Thank you to NetGalley, Storm Publishing and the author Rachel Abbott for the opportunity to read an ARC of The Last Time I Saw Him. My review reflects my honest opinion. Three women find themselves at a beautiful resort at the same time. Celia Cobain,married to the very wealthy, yet controlling and obnoxious philanthropist Ellis Cobain, is there with him. Juliette Dalton is there with her husband, Russell, a lawyer hoping to sign a contract with a singer performing at the resort. Nadia Shariq is the singer. The women are united in their hatred of Ellis Cobain- each for their own specific reason. The Last Time I Saw Him is the fourth book in Abbott's Detective Stephanie King series; the first I have read. It was a rather slow read for me as I did not like any of the three women; in my opinion their characters lacked depth- they were either self-centered or very weak. However the novel is well crafted, the investigation, realistic, and while it was just an OK read for me I will pursue other books by this author. 3 stars.

I loved this book! I haven’t read anything by Rachel Abbott before but I will definitely be adding more of her novels to my to be read pile. There were so many twists and turns

There were only four main suspects for the murder of a totally obnoxious philandering bully, with loads of money from the death of wife No 1. All four have strong motives, all four lie through their teeth to each other, the police and themselves. DCI Gus Brodie brings in DS Stephanie King to help in the investigation as she and her mothers were having a 'spoil yourselves for once' week-end and had some insight to the, now, suspects. Stephanie is the main character definitely and works well with Gus (also her life partner now) and the rest of his team - gradually teasing out the inconsistencies and links. Plenty of red herrings and I changed my mind about the perpetrator several times, wrong on most of them. Neatly tied up but ending a shock. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

The Last Time I Saw Him by Rachel Abott

I really enjoyed this book. The story was a slow burn and I was mildly disappointed with the ending. A man is dead and the suspects involves 3 women. I hadn't realized this book was part of a series but I quickly liked Sergeant Stephanie King. I just cannot fathom the unfair ending.

This was a good story about 3 women who have been dealing with a very nasty man who was in one or another manipulating them. This man is suddenly found dead and of course they are all suspects but why? That’s what we get to find out and it’s twist after twist at the end.

Rachel Abbott has the ability to make her characters feel real and authentic. This thriller is no different. It's a real whodunit with three suspects and no hard evidence. The book will keep you guessing from the first page to the very last. I love the character of Stephanie King and you will too in this 5 star and highly recommended book.

I found a new author I will be reading, Rachel Abbott! This book was an easy enough read, kept my attention, and had many twists I did not see coming. Thank you for this new discovery!

I really enjoyed this book. I loved how I had no clue who was guilty, who was telling the truth, who was lying, and I loved the twist at the end. The alternating timelines, the different POV’s, and characters that you just couldn’t stand made this an absolute great thriller. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

Thank you to Rachel Abbott, Storm Publishing, and NetGalley for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

WOULD YOU KEEP A SECRET FOR A STRANGER, IF IT MEANT BLOOD WAS ON YOUR HANDS?

Celia, Juliette and Nadia are complete strangers with one thing in they have all been wronged by Ellis Cobain. A wealthy philanthropist on course for a knighthood, Ellis' public persona is bulletproof - but lurking beneath this veneer is a sinister side that only the women closest to him have seen, the unlucky ones he chooses to torment. Ellis is cruel and arrogant. He delights in criticizing and belittling, making others feel less than. They devise a plan to blackmail him and free themselves from his grip for good, but when he is discovered murdered (which honestly it's a miracle that no one killed him prior to this because he's such a jerk), they must desperately cover their tracks. Will they keep each other's secrets, now they are all implicated in his death? Will one turn on the others?

Despite this being the fourth book in the Stephanie King series, this was my first book by Rachell Abbott and can be read as a stand alone novel. I found it to be a gripping story and was rapidly turning the pages to uncover more evidence and insight on the women involved. Honestly I wasn't upset about Ellis being dead, he kind of deserved it. His wife Celia was belittled down to basically nothing, stripped of all her self confidence. As for Juliette and Nadia, I won't give away how they are connected to Ellis. There's also another suspect in the case which is Juliette's husband Russell. Every one of these characters has a reason to want Ellis out of their life permanently, but which one of them actually had the nerve to do it? Well you'll have to read to find out. There are parts where the women become at odds with each other, not knowing who to truly trust, but I did enjoy how they all come together for a common goal. There are a few parts in the story where it seems to drag a bit, but throughout it all Stephanie King and her task force are uncovering all the small details to put the pieces of the puzzle together to solve the case. It seems like nothing can get past her or DCI Gus Brodie.

