Having read John’s work in the past, I had no doubt I would enjoy this one as much as the others. However I was slightly apprehensive because John took a slightly different approach with this novel and decided to go down the ‘police based crime thriller ‘ route rather than sticking with his usual genre. Thrillers and crime are my favorite books to read, and I couldn’t wait to see how John was going to execute a new genre and put his mark on the crime world.

Having finished the book I know I’m not going to be able to do it the justice it deserves (let’s just blame John here and his annoyingly brilliant mind rather than my lack of reviewing skills shall we). John managed to hook me from the very start as the prologue begins in the very familiar London underground, a murder has already taken place and a second is not far off. DS Becca has to work very closely with Joe who works as a super-recogniser (individuals with incredible face recognition ability. They are able to memorise and then recall thousands of faces, often having only seen them once) within the police force to bring down a murderer who is always one step ahead.

As with John’s previous books he has created excellent characters. The protagonist
DS Becca Vincent is a young detective determine to make something of herself in the police force (whilst still balancing parenthood and her home life). She is extremely likable and in many ways relateable too (I couldn’t help but keep thinking how she would make a fantastic protagonist for a crime series), yet on the flip side the villain is completely unrelatable and leaves you with chills in every chapter. However whether I liked or disliked a character, the opinion I formed was concrete from the very start. When characters are so strongly developed and planned out, it makes it hard not to become so invested, which means there is categorically zero change of getting bored.

There are numinous twists throughout the book. John is an absolute pro at throwing you off every time you think you are ahead, and I even sat back a couple of times to try and put my finger on what was going to happen. I have absolutely no shame in admitting that I could never pinpoint the outcome and when an theory did enter my head, I was almost instantly proved wrong.

There are several gruesome deaths in Her Last Move, some of which might have you hiding behind your pillow, and you might not want to be enjoying your lunch whilst you read them. I was quite unfortunate as my dad actually does the job of one of the victims and the death got me pretty freaked out, but I still couldn’t pull myself away.

There is something both addictive and thrilling about John’s writing. He has me hook line and sinker every time and his books are incredibly easy to follow with each sentence and chapter leaving you wanting more. However, I honestly thought there was something extra special about this book. It’s obvious how much research and detail has gone into making it so believable and true to life. I didn’t even know there were such people as ‘super-recognisers’ let alone the amazing mind they possess. Being able to store faces and features in their mind for years at a time to eventually bring them to justice is incredible. You can find out if you’re a ‘super-recognisers’ here
(I scored 7 out of 14 so I wont be applying for the job anytime soon).

With strong characters, an addictive yet terrifying plot and more twists and turns than you could ever expect, Her Last Move will have you hanging onto the edge of your seat from start to finish.

This book follows both Joe and Becca as they search for a killer.

This book was a bit slow to start but had some edge of your seat moments, especially the last paragraph 😂

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

Excellent book, hooked from the beginning to end. Read in two sittings. Cannot wait to read more by this author.

Wow so this one really took me by surprise. Her Last Move went straight in there and hits the ground running!

We have a killer with a mission, a plan, a list and nothing is going to stop him from achieving his goal. He has six targets, he has never killed before.. but he doesn’t let that stop him. He is meticulous and leaves no trace of himself behind, and in all this from the beginning.. we know who he is!
But do we really know him?
How does he choose his victims?
Is he enjoying this just a little too much?
When will he stop?
Becca really wants to be on this case, she feels like she has to prove herself. The more you learn of Becca’s story, her family, the more you care, the more you want her to do well, you want her to catch him and get on with her family life.. but he wants her too!
Argh I can’t say any more than that or it will give the game away! I got far more invested in these characters and their stories than I thought I would. I really enjoyed it, its graphic in places but it fits the story.
A really exciting thriller that will keep you guessing and keep surprising you. I highly recommend it.
Many thanks again to Emma for having me on this tour. All opinions are my own and I am not paid to give them.

