Thank you much to NetGalley and the publishers for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review! The Last Party is currently out now!

The Last Party follows two police officers, Ffion and Leo as they attempt to figure out who murdered Rhys, a musician who you find out ends up having a million enemies and isn’t the nicest person - he’s actually a terrible person. The problem I had with this one is the number of character POVs the story rotates through, and honestly some of the imagery I feel like the author might have been trying to portray was lost on me. I looked it up and she lives in Wales, so I’m assuming some of the locale was imagined from that, but living in the United States, it was a bit hard to imagine. I also felt like this one is pegged as a thriller, but it was more of a building suspense - there’s maybe one crazy twist in this one, but the climax felt lacking - I finished it and thought “oh….that’s it?” I see that this is going to be developed into a series, and I’m honestly not sure I’ll pick up the second. They left us with a bit of a love triangle at the end, but that felt weird embedded into a thriller.

Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my review. Pub date for this one was 11/1/22, so it’s currently available for you to check out!

It’s New Years Eve and Rhys Lloyd is having his house party, but by midnight Rhys is dead. The next day Ffion has a village full of suspects and she learns everyone has secrets including herself.
This book truly had me hooked and I had no idea who was behind the murder. Just when you think you’ve got it figured out you are hit with a huge twist. You won’t believe the ending!

Book Review
The Last Party
Claire Macintosh

**autobuy author

Triggers- rape, child abuse, infidelity

What I Didn’t Like
The title- just didnt fit- should have been called “The Shore”
So many POV can be difficult for a reader to follow- I constantly double checked at the stRt of each chapter to see whose voice I was listening to

What I Liked
Our victim was depicted in such a way that so many people hated him and with reason - this allowed for the reader to build up a list of potential suspects and the author to throw in multiple red herrings
Different perspectives from different age generations - teens, midlife, seniors
Pace was fluid, there was a steady “stream” of happenings to keep the reader engaged

Overall
A bingable fast paced read full of twists and turns that keep the reader second guessing right til the end.

Thank you to @netgalley and @sourcebooks for my gifted copy in return for an honest review. Opinions expressed are my own

I was a big fan of Clare Mackintosh's ""Hostage"so I very much looked forward to her newest book, "The Last Party." It's a slow burn murder mystery set in beautiful, remote Wales. It took me awhile to get into this one -- sooooo many characters -- but I was hooked at the end. Very glad to see it's the first of a series involving Detective Morgan because she was a fantastic character.

3.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.

After a New Year's Eve Party, a popular resident is found dead. Who killed him? Well, that's a real problem the police face as there are no shortage of suspects.

This was a very compelling read which I gobbled down in one day. It felt as twisty as an Agatha Christie and when it came to the big reveal, I must admit that I hadn't considered it. I like when an author keeps me guessing like that. I am looking forward to the next installment in the series.


Publication Date 08/11/22
Goodreads review published 16/11/22


#TheLastParty #NetGalley.

I enjoyed reading this. It kept me guessing the whole time and I did not expect the ending. It was a bit hard to understand/read the Welsh words, but it did not affect my understanding of the story.

I wanted to love this one so much, after reading and LOVING Hostage by Clare Mackintosh. This one felt a little too long for this story. The length made it some what boring at times. I also felt like having so many different perspectives made wasn't the best or at going back so far. I didn't need to know every single characters back story.

I liked this book enough to finish it but I didn’t love it. It never really hooked me in and it was a little slow at times. There was a plot twist that I didn’t see coming but overall, the book was kind of predictable. I know there is another book after this, but I wasn’t a fan of the ending- I don’t like endings that leave you hanging. While I liked the diversity of the characters, I think the boom focused on too many characters. I would have rather it been a dual POV. I also feel like there wasn’t really any top suspects and instead the book just walked through how basically everyone could have had the motive to kill him but it didn’t go into the detail of how so I never really believed any of them did it. Overall, would recommend slow who dunnit mysteries with side plot twists.

So many suspects!
So much to love about the way this story unfolds.
A rich arrogant man is killed at his own resort and there are just SO many people who have reason to want him dead. One of the investigating police detectives grew up knowing the victim. Is she actually the murderer they’re trying to catch?
Thank you Net Galley for an advanced reading copy.

The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh

Such a good small town (village) mystery!

Set on the border of Wales and England, two detectives have to uncover who murdered Rhys Lloyd and everyone looks suspicious.

I really liked the supporting characters and all the baggage and secrets they carried.

Thanks @netgalley and @bookmarked for this advanced reader!

#BookReview #Bookstagram #ClareMackintosh #TheLastParty #SourcebooksLandmark #BookishLife #reading #Bibliophile #BookPhotography #BookRecommendations #InstaBooks #BookNerd #MysteryBooks #ThrillerBooks #Fiction

The Last Party
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Genre: Thriller
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 11/8/22
Author: Clare Mackintosh
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Pages: 432
GR: 4.05

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

My Thoughts: This a police procedural mystery, the first in the series DC Morgan, set in a small town with an icy lake. The story is narrated by DCI Morgan prominently followed by Leo Brady, with some other characters’ POV. The story is narrated in both past and present tense, as well as broken up in two parts. This is more of a slow burn psychological thriller. DCI Morgan’s character is independent, likes to work alone, and has her own secrets. When she is partnered newly with DCI Brady, it took some time to get used to “a partner,” also with his own secrets. The connection they share, goes a little back, and is a bit ironic. There are a lot of characters to sort out, but as you get into the book, you can distinguish the characters and it is not hard to follow along. There are many suspects to weed through. There are lies, deceptions, and secrets, red herrings, twist, after twist, the making an excellant thriller. The characters were fleshed out well, with depth, banter, creative, and were intriguing. The author’s writing style was complex, suspenseful, twisty, and kept me engaged. The book is a little long, but that is my only complaint. I would recommend picking up this book and it would be a good pick for a book club.

