Jo Spain is a very talented & exciting writer. Each book she writes is very well written with excellent characters, brilliant plots & a fascinating look into the world of the characters in the boom. This book is no different. Alex goes to Finland in search of the truth . He wants to know what has happened his sister Vicky. This book will have you at the edge of your seat & will also make you want to visit Finland. Only a very talented writer could make you fall in love with the characters & the place. A must read!

Oh yes! A Scandinavian thriller but for once its by an Irish author.

Its the story of Alex Evans, a lobbyist living in London who is informed that his (somewhat wild) sister who has been living in Finland has died under suspicious circumstances, her body pulled from beneath the ice of a lake.
He travels to Finland to meet with the local police chief in charge of the case Agatha Koskinen and they form an unlikely alliance as they try to figure out who may have killed his sister in such a small town and if some legacy cases may be connected to the murder.

This one was an absolute blast. I love Scandi thrillers and this one doesnt disappoint. An intriguing story with many arcs, a very well written and large cast, this one is a real page turner. The story lines are many but never get confusing. They are told in the past and the present and the format works really well here.

It felt shorter than its 400 odd pages, always a good sign in a book.

Highly recommended, an easy 5 stars for me.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC through Netgalley.

Alex is a well paid lobbyist who feels that he has disappointed his parents. When they phone him and tell him to come home, he isn’t expecting to find that his mother has had a heart attack after learning that his sister has been killed. He travels to Lapland to collect the body and is met by Agatha, the Chief of Police, who tells him that his sister has been murdered, Alex stays around and inserts himself into the investigation. As it turns out, three other women have disappeared over the last few decades. Is it possible there is a serial killer? You also get the story of one of these women dripped in throughout the story. What I particularly enjoyed was the way the characters seemed real. They were nice but flawed or mixed up in some way. There’s quite a dramatic end. This was different to the other books by Jo Spain that I have read but I enjoyed it very much.

Flew through this book!
Immediately drawn straight into the story, fabulous writing from Jo Spain and set in beautiful Lapland.
A real page turner where you are kept guessing and constantly on the edge of your seat.
Make this book one you must read.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy to give my honest opinion.

When young London professional Alex Evans is informed that his sister's body has been pulled from an icy lake in Northern Lapland, he assumes his irresponsible sister accidently drowned. He travels to the wealthy resort where Vicky worked as a tour-guide and he meets Agatha Koskinen, the detective in charge. Alex thinks there's more to Vicky's death than meets the eye.

This is a dark, descriptively written, cleverly crafted and captivating read. I was pulled in from the first page. Alex goes to Lapland to find out what had happened to his sister and to bring her body home. The timeline alternates between 1998 and 2019. Alex meets up with Agatha Koskinen, the detective investigating his sister's death and he's soon helping Agatha with her investigation. I always like Jo's style in writing her novels. There's some twists, but the last twist I never saw coming. The characters are well rounded and believable. I hope we meet up with Agatha Koskinen again soon.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #QuercusBooks and the author #JoSpain for my ARC of #TheLastToDisappear in exchange for an honest review.

Jo Spain never disappoints! I read this book in two days! Alex gets a call that his mother has had a heart attack. When he gets home he finds out that the attack was brought on by the news that his sister has been murdered in Lapland. Vicky was a bit of a wanderer and herself and Alex had fallen out so he had no contact for a while. His parents ask him to travel to Finland and bring her home. He does and meets the chief of police Agatha Koskinen, who also has her own family issues. They work together to find out what happened to Vicky and possibly some other local ladies who have disappeared in the last few years.
This story is full of twists and turns and just when you think you know what has happened everything changes. It is full of tension and some unlikable characters. The description of the surroundings and the dangerous weather conditions adds to the tension.
Thank you to Netgalley, Quercus and Jo Spain for granting me an advance copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review

Scrupulously Well Defined…
A dose of Nordic noir in this latest suspense from Jo Spain. Northern Lapland. A luxury resort. Three missing women and one body. Alex Evans travels to Lapland having been informed that the body of his sister, Vicky, has been pulled from an icy lake at the resort where she works as a tour guide. Is this an accident? He thinks so. Once there he meets with Agatha, the detective in charge, who thinks that there is more to this “accident “ than meets the eye. What secrets are being hidden in this seemingly picture perfect place? With a scrupulously well defined sense of place, heavy atmospherics and a cast of wholly credible characters this is a compelling and intriguing suspense incorporating a well done police procedural aspect. Chilling and absorbing.

