I was a little hesitant to start this audiobook because it is 15+ hours long. I struggle with most books that long because I generally find that they are either too detailed and it becomes tedious to read, or that there are entire segments that aren’t critical to the plot and could have been left out entirely. Neither of those was the case here— every word built the story beautifully. A complicated case that held my attention from the beginning to the end. Highly recommended. Looking forward to more from this author.

It’s been three and a half years since five small children were taken from a picnic, vanishing into thin air on a beautiful summer day. Now, in the dead of winter, four of the children suddenly return. They say the fourth child, Ivy, granddaughter of detective Kate Wakeland, is dead. Is this payback for a criminal Kate had locked up? All Kate knows is that she wasn’t permitted to help with the initial investigation when the children went missing. This time, no one and nothing is going to stand in her way until she finds out what happened to her grandchild. Kate is a strong, believable heroine, who I’m happy to say is not a college ingenue, but a mature woman. Lee’s narration is masterful and brings Wakeland to life

4* A great read by a new author to me. I’d recommend it.
It is set in Australia. I would describe it more as a Domestic thriller. The first of a new series. It’s a long book with 16 hours listening.
It deals with a murder as well as the Abduction of 5 preschool children.
Kate the lead character is an older homocide detective who unusually is a fully rounded character with no demons on her shoulder. One of the missing children is her grand daughter. I engaged well with Kate and her battle to find a killer and a child abductor.
Not overly keen on the narrator, I find her tones a bit harsh.
I found some of the early dialogue a little stilted, I don’t know if that’s the narrator though.
Medium paced. Lots of turns of events. Kept my attention well.
Quite a bit of time spent on the unraveling at the end as it’s an intricate web.
Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to listen to it.

Gripping kidnapping mystery/thriller set in Sydney. I devoured the Aussie-narrated audiobook.

First of all, I listened to this audiobook during the current heat wave and it made such a difference in making me feel the mood in the opening of this book. Sydney summer, heat, ice cream, outdoor picnic.... I could feel I was there. And then, all hell breaks loose. Out of the blue, a group of five three-year-olds vanish from a nursery school picnic.

Following a futile hunt for the kidnapper, all but one children are returned over three years later during a severe winter. The only child not returned is Ivy, the granddaughter of a local detective Kate Wakeland, and the other children say Ivy is dead. Although Kate is not allowed to participate in on the investigation due to her familial ties, needless to say she will do ANYTHING to find her granddaughter.

I really liked the story which kept me at the edge of my seat - so much so that I'm compelled to give it 5 stars. Since I listened to this novel, I definitely think that the Australian narrator (who did a great job) made all the difference in making me feel the story. Despite the kind of outrageous premise, there was nothing in the book that I felt was unrealistic, which is a huge deal-breaker for me in any police procedural (which this one was partially, in addition to a domestic thriller).

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Net Galley for a copy of this audio book. The author and the narrator did a fantastic job. I hung onto every word. This mystery was one of the best I have ever listened to. Thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend.

Firstly, I quite like the narrator. I do like an Australian accent and I recognised her voice from some Lynne Moriaty books I have listened to. She reads well, changing her tone slightly for different characters, which I always prefer to full on voice changes.
The story itself is a twisty tale, playing on your emotions throughout. The tale begins with the facts that 5 children have been taken but only 4 will be returned to their parents. It then heads back in time 3 years to a nursery picnic at which five 3 year olds disappear. Suspicion is placed on a few of the characters during the telling but the actual perpetrator was a surprise to me. A few disturbing topics are explored well, including what happens to the victims of childhood abuse and how it effects their adulthood. One last child is a good read (or should I say ‘listen’?) and one I thoroughly recommend.

5 children go missing from a nursery school picnic. It turns out one is a homicide detectives granddaughter. There is a big hunt for the kids. Lots of twists and turns along the way. I didn’t expect the ending. I enjoyed this detective story and would definitely read/listen to more. I received an audio ARC in exchange for my honest review. I liked the narrator and enjoyed the book. 3.5 stars!

Thank you netgalley, Anni Taylor and Podium Audio for an audio ARC.

One Last Child is the first book in the Tallman’s Valley Detectives series by Australian author, Anni Taylor. The audio version is read by Caroline Lee, whose voice is rather sharp and jarring when listened to for 15 hours. It was a regular outing at The Ponds nature reserve for the pre-schoolers at Tallman’s Valley. Nineteen three-year-olds got to roll in the grass, kick pinecones, run around and play. A picnic was just being put out when the senior carer saw there were some kids missing: were they hiding? Nola Hobson had been seeing off the noisy ice-cream van up the hill, but Justine and Kaylee searched to no avail: five children were missing.

Detective Kate Wakeland usually worked homicide, but her granddaughter Ivy was one of those missing. Her boss didn’t allow her onto the team until over three years later, when there was still no trace of the kids. Now, things begin to happen. Suddenly, four of the children are returned, unharmed and well, to their parents. But not Ivy. This prompts the question of it being some sort of revenge against Kate by or on behalf of a convicted criminal.

Kate doesn’t agree and, ignoring the strikeforce team leader’s direction, makes progress by her own methods with the hunt for the abductors. But her pending murder cold case is a distraction, as is her ongoing troubled relationship with her daughter, Abby, Ivy’s mother. Nonetheless, her deductions on both cases are well thought out and good progress is made.

Taylor really captures her Blue Mountains setting well. The plot has red herrings, a whole school of them, and a neck-wrenching twist, but there are a few holes (see my spoiler question here https://www.goodreads.com/questions/1...), and motive is not quite convincing, nor will every reader be persuaded by the calibre of these characters to invest in the follow up, especially if it also extends to almost five hundred pages: some judicious editing would have improved this.

The main action takes place in mid-2020 and, while it doesn't affect the rating, of course no author setting their book into the near future could have predicted that future would be written by Stephen King. This is a page-turner that doesn’t quite deliver on its promise.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Podium Audio

4.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Podium Audio for an advance audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Five 3 year old children go missing from a nursery school picnic, one child being Homicide Detective Kate Wakeland’s granddaughter Ivy. Three and a half years later, four of the kids are returned, but not Ivy.

Kate is a great character. She’s a middle aged woman juggling her heartbroken daughter, missing her grandchild, and dealing with her elderly mother in hospice. Kate is working on solving murders while trying to find the missing kids. I really liked the solid relationship between her and her husband.

This is the first in the Tallman’s Valley Detectives series. I am looking forward to reading more about Kate and her co-workers.

Caroline Lee did a wonderful job narrating the book. It was easy to know when different characters were speaking. I recently listened to her narrate The Exiles too.