A police procedural, Her Last Move follows a series of killings in London which appear, on the surface, to be unrelated. A witness to the first death, when DS Becca Vincent notices the first and second victims share a distinctive tattoo, she’s certain this will be the career break she needs to move up in her job. Working with ‘super-recogniser’ Joe Russell, she has to battle caring for her special-needs daughter with the demands of the toughest case of her career.

The police procedural stuff about this book was really good, and Becca was very real and relatable through her relationships with Maisie and her mother. Occasional glimpses into the killer’s PoV were chilling, but the author was careful not to give too much away about his motives before the big reveal.

The book is well edited, coherent in timeline, and the characters feel real.

For all that, I absolutely hated it, and to tell you why, I’m afraid I’m going to have to spoiler. Don’t read on if you don’t want to know what happens.

Killing off one of the major protagonists is a risky move in any book. Killing off Becca, the major female protagonist, when you’d spent the whole book making us empathize with her? Terrible, terrible idea, and completely unnecessary. Having her attacked but surviving would have given her colleagues just as much motivation to go after the killer. Instead this falls into the horrible trope of the story suddenly becoming all about the guilt of the male colleague, when it was always Becca’s story.

This isn’t a unique and ingenious plot twist. It’s lazy, sloppy writing and in this case, it took away Becca’s agency along with her life, enabled the killer to complete his mission almost to the last detail, and made the last couple of chapters all about Joe Russell’s manpain.

Why is it always male authors who do this, and why is it always female protagonists who get killed off? I don’t really care about the reason. I’d just like it to STOP NOW please, and because I was frankly disgusted with the way the book turned out, despite all the excellent things about it, I’m afraid it’s getting one star from me.

I devoured this in one sitting. I just couldn't put it down and it had me gasping out loud in places.
John Marrs is an absolute Master in this genre.
I always look forward to his books. I can't wait for news of the next one!
I recommend John Marrs to everyone

An intriguing story of infinite revenge. A killer has a very well planned agenda to exact his revenge. The plot unfolds to reveal an unexpected list of victims who have met their demise in extremely horrific way. The end reveals the killers reason for revenge and finished with a surprisingly tragic end.

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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The very fact people were talking about him and taking him seriously was proof he was on the right path. But branding him a serial killer was lazy. Serial killers and psychopaths murder out of compulsion, he reminded himself. They do it because they have no choice. He killed with purpose. And eventually, everyone would understand why.

This is one of those books that I'm not going to do justice to. I know that now, and if not for the deadline of posting in a few hours, I'd probably walk away now and come back daily for until next Tuesday and post something I don't like. But I do have that deadline, so I have to post something I'm not satisfied with in a few hours. I just like this one so much; and have so much that I want to say, but won't because it would ruin your experience, that I know I'll want a couple of mulligans to this post.

This starts off with one of those chapters we've all read too many times -- a budding serial killer is preparing to make his first kill and is indulging in some interior monologue beforehand. This is where we start to get an understanding of the character, why he thinks he needs to be killing, why he's so wonderful/special/different. But this chapter isn't quite that -- and by the time you realize this isn't following the standard template, Marrs has his hooks in you -- and this book is off to a startling and bloody start.

DS Becca Vincent is a young detective just trying to get somewhere in her career -- it seems that her superiors, including (infuriatingly enough) women, are holding her back because of her devotion to her daughter. Not that her mother considers her that devoted as she's doing most of the hands-on care while Becca is at work. She's in the crowd when the first killing happens and is the first police presence at the scene. She also is the first to tie that victim to another murder victim. She leverages this into a spot on the investigation team, where she hopes she can make enough of a difference to lead to more responsibility in the future.