Jo Spain is one of those authors that make me drop everything the minute she releases a new book and her latest offering #TheLastToDisappear does not disappoint! This time Jo takes us to Finland and Lapland for her latest crime thriller which will delight fans of Nordic Noir. Wonderfully descriptive, this book has the added bonus of an insight into live in a small community in Lapland. As has been my experience with Jo’s previous books the characters are well developed and the mystery is deftly plotted and scenarios are entirely plausible. A superb page-turner, I couldn’t put it down!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for a honest review,

OMG
This book does not take long to suck you in
Edge of your seat all the way
Good characteristics
Fabulous description of Lapland, just loved the setting
Keeps you guessing, with an unexpected twist

Read all Jo Spain books and this certainly does not disappoint

Thank you netgalley, Jo Spain and Quercus books

#TheLastToDisappear #NetGalley
Awesome.
Alex Evans is informed that his sister's body has been pulled from an icy lake in Northern Lapland, he assumes his irresponsible sister accidentally drowned. He travels to the wealthy winter resort where Vicky worked as a tour-guide and meets Agatha Koskinen, 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. As the two form an unlikely alliance, Alex also begins to suspect the small town where his sister lived and died is harbouring secrets. It's not long before he learns that three other women have gone missing from the area in the past and that his sister may have left him a message.
It's very very twisty novel with good suspense.
Thanks to NetGalley and Quercus Books for giving me an advance copy.

Thank you Netgalley and Quercus books for the ARC of The Last to Disappear by Jo Spain in return for my honest review.
This is the first book I have read by Jo Spain and I can say it had me gripped from the start till the end. This is a really well written thriller with good believable characters. I really liked that it was set in lapland and the descriptive writing of the area and weather literally had me shivering with cold. I defiantly recommend reading this book and will be checking out Jo Spains other books.

A new Jo Spain novel is always cause for celebration, The Last to Disappear is no exception. This time Nordic lovers are in for a treat, as Jo Spain’s latest thriller takes its readers all the way to Lapland, which is just such a fantastic setting, and one I, as an avid Nordic Noir reader, am happy to say was depicted brilliantly by this Irish author.

The Last to Disappear alternates between 1998 and 2019. In 2019, the body of a young British tour guide has been found in a lake, and her older brother Alex heads up to Lapland to retrieve her body. Upon his arrival, however, he is told that his sister didn’t die in an accident, she was murdered. The 1998 thread explores what happened to the first of what would become three missing women in this little town in the middle of nowhere. Is the 2019 murder linked to the three vanished women? Were they killed as well, might Koppe have a yet undiscovered serial killer on its hands?

The Last to Disappear is very cleverly plotted. It burns rather slowly at first, but when you’ve finished it and look back, you’re able to recall all the little hints that seemed so innocuous when you were reading them before. I figured out one aspect from the 1998 mystery, one that was very clear to me from the start, but even so, when it came to actually determining what happened to this twenty-something woman, I changed my mind half a dozen times. And I never came close to figuring out what happened in 2019.

Both the police procedural aspect and the chief of police herself are a breath of fresh air. She’s a single woman trying to solve three cold cases and a live murder case while also taking care of three kids and trying to shield them from a quite dangerous and unstable person from their pasts. I loved her caring and respectful nature, her attitude towards Alex, her determination to get to the bottom of things. I also loved that despite this being a police investigation, it’s so much more informal than the standard British or American police procedural.

The Last to Disappear does not stick to the beaten paths and feels all the more original for it but is nevertheless utterly believable. It is an excellent mix of mystery, thriller and police procedural in a setting of icy perfection. I had a great time with it and I’d happily recommend it to any and all thriller fans.

