• Thank you to #Sourcebooks Landmark and #NetGalley for providing this Advance Reading Copy. Expected publication date is November 8, 2022.

#StoryGraph: fiction thriller dark mysterious tense medium-paced
448 pages | first published 2022

This might be the first book I’ve read set in Wales. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

This is the first in Mackintosh’s DC Ffion Morgan series. I have very high hopes for this series based on this first installment. The characters were realistic and I really liked the way she handled the romantic tension between Morgan and Brady.

In this story, an influential musician disappears, and later found dead, after a New Year’s Eve party that he was hosting. This is basically a closed door mystery because it takes place on a small Welsh island and practically the entire town was at the party. Now, Ffion has to find the murderer in an island full of suspects.

It took me a while to get comfortable with the unfamiliar names, but once I sorted it out this was a five-star book in every way. I am definitely looking forward to the next episode.

4.5/5 stars! On New Years Day, while the village of Cwm Coed is taking place in their annual plunge into the lake, a body is found. Who is the body? Is it a murder? And how did they end up in Mirror Lake on New Years day? Ffion Morgan has a village of suspects and each person seems to be a suspect and have had a problem with the victim. Everyone in the village seems to have secrets, even Ffion.

This book takes place in Wales (and partly England). I really liked that Clare stuck to some of the Welsh roots and used names and words that were Welsh. I had to look up many phrases, especially pronunciations, but I think that added to the charm. The books flips from present day as two detective work to solve the crime and the recent past leading up to the murder from many of the suspects perspectives.

This book is deeply layered, with all the connections and relationships that are going on. Things we think are true, are not and some things we never even considered are happening right in front of us. Everyone in this book seems like they have a motive and the author kept me guessing until the very end! Everyone in this book has a secret, and Rhys has the most!

If I did have one complaint it would be that there was a little bit of dragging in the middle, but it quickly picked up again and I was hooked. This book is a slow moving book, which is something I have grown used to with Clare Mackintosh's books. It allows you to sit with the plot and make your own discoveries and decisions. A lot of the mysteries that are in this book, I managed to figure out, but it also didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book.

I loved the stories of both Ffion Morgan and Leo Brady . I thought it didn't feel like either were finished and then I saw that Clare Mackintosh is writing a second novel in this universe! I am so excited!

This was a solid mystery, with some thrilling aspects. I found this novel a solid mystery that made my brain work, which is what I am looking for. It is a nice addition to Clare Mackintosh's array of works. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine

This was a book I couldn’t finish. I wanted to give a good review. I couldn’t get past all the f bombs and I quote “woke culture”. Unfortunately, this book was one I couldn’t finish

I loved the wintertime setting in Wales. I could see many people enjoying this book under a blanket near the fire. The many points-of-view and varying timeline also added interest and kept the plot moving. Ffion and Leo were great characters to root for. I really liked how the author tied many elements from the various characters together at the end!
My only critiques are: 1) all the infidelity, simply because I'm not a fan of reading about people having affairs, and there were so many in this story.; and 2)The overall length seemed excessive. Almost 450 pages? It seemed like it could have been told in under 400.

It's New Year's Eve night, and during the annual night swim, Rhys Lloyd is found dead in the lake. DC Ffion Morgan and Leo Brady are on top of the case and soon discover that Rhys certainly had more friends than enemies, and nearly everyone is a suspect.
Told in multiple perspectives, we learn about grudges held, and secrets kept and broken among the village citizens. Even secrets from Ffion herself.

