I love Claire macintosh is riding. This particular book had a lot of characters. I had difficulty remembering some of them but I had to go back and read again. It was well worth it this is a wonderful book. Edge of your seat thriller You may think you can guess the ending good luck with that. Really surprise ending. Thank you net galley for providing the advanced copy of this book and many thanks to the publisher.

Loved the plot, characters, great sense of urgency -- master pacing, which is what I expect from this author! Every bit of this story exceeded my expectations and I will definitely use it in class!

in Clare Mackintosh's The Last Party, everyone is a suspect - including one of the officers investigating the murder of Rhys Lloyd. Everyone is gathered for a New Year's party, but many of the hosts and guests are under significant personal stress due to relationship problems, financial concerns, and long-kept secrets threatening to be revealed. The next morning, a body is found floating in the lake. Many had a motive, but you'll be kept guessing who committed the crime until the very end. Great characters and a great setting make this an enjoyable and fast read.

Thank you to the publisher for giving me the chance to read an early copy of this book. I saw that it was picked for a November BOTM and I know it is a highly anticipated release by many readers. I will probably be in the minority but unfortunately, this one was a DNF for me. Around the 45% mark, I decided to give up on it for now. I may pick it up at a later date, but one thing I really struggle with in any story is where there are a ton of characters. Even though this is a thriller, it felt more character driven than plot driven. I found myself struggling to keep up with all of the characters. Each of the characters seems to have an entire other set of characters attached to them, and many of the details seems a bit pointless to the entirety of the story. I felt like a lot could have been cut out. I decided to give up when I found myself skimming, I hate to say this,, but I literally fell asleep every single time I picked this book up, and it never seemed to matter what time of day that was.. I need to set this one aside for now.

The Last Party is the first novel in the DC Morgan Mystery series and I’m all here for it! DC Ffion Morgan is this book’s main female character. She is witty, independent and determined to solve the murder mystery of a local man, Rhys Lloyd. With a small town setting we learn early on that this man has enemies and everyone has a secret, including Ffion.

This story takes place in a small Welsh town on Mirror Lake and Mackintosh does an amazing job with the details. She even includes some Welsh language which I thought was a nice touch to the characters dialogue. This book does include a long list of characters and a past and present timelines. Some may find this challenging as I did in the beginning but each character is very unique to this murder mystery story. We do get different POVs throughout the story, but it’s mainly told from the two detectives working the case, Ffion Morgan and Leo Brady.

The Last Party is definitely worth the read, it has an ending I promise you won’t see coming. In addition, it may very well become a TV series and I’ll be watching because it’s the perfect crime drama story for the big screen!

Read if you like 💕
🫶🏼 short chapters
🫶🏼 Detective TV shows
🫶🏼 Detective duos

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. 🤍

Claire Mackintosh has done it again!!! I love how Claire puts her novels together. She gives you pieces as the story and the puzzle and then “BAM!” she changes everything. I love how about half way through she reveals the a big twist that changes what you think know and turns everything on its head. This twist did not disappoint. I love all the different perspectives from all the characters. Everyone has motive to harm Rhys and every time you think you figured out the who, another person’s chapter makes you rethink what you know.

I did figure out who did it before the end and that is the only reason I did not give it 5 stars. I couldn’t quite figure out how it was going to end up being the person I thought and I love how Claire wrote it all together.

Claire is still one of my favorite mystery/suspense authors and I will continue to read anything she writes.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Claire MacKintosh for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is one of those books that, while not badly written, I just didn't feel particularly engrossed with the story and I couldn't have cared less why the guy was murdered. He didn't seem all that great to begin with and in the end turned out to be kind of a monster, so yeah, didn't really care what happened to him.

There’s a beautiful lake bisected by the English/Welsh border called Mirror Lake or Llyn Drych in Welsh. On the Welsh side is a small everyone-knows-your-name-and-much-more town named Cwm Coed (pronounced “Coom Coyd” ). On the English side is a luxury development known as The Shore, consisting so far of only 5 luxury lodges. So, when the tuxedoed body of an English resident floats towards the Welsh side during the village’s annual insane New Year’s Day polar plunge, DC Ffion Morgan of the North Wales police detective is joined by DC Leo Brady of the Cheshire Constabulary.

The floating interloper is Rhys Lloyd, the owner of a ritzy development called The Shore where apparently few of the residents really liked the man. Because of the split jurisdiction (victim may have been murdered in England, but washed up in Wales), Ffion and Leo must work together. It’s complicated because the night before this pair celebrated New Year’s Eve by drunkenly sleeping with each other (as Harriet and Marcus) and, honestly, never expected to encounter one another ever again. “Ever again” turns out to be a few hours later.

Leo is burdened by an extortionist ex-wife and a racist supervisor; Ffion is troubled by knowing way too much about all the hometown suspects and not being forthcoming with Leo. But the partnership works as they learn to trust each other and Ffion shares necessary secrets.

