A superb thriller set in Alaska. The setting gave it all the more chilling vibes. Loved it. I really recommend this book,

Taut, slow-burning thriller, packed with twists and great characters

When Alex rushes home to visit his sick mother, he doesn't expect to find himself catching a plane to the arctic circle to find out what happened to the recently estranged sister he hadn't even realised was missing. And when he does arrive, the mystery only deepens as it transpires there is much more going on beneath the surface of the luxury resort, with little being as it appears.

Set in Lapland, this is the story of Alex, who arrives in the supposed eternally happy setting of Lapland to find out about his sister Vicky, who has died. He was estranged from his sister and begins the journey to find out about her and her life with the help of Agatha from the local police force.

The setting in this is beyond stunning, dark and bleak and the detail on the locality and life there was so informative that it firmly had me trudging the ice and snow and feeling for this poor girl who didn’t have a clue how she’d end up. The pairing of this team was perfection(as in I’d read a series with them!) the finish very well done. All in all a book I’ve been shouting about and will continue recommending! Thanks to the publisher for the book in return for an honest review.
Rating 5/5

A slower pace from Jo Spain but yet another tense and propulsive mystery. A page turner that will surely give you a chill.

Full review to come.

I have really enjoyed everything I have read from this author and this was no different. The plot was well written with some unexpected twists and turns and I found myself getting completely lost in this

4.5*
With a chilling, in both senses of the word, prologue we witness the death of a young woman in an icy lake.

Alex Evans is woken up early one morning by a phone call from his father. His mother is in hospital after a heart attack and his father wants him home urgently.

Alex learns his sister, Vicky, has been found drowned in an icy lake in Lapland and he needs to bring her home. It turns out not to be such a simple task. As Alex meets and talks to Agatha Koskinen, the detective in charge of the investigation, in the small town of Koppe, it appears there are suspicious circumstances surrounding Vicky’s death. It wasn’t accidental and it was a fluke her body was discovered. There have also been several women in the area over the years who have disappeared without a trace.

It transpires that Vicky was well liked and as Agatha and Alex try to make sense of events, separately and together, there are many layers to work through and bit by bit the discover everything isn’t how it seems and there’s more going on than they could have imagined.

Mostly set in the present but with a sub plot of several chapters taking us back to 1998. Kaya is a lonely young woman trapped in a loveless marriage, living on the side of a mountain, and desperate for a way out.

The atmospheric Lapland setting is a winter wonderland although a dangerous one, and the harshness of the landscape only adds to the dark and dramatic mood. Koppe is a small town that relies on the tourist industry and the last thing it needs is bad press.

The story starts off slowly and gradually builds up in complexity, action and suspense…a good mixture of murder/mystery and police procedural with some likeable characters and others you wouldn’t want to meet at any time. It took a little while but once I was properly drawn in I really enjoyed this Scandi thriller.

This book was unfortunately not for me.
I didn't like the setting and didn't connect with the book after reading 100 pages.
Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for the advance read of this book

Felt like a bit of a change of pace from Jo Spain with this latest book, and wow she pulls it off spectacularly.

I found it completely unpredictable and really wasn't sure who or what to believe at any point. What I did know was that I was keen to find out not only what happened to Vicky, but also Kaya whose story we get in snippets too.

I loved the wildness of the Lapland setting, in the run up to Christmas for this book, it added such a sense of atmosphere to the proceedings, plus I love all things Lapland. It really is a sparse, harsh landscape for which in amongst the touristy side, you can really believe that there could be unexplained deaths, with very little evidence.

I enjoyed the reluctant teaming up of Agatha the detective in charge, and Alex and grieving brother, to try to get to the bottom of just what happened to Vicky. I never had any real theories, and definitely could be believe the outcomes.

And with what Agatha has going on in her personal life too, that plot was gripping and added another layer of tenseness to the story too, it's fabulous.

I'm in awe of Jo Spain's writing talents as she once again draws me in, and has me on the edge of my seat trying to work out what may be about to happen. It's wonderful, and for me made a great addition to my early festive reading season - although not specifically a Christmas book, given the setting and time of year it's set, it's hard not to want to read it possibly on a dark winter's night to make it even more atmospheric.

Thank you to Quercus and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

As with all of Jo's books this one lived up to the hype and did not disappoint. She's one of my fave authors and can always be relied on for the "won't put this down"reads. This one was dramatic and thrilling. Totally recommend

I really enjoyed this book. It was very well written, had interesting characters and was fast paced. I was pulled into the story from the first page . I cant recommend it highly enough.

Another great book by Jo
Had me hooked from the first page to the last I didn’t want to put it down
Will have you guessing till the end
Thanks NetGalley

I enjoyed this book, it had many surprises along the way. It left me thinking and wanting to read on. I could feel the cold it was described so well- more like this please!

Wow, what a fabulous and suspenseful read!

This is my first by this author, and I loved it! I can’t wait to read more from her.

Set in the frozen north of Lapland this wonderful nordic noir takes us on a journey to discover who has murdered Alex Evens sister Vicky. Gripping and compelling from the first page, with such atmospheric writing, I could feel the ice cold temperature!

Alex teams up with Agatha to help solve this crime, discovering that there have been other women mysteriously murdered and attempting to find if there is a connection. It's creepy, unpredictable, and full of red herrings with strong female characters. The added bonus for me was the wonderful descriptions of Finnish life. Highly recommended.