I loved how the story progressed to making me consider everyone a suspect. I found it hard to fully trust anyone. Someone is lying. They know what really happened. The end was very shocking for me and I never saw it coming, but it made perfect sense and was heartbreaking at the same time. Decisions of the past will eventually resurface and there will be accountability for your actions, which inevitably leads to more tragedy. I am very excited to see what Rachel Abbott comes up with next. This book releases today (August 15, 2024) so grab it ASAP and dive in!

The last time I saw him is a great family drama,of a missing child and the effects of the people who are left to live with the search for him

I was immediately drawn into the book by Rachel Abbott's writing style. I was intriguied with the Character Stephanie King and her observations of other people while at dinner with her mother.

This story is about 3 women, who are all on a weekend at a ritzy hotel and cottages. One is a performer. All three apparently have ties to a rich, feels like he's entitled to everything kind of a guy. And all get drawn into a murder investigation.

As we read, we get pulled into their exposed secrets and motivations. This is an interesting murder mystery. I'd like to read more Stephanie King books because I really like the character.

The Last Time I Saw Him
by Rachel Abbott
Pub Date: Aug 15 2024

What an edge of your seat page turner! "The Last Time I Saw Him" is a great thriller, set in a romantic location of a new hotel on the English coastline. The suspense will keep you hooked until the final jaw dropping page!

Synopsis: Celia, Juliette and Nadia are complete strangers with one thing in they have all been wronged by Ellis Cobain. When they meet at a boutique hotel on the Cornish coast, brought together by the blind arrogance of their tormentor, they realise what connects them and form a to blackmail him and free themselves from his grasp. But when he is discovered the next morning, murdered in cold blood, they are left scrambling. None of them knows who did it, and now they must desperately cover their tracks. Will they keep each other's secrets, now they are all implicated in his death? Will one turn on the others, when any of them could be next?

Many thanks to #TheLastTimeISawHim #NetGalley and #StormPublishing for providing me with an E-ARC of this book.

Stephanie King is back to try and find the killer of a guy on a yacht. Three woman that knew the deceased has been betrayed by him, but could they have committed murder.

I really enjoyed this fast paced crime thriller. Stephanie is an interesting character and she’s great at her job. The others bring the story to life. I liked the chapter layouts and the text messages throughout. It keeps you gripped until the end. This is the first book I’ve read in this series. A chilling 5 star read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

Ellis Cobain a wealthy philanthropist is found dead in his yacht moored off the Cornish coast whilst staying at a beautiful boutique hotel with his wife.
DS Stephanie King is brought in to investigate along, even more interesting is that Stephanie was staying at the hotel the previous week with her mother and was witness to his less than gentlemanly behaviour towards his wife Celia and another guest Juliette.
Stephanie has to try to pull the pieces together, trying to uncover hidden secrets, blackmail, their is motive for his demise but with alibi’s and timelines appearing to clear them of wrongdoing can the murderer be found.
I thought this was very well written, I thought I’d guessed who did it but seemed too easy but couldn’t think who else could have but I was wrong. I love when I book can keeping you guessing and then throws a curveball.
Thank you NetGalley, Rachel Abbott and Storm Publishing for this ARC, all opinions expressed are my own.

This was a burning page turner. Three women, Celia, Juliette and Nadia, are seemingly strangers. You soon learn that though they are strangers to begin with, they all have one thing in a common - a dastardly man, Ellis Cobain. It is no surprise when his dead body is found on his luxurious yacht right outside the resort. When Stephanie King arrives on the scene, she realizes that this is the man she saw at the resort that weekend. The one who gave her the creeps. His manner of death is a mystery. They soon realize that anyone could have killed this horrible man because he left heartache and despair everywhere he went, but they must do their job and find the culprit.

The secrets simmer just below the surface threatening to explode. You will trust no one. Someone is lying. The boundaries of yesterday's secrets will be tested against today's lies. I really liked Celia and Juliette, but there was just something about Nadia that I did not like. Stephanie King is the cat's meow as a detective. She is highly observant and does not miss much, including verbal and body cues. I knew that she would get to the bottom of this mystery, one way or the other. The ending shocked me to my very core. I am still sitting here stunned.