The book flashes back to the stories of The Shore’s residents and what brought them to North Wales via their connections to Rhys Lloyd. The multiple POVs create a list of suspects and motives. Almost anyone would have a good reason to get rid of the toxic developer. It’s a solid thriller as Leo and Ffion attempt to solve the murder and become better friends and partners in the process. Both characters are immensely likeable in spite of some flaws. 4 stars! Extremely happy to know that that the author is already planning a DC Morgan #2 novel.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO - No eye colors are mentioned at all.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO — It’s primarily winter, so although the dense woods play a part, not many other plants get a supporting role.

The Last Party takes place in Wales. I will admit I struggled a little with the Welsh language and unfamiliar names and spelling of words. This may have contributed to me having a hard time keeping the characters straight. There are also a lot of characters to keep track of.

Rhys Lloyd is having a party in hopes of getting to know the locals. These locals are not a fan of the new people who have moved to "The Shore". In their minds these newcomers have ruined the calmness of the lake.

The next day after the party Rhys is found floating in the lake. And as it turns out almost everyone had a reason to want Rhys dead.

A group of mostly unlikable characters. Lots of twists and turns in this one. A tough mystery to solve when there are so many suspects. A lot more police procedure than mystery.

Readers who don't mind a slow burn of a mystery and like police procedural books would like this.

Thanks to netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the arc.

A New Year's Eve party with a house full of guests but the host is found dead in the lake by the end of the night is the opening for this fast-paced read. The main protagonist, DC Ffion Morgan is on the case and proves herself to be a woman who knows what she wants. The relationship between her and her counterpart, DC Leo Brady, is well-developed throughout the story as they research the murder. A twisty tale told between the past and present and with multiple points of view between chapters, this was a suspenseful read that kept me guessing right up to the end. Clare Mackintosh continues to deliver, and I would highly recommend.

4.5 stars! Fantastic, full of twists. Detectives Ffion Morgan and Leo Brady are wonderful characters, full of contradictions that make them all the more real. While reading this book, answering the question, "Who does NOT want Rhys dead?" would be an easier task that trying to determine the actual culprit. All of the supporting characters are great as well - so many full fleshed out characters, and you find yourself rooting for different ones throughout the book (or thinking, "yeah, YOU'D be justified if you were the murderer"). This novel should definitely be put on your TBR list! According to an interview at the back of the book, another novel featuring Ffion Morgan is coming - I'll definitely be reading it!

At midnight, one of them is dead.
By morning, all of them are suspects.

It's a 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.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

A flawless mystery featuring severely flawed characters
The small Welsh town of Cwm Coed is now home to The Shore, an elite vacation community for the well-known and privileged, but a New Year’s Eve party hosted by home-town-boy-who-made-good, developer and celebrity Rhys Lloyd, to help the town residents and the new homeowners know each other, turns tragic when Rhys’ lifeless body is found in the lake. Since the lake lies at the border of England with Wales, Welsh detective Ffion Morgan teams up with an English counterpart, Leo Brady, to investigate.
Author Clare Mackintosh, who moved to North Wales several years ago, presents a picture of the area that makes me understand why the elite would want to have a home there! Some of her description is downright poetic, like the description of one of the vacation homes: “There are no curtains on any of the windows. The glass is tinted, and reflections of the lake ripple across each set of sliding doors. In return, the lodges shimmer in the water below, the resulting loop unsettling to Ffion.”
As beautiful as the setting is, I am glad I do not live there. The social atmosphere is unpleasant, full of smoking, excessive drink, drug use, vulgarity, and undesirable sexual mores. Pretty much everyone in the book, including the protagonists, is “flawed” at best and downright despicable at worst. There are a somewhat unbelievable wealth of secrets and traumatic events in their pasts. They are rude to each other routinely, e.g., when Leo’s boss gives him the assignment of investigating the murder, he says, “I need you to get your fat arse over to Mirror Lake”. The circumstances of Ffion’s and Leo’s first meeting is humorous to some, but I found it distasteful. The characters were unpleasant enough that I seriously considered not reading to the end.
However, the excellent writing extended to the plot. The characters described above give the reader a lot of suspects, but I confess I never guessed the culprit, and, sadly, it made sense.
Readers who are put off by many unpleasant characters with many unpleasant events in their history may not be suited to this book, but if you can tolerate such an atmosphere there is a lot to admire and enjoy in The Last Party.
I received an Advance Review copy of this book from NetGalley.

I'm a big fan of Clare Mackintosh and was excited to receive an ARC of her latest book, The Last Party, from NetGalley. It did not disappoint! The Last Party introduces Ffion Morgan, a police officer in a small town on the border between Wales and England. Ffion partners with English officer Leo Brady to solve the murder of local celebrity Rhys Lloyd. Lloyd has many enemies, and the book shifts back and forth in time to tease out a number of possible suspects and motives.

I loved the characters of Ffion and Leo and was so glad to see this is the first book in a series! There were plenty of twists and turns along the way, but they all made sense and didn't seem contrived. I also really enjoyed the depiction of life in an insular Welsh town. Looking forward to the next installment!

3.5 stars.

