As well as trying to solve the murder and bring the killer to justice, Gina has her own worries when her daughter gets mixed up with someone she shouldn’t. And being in love with her job has a toll on her relationship with her daughter which adds pressure to her already pressured life. There are some other fabulous characters in this – Briggs is brilliant and although not really a main character, I loved him. Cass is the kind of character that is hard to judge, desperate to please and be part of something, you can’t figure out whether she knows something or not……but you can’t help but feel sorry for her.

The plot is brilliant, and will have you questioning everyone – especially the men in this story. I honestly thought I had it sussed one second, then changed my mind, then changed it again….and so on! The twists in this will blow you away! If you’re a crime thriller fan, then you should definitely check this out. I’d love to read more from this author in the future.

I’m not an enormous fan of book series, but I get excited to read about Detective Gina Harte’s cases in Carla Kovach’s books. Her Last Mistake is book #6 and it’s another winner. Carla keeps the stories fresh and exciting with excellent writing and tight plots that engage the reader.

Here’s the synopsis:

Dressed in a sage green bridesmaid dress, and smiling for pictures, Holly is the happiest she’s ever been. Hours later, Holly is dead.

People love to hate Holly Long. Smart, beautiful and a woman who men find it hard to say no to, she’s the town’s most gossiped about resident.

Now Holly’s body lies in her hotel room, strangled at her best friend’s wedding party. And the gossip has stopped, because nobody wants to look like they did it.

When police search Holly’s immaculate apartment, amongst her stylish furnishings and expensive jewelry, they discover a different side to Holly. Orderly and precise, she wasn’t the chaotic party girl everyone thought her to be. In fact, Holly was a planner, and her next plan was to come out and tell her biggest secret – something she had been hiding for months, something that had the potential to ruin the lives of more than one wedding guest.

There are plenty of people who might have wanted to kill Holly, but only one who has finally made good on their promise.

I highly recommend the whole series. It’s best if you start at the beginning so you can follow Gina’s journey but if you read them out of order you won’t be lost. In every book, there are unexpected twists and Gina deals with challenges in her personal life. SO GOOD. Don’t miss this book, put it on your #TBR list right now.

This book is available…. Go here to order.

I didnt know this was the sixth book in this series but I'm glad I read it anyway. It can be read as a standalone. I enjoyed it very much and I'll definitely be reading the previous ones too. The writing was great and I enjoyed the characters.

Thank you Netgalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.