This was an easy to read thriller that kept my attention all the way through! Lots of twists and surprises I didn't see coming. Very good, would recommend!

This book starts and ends with a bang. I don’t want to give away too many details. I went into it blind and I think that added to the story. Seriously, there are some insane twists that I didn’t see coming. Some you may have to suspend belief for but it works in a crazy cakes from Hell kind of way. This is the kind of book that you tell your friends to read so you can talk about it with someone. It is ridiculous in the best way, suspenseful, and will keep you guessing throughout.
Many thanks to Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer, and J.M. Winchester for the arc.

Last One to Lie by Canadian Author J.M. Winchester. I really enjoyed this book! The author and I share a similar background because, like her, I am an East Coaster (Cape Breton) transplant living in Alberta (Okotoks). As a teacher, Master’s student and self-proclaimed professional reader, I can sometimes see through the plot or anticipate with certainty the outcome. “Last One to Lie” started as a thriller and had me page-turning and guessing throughout the book.

The book takes readers on a journey of character Kelsey Jennings, a young mom moves to the hometown of her husband to settle down close to his parents. Kelsey doesn’t like leaving her daughter but wanted to get some exercise at a Yoga and hope to meet some fellow new moms. She leaves class early as she cannot wait to see her snuggly little baby. However, when Kelsey shows up, the daycare employees have never seen her before and have no children named Mikayla was dropped off this morning. As any new mom, Kelsey loses her mind when she has no recollection of her daughter being there. She asks the police to phone the school he teaches. However, the administrative assistant tells the police that he never showed up for work. He had an interview with the school, was offered a job but never showed up when school started.

The plot, characters, setting and the alternating point of view between characters and entwining storey between Kelsey, Detective Ryan and his father, who is a former police officer searching for their missing sister and daughter.

“Last One to Lie” takes readers on a journey of suspense, leaving the reader guessing until the last few pages. I am excited to purchase and read her other books and look forward to any of her new ideas in the future.

Kelsey has just moved to a new town with her family. When Kelsey decides to drop her daughter off to daycare the last thing she expects to find when going to collect her is that she has vanished without a trace. The daycare has no record of Kelsey or her daughter and now her husband is missing. J. M Winchester did a fantastic job writing the Last One To Lie. It was a suspense-filled, page-turning, nail-biting thriller that had me on the edge of my seat whilst reading. I really enjoyed this story and thought that is was a very well executed psychological thriller there were just a few things that pulled me out of the story but since it was so fast-paced I soon forgot about them. I highly recommend if you’re in need of a fast-paced and highly engaging read. I really enjoy the way J.M Winchester wove the story together and had me guessing at the twist till the very end!

This was probably the fastest I’ve ever finished a book. I did not want to put it down. I loved it! This was my second book by Winchester and I am already a big fan! This story started immediately. It did not take long to get into the plot. What I really liked about this book is that the twists also start at the beginning. You don’t have to get to the end of the book to find out the characters’ true backstories. It was a bit confusing to understand whose POV we were reading, but after reading the book you realize that was the point.

Great writing and strong voice. Recommend if looking for a story that is as captivating as it is well-written.

Kelsey leaves her yoga class to pick up her daughter at daycare. When she arrives, her daughter is not there and they have no record of her ever having been there. To make matters worse, she cannot reach her husband either.

The police are called and Detective Ryan is assigned to the case. He feels there is something not right about Kelsey's story, but cannot put his finger on it.

This is the beginning of a crazy thrill ride where nothing is as it seems.

Hop on the crazy train, you will not regret it!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy in return for my honest opinion.

I thought this was a great book. I always try to figure out the twist and can usually figure it out, but this had me guessing right until the end. The characters were well developed. The book was quick moving and I didn’t want to put it down. While this has become a saturated genre, I thought this book held its own. I would definitely recommend this book.

I don't want to say too much about this book because the unfolding of the story is the best part. At the beginning, it seems to be an abducted child story. Kelsey goes to daycare to pick up her child to discover that they have no record of her being there. She calls the police who begin a search but no one is really sure what is going on.

There were many twists and turns in the novel and sometimes I had difficulty following the story line with multiple narrators. I sometimes had to backtrack to see if I missed something.

I read this book straight through because I had to find out what in the world was going on. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a psychological suspense story.

A brilliant, twisty novel full of secrets and lies and I did not know who to trust. Brilliant. I raced through this x

Many Thanks to Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer and the author for a chance to read this book.