This book was a slow burn, and I had a hard time staying engaged in part 1, but does pick up in part 2. I enjoyed the twists, especially the final one, and believe this is set up for a sequel (or series.) I'm not sure what didn't work for me. I certainly didn't know who the culprit was, as it seemed everyone had motive! There were many characters and the reader does get a good amount of backstory and detail on each, but it was hard to keep them all straight at times.
I was very much anticipating this book as I love all of the author's previous books, but this was different from her usual style. If you like a good whodunit, I'd recommend this read. Personally, I will check out the follow up to this book to see if my interest is piqued even more.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free advance e-reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
I love everything Clare Mackintosh writes, and "The Last Party" had me guessing nearly to the end! A fast-paced mystery set in Wales (I might need to get the audiobook just to learn how everything is pronounced), the novel opens with the race to identify the body floating in the lake at the end of chapter one, and continues with a detailed exploration heavy on character development to discover which of the many, MANY characters with motive among the townies and the posh residents of "The Shore" resort alike actually did the deed. The novel had me totally engaged from the "meet cute" of the two detectives working on the case from either side of the English / Welsh border who were themselves well crafted and sympathetic in their own rights, through the slotting of the final piece into the puzzle at the end. I highly recommend this novel, and am thrilled to read that a sequel is planned. What a great book. Five stars.

Clare Mackintosh knows how to tell a good story! I have loved all her books and this one is no exception!! I highly recommend!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for my ARC in exchange for my honest review!

HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

A truly fantastic book- part thriller, part mystery, lots of community and relationship dysfunction, romance and police procedure and best yet, some culture ( I love to learn while I read as an armchair traveler).

In The Last Party, Rhys Lloyd, a Welsh hometown boy who has made it big as a singer, is discovered floating in Mirror Lake on New Year's Day. The border of England and Wales runs through the lake, thus two police organizations are involved. Ffion Morgan comes in to investigate representing the Welsh part of the area while Leo Brady is assigned to the death from the English side. The two have already met and are as opposite as can be.

I've read that Mackintosh is former police and her knowledge and experience shows in the perfect plot and procedural components. Mackintosh is also an extremely gifted writer and she is able to breath new life into situations that might have been tired elsewhere - such as a new workmates introduced after a one night stand.

Every character is interesting and all of the relationships are thoughtful and realitist. I truly never wanted this book to end and I look forward to book #2. If you like a good police procedural, a mystery with lots of human interest or just want to visit a charming town with secrets, The Last Party is for you!




With a lie uncovered at every turn, soon the question isn't who wanted Rhys dead...but who finally killed him.

The Last Party is a mystery/thriller set in modern day Wales. A has-been celebrity is found dead, and foul play is indicated. The Welsh and English police must work together to chase down leads and discover secrets in this picturesque village. I loved how everyone in this novel had secrets. There were constant surprises about people’s pasts! Whether the characters were modest or wealthy, they all had things to hide. There were a plethora of suspects that had motives for killing Rhys. I gave up on trying to make a prediction because so many people in the story hated the man. Overall it was an engaging well written mystery that I would recommend!

Awesome start to the series. Vivid descriptions of the Welsh countryside, tempted to get the audiobook to hear how the Welsh names are supposed to be pronounced. On the one hand the Welsh names slows the reading a little as your brain tries to figure out how to pronounce them each time. Also the time lines bounce back and forth to reveal little details of what lead to Lloyds death and eventually “whodunnit”, one could get a little lost as to whether something that happened at the New Year’s Party was being revealed, or an occasion further back in time that would reveal a new suspect, explain the actions of the suspects or the current investigation which also slowed the pace some as almost everyone involved with The Shore Resort or Mirror Lake/Llyn Drych seems to have a reason to want Lloyd dead – even DC Ffion Morgan who is investigating for the Welsh side.

Typical twists by the author scattered here and there, Typical as in when the reveal happens you might be able to say yup saw that coming, but often the delivery is more of a sucker punch.
Loved the ending but at the same time was like “what!!???”
Really looking forward to the next installment to see what the feisty Ffion’s gets up to next.
Solid 5 ⭐

Thanks to Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark publishers, for the arc of The Last Party in exchange for an honest review.

This drama and mystery was good, not the best. The pacing was kind of slow and there were SO many characters I lost track of who was who more times than I like to admit. The past and present timelines were enjoyable and I loved the setting and atmosphere of the story.

Book Title: The Last Party
Series: DC Morgan
Author: Clare Mackintosh
Publisher: Sourcebook Landmark
Genre: Mystery.
Pub Date: November 8, 2022
My Rating: 3 stars

This is my sixth Clare Mackintosh novel.
I gave 4 +stars to " I Let You Go, I See You, Let me Lie, and Hostage". I am stingy with stars so 4 is a big deal for me!