The Last to Disappear is out today, get it while it’s hot!

Massive thanks to Quercus Books and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

When Alex's little sister Vicky is murdered in Lapland he travels over to bring her home and find out what happens. While there, Alex gets caught up in the investigation lead by Agatha, chief of police in the small Finnish Town, Koppe.
Jo Spain does it again. I loved the setting of this book in Lapland, I could practically feel the cold.
There was so many interesting characters and different plot twists it was impossible to know who the killer was and it certainly kept me guessing until the very end. Loved it!

Ooh, this was another fabulous read by the author!

Lapland usually has you envisioning Santa, reindeer and Christmas. This story made me realise just how cold this part of the world gets which adds an added chill to the story throughout as there is nothing comforting about this story. If anything the weather is just as threatening.

The story flicks between present day with Agatha and Alex in their hunt to find out who murdered Vicky, Alex’s sister. In the past we are introduced to a character called Kaya who is a registered missing person with the police. I do love a small town setting as it gets to the point that you never really know who to trust and mud very much sticks.

This feels like a crime thriller with Agatha being a detective who plays a big part in the story. I would love to see more of Agatha and could certainly see scope for a new detective series. It would also make a chilling series for television. Both Agatha and Alex have things going on in their personal lives which has them fighting their own demons. I enjoyed how through the story we learn more not just about the going ons in the town and getting closer to revealing the killer but getting to know these two characters better also.

The Last to Disappear has a very sombre and atmospheric feel to it. Readers of authors such as Will Dean and Ragnar Jonasson I think will especially love this book. Jo Spain has a way of hooking you straight into a story and not letting go. Each of her standalone’s I have read so far have been so very different in tone and style and I love that I never know quite what to expect when starting one of her novels. The author has vast become one of my favourites and she sure knows how to pen a compelling and thrilling read that had me turning the pages well into the night! Chillingly addictive!

Well now what can I say but just brilliant, read in one sitting, as always left me guessing until the end and what an ending, a tense psychological thriller just how I like my books, excellent read …

What a read. Only took 2 days to read it. When I dears it was we in Lapland I wasn’t sure but wow what a setting for a murder mystery. I actually felt cold reading it. Some great characters and some unexpected twists along the way. Jo never disappoints us.

Lapland… now there is a setting for a crime novel that you don’t get very often. I was really intrigued by The Last To Disappear and Jo Spain hasn’t let me down yet with her page turning stories. I read a lot of crime novels and I really could not work this one out which is always a good thing in my eyes.

As you would expect, the setting has a big part to play in this book. There are reindeers, snowshoes, snow mobiles, the freezing cold and so much darkness. It was creepy and made the events that much more intense.

Alex Evans is sent to Lapland to bring home the body of his sister, Vicky, who has been pulled from the icy lake. Once he arrives, he learns that she didn’t slip or fall, somebody killed her. He teams up with Agatha, the detective working the case, to find out who would do this. Vicky was well liked in town and worked in the luxury resort as a tour guide. He discovers that women have gone missing from this same town and starts to wonder if there is a connection.

It was a wonderful crime story, full of red herring, lost of unlikeable characters and suspense. Highly recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and Quercus Books for my advanced copy to read. Published May 12th

The setting is amazing in this clever, dark thriller. Enough complexity to keep the most critical thinker focused and guessing combined with wonderful characters make this a winner. Definitely an author to add to the list of regular reads.

The Last to Disappear is the latest page turning thriller from the keyboard of the prolific Jo Spain.

As usual there is a death that requires investigating and not everything is as it seems but who is telling the truth and who is being honest about their life?

Jo Spain has once again delivered.

Recommended

Alex gets a phone call from his father to say that his sister has accidentally drowned in Lapland.
His father has asked him to go and bring his sisters body home.
Things are not as they seem and Alex has decided to stay on and find out the truth about what happened to his sister.
A thriller with some twists and turns.
Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.