With many thanks to NetGalley and Quercus books for my arc :)
Out Now!

Jo Spain is one of, if not, my favourite author. So I was delighted that I was able to read this before it was released in the shops. Again this is another page turner, but it had a different layer to it this time. I think because it's a stand alone, Spain is putting more info her characters so that you get more out of the story. Another great one.

The Last to Disappear is set in Koppe, a fictional town in Northern Finland, which is a popular Winter Wonderland tourist resort. But underneath the picture perfect image there is a murky secret as over the years there have been several missing women, the most recent of which is Vicky, an English girl who was working as a tour guide in one of the tourist hotels.

When news that the body of a young woman has been found in a frozen lake Alex, Vicky's brother, flies over to see if it's his sister and to discover what had happened that led to her death. Not satisfied by how he feel the investigation is going into his sister's death, he sets out to finding answers for himself much to the disapproval of the local police and some of the powerful locals who are not wanting the resort's murky past to threaten their future plans for the town.

The story is mainly set in the present day but we also get chapters from 1998 which feature Kaya, one of the other missing woman. The more we get to know about her story, the more we get a picture of a sad and lonely woman who feels trapped and longing to escape. Did she manage to escape and build a happier life for herself? The town's locals have always suspected her husband killed her but without a body and any evidence it's just rumours. But is he also responsible for the disappearance of the other woman and the death of Vicky?

Local police detective Agatha not only has everyone wanting a quick result into the investigation of Vicky's death but she also has to deal with the fact that Alex is extremely dissatisfied with the information he is being provided so is doing his own investigation creating waves in the resort. But not only does she have pressure at work, she's also got issues in her own personal life that are proving a major distraction. Eventually realising it's better to work together than butt against each other, Agatha and Alex soon discover that there's a lot more going on than first meets the eye and people that you thought you knew have dark secrets that they hoped would never be revealed...

The Last to Disappear is a chilling, atmospheric read that will have you constantly second guessing as you read between the lines trying to figure everything out.

I didn't find this book as good or as gripping as Jo Spain's previous books but in fairness she had the bar set very high for herself. It's a gripping book, found it a bit slow in the beginning but then it gained pace and I was gripped for the last quarter. Thought some of it was a bit predictable but in the main a very good read
#TheLasttoDisappear #NetGalley

Bestselling Irish author and screenwriter Jo Spain offers readers small-town thrills of a chillier kind as her latest page-whirring tale takes us above the Arctic Circle. While Lapland can be a popular spot at Christmastime as tourists flock to the land of reindeer and ‘the home of Santa’, young London political lobbyist Alex Evans must visit for far less festive reasons: his wayward sister Vicky’s body has been found in a frozen lake.

Alex and Vicky’s mother has had a heart attack following the news, and Alex’s father asks him to travel to northern Finland to escort their ‘baby girl’ home to the UK. The first of many problems: it turns out Vicky’s death wasn’t an accident. And Alex believes the small-town Finnish cops, including Detective Agatha Koskinen, aren’t up to finding the killer, or the truth. Had his sorta-estranged sister reached out to him before her death? Was she in trouble? And what about the other missing women from years past?

Spain delivers a tension masterclass as a man who is used to massaging things to get his (client’s) way may be in way over his head. But is he right about the Finnish cops and the small-town connections? An engaging read, a propulsive thriller in a majestic setting.

The Last to Disappear by Jo Spain was an excellent book especially as it was a stand alone thriller I loved it. When London professional Alex Evans gets a phone call from his father informing him that his sister Vicky, has accidentally drowned in Northern Lapland, everything stops around him. Alex's father asked him to go and bring his sisters body home. When Alex gets there, he meets Agatha Koskinen, who is the detective in charge. Agatha is a no-nonsense single mother of three who already thinks there's more to Vicky's case than meets the eye.
Alex, decides to stay on longer is expected, to find out the truth on what happened to his Vicky and hope to closure.

WoW, so many secrets, with so many twists and turns throughout this book was amazing and I enjoyed it.
I have always enjoyed Jo Spain's books and this one was just brilliantly written from start to finish!

I highly recommend this book.

Big Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for my advanced copy to read.

Having read several of Jo Spain's previously published books I looked forward to this I looked forward to the newest and it didn't disappoint. Set it Finland with an Irish link. There's constant twist and turns. An Excellent read look forward to the next one.

The winter wonderland of Koppe is a tourist haven, but there’s a darkness to it that locals are keen to keep quiet. When the body of a missing girl is pulled out of the lake, the local police start to think they could be dealing with something potentially awkward.
Alex Evans, the brother of the murdered girl, flies out to Koppe to identify his sister’s body. Upon arrival he starts to speak with some of Vicky’s colleagues and he is pretty sure that the locals are hiding something. Police chief Agatha wants to find out who did it, but she resents this foreigner for coming to the town and stirring up trouble.
A story where we quickly realise appearances can be deceptive, not everyone acts with integrity and it’s all too easy to get away with things if you know the right people.
This was a thrilling read, packed with twists and misdirections, which I enjoyed thoroughly and would have no problems recommending to those who like their thrillers with something a little different. I’m grateful to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this.