The first thing she's assigned to do is to go over the CCTV tapes with a "super-recogniser." I don't know if this is a real thing or not, and don't care. It works really well in this book -- these are a select team of people with near-eidetic memories for faces who spend every shift pouring through security footage for faces -- either to track down suspects or identify people who are near too many crime scenes to chalk up to coincidence. We meet DS Joe Russell as he recognizes a suspect on the street while riding a bus and chases him down. Becca meets him in less exciting circumstances -- a dirty squadroom in a less-than-impressive looking building. She doesn't buy the concept originally, but Joe wins her over pretty quickly.

The investigation doesn't move quickly, there's a lot of manpower put into it (more and more all the time), but progress is slow. A friendship develops (not without a few bumps) between Joe and Becca much more quickly, and they clearly work together well.

The killer's spree does move quickly on the other hand. He has a plan, he's been developing it, nurturing it, and getting it ready to carry out for a very long time. He's spent years setting up these dominoes and when he knocks the first over, the rest fall quickly. As we watch him do that, we learn what shaped him throughout his life into the monster he's become. Nothing that happens to him justifies what he's doing -- nothing could -- but it helps the reader understand him, and empathize with him to a degree (until he gets to a certain point and you can't empathize with him anymore).

The book is full of sincere and devoted professionals trying to get the job done in the best way to protect lives and stop the killer -- we focus on a couple of them, but they're clearly all over the place. Unlike the people on TV, these professionals have family, friends, medical issues, children, pasts, problems and joys outside the job who will distract from and inform their performance on the job. Watching Becca and Joe unsuccessfully balance these parts of their life (particularly given the pressures as the number of bodies rises) is just one of the things that Marrs does right. Come to think of it, you can say the same thing about our killer (for most of the book anyway). I'm really impressed at how much genuine tension and drama Marrs is able to mine from this.

Each death is increasingly horrific -- seriously, these are some of the most gruesome murders I've read. Each reveals more about the killer and what's driving him. The reader (as we have more information than the police) will put the pieces together before the Becca and Joe do. But when things start to click for the police, they're able to figure things out quickly. It's a very satisfying moment -- the question is, do they figure things out in time to save anyone on the killer's list?

I've never read Marrs before -- but I will again. There's not a wasted word in these 352 pages, not a throwaway line, useless exchange. My notes are filled with "Is he going somewhere with ____?" and "There'd better be a pay off to ___" Every time, without fail, I could've gone back and added the page/line that demonstrated he was going somewhere with that idea or paid off that observation. Even in my favorite reads of 2018, there are moments we probably don't need -- most of which I'm happy to have -- lines, ideas, scenes that could be cut without hurting things. That's not the case here -- anything you read here is important, even if (maybe especially if) it doesn't seem so.

I'm not sure how this would hold up to repeated reading -- a lot of thrillers don't. And I haven't had time to try this one, but I think it'd hold up pretty well, if you're not distracted by wondering what Marrs (or his characters) are up to, or what's going to happen next, etc. you can focus on all the subtle little things he's doing to create the anticipation and tension, and appreciate the skill involved in grabbing the reader and putting them through the paces.

This will suck you in, keep you entertained through the paces of the investigation, and lull you into thinking you know how things are going just long enough for you to get complacent so he can drop the floor out from underneath you. Marrs makes bold choices and will catch you off-guard at least once -- I can practically guarantee that. This is one of those books that will lead you to shirk responsibilities at home and work; postpone things like eating and sleeping; and momentarily resent your family for interacting with you -- particularly the last thirty percent or so (although you might have to might have to take a quick break to absorb what you just read or catch your breath). One of the best I've read this year -- I hope you give this a shot and I bet you'll agree.


My thanks to damppebbles blog tours for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials they provided -- as well as Thomas & Mercer and the fine folks at Netgalley for the eARC.

A great book! I’d read The Good Samaritan and loved it, so was really pleased to be given the opportunity to review this via Netgalley. Becca Vincent happens upon this case by chance as she witnesses a man apparently falling off a tube platform under a train. All is not what it seems however, and she is eager to take on the task of identifying a serial killer. With the help of super-recogniser Joe Russell, they are in a race against time to find their man before the death toll rises.
A really enjoyable story to the end, I’ll definitely be looking out for more by this author.

