The Last Girl to Die by Helen Sara Fields is a powerfully written novel of suspense with strong symbolism and gothic vibes!
On the Isle of Mull, in Scotland, Adriana, an American teenager, goes missing. When the local police fail to take much interest in the situation, Adriana’s parents hire Sadie Levesque, a Canadian PI known for her successful teenage tracking, to find Adriana.
From the gripping opening chapter to the sensitively written conclusion, this book had me totally immersed in the story. The history, myths, and atmosphere of the island are skillfully interwoven with the mystery of the missing girl. The characters are strong—Sadie is a likable narrator with intelligence, intuition, and a quick wit—the dialogue is smart and sometimes humorous.
While Sadie is the protagonist, there is another equally strong character—the Island itself. There are chapters interspersed throughout the book simply titled “The Island” which give voice to the wisdom and power of ancient beings.
The rest of the cast runs the gamut from Adriana’s emotional but secretive parents, to callous misogynistic cops, to a pathologist with a gentle soul, to a cadre of women who meet secretly to support each other in the face of male domination.
There is a lot going on in this novel, and there are some graphic scenes involving the murder victims. But the writing is so masterful that the gore is surmounted by the author’s skill and ability to move the plot forward with alacrity.
This is the first novel by Helen Fields that I have read, and I will definitely seek out her other works.
I highly recommend this mystery to readers who enjoy intelligently written, atmospheric, edge-of-your-seat suspense!!

Thank you to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my unbiased review.

Wow, not sure where to start with this review as I am still reeling from the ending… all I can say is that I am eager to find and devour more of Helen Fields’ books if they’re anything like this one.

I won’t summarise the novel, as I believe the blurb can do this sufficiently, but I will say this about the following aspects of the novel that I thoroughly enjoyed:

- I loved the authenticity of the main character. An ‘off-islander’, Sadie wasn’t quite the fish-out-of-water outcast that you’d perhaps expect; if anything, her Canadian grit and wilderness-loving skills meant she tackled the turbulent Scottish weather and terrain well, resulting in a main character that was interesting and layered, not simply a cliché.

- The history and mysticism explored through the myths, legends and witchcraft of Mull was fantastic, in my view. I think it added perfectly to the atmosphere of the book and added to the suspense and surrealism of murders on a small island.

- The layers built up throughout the book of different characters, historic crimes, unlikeable and likeable characters. This all meant I was left until the very end to discover the murderer, despite having many suspects in mind!

A couple of things I would like to mention as being absolutely necessary for this book to be so memorable and impactful, yet still hard for me to read. Firstly, the graphic murder scene(s). These were not superfluous and were, infact, crucial to this book having such an impact and developing the crimes, but they were quite gory and I urge people to persevere, even if you don’t like such graphic descriptions in your crime thrillers! Secondly, and lastly- the ending. My goodness! I can’t write about this without any spoilers, but know that the ending to this book has left me with my mouth wide open in an ‘O’ of surprise… shattering!

The Last Girl to Die is one of the most shocking, surprising, just stunning crime novels I've read. This one just throws out all of the rule books, and does its own thing and I absolutely love it for that.

Our main character, Sadie, is a Canadian private detective brought to Mull to look for a missing teenage girl, Adriana. There's immediately a lot to differentiate it from the bulk of the crime fiction I see. Sadie isn't a cop, and actually her relationship with the local police force is, from the start, not ideal and only gets worse. She's a private investigator instead, one with a lot of experience in tracking down teenagers. I really liked the fact that her Canadian origin gives her the kind of outdoor experience and wilderness survival skills that translate well to the Scottish Isles. Although she's seen as an outsider and treated differently because she's "not one of us", there's none of the fish-out-of-water urban detective stuck in the middle of nowhere tropes. Sadie is more than comfortable out in the middle of nowhere, and that shows. She's a relatively small woman who doesn't trade on her looks or seductive powers. And she's not wrestling any inner demons like alcoholism. She really just wants to get this job done and get back to her sister and the baby she's expecting. She's a really interesting and quite refreshing main character.

The setting is fantastic. I've been to Mull, and while it was nowhere near this murderous when I was there, it was fun to recognise a lot of the settings. Much is made of the isolated nature of the island. Specialists have to be helicoptered in from Glasgow, forensics have to be sent to the mainland. For the authorities on the island, including both the police and the priest, this is their own domain with no interference from anyone. Obviously Sadie turning up and interfering doesn't play well with those in power, and these power struggles feel all too real and scary for the isolation and relative power of those in charge there. This is something I couldn't see happening so effectively in a big city setting, and it's great to see how well the island is used in this part of the story.