This story starts on New Year’s Day
It’ is a tradition of the villagers of Cwn Coed on the Welsh/English border to plunge into the icy waters of Mirror Lake. (Personal Note: We lived in the Chicago area and we had a similar New Year’s Day tradition ~ members of the Polar Bear Club would take a dip in icy Lake Michigan.)
However, in this case the swim was cancelled when a man’s body is found floating face down.

Mirror Lake divides England and Wales so detectives from both are called in to solve this case.
Hmm Detective Leo Brady Detective and Constable Ffion Morgan had a one night stand on New Year’s Eve~ thinking they would never see one another again but now have to act like nothing happened and solve this case.

The Last Party is a big party hosted by Rhys Lloyd and his wife. The whole village is invited to toast in the New Year! However, Rhys doesn’t get to celebrate!
Yes! Rhys is found floating in the lake.

Although Leo and Ffion didn’t have a typical colleague relationship, they discovered that they could work well with each other. They find their hands full in this investigation as it appears there are many suspects.
Additional Ffion has also had a bad experience with Rhys.

Although this story was on the slow side, it kept my interested.
I did like reading on my Kindle as I was able to look up the Welsh words that I wasn’t sure of the meaning.

Whodunit was a surprise!

I always enjoyed reading the author’s note and/or acknowledgements as the author’s notes in particular give us the inside scoop on the motivation in writing the story.
In this case, there is a section of question to the author entitled ”A Conversation with the Author”.
Clare Macintosh was a police officer for many years and is asked what inspired this story. She tells us that she once lived in North Wales and loved the beautiful landscape. Her vivid imagination told her this was perfect for a mystery as she could picture a body floating in the lake!

She also tells us that she is working on DC Ffion Morgan #2! So we are going to know more about Leo and Fffion ~ whether they are together or not. `

There is a "Reading Group Guide' that has a series of thoughtful questions.

Although I was curious as to ‘whodunit’, I was bit disappointed with the story and wonder if I read the discussion questions first, if I might have enjoyed the story more.

Clare Macintosh is a clever writer and I will read another story by her!

Want to thank NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for November 8, 2022

A well done, dark gritty whodunit. The atmosphere was so well done it literally made you feel like you were living among the players. So many twists and turns you had no idea what would pop up and shock you next.
This one kept me guessing till the very end. The plot twists down a dark spiral with so many secrets, lies and terror .. each secret worse than the next.
The characters were eccentric and well written.
A great read

I love her books and though this was a bit confusing initially, I knew I'd like it because of the many twists and turns! The setting is Wales and there's a party thrown by Rhys who is well-known throughout the small village. His family is always front and center and this is no exception...until a body is found during the annual Polar Jump on New Year's Day! So many suspects, so many clues, so many red herrings! But front and center for all of it is Ffion who works in law enforcement and is a superb policewoman. So we'll be on the lookout for her in the next in this series!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Oh, how I loved this book! Clare Mackintosh never disappoints. There were so many "wait, what" moments in this book I couldn't put it down. I just had to know who did it. Definitely add this one to your TBR list.

Cymru am byth - Wales Forever. Rhys Lloyd is a local boy who achieved fame and fortune as a singer. He comes home to Cwm Coed, a small town in Wales, to build a resort for the wealthy on the lake. His wife seems to hate him. Actually, there wasn't a person in this book who didn't hate Rhys and as you read on, you'll see why. His tuxedo clad body floats across the lake on New Years eve during the traditional swim attended by the local Welsh residents.
If he died on the English side of the lake Detective Leo Brady will take over the investigation. If it's the Welsh side D.C. Ffion Morgan handles it. The two end up working together and I loved the dialogue, the Welsh language interspersed and the fantastic twist of events at the end. Every person in this book has a secret, including the detectives.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced readers copy of this novel.

The Last Party by Clare Mckintosh will be published November 8, 2022 by Sourcebooks Landmark Publishing. Genre: General Adult Fiction. Mystery as well (in my opinion). I will definitely be reading more by Mackintosh.