Oh what do I say that has not already been said about this book by many other readers. A brilliant book from the start to finish. It starts with a bang and the bangs just keep on coming. Mr Marrs is such a brilliant writer, makes you fall in love with the book. It hooks on to you and just doesn't let go. He makes you feel sorry for the crazy serial killer but that feeling gradually evaporates as you find out more about the character. In the end you just hate him so much. I wanted to kill him myself. Also a big thank you for including the "Super recognisers", about whom I had no idea of. There are some sad parts and some really sad parts in the book but that's what makes it so special. Overall a brilliant book and one that I wouldn't even hesitate to recommend. A well deserved 5 stars from me. My thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for a chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I have come across John Marrs before and several of my reader friends have recommended his books to me. I just haven’t had time to read one before. Sorry John. I was invited to take part in the blog tour for ‘Her Last Move’ and I thought it was an ideal opportunity to read one of his books. Blooming Nora I have only just finished reading ‘Her Last Move’ and I absolutely loved it but more about that in a bit!!
I took to DS Becca Vincent from the start. She is a young, ambitious police officer who would love to rise up the ranks. Becca works extremely hard, which often causes tension or conflict with her personal life. I think she needs to readjust her work/ life balance as her work is threatening to take over her personal life. Becca is also a single mother and she sometimes struggles to spend time with her child. Becca is strong, feisty, brave, stubborn and determined. I got the impression that Becca feels as though she is being passed over in investigations and she gets left with all the crappy jobs. She decides to show her bosses just what she can do and she requests that she take part in the investigation to find the murderer of two men initially. She sees this as her chance to shine. This brings her into contact with Joe, who works for the facial recognition team and he is what is known as a ‘super recognizer with a photographic memory’. They get off to a bit of a rocky start but there’s no denying that a spark exists between them. I did wonder if they would get together. Will Becca and Joe manage to catch the killer before any further lives are lost? Will Becca and Joe get together? Well for the answers to those questions and more you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out as I am not going to tell you.
Oh my goodness gracious me, ‘Her Last Move’ was one hell of an adrenaline fuelled, fast paced rollercoaster ride of a read, that had me on the edge of my seat. The book began in such a way that it is going to stick in my memory for a long while to come. For me, the story hits the ground running and maintained the pace throughout. ‘Her Last Move’ is extremely well written with realistic scenarios, believable characters and a chilling murderer. The author’s writing style is such that he grabs your attention from the start and much like a fisherman reeling in his catch, the author certainly reels you in. That’s what happened to me anyway. Reading ‘Her Last Move’ certainly became addictive for me. When I first picked the book up, I only intended to read a couple of chapters but because I was enjoying the book, the author’s writing style and the characters so much I just couldn’t stop reading. The first time I checked as to how much I had read, I was stunned to realise that I had cleared 12 chapters and I was 25% through the book. It didn’t seem to take me that long to read the next 75% but in reality it was a matter of hours. At one point the pages were turning that quickly that it was almost as if they were turning themselves. For me, ‘Her Last Move’ really is an unputdownable book. My Kindle wasn’t glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it literally came everywhere with me. I begrudged having to be parted from the book and if I did have to put it down for any reason, then I tried to find any excuse to pick it back up again.
‘Her Last Move’ is one of those books that had a bit of everything in. There was drama, horror and action with twists and turns aplenty. There were also moments where I almost had to read through my fingers because I was dreading what was going to happen next. I absolutely flipping well loved reading ‘Her Last Move’ and I would definitely recommend it to other readers. I can’t wait to read what John Marrs comes up with next but in the meantime I will be finding his other books to read them just as soon as I can. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

Her Last Move is excellent ! You need to read this book ! I could not put it down. How far will one person go for revenge ? Is the blame directed at the right people ? This is about more than murder and revenge, there is a family element to this story for both of the main characters which adds another level to this book. This book is twisted, in a good way though ! And I am hoping based on the way this book ended, there is another book to come about Joe and Matt. So much more to explore with this character. Hope I am right about this. This book is fast paced, thrilling and extremely well written. I highly recommend reading this book !