I absolutely loved all of the pagan folklore in this novel. It is used so, so well, linking historic assertions of witchcraft with modern feminist ideals. Those core principles of empowerment and independence shine through both in flashbacks and in the women standing up to the patriarchy seeking to impose order by restricting the freedoms of the island's women. One of the main messages of this novel could be "To prevent men attacking and abusing women, don't tell the women what they can and can't do. Tell the men." This was clear and powerfully put across in multiple different ways.

It's an incredibly creepy novel too, walking that fine line between crime and horror. The ritualistic nature of the killings and the staging of the scenes was both disturbing and moving, and filled me with empathy for the victims. There was no glorification of their deaths, they were bloody and horrible despite all of the staging, or maybe because of it.

And the ending! Oh wow. I'll avoid any spoilers, but it left me simply stunned. So bold and powerful.

A fantastic novel, full of twists and turns with some important things to say.

When Sadie found the body, I thought this would be a 4 or 5-star read because I was HOOKED. But then, the rest of the story happened, and sadly, it was such a drawn-out snoozefest that I stopped caring to the point that I started skimming the story to get to the main parts.

Let me summarize what I learned.

Mom & Dad: Mom is too "devastated" to do anything, while Dad appears to be hiding shit.
Twin brother: Person of interest because he's shady as heck.
PI Sadie: Doesn't want to work with the police (because they don't want to work with her) but feels entitled to carry on a police-style investigation (and is somehow privy to what should be police-only information).
Leggo-my-Eggo: Or whatever the incompetent police officer's name is (I remember his last name is Eggo, so that should count for something). I mean, he not only speaks about details of his current case in a public pub (and one the victim worked at), but he also brushes off not only a person wanting to speak to him about something important but another man detailing things that happened years ago.

A lot of boring details that should probably be left out (I am very sorry to say that I would read this book before bedtime because I knew it would help me sleep), and somehow the case is solved in a way that seemed both anti-climatic and completely unrealistic. Which was honestly a darn shame as I've enjoyed this author's D.I. Callanach series, and this felt NOTHING like that.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

I love a dark, twisty, mystery laden thriller and, with The Last Girl To Die, Helen Fields has delivered just that. Brooding and atmospheric, there is a real sense of danger and almost resignation that underpins the narrative​ from the very beginning right through to the final, almost mystical conclusion. 



This is not your ordinary murder mystery and it’s all the better for it. Set on the Scottish island of Mull, the story taps into myth and legend and long held belief of the history of the island which is set to lead to some absolutely devastating consequences. Drawn to the island to investigate the disappearance of an American teenager, Sadie Levesque is a Private Investigator used to seeing the worst and best of people, but who is perhaps still unprepared for what she is about to find on the island. Suspicion and animosity - and that’s just from the local police force. What the islanders will make of her intervention in their business … well that is somewhat of a mixed bag too.



I love that this story blends all the hallmarks of your classic PI investigation with something a little more mystical and ethereal. On the face of it we have a missing person investigation that takes a dark and possibly predictable turn. Delving back into the history of the island, Sadie learns that this case may not be so unique, and that there are many things about Mull that have the capacity to surprise and upend any firm beliefs she may have about the many characters she meets. 

It is one of those stories where it is hard to know who to trust, where conspiracy seems to be around every corner, and even the clients do not appear to be entirely honest. It gets those spider senses tingling and I found myself second guessing the motives of nearly everyone that Sadie met, even, and maybe especially, the police. A conspiracy of silence is perhaps the best way to put it, but as to what people were hiding and why it was very hard to gauge. The author kept motives hidden right until the critical point, leading us as readers down blind alleys, or into darkened dead ended caves as would serve the setting better. 



Sadie was a character I warmed to quickly even though she was occasionally aloof, but seeing and hearing the story through her eyes gave us a clear feeling of how it was to be an outsider in such a close knit community. There was one other narrator in the book, an unexpected one at that, but one who held a very unique perspective on the lives, history and behaviour of the inhabitants of Mull. It is a somewhat unique point of view, but it really did fit the style of the story and helped to enhance the atmospheric and sometimes claustrophobic tone.



The setting of Mull was absolutely perfect, although I’’m sure the island and it’s inhabitants are far more welcoming than may have appeared on these pages. Artistic licence in full flow here. But that whole sense of the isolation, of being cut off from the mainland and being beholden to the tides and the weather if ever in need of real help, that whole closeted community vibe and the natural suspicion of outsiders, is something that could only have worked on an island. And the importance of myths and legends in forming the story are really helped by this rugged and sometimes unforgiving landscape.



