I can always count on this author to entertain me, and this mystery did not disappoint. Great characters and a great plot. Loved it!

The Last Party has a lot of characters that slowly unravel what really happened on that fateful New Years Eve. Told in alternating points of view from the owners of The Shores, locals and the two police investigating the death, there are a lot of people who aren't sad to hear Rhys Lloyd is dead and might even have reasons to want him that way. The first three quarters of the book are a slow build but once things start unraveling, they do so fast and the last quarter of the book really picks up and just when you think you know what happens, another secret is revealed and the twist keep coming right up until the final pages. The Last Party was my second Clare Mackintosh (Hostage was the first) and while I enjoyed it, I would have liked more of the plot to read like the last quarter. This is a book that's absolutely worth picking up, especially if you're a fan of Mckintosh.
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Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for my copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Instagram Post was made on January 25, 2023.

I really enjoyed this book. The storyline rolyine was great starting with the NYE party and a murder. The first half was a little slow but it really picked up half way through. Good twist and a great ending.

Thanks to NetGalley & Sourcebooks for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a sucker for a British police procedural, which this is, sort of. It's also a view into North Wales and the way of life there, and the chafe of the Welsh against the colonial attitudes of the English who vacation there.

Leo is a Liverpudlian DC teamed with Ffion, who is Welsh, for a dead body found floating in Llyn Drych (Mirror Lake) during the New Year's Day swim. Oddly enough, Leo and Ffion have recently parted company after having a one-nighter on NYE as the book opens. They move beyond that easily enough and get to work on who might have killed local boy made good, Rhys Lloyd. Rhys' star is now in decline, but for years he was a celebrated Welsh vocalist. Too bad he's absolutely vile and hated by almost everyone who isn't a fan!

Mackintosh deftly weaves the plot through numerous locals' beefs with Lloyd, creating a tapestry of red herrings. We also get a heaping helping of the detectives' personal lives, including Ffion's own personal history with Lloyd as well as Leo's struggles with his ex-wife and her keeping his son away from him. It's all well done, and kept me coming back to this book.

The solution to the whodunnit is rather over-complex and you might need to hang up your need to find the storyline believable, but it works, more or less. There is a little twist at the end that was pretty surprising but not terrible. Still processing that one.

All in all, a very solid effort and I am looking forward to progression of the characters in the next book!

This was a fun mystery with romance and drama intertwined. The characters were all very engaging. The ending will surprise you. I did not see it coming.
I received this galley from NetGalley.

With a gorgeous, chilling setting, current social issues, and characters to root for, Mackintosh throws an unforgettable party. Fans of Mare of Easttown will especially enjoy this book.

This is the first in a series and I couldn’t be more excited. I love a good police procedural and I love Clare Mackintosh so you can bet I was super happy to read this one, and it did not disappoint. This is set in a small village in Wales and it was the perfect atmosphere and setting for this story. Rhys Lloyd is having a party, celebrating his successes and the town shows up to celebrate. All is well until Rhys shows up dead in the freezing lake the next morning. Let’s just say there is no love lost with most everyone, which made this a fascinating read and kept me on my toes guessing who was behind it all. This was a wee bit long but the audio was great and helped to keep it moving. I enjoyed this from start to finish and cannot wait to read the next book in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the digital galley to review.

I have never read a book by this author so I didn't know what to expect but I liked it a lot! I really enjoyed trying to piece together the mystery of who was the "bad guy" and who was innocent. There were plenty of characters so plenty of suspects. The creepy isolation, the small lake village, all built up the anticipation perfectly. I wasn't obsessed with the police POV but besides that I really enjoyed this psychological thriller and would read whatever Clare Mackintosh put out next.

The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh is a mystery/thriller about several families that live in vacation homes along Mirror Lake. They had a New Years Eve party, but one person didn't survive the night. As the story goes on, we learn that basically everyone had motive to kill the victim, but who actually did it? This story had lots of twists and reveals, and I found it to be a fun read. This is the first book in a new series, and I'm interested to see where it goes next. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

"The Last Party" by Clare Mackintosh is a capitative mystery surrounding the death of famous musician and local legend, Rhys Lloyd. There's a huge NYE party at the The Shore properties, but tragedy strikes the following morning when Rhys' body is discovered.

This is slightly different than the other Mackintosh books I've read, but not in a bad way. (I would say her others were more psychological thrillers where this one leans more towards the mystery genre, if that makes sense!) I wasn't sure where the book was going (in a good way!) and was delighted with some of the twists. I also enjoyed the characters and felt drawn to them.