Where are my Mackintosh fans at?

There is something incredibly special about an approval that you were pining over. For me, It was The Last Party.

All of my friends were deep in discussion over Clare Mackintosh's new novel and as I listened, I could feel myself getting way too excited. How could I get my hands on this sure to be, 5 star read?

Well, I prayed to the book gods, I asked my book fairies for assistance, and I did a little rain dance.

Low and behold, my approval came!

Yes!!! I'm one of the cool kids!

Also, fun fact, this is the first book in the DC Morgan series. Now, don't get me wrong, I have HUGE commitment issues and I am usually not one to even want to initiate a series BUT when Clare Mackintosh is the author, you know it will be done with perfection.

In true Mackintosh fashion, this book is easily a 5 star read and belongs on all of our bookshelves. Heck, Christmas is right around the corner, this would make an incredible gift for your favorite book lover.

There is no shortage of twists and turns all while narrating a perfectly executed storyline. You will be introduced to characters you will like and some you will hate, but hey that's how these thrillers roll. The pace is set, the conclusion is satisfying, and all in all I am left with a major book hangover.

Teaser:

It's the party to end all parties....but not everyone is here to celebrate.

On New Year's Eve, Rhys Lloyd has a house full of guests. His vacation homes on Mirror Lake are a success, and he's generously invited the village to drink champagne with their wealthy new neighbors.

But by midnight, Rhys will be floating dead in the freezing waters of the lake.

On New Year's Day, Ffion Morgan has a village full of suspects. The tiny community is her home, so the suspects are her neighbors, friends and family—and Ffion has her own secrets to protect.

With a lie uncovered at every turn, soon the question isn't who wanted Rhys dead...but who finally killed him.

In a village with this many secrets, murder is just the beginning.


So here is my question... Do you want to be one of the cool kids? I promise you, you dont want to be the only one who has not read this blockbuster hit.

I did not realize, until I came to write my review, that this was going to be a series! I immediately went and added the second book to my TBR pile. Why? Well, because even if I can't pronounce any of the Welsh names or locations, Ffion Morgan and the little town of Llyn Drych fascinate me and even though this book was 400 pages, it wasn't enough to give me all that I want from them. A small insular town with all its secrets but so very close to the English border makes it feel almost like a Brigadoon setting. Add in the injection of British wealth and Detective Leo and you have a multi-layered story to unravel. The characters introduced on both sides of the lake provide a wonderful counterbalance of old and new, small town and cosmopolitan. Neither one is better and when they mix, the result can be very engaging, as is shown in this first book of what I'm excited to learn is a series.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book.
As always, Clare Mackintosh does not disappoint! I love a good murder mystery, and this one captured my attention from the beginning and held it through the end. There were a lot of characters to keep track of, and at times I thought if it had fewer characters I could see more character development and get more invested in their personal stories. Overall, great read and would recommend to others!

This was a really good whodunnit mystery. It kept me guessing until the very end. I liked how it was written, and it made me feel like I was right there.

There were a lot of characters to try to get straight in the beginning, but once I figured everyone out, it was easy to follow. I found it to be more mystery than thriller. I do like a good cop mystery and am looking forward to seeing some of these characters again.

Thank you for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

I struggled a bit with the amount of different characters and POVs. It was also quite long with a slower pace. The twists were enjoyable though. I loved the main characters / detectives, Ffion and Leo. I look forward to reading about them again in the next book of the series!

Everyone is a suspect in this newest crime thriller from Clare Mackintosh. The annual New Year’s swim reveals a dead body in the lake of this Welsh village and everyone in town is a suspect.

The victim is an aging rock star who has come back to his hometown to build an upscale lake community. The local residents aren’t thrilled with his return or the influx of new seasonal residents but when everyone is invited to a New Year’s Eve party in the Mirror Lakes vacation homes, they can’t resist the invitation.

A small town murder mystery that’s well written and reminded me of the Broadchurch setting. The Last Party sets up a perfect series with many intriguing characters, especially the two detectives. Can’t wait to see what this author does next!

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this title in return for an honest review.

I enjoyed this police procedural and the chemistry between Ffion and Leo and the growth of their characters. This is a multi-layered story that unfolds gradually and could be a bit slow at times. We go back and forth between the past and the present, learning the reasons everyone had for wanting Rhys dead. I initially had my ideas about who I thought killed him, but as time passed I changed my mind multiple times and in the end I was surprised and satisfied about the conclusion.

A wonderful first book for what looks to be a series in the making. This one kept me guessing and never really knowing which of the (many) cast of characters might have done it. The ending was surprising and not one I saw coming at all. Lots of characters to keep track of but with a great sense of place. Not a fast-paced page turner but a story I was interested in moving through. I enjoyed meeting our MC, Ffion, and her detective friend, Leo. These are characters I am interested in reading more from when the next in the series publishes.

I heard so many good things about this book, and it sounded awesome in theory. Unfortunately, something about it didn't click for me and I ended up putting it down at about 14% and moving on to something else. One thing to note was that the Dutch (I think?) vocabulary was slightly overdone and ofputting - I would be actually engaged for a minute and get thrown out of the story. Unfortunately, this one wasn't for me.