This is my first read by this author, but it will not be my last. This was a real humdinger of a story told from many points of view. It is a long book, but it is worth the time it takes to read it.

Thank you to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

It's not often I think the victim deserves what happened, but in this case I think he did! Several suspects and a plan that didn't actually involve murder, but who went further with the plan? I enjoyed reading this book, but I hate to admit the ending made me cry

BOOK: THE LAST TIME I SAW HIM
AUTHOR: RACHEL ABBOTT
PUB DATE: AUGUST 2024
👮🏼‍♀️👭🏼
REVIEW
Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
👭🏼👮🏼‍♀️
This book! It was on another level. I'm aware by the unexpected ending. It was kinda heartbreaking but thrilling! I don't even know what to write because I don't want to leave any spoilers. The author kept me turning the pages, I uncovered secrets upon secrets about each character as I kept reading, and I was so surprised. I loved the pace and the back and forth between the three suspects, Juliette, Nadia, and Celia. At the end of the day, when the culprit was revealed, it was someone I suspected, but I didn't really expect it to be that person. I'm still reeling from the ending.
👮🏼‍♀️👭🏼
The murder victim, Ellis Cobain, was an asshole who deserved the ending he got. If he could have gotten a more tragic one, it won't be enough. I understood what the three women did what they did. We have Juliette. Throughout the book, her guilt was palpable, and she kept carrying on and on about how she felt sorry for her husband. Like, I get it, but it would have been over sooner if she had come clean and freed herself. Nadia, the singer with a lot of secrets, she still had a lot of healing to do, but she's getting there. Celia, she was the most pitiful because of her kids. Ellis Cobain made life very difficult for the women.
👭🏼👮🏼‍♀️
Then, Stephanie, the detective in charge of the case. I liked her and her zeal. I don't like the ending she got. I liked the well-rounded points of view.
👮🏼‍♀️👭🏼
This book was amazing, and I liked reading every page!

Wow! This book was a 5 star read from page one! Thank you Rachel Abbott! Yet another book I will be purchasing to add to my 5 star reads! This was for those who seek thrills and chills! It kept me guessing and it kept me intrigued chapter after chapter!

The difficulty of reviewing this book with objectivity is that we’re supposed to not like the murder victim who was a thoroughly odious man and the world (obviously I appreciate this is a fictional character) is a much better place without him. What intrigued me was that although there were a limited amount of suspects, the author keeps the reader from working out what had happened. We get the police perspective, we’re drip fed the suspects stories and thoughts by a clever use of timelines mixed with up to date events. Just when you think you’ve worked it all out another chapter turns that thinking around. Overall a great read but one that should be read in as few sittings as possible so you can keep the threads fresh.

Detective Stephanie King is enjoying a well earned weekend away with her mother in a lovely boutique hotel on the Cornish coast. A recently refurbished manor house, Morvoren Manor has comfortable rooms and stunning views as well as an excellent bar and restaurant with a fantastic female jazz singer who performs there on the weekend.

Stephanie can’t help herself from people watching and notices some of the guests behaving oddly. She later learns that one of them is the wealthy philanthropist, Ellis Cobain, who has sailed there on his yacht with his wife Celia to stay for a week. Also staying there for the week with his wife Juliette is Russell Dalton, who has come to listen to the Jazz singer, Nadia Shariq, and negotiate a contract on behalf of the talent agency he works for.

The following week Stephanie finds herself back at the hotel with her life partner DCI Gus Brodie to investigate the sudden, suspicious death of Eliis Cobain on his yacht. Although Stephanie and Gus no longer work together she has been asked to join the investigation since she stayed at the hotel recently and observed some of the guests.

Ellis Cobain while charming when he wanted to be, was not a well liked man particularly amongst women. He treated his second wife, Celia, cruelly, totally controlling her and not allowing her any freedom or money of her own. Juliette and Nadia also have their own reasons to hate him, but all three women have an alibi for the time of his death. This makes it difficult for Gus and Stephanie to discover who had the motive and opportunity to kill him.

This is a slow burn of a psychological thriller with information dripped slowly to the reader through a now and then dual perspectives. All three women suspects annoyed me, especially Celia and Juliette and Ellis was such an obnoxious man that it was hard to care about who killed him and even to hope they would get away with it. There are quite a few false turns, twists and misdirection along the way and the climax when it arrives is fast and furious.