What I liked:
-Everyone was a suspect and had their own secrets
-Each chapter ended with suspense
-The reveal/ending


What I didn’t like:
-Took me a while to get into the story
-Too many characters to keep track of (got confused sometimes)
-Felt a little long

This book has introduced my new favourite dynamic duo. I loved the detectives' banter and meet-cute (oh sorry, this is a crime thriller and not a rom-com, you say?) and was very invested in their individual personal lives. In fact, Ffion and Leo carried the whole novel on their backs because the main mystery wasn't very compelling and felt more like rich people problems.

I liked how the story was told through multiple POVs and dual timelines, which allowed us to see how different characters viewed one another and the same events. The author did a wonderful job in bringing an atmospheric setting to life while incorporating Welsh culture and exploring various social issues.

I also enjoyed getting to know the cast and how everyone was a likely suspect with a motive for murder. Rhys was reprehensible but I appreciated the author's efforts to make him more human and less one-dimensional by offering a glimpse into his innermost thoughts. Though I personally think any hint of a redemption arc is unnecessary for him. Loved Mia's story!

There were definitely some surprises along the way but what I love best about The Last Party is its central themes of motherhood. Think about the breaking points of the various characters and you'll find that they have a lot in common.

Can't wait for the next book in the series! More of Ffion and Leo please!

I’m normally a big Mackintosh fan (especially loved the Hostage), but wow was this book a giant bore for me. Stale plot, way too much exposition, a cast of unlikable characters, and nothing really happened. I’m hoping this is a fluke book; I’ve come to expect a fresh taste on a thriller from this author and hope to see that again.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A solid 3.5 stars. I enjoyed this murder mystery by Clare Mackintosh. Set on the border of North Wales and the English Border. Clare did an awesome job describing the setting, it felt like I was there and I was able to clearly visualize the location. This high-paced book is about a businessman who throws a huge NYE party, but by the end of the night is dead. The book focuses on the the suspects (a list long because of the businessman’s reputation). Ffion is tasked with finding out who the killer was. Overall, a good, but not great, read. First experience with this author, will try more books by this author.

This is one of those books where the synopsis is just about all that can be talked about without spoilers. Rhys Lloyd is a successful and entitled man, feeding off the fuel that was his father’s success. He purchased some land on a lake by the Welsh/English border, built some fancy condos, and named it “The Shore”.

The Shore is for rich English people to have a second home, a “little lake house”, and people in the neighboring Welsh area do not appreciate it ruining the serenity of Mirror Lake. The locals stay away from The Shore’s side of the lake, and pretty much vice versa. As year-round living is not permitted, residents of The Shore come and go throughout the year - but they all come out for New Year’s Eve.

Ffion Morgan grew up in this area, and is now a detective in the local police force. When Rhys went missing and was later found dead after his legendary New Year’s Eve bash, Ffion was assigned to the case with an awkwardly-met partner, Leo. Together they go through the town’s history and try to figure out whodunnit.

This is a classic mystery/thriller, in your classic fog-covered UK setting. I really enjoyed this story; it was written well, engaging and the ending was fantastic. My only complaints are how many characters there were, and how slow that made the book feel. This had a very overly-dramatic soap opera feel with twist after twist, and every single person seemed to have a motive. I love the red herrings, but this did get a little convoluted with all the people and relationships.

I was going to give this a 3.5 for most of the book - rounded down because of the slow burn feel and menagerie of characters. The ending changed that to a 3.5 rounded up instead, though - my jaw dropped a couple of times! If you don’t mind a sloooow mystery, this is a good one.

(Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Landmark, Clare Mackintosh, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released November 7, 2022.)

Read if you like:
- Thrillers and Mysteries
- Following Investigations
- Slow Burn
- Lots of characters

This one is one that readers need to be prepared for a slow burn on, but the ending is worth the payout of the slow burn vibes as we hunt for the murderer of a very unlikable man in a small town filled with secrets that all the townspeople as suspects want to keep hidden. Including the main character.

I enjoyed this one but was looking for a bit more thrill or faster pacing to rate it any higher than I did.

Clare Mackintosh has been a favorite author over the past few years. I LET YOU GO and HOSTAGE are two of the most propulsive thrillers with jaw-dropping twists that I have read. Saying I was excited to pick up her forthcoming release, THE LAST PARTY, was a colossal understatement.

The story follows detective Ffion Morgan as she attempts to solve a murder on New Year's Eve in an exclusive lake neighborhood in her small Welsh community. Told in multiple POVs from party attendees, the story has a plethora of potential killers.

I felt the pacing was a bit slower compared to Mackintosh’s previous books but the tradeoff was extensive backstories for many plausible killers. While I think the story could have been a bit more concise, she led readers down multiple paths of suspicion which I appreciated. It’s a departure from her previous books, but the more the story sits with me the more I like it.

The setting in Wales was perfectly atmospheric for fall and I loved the aspects of Welsh culture interspersed throughout the story. The dynamic/tension between the lead investigators was palpable and I enjoyed rooting for them both despite their flaws.

THE LAST PARTY is the first book in the new DC Morgan series. I don’t typically get invested in series, but I think I’ll continue on to see where Mackintosh takes these characters now that she last laid the groundwork.

RATING: 4/5

Many thanks to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review will be posted to www.instagram.com/kellyhook.readsbooks in advance of publication date.