Take a deep breath, fellow readers, this one is surely gonna hit you like a ton of bricks. Last One to Lie is incredibly well-written, right from scene one where a mother realizes that her daughter is missing from the day care where she is been dropped to, to the introduction of a cop who has a very terrible baggage to carry around, each scene was stark and severe.

Kelsey Jennings is looking forward to a new beginning, a new place closer to your missionary in-laws, new house, even the packing boxes have not been opened completely, but things turn awry soon and nothing is as it seems. The husband is incognito, daughter is missing, the in-laws are out of the country. Is Kelsey a victim or a criminal mastermind or just plain crazy? Detective Paul Ryan is unable to form an opinion about the smart and sexy mom in front of him as the sexy vibes begins to play havoc in his mind and a ‘BASIC INSTINCT’ plotline comes into play. The story alternates between Kelsey and Detective Ryan’s POV and tension begins to mount as the child remains missing even after 24 hrs.

There’s also the detective’s past that adds to the drama and how it all connects to Kelsey and her story.
Last One To Lie is a thriller that creates confusion in the mind towards the end so much that I went back a few pages and re-read parts of it, and it should surely have been a 5* read but for certain plot holes that were too glaring. Kelsey was a ballet dancer but that point seems to have been forgotten at the climax and Detective Ryan for all the jaded and cynical outlook he has in life does a really shoddy police work, which kind of failed to evoke sympathy for the character.

Any more details and I would probably give the whole story way. 😜
Read it purely for the thrilling twists in the story!

A big shout to https://ludwigsbookreviews.wordpress.com/ whose review made me wanna read this book. Thank You friend❤️❤️

There are so many twists and turns in each chapter; that I was on a roller coaster until the end. This is one of those books that you want to read again after you find out the ending.
Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Who is telling the truth in this twisty thriller?

PLOT SUMMARY:
Kendall Jennings’ worst fears have come true - her two year old daughter Mikayla is missing. It’s hard to imagine it could get worse, but it does - when she arrives at the daycare where she left her, Kendall is told that they never had a child named Mikayla there. No one knows what she is talking about. What is going on? And why is her husband Malcolm suddenly out of contact as well? When Detective Ryan is called to investigate, little does he know how this case will affect his life. Because when he starts to uncover long hidden secrets, he might not be prepared for the truth he will find...and the lengths someone will go to make sure they stay hidden.

PROS and CONS:
This one is fun! Lots of twists and turns with unreliable narrators and unsolved mysteries to create suspense. Who is manipulating whom in this thriller? It’s really hard to tell!

One suggestion I would make would be to say at the top of the chapter who’s perspective it was...it sometimes took me a paragraph to figure out who’s first person narrative I was reading, and that took me away from the story a bit. Along with the date and time, either Paul or Kendall’s name could be added to make it easier to follow.

Otherwise, I really enjoyed the dual perspectives, the lies, the secrets, the family dynamics, the mystery...it was well done.

YES or NO:
It’s a YES from me - twists, turns and an unexpected ending...what’s not to like???

4 Stars

The Last to Lie is seriously a mind melt. The more you read, the more twists and turns you come across. I’m still not sure of the ending, if all the information came out and who is good and who is bad.

Thank you to the author, Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an intriguing premise, which did not live up to its potential. At times I felt mired in molasses struggling to get through this mish-mash of badly researched police procedures and poorly written characters, with a side of erotica mixed in. I may be exaggerating slightly, but I did get fed up with reading the detective's standard reaction: "I could feel myself getting rock hard...". The characters came off as caricatures of themselves, and I found it impossible to get invested, let alone suspend belief enough to follow along with all the plot twists and turns, many of which dead-ended with no further ado.

I didn't enjoy this one nearly as much as All the Lovely Pieces, but it had it's strong bits.

I loved that the twist in the end came out of nowhere so just when you think the story is over, you realize there's yet another lie.

If the plot was a little less jumpy, this would easily have been a 4-star read.

i think this premise is one of the scariest to me, it kept me on the edge of my seat from the beginning to the end. The characters were great and I really liked the way the author wrote.

There may be two people missing in this book but you will be missing sleep as you are up late reading this unputdownable thriller.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

After reading All the Lovely Pieces by this author, I had to read her new book.

This book I couldn’t put it down. Read it in one day. It was full of turns and twists. Lots of surprises and unexpected ending. I really liked it. It kept me interested and invested through the entire time. Bravo!

Just like the first book, the author does not disappoint with this one. Good job with the writing and the plot. It was very well done.

I's disappointed. This started off good then somehow veered into a bloody, icky mess. I'm not sure if I'm more sensitive because of the times we're in right now or not, but I had to stop reading this book. I'll try again at a later date.