The book is, beneath everything, a celebration of the strength of spirit of the women of the island, and the overwhelming sense of masculinity and misogyny that still prevails in many communities. That image of the menfolk storming with pitchforks to keep their women safe popped into my head so many times and yet, ironically, it is more often than not, the menfolk that women need to fear. Whether that turns out to be the case in this story … well you’ll have to read to find out. Nothing is ever quite that straight forward.



Cleverly plotted and haunting, this is the kind of story that really captures the imagination, a mix of history, modernity and maybe even mysticism in one neat package.

This book is as dark and twisted as the legends and secrets of Mull Isle.
Adrianna is a beautiful, missing teenager and Sadie Levesque, a PI known for solving teen crimes, is called upon to find Adrianna.
When Sadie finds the body of Adrianna it is evident that this was a horrific death and Sadie is determined to find the killer. But will Adrianna be the last girl to die? A tense pace turner with a unexpected ending. Thank you Netgalley and Avon books for this excellent thriller. This review is my honest opinion.

Beware, once you start reading The Last Girl to Die, you'll won't be able to stop! The story has a great plot, is beautifully written with incredible descriptions of Scotland, it's fast-paced, and has a totally unexpected ending! I just loved it!!!
Thank you, NetGalley, Ms. Fields, and her publisher for the free copy of this book.

Absolutely thrilled to discover a new author. I have never read anything by Helen before but I'm adding her back catalogue to my tbr list. One of the best crime thrillers I have read this year. Just couldn't put it down.

A teenage girl goes missing on a remote island in Scotland. The family call in a private detective, Sadie Levesque, as the local police don't appear to be giving the case their full attention!

Sadie finds the missing girl dead in a cave. It is obvious that she has been murdered quite brutally.

Is this linked to a similar unsolved murder from 39 years ago?

When another girl is murdered and there are similarities to the first murder, Sadie and the police try to find a link.

There are shocking secrets to discover on the Island and Sadie could find herself in danger if she keeps on pushing for answers.

A great line up of characters, some likeable, some not so, but all very believable.

Chapters written mainly from the point of view of Sadie. Others from the point of view of 'The Island'.

I was left totally shocked and stunned at the ending.

Many thanks to Netgalley, the publishers and the author for an ARC. One of the easiest five star reads this year.

Thank you to the author, Avon Books UK and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a haunting, atmospheric thriller, with layers of psychological complexity. Not for the faint of heart, but absolutely gripping - unforeseen twists and an ending that left me shattered, completely unexpected. Recommended!

Wow! What an unexpected, twisty, compelling novel! I know that this book will undoubtedly make my 2022 ‘Best List’.

Difficult to review without spoiling it for others, so I’ll keep this very short.

First of all I adored the protagonist. Sadie Levesque was a feisty young woman whom I both admired and empathized with. The writing was both powerful and absorbing. The plot was original and engrossing – packed with red herrings, unexpected twists, and Scottish folklore.

The themes covered in this story are many. Parenting and its many challenges. Consequences of actions are far-reaching and can often involve ethical compromises. Today’s modern world is only a hair’s breadth away from ancient folklore and pagan ritual and history has lost some of its veracity in the re-tellings over time.

The ending was surprising, original, and left me bereft. I absolutely loved this crime thriller and will recommend it highly to all my crime fiction loving friends.

The Last Girl to Die is a chilling thriller set in a small town in Scotland.

When sixteen-year-old Adriana Clark goes missing, her family hires a private investigator from Canada named Sadie Levesque to search for her.

In a matter of days, Sadie discovers Adriana’s brutally murdered body in a dark cave. The more Sadie investigates, the more hostility she feels and the sense that everyone is hiding something, including the police and the family that hired her.

This atmospheric thriller primarily follows Sadie’s pov. The author seamlessly weaved Scotland’s ritualistic/spiritual history into this contemporary narrative.

A word of warning that there are very graphic and gruesome descriptions early on in this story. It almost put me off, but I decided to push through, and it wasn’t so bad after that.

The writing was good, and I enjoyed Sadie’s characterization, even though she made a few hasty decisions.

And that ending! It wasn’t what I was expecting, but should have guessed was coming. And it did fit with the rest of the story.

Thank you to Avon Books for providing me with an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

https://booksandwheels.com

BRILLIANT!!
It's because of storytelling like this that Helen Fields is one of my top female authors! I will pick up a book of hers without even reading the synopsis because I know it will be brilliant! She never disappoints. I was pulled in from the go and spat out exhausted at the end!

