Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Release Date: November 8th, 2022
Pages: 432
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Publisher’s Synopsis:
“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.“
My Review:
The Last Party is a classic procedural, whodunnit-style mystery. It is set amongst the gorgeous, verdant backdrop of rural Wales. Our main characters are Ffion, a Welsh detective with plenty of shadowy secrets of her own, and Leo, an English detective who is motivated in his search for justice and the truth.
Ffion and Leo’s budding relationship is heartfelt and adorable. In many ways they are mirrors of each other, having more in common than either of them realizes. Leo wants nothing more than to have a relationship with his son, and Ffion’s situation is equally complicated. Ffion’s ‘don’t need no man’ cheeky attitude and snarky personality make for some hilarious banter between the two of them.
I enjoyed the investigative side of the story. The author has experience in police service and it really shows in how well this aspect of the plot is written. As someone with a degree in criminology, I appreciate the dedication to accuracy, as it makes the story feel all the more real. It makes for a more engaging environment and sequence of events when a book is researched so thoroughly.
The victim, Rhys Lloyd, is a cultural icon and has amassed quite the devoted fan base. But no one truly knows how deep his villainous streak really goes. And as the story progresses, we get to see just how perverse his character is. Everyone in this story is a suspect, and everyone has a motive for wanting Rhys dead.
The setting of the story is a strong point, with its small community atmosphere. There’s lots of clashing between the locals and who they deem to be outsiders. And there’s a strong push back against modernization and change. The animosity and judgemental stigmas between Welsh and English cultures creates tension throughout the story. And the overwhelming amounts of secrets and deceptions create drama between friends, family, and lovers.
The connections are deeply tangled and it weaves a twisted web of debauchery and ulterior motives. The plot is very slow-building, shifting between past and present. If I’m being honest, it was a little boring for the first half of the book and I felt a lack of connection to the story and the people in it. But it all comes crashing down in the end, with twists that are explosive and definitely nothing I was expecting.
I did find it a bit difficult to keep track of all the characters for the majority of the book. There are a lot of players in this story and I had a hard time piecing names and backstories together while reading. I also didn’t really feel attached to anyone for the majority of the story. But towards the end it did get emotional and I found myself finally rooting for Leo, Ffion, and her family. The character arcs are well done, even if delayed, and the many red herrings do keep the story intriguing, even if it’s sluggish.
While not one of my favorite mystery/thrillers, it’s still an enjoyable read with a delightful setting. In the end, I think I would be interested to read the next book in this series. I only hope that the plot is a little more fast-paced for the next installment.
I’ve been debating about how I want to rate this one, but I think I’m going to settle with 3 stars (3.5 if it was possible). I was given an e-ARC by the publisher but I was excited enough that I actually decided to buy a physical copy to read. This was my first experience reading from this author, and I do like the writing style in general. I have another book by her I’m reading next so we’ll see how it goes!
Disclaimers:
Huge thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for gifting me an early copy of this amazing story! I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This post may contain affiliate links that I may earn a small commission from with no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support 🙂
Have you read this book? Planning to add it to your TBR?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
I love a good book discussion. 🙂
Leave a Reply