After reading a fantastic John Marrs novel in February and a rather disappointing one in the summer, I was looking forward to reading my third John Marrs thriller this year. I can't say that Her Last Move was better than The One, because that book is difficult to beat in its brilliance, but what I can say is that Her Last Move was clever, shocking, and thrilling.

Blurb:

She’s chasing a killer. He’s watching her every move.

He hides in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment. Each kill is calculated, planned and executed like clockwork.

Struggling to balance her personal and professional life, young DS Becca Vincent has landed the biggest case of her career—and she knows that it will make or break her. But she can’t catch the culprit alone. Together with facial recognition expert Joe Russell, she strives to get a lead on the elusive murderer, who is always one step ahead of them.

Time is not on their side. The body count is rising, and the attacks are striking closer and closer to home. Can Becca and Joe uncover the connection between the murders before the killer strikes the last name from his list?

When I started reading thrillers about two years ago I was mostly focusing on psychological thrillers. Over the past two years I slowly drifted over to crime thrillers as well and I really started to enjoy them. There is something about reading from the police force POV and trying to find the suspect and solve the case "with" the police.
However, in Her Last Move, Marrs did not only show the police side of the story, he also showed a glimpse in the suspect's thinking and behavior - and that glimpse was so sickening yet fascinating!

Even though the reader could follow the suspect around and knew what he was up to at all times, it was never revealed who that person was until the last possible moment. That definitely added to the book's suspense. I was constantly trying to figure it out but John Marrs mislead me in every way possible. Well done!
I was really surprised when the person was finally revealed but what surprised me even more was the following event! I didn't expect something like that to happen all but it was a great move on Marrs' side nonetheless.

If you're squeamish and/or sensitive, be prepared for some very detailed and graphic descriptions of dead bodies. As much as I don't like reading about people's gruesome deaths (let alone watch it in crime shows or movies!) it was perfectly fitted here. It also emphasized the suspect's sick moves.
Her Last Move is definitely one of the better kind of crime thrillers and deserves a 4 star rating.

There is a lovely guarantee with John Marrs’ books – fully fleshed characters and crazy twisted, complex plots! One does never have to worry about feeling disconnected from a character, or feeling bored, or stagnant with one of John’s titles.

Her Last Move is a complex story of multiple murders which start out with one that doesn’t necessarily look like a murder at first? But which is followed by very precise, different and gory murders quickly one after the other. The police force are bamboozled and working really hard to find a link in between all those killings. Becca Vincent is one of the DS’s that gets herself on the case to prove herself in a male-led workforce culture that, in her mind, still doesn’t believe that a woman ‘can do it’.

Becca is a great character! She’s brave and her heart is definitely in the right place with her ambitions as she works in the force, but she also demonstrates her failings as she struggles to balance her time in between work and loved ones. This little conflict adds an extra layer to the story and to her character.

This novel also introduces ‘super recognizers’- people who have the extraordinary face recognition ability and it is estimated that the population has about 1-2% of these super recognizers who can remember about 80% of the faces they’ve seen. Ever. It’s a proper superpower and it’s no miracle that law enforcement/intelligence may want to make use of that power, in real life. Her Last Move demonstrates this specific ability through a character named Joe.

Joe is wonderful. His relationship dynamics with Becca, as they have to work together, bounces off the page! As an intro to this post, I mentioned that John Marrs always delivers the fully fleshed characters- Joe is no exception to this. Aside from his work and what he needs to specifically do to assist in catching the killer, Joe is haunted by an event in his past. Being consumed by providing his services to the police and by his past, Joe’s own personal relationship also seems to be under pressure.

It’s this great and flowing balance in between more than one element in this thriller. It’s not just work-work-work to find the crazed murderer. It’s also the personal lives that make these characters and the whole book intriguing!