This is another humdinger set in one of my favourite places, Scotland. It is set on the Isle of Mull where there are a lot of undercurrents and where people are still practice old beliefs. A young American girl who's moved to the island with her parents and brother disappears but it doesn't seem like the police are very keen on investigating. Private investigator Sadie Levesque
is hired by the family to come and find their daughter but soon she is in the middle of some very strange goings-on. Is it just her bad luck that she is always the one to find the body and why are all these sinister things happening on this island? Who can she trust and what is up with the family who hired her?

I definitely did not see this ending coming and I hope we will see more of Sadie!

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

The island watched and wept…

Rob and Isabella Clark have moved from the USA to the Isle of Mull, off the coast of Scotland with their sixteen year old twins Adriana and Brandon. Mull is a tight knit community and when Adriana goes missing the local police don't seem to be taking the matter seriously, so the family employ Sadie Levesque, a Canadian private investigator with a good reputation for finding missing teenagers, to try and find her. After a few days of searching the island Sadie makes the grim discovery that every parent dreads, but the way Adriana's body has been placed in the cave leads Sadie to believe there's far more to this murder and she needs to act fast before another innocent life is taken.

The Last Girl to Die is full of mystery and intrigue, with folklore, myths and legends playing a big part in the story. The Isle of Mull seems to be a perfect setting for this story judging by the beautiful, yet eerie descriptions the author treats us to. It's a compelling read with characters both likeable and not, I particularly had a soft spot for Sadie and Nate and hoped to see their blossoming relationship go further. This is an extremely well written story, which kept me second guessing till the end, an ending which was very unexpected, totally floored me and made me cry. This is only the second book I've read by this author, though I do have the Callanach series on my kindle and am looking forward to reading those too. If you like a good thriller that will keep you on your toes, this is one for you.

I'd like to thank Avon Books and Netgalley for the approval, I will post my review on Amazon and Goodreads.

Another well-crafted read from Fields. I think I have said this each time, but I believe that with every book I read, Fields’ writing gets better and better.

I think this book has a different feel compared to the others I have read. This is not so much a police procedural and I liked how the atmosphere was dominated by pagan witchcraft. Scottish lore becomes entangled with the death of Adriana and I think I was surprised by this direction of the plot. Rather than being a gritty, crime thriller, this novel feels quite different to others as Sadie gets involved in island mystery and beliefs. However, Fields still manages to pack a punch and by page seven my jaw had dropped. I think this is a record for Fields!

Although this was not as shocking as other books by Fields, it was no less immersive. I particularly liked the chapters titled ‘The Island’, where Fields’s writing takes on another level. It was beautiful to read and I enjoyed the different narrative voice, with the personification of the island itself. Furthermore, the closing chapter was particularly poignant and emotional; it was not something I would have expected from a writer of such shocking stories.

The plot is relentless in its mystery and this makes it even more absorbing. I had so many theories for so long but Fields keeps everything very secretive until the thrilling closing. I have yet to properly predict the conclusion of Fields’s stories and I think this definitely adds to the enjoyment of her writing. Sadie’s investigations take a different development when further crimes are committed on the island and I like how they then become linked to a historical death which seems to loom forever over the story.

Having read nearly all of Fields’s books to date, I liked how some familiar characters make an appearance in this story. It felt refreshing and I wanted to shout at these characters, like a famous celebrity, that I recognised them from the Turner and Callanach series! I guess I was fan-girling because I have enjoyed Fields’s writing so much. However, it makes no impact on whether you have read any other book from this writer before because this story is most definitely a stand-alone.

So, I really enjoyed another book from Fields. If I was honest, I don’t think it was as good as the Callanach and Turner novels however, it was another brilliantly written book that is not worthy of anything less than five stars. I feel honoured to have been able to read an early release of this book and cannot wait to see what is released from this author. Trust me, I will be elbowing my way to the front of the queue for the next one.

With thanks to Avon books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Having read the author’s previous series, my expectations possibly spoilt my enjoyment of this stand alone book.

Intense and darkly compelling, this is a true mystery, wound around ancient mysticism on an island whose small population made it claustrophobic.

An intelligent read that I would struggle to say ‘I enjoyed’ but I am not sorry to have read.

In my opinion, giving the island a voice added nothing but an opportunity for an explanation of events. If she had featured in her own right from the outset, this would have been more acceptable.

This is a great book!

When 17 year old Adriana Clark goes missing the local police don't seem too concerned. Her family call in renowned private investigator Sadie Levesque to get answers to their daughter's disappearance.