I feel t the book started out slow and there were quite a few times I almost stopped reading it-but I struggled on and it did get easier to read. A lot of suspects throughout the book and the ending was a surprise to me. Definitely didn’t expect it. I did find it boring in many places though. Great author- maybe it just wasn’t the right fit for me. Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC!

The Last Party
Clare Mackintosh
Pub. date Nov 8, 2022

Thank you to @minotaur_books
@stmartinspress
@netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I am a huge fan of all Clare Mackintosh’s books. She is definitely an auto buy author for me. If you’ve read any of her previous mysteries / psychological thrillers then you know what I’m talking about. I was so excited to be able to read an ARC of The Last Party, which has a November 8 publication date.

The Last Party starts with the discovery of a body during the annual New Year’s Day swim in North Wales. The investigation takes off from there to determine who had the means, motive and opportunity to commit the murder of Rhys Lloyd. It seems several people have a valid reason for wanting to get rid of him. Rhys who grew up in the small village of Cwm Coed was also the owner of a new resort called The Shore. The Shore was a resort built exclusively for the privileged and wealthy which was the antithesis of the people of Cwm Coed. There are more than a few unexpected turns that will keep you reading and trying to figure out what really happened to Rhys.
I loved the main character Detective Constable (DC) Ffion Morgan and am looking forward to reading book #2 which is coming out next year.
Isn’t it great when you know a favorite character is coming back in another book or possibly even more?
Go ahead and preorder this one now!

#minotaurbooks #netgalley #stmartinspress #claremackintosh #juliawoodard #bookreview #bookstagrammer #arcbookreview #amreading

A cast of unlovable characters written to show thier shallow and immoral ways. A story of 2 good cops, who might have to bend the rules at times. While I can't say I loved this book,I can say it was well written and thought out

The icy waters of Mirror Lake (Llyn Drych) separate the English shores from the Welsh village of Cwm Coed. And, the residents of each side of the lake couldn’t be more different.

The locals on the Welsh side, celebrate New Year’s Eve by plunging into the always cold waters of the lake. Their new, affluent English neighbors will have a party with champagne and canapés.

But, it will be the last party, for local celebrity Rhys Lloyd, an opera singer who grew up on the Welsh side, but now lives on the English side, in the fancy new development called “The Shores” which he helped to develop along with his business partner, Jonty Charlton.

Who would want him dead?

Well, apparently everyone.
And, for good reason.

And, there are A LOT of characters so that means there are A LOT of suspects.

DC Ffion Morgan from the Welsh side will need to partner with DC Leo Brady, from the English side to sort out who ACTUALLY killed Rhys-as initially the jurisdiction is as murky as the lake.

But, fortunately the two have chemistry, which will serve them well in the future since apparently this is the start of a series.

And, I liked both of them as well.
They are characters that I enjoyed spending time with.

You never know what kind of book you will get from the talented Claire Mackintosh!

She has penned what was a 5 star psychological thriller for me-“I Let You Go”, thought provoking fiction that dealt with a couple’s difficult medical decision for their child with “After the End”, and last year’s high adrenaline hijacking thriller, “Hostage”.

This book almost read like Nordic Noir or Scandi Noir to me. Though not set in Scandinavia or a Nordic country, it is crime fiction told mostly from the Police POV, with a small village, and an icy lake which seems to separate everyone and everything.

Told in two parts, this was definitely a SLOW burn, which maybe read slower because the Welsh names and settings were so unfamiliar to me that it required concentration and some flipping back and forth to keep the many characters and their connections straight in part one.

There was also some repetition in part two as we revisit the same scenes from the party that we read about earlier, now seen through a second or third character’s perspective.

At 432 pages, I did enjoy the story for the most part, but became a bit restless toward the end-and found myself wishing the editing had been tighter and some of the redundancy eliminated so we could reach the resolution quicker.

3.75 rounded up!

A buddy read with DeAnn and NZLisaM-be sure to check out their amazing reviews for additional thoughts!

Available November 8, 2022 from Sourcebooks Landmark.
Thank you for the gifted copy provided through NetGalley in exchange for a candid review!