Speaking of intriguing- what about that murderer, hey?

Wellll… what a backstory! You know, how us thriller readers are just proper nosey?! We don’t just want to know what they do, we want to know WHY they do it and what they’re thinking! For most of the book, whilst Marrs was laying down Easter eggs for the reader to pick up on, I wasn’t at all sure what made this particular killer go off the rails in such epic proportions until it was spelled out for me, and all the pieces fell into place! Love it!

A bit crazy to even say it, I guess, but this book definitely didn’t follow the – ooh, this murder is the same as that murder so we know the same person is doing the killing. Yes, there were some connecting elements, but bliiii-meyyy, were the murders different… one more creative than the next! A mastermind at work… And I found it interesting that whilst no murder ever goes with an acceptable excuse, I could totally ‘get’ the why! Marrs took this character and this particular idea and used its full potential.

Overall, this was a typically exciting thriller by John Marrs. I expected nothing other than quality and guaranteed enjoyment!

Her Last Move is a stand-alone police procedural by a new author for me, and I confess to mixed feelings about it. A fairly standard serial killer story is given an unusual slant with the introduction of a police specialty I had never previously heard of, super-recognisers, and then turned upside down by a deeply uncomfortable twist (of-sorts) that leaves me admiring the author for not conforming to standard tropes, yet feeling short-changed by the ending.

It’s better not to know too much about this one going in. DS Becca Vincent is paired with Joe Russel, from the afore-mentioned and little-known super-recogniser department, officers with uncanny abilities when it comes to remembering and matching faces. They have to identify a killer who is murdering apparently unrelated people, in viciously gruesome ways, before he strikes again, but each has a dark past and family secrets taking their focus off the job.

What I liked: this was a well written and reeled me in with the gradual release of information about each character, and it kept me up way past bed-time with the need to get to the end. I was intrigued by Joe’s skills and that this apparently a real department in the London police.
I didn’t enjoy the way about half of this was told from the baddie’s perspective, as no matter how awful his past, there is no excusing his behaviour. By 50% in, it was fairly obvious what was going on. I didn’t like Becca or Joe either - I’m not sure if I was supposed to, both are selfish and hurtful to their families, using their careers to try and excuse their behaviour. Each has significant unresolved trauma and I assume this is supposed to mirror the killer’s but it felt like overkill to me.

I’m giving this 3.5, rounded down for overuse of coincidence in the plot and the way it ended. There is brief mention of past animal cruelty, a bit of swearing, some fairly intense gore and sadism, and no sex scenes.
My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a voluntary honest review. Her Last Move is available now.

This is my third book by John Marrs, and I guarantee you that it will not be my last! I have previously read THE GOOD SAMARITAN and THE ONE (both I had also done a partner read for #allthebookreviews) and I couldn’t put them down. The originality of the stories and how intricately they’re written are what stood out the most. That is no different in Marrs’ newest release HER LAST MOVE.

As with most thrillers, we get multiple POV’s throughout the book. I think that Marrs did an incredible job getting the readers to actually connect with all three of the main characters. We don’t typically get to see through the eyes of both of the investigating officers in a serial killer thriller, but we are brought through the events in Becca and Joe’s perspectives. Then we have Dominic, the killer they are desperately searching for. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I love when we get a glimpse into the mind of the serial killers.

In comparison to his other two novels I’ve read, I felt like it took a little longer to get into this one, but once I did I couldn’t stop! I never thought I’d say these words, but thank goodness for the freezing temperatures and snow because I was not going anywhere. Zero interruptions while binging this thriller.

If you’ve picked up any of Marrs’ other books, then this is a no-brainer. If you’re looking for a fast, absorbing thriller, then you need this on your TBR now. I will continue to pick up whatever John Marrs releases and I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled for his previous releases as well.

SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS

Can't fault this book for entertainment... it was a fast paced romp.
I say romp,because there were times I couldn't take it seriously. Times when I felt I was being talked to very slowly,and loudly to make sure I understood.
The murderer himself was quite ott and his method of killing was equally ott and more and more grisly.
It was inventive to say the least.
There were a few good surprises... when Dominic said "you've been to my place" (Or similar).
Bravo too for killing off a main character.
Unfortunately it ended a bit too cliched for me.
As I said though,entertaining.

Absolutely loved this book and hoping it the start of a new series. Having read other John Marrs book I can safely say this is his best work yet. I loved the unique story line of a police unit that consists of facial recognition experts. I also loved the fact the story was left open as to the back ground of the expert Russell.
This story flows nicely and a good pace and kept me gripped to the very end. I also warmed to the characters pretty much straight away. Marrs never shys away from breaking the normal and always leave a shocker for his readers.
I will keep my eyes peeled and fingers crossed for a second book.

Amazing book. Loved it from beginning to end.
Well written which kept me captivated throughout.
I will definitely be reading other books by this author

“I don’t know why, but sometimes you can just tell when a person has a dark soul. His was the darkest I’ve met in a long time.”

We became fans of this author with The One, and with Her Last Move, John Marrs has provided yet another gripping and thrilling read! We nearly hyperventilated whilst holding our breaths, eager to reach the conclusion in this jaw-dropping story! This author knows how to capture his readers’ imagination, he knows how to entertain his readers and he certainly has a knack for keeping us on the edge of our seats! When we’re in the mood for suspense we know John Marrs will deliver!

Her Last Move is an impressive, well-paced suspenseful story with a sinister undertone, complex and emotional characters brought together with spectacular writing that took us on an adrenaline-fuelled hunt against the clock for a serial killer hell-bent on revenge in the most gruesome of ways.

‘For the last three years, he had felt like an empty well, drained and useless. But the satisfaction of each kill was slowly filling him up. He wasn’t returning to the man he used to be but becoming a new one. An empowered one. A man who was in control of not just his fate, but the fate of others too.’

This killer holds no remorse by enacting horrifying revenge on his victims. But why? What was his motive for these shocking murders and what was the common denominator between his victims? Well, the answer lies between the pages of John Marrs latest novel, and as the twists, turns and gripping race to catch the killer ensued, we were rendered immobile, unable to move until we reached the end!

‘They only had themselves to blame for creating a monster. And one by one, the monster was going to cause them more suffering than they could have ever imagined.’

Two murders within hours of each other sets off a desperate hunt for a cruel and sadistic killer, against an oppressive London heatwave, John Marrs tells Her Last Move in three POV’s. We get inside the thoughts and reasoning of the killer, we learn the inner turmoil and sacrifices of DS Becca Vincent and DS Joe Russell, a ‘super recogniser’ with the police. Joe is able to recognise a face from countless CCTV and until now, his department is a maligned area of the police force. An anomaly to some, an unknown source to others.

Joe is brought into the search in the hope his specialty can help them identify the killer. As more brutal murder occurs, a link between the victims becomes crucial, and so begins a game of cat and mouse, as piece by piece we learn the killer’s motives along with the detectives, in what was compulsive reading!

‘Some possessed dark souls……none of them could hurt him like his mother had hurt him.’

Every chapter felt like a pulse-raising cliff-hanger, each character peeled through layers of themselves and their pasts, we learn so much about the characters, their turmoil and inner conflict. Both Joe and Becca are struggling with demons, guilt and the demands of family and the job. Each has their secrets, each has their pain. Each has to make sacrifices.

This was an uneasy, hair-raising story that kept us guessing, whilst also moved us with some truly sad and heartbreaking moments. Joe and Becca cut such troubled characters in their personal lives as they fight to stay one step ahead of a man hell-bent on revenge. John Marrs didn’t pull any punches in this thrilling gut-churning suspense and delivered a story that left our mouths agape. What a subtle yet impactful ending to a cracking read!