When Sadie finds Adriana's body in an ancient cave she knows she's not dealing with anything she's seen before. And when the locals close ranks Sadie knows it up to her to find the truth.

With a dark plot, sometimes pure misogyny and twists galore this is a great mix of fast paced thriller with ancient myths and legends.

I flew through this book and loved every minute.

This book was just OK for me. The main character, Sadie, was hard to connect with. Everything felt shallow. The small town inhabitants being so closed and inhospitable. The Canadian who acts as if all of Canada is exactly the same. And could people stop writing about California if they don’t know that it is more than half mountains? All of it was kind of seedy and a relic of a story of another time. I wanted to know who did it. The stuff inbetween just didn’t hold my interest.

Following Sadie Levesque, a private investigator looking into what happened to Adriana Clark and her disappearance on the Scottish island of Mull. Not being local and employed by Adriana's parents, brought in from Canada upsetting many islanders in her quest as an outsider, her investigations ruffle a lot of feathers 🪶

From the first page to the last, a great read, with twists and turns along the way. Got near the end and couldn't wait to finish just to see if my suspicions were correct. A definite should read.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Avon for my advance copy of #TheLastGirlToDie by #HelenFields
Sadie Levesque is a well known private investigator specialising in missing teenagers, so when 17 year old Adriana Clark goes missing her family call her in. Based in Banff Canada she makes the long journey to the Isle of Mull off the coast of Scotland.
It’s not long before Sadie makes her first discovery but then things go awry, nothing seems to add up.
A gripping tale that will keep you reading. With a very unexpected ending. Superb writing.

4.5* --> 5* (edited to change the rating)

When the Clarke family moves from California to Scotland, little do they know that their lives will change a a lot more than they bargained for. Barely established on the Isle of Mull, their teenage daughter goes missing. Local law enforcement doesn’t seem at all interested in looking for Adriana, and the locals have never been what you might call welcoming to this bunch of strangers invading their island.

Adriana’s parents hire a private investigator, Sadie Levesque. She travels all the way from Canada, doing what she does best, which is finding missing teenagers. But when she finds Adriana’s body, she quickly catches the eye of the local police herself. Solving the mystery surrounding Adriana’s death is a constant battle against the police and the locals. Nobody seems at all bothered about what happened to this young girl. But she might not have been the first, and she could quite possibly not be the last either.

I honestly can’t think of a better location the author could have chosen to set this story. The Isle of Mull is wonderfully atmospheric with a delightful sense of isolation, even though getting on and off the island doesn’t seem that much of a hardship. It has a little bit of everything, rugged terrain, mysterious caves, hills, forests, water obviously, and it almost felt like an advertisement for Mother Nature. Furthermore it’s also the perfect place for lore, the stuff of myths and legends, stories about sunken ships and princesses, witches and witchcraft. All of this creates the most fabulous haunting vibe and the island itself is even given its own voice, which is at once delightfully quirky and intensely eerie.

There’s plenty of what seems to be myths and legends in this story but it serves a different purpose than you might expect. There’s an underlying theme about the empowerment of women against an increasingly hostile and misogynistic world. Suddenly this crime novel feels very much of-our-time and it adds another extraordinary layer to the storyline. ‘The Last Girl To Die‘ is often disturbing and sometimes rather gruesome, but if you’ve been reading Helen Fields’ books in the past you wouldn’t expect anything less, and I personally felt it was toned down quite a lot from her “Perfect” series. (Which, incidentally, if you haven’t been reading that one, I’m shooting daggers at you from behind the screen and fully expect you to correct the error of your ways asap.)

It all feels extremely ominous with danger lurking around every corner. There’s no way to know for sure who to trust on this island. I always felt there were little clues Fields was dropping, little breadcrumbs that I somehow put together into something completely different from where the story actually ended up. True to form, there are plenty of twists and turns and while I don’t normally like to mention something like this because it veers into that “twist you won’t see coming” category many of us dislike so much, I would like to point out that one twist left me quite unattractively open-mouthed. Shocking seems like a true understatement and it’s not something I will forget in a hurry.

Helen Fields has never let me down and I was confident from just reading the book description that I would enjoy this book. I had a wee wobble at the start, although I’m not entirely sure why, apart from this horrid mood I’ve been in the last few months. But once the tension was dialled up a notch, I didn’t look back. ‘The Last Girl To Die‘ is twisted, dark, gripping, brilliantly written and proves once again that Fields is rightfully on my list of go-to authors.