"The Last Party" is the first installment of the DC Morgan series and I look forward to reading more in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Clare Mackintosh for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Everyone at The Shore is not who they seem. What starts out as a traditional New Years Day swim in Cym Coed quickly turned into a nightmare when a dead body is floating in the water. Everyone has a reason to hate Rhys Lloyd, and no one is innocent.

I enjoyed this book overall! I thought it was a great mystery and had me unsure of who was responsible until the very last moment of the book. I feel like some of the story was a little too drawn out, so that’s my reason for 4 stars. Enjoyed otherwise!

The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh
I love a good murder mystery, and this certainly did not disappoint. There was also some humor and romance thrown in, making it very entertaining. Read it.

It's NYE and Rhys Lloyd has a house full of guests. He's a successful opera singer turned investor in the vacation homes on Mirror Lake. He's generously invited the village to drink champagne with their wealthy new neighbours... but by midnight, his lifeless body will be floating in the lake. Ffion Morgan has a village full of suspects, but they are her neighbours, friends and family.... and she has her own secrets to protect.

This was police procedural type of suspense/mystery read. I liked the small town setting and how everyone is connected - I find it makes it harder to figure out whodunnit. I was really surprised by the twists and did not see them coming. That being said, it was not really one of those books that I couldn't put down - which for me is how I know I really love a book like this! There may be some sensitive subjects so I would recommend checking the trigger warnings for this one.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

I received a free copy of this book as host of The Gloss.

Initially the cover of this thriller grabbed my attention and then the synopsis hooked me. "𝐴𝑡 𝑚𝑖𝑑𝑛𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑖𝑠 𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑑. 𝐵𝑦 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑠." If that doesn't excite you, then I don't know what will.

While it was a bit slow moving in the beginning it definitely picked up and once I reached the halfway mark I could not put it down. The author hooks you at the end of each chapter and there are a few fun twists in the storyline as well. I love a good murder mystery and this certainly did not disappoint.

The book begins on New Year's Eve when Rhys Lloyd has a house full of party guests at his vacation home at his exclusive new community on Mirror Lake. By Midnight Rhys is dead. His body is found the next day floating in the freezing cold lake. Local detective, Ffion Morgan, suddenly has an entire town full of suspects with motive. These are her neighbors and people she has grown up with. Even Ffion has her own secrets she'd like to keep under wraps. Alongside outsider Detective Leo Brady from Cheshire major crimes unit, the two work together to solve Rhys Lloyd's murder and sift through the secrets some would rather keep quiet.

If you like small town murder mysteries with a bit of humor and romance then you're going to love the detective duo in The Last Party. I enjoyed Ffion and Leo's chemistry and banter. The one night stand turning into a surprise coworker meet-cute could easily rival some of the romcoms I've read. All in all a great murder mystery that is certain to keep you questioning who killed Rhys Lloyd.

A special thank you to @netgalley and @bookmarked for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was kind of a creepy murder mystery. On New Years Eve, a rich real estate developer dies. Everyone at the party has a motive and everyone is a suspect.

The first half of this procedural thriller felt too slow for my taste, but things began to pick up in the second half. The two detectives are written really well and the ending twist was enjoyable, but I would have preferred for things to be tightened up.

Finally an interesting mystery with twists and turns. I look forward to the next one in the series. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

I appreciate the opportunity to read The Last Party. It was a wild ride to say the least. I enjoyed the characters and the secrets they kept. It took me a little bit to really get into the book, but once I got the the place where I was hooked, I had a hard time putting it down. Overall, I enjoyed the book and will recommend it to fellow readers.

Residents of a small village on the border of Wales and England are disgruntled by the development of an exclusive enclave of vacation homes on the shore of Mirror Lake. Rhys Lloyd is a local boy made good by a successful singing career. and has returned with this new venture. In an effort to appease the locals he hosts a large New Year's gala inviting one and all. Before the night is over Rhys Lloyd will be dead and all are suspects. Ffiion Morgan of the Welsh constabulary and DC Leo Brady from Cheshire Major Crimes butt heads during their investigation but soon discover almost everyone has a reason to want him gone...even Ffion has history from their schools days together. This slow burn narrative featured many layers of emotions and deception...I begin to think it was a joint effort......they all did it. I enjoyed the character development and the interesting tidbits about the Welsh location and culture also. Mackintosh has several well received novels under her belt and the police procedures are very realistic as I believe she is a former serving officer. This is the first DC Morgan and I will definitely be following the series as I found it an engaging concept.

Mackintosh has woven a twisty novel with lots of secrets and flawed characters. I really enjoyed both main characters and look forward to the next installment.