Mackintosh brings a fresh take on a detective story. There are a few things I haven't seen before in a story like this one. Leo (English) and Ffion (Welsh) have a one-night stand; it also happens they are detectives on two different police forces, so apparently don't know each other despite it being a small area? When a murder at a New Year's Eve party occurs in overlapping jurisdictions, they both are on the case.

The one-night stand that evolves into partners on a case is something I haven't seen before. Also, Leo doesn't have much of a voice. His boss makes fun of him and derogatory toward him, and he just takes it. He also doesn't stand up to his wife. I think it's rare that we see a male so...almost meek?...but particularly in the police field.

For whatever reason I thought the party at the center of this was a "friends from the past" sort of theme. But it's not. It's basically upper class rich families buy second homes in this area. While most of the people at the party know each other, it's very surface level. You quickly learn that the victim Rhys Lloyd isn't great, and EVERYone would like to kill him.

There's also a long suspect list. It's a bit too convenient that there are 85 reasons for him to be killed. If you're one who really likes to solve the murder, I wouldn't say the author plays the most fair. So just go with it.

One thing that really bugged me: What happened to conflict of interest? Is it just a United States thing? Are there so few detectives that you have to take a case where you are related to suspects and maybe more??

The dynamic between Ffion and Leo is fun to see. Because there are so many suspects, it's a LOT of red herrings. To me the end wasn't very satisfying (it's one of those with a last chapter/epilogue that might make you roll your eyes). It was still a fun romp, and I don't believe I've read much set in Wales.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Last Party is the first installment in the DC Ffion Morgan series. It’s also slated to be an upcoming TV series. I’m sure the scenery will be breathtaking! Clare Macintosh did a great job following the investigation in real time going foreword while recounting the series of events back through time that lead to the murder of a prominent member in a small lakeside community in northern Wales. I really enjoyed the book, especially the superb narration with wonderful Welsh and Scouse accents. I’m excited for the next case!

Enjoyed this domestic thriller by Clare Mackintosh. Great story told in both alternating timelines and by different characters. And wow the book was full of great characters! Richly developed and kept me super invested in the story.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book

What a fantastic novel! I was lucky to receive this ARC in exchange for an honest review. The novel opens on New Years Day in the village of Cwn Coed with the yearly plunge into the freezing waters of Mirror Lake. However, something is quite different this year, as the body of dead man, Rhys Lloyd, is found floating on the lake's surface.
Was it an accident or a murder? Enter DC Ffion Morgan from the Welsh side of the lake who finds herself partnered with DC Leo Brady from the English side. The investigation begins and the novel takes the reader from present day to the recent past and the events that took place at the ritzy Shore's lake cottages. There are a wide cast of characters, most of whom seem to have a motive to kill Rhys. I really enjoyed the banter between the unlikely pair of detectives, who come to find that they actually work rather well together. This novel was full of so many twists and sudden surprises. It kept me on the edge of my seat all the way through the final pages. I highly recommend this novel that I gave a solid 5 stars.











https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4923068912

I’ll admit, this one was a bit slow for me at first. But it soon picked up and I found myself wanting to find out who done it! Because honestly I didn’t know! (And I almost alway know by the middle) I sped through this book to find out who the culprit was. During the way, it could have been any of the solid characters Clare Mackintosh created. They all had a motive, so really I just didn’t know. Well written and thought out. I really enjoyed this book, especially the Welsh backdrop. Thank you for a solid read Ms Mackintosh! I’ll be back for more!

2.5 stars
I absolutely adored Clare Mackintosh’s debut novel, I Let You Go. It was unpredictable, tense and exciting. However, the latest novel from this author just fell a little flat for me. I found the cliff-hanger chapter endings too contrived, with too many characters and confused plot lines. The story dragged, and I was a little bored reading it. Disappointing.
Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC for my honest opinion.

Too many characters. Too many time lines to keep track of. I’ve heard rave reviews about the author and was looking forward to this book. An entire village is invited to a party. At midnight, one man is dead and his murder needs to be solved.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review
Once again Clare writes a winner!
Leo and Feion must solve Ryes murder but with so many suspects and so many lies it is getting frustrating, and why does it seem there are connections to Feion
A party with invites to the village people ends with Ryes floating dead in the lake. Who killed him and why — you will be shocked!
Another page turner from a great author!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. This is my 6th book by Clare Mackintosh. I have always been a big fan of her work but this one was very hard to get into and I just could not connect to any of the characters. At midnight, someone is dead and everyone is a suspect. To me, it just moved way too slow. I look forward to her next book.

This one was really hard for me to get into, but the 2nd half of the book picked up and ended up enjoying it. I didn’t understand the end, though, and thought I missed something, but sounds like there is another book being written so perhaps it was a cliffhanger for that? The story centers on the murder of a washed up singer named Rhys, who returns to his hometown to open a luxury resort. Police detectives Ffion and Leo are paired up to investigate.

The first half of the story moves at an extremely slow pace and there were many Welsh names and phrases that I didn’t understand. However, as the book continues (in alternating timelines both leading up to and after the murder) the story grew on me. There were many surprises through that 2nd half (and mostly the last quarter) of the book that kept me fully engaged. I also found that I became more empathetic to characters who initially seemed unlikable as the book continued. The unveiling of the villain was a surprise, and many viable red herrings appeared throughout.

Overall, I’d recommend the book, though you do have to get through the somewhat boring beginning, the many confusing Welsh words, and the very end that seems to forecast another book. If you can do that, it’s an interesting story with many twists you’ll not see coming. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This one was fun! In this small town, the New Year’s tradition is to do what we call a polar plunge. It’s exactly how it sounds, people run into freezing water. Only this time, a body is floating. Rhys has been murdered and it seems as if everyone had a reason to kill him. We are following mainly Ffion and Leo as they try to figure it all out. Small town! Police thriller! A start of a series! I am in love!!!

At the edge of Mirror Lake’s water edge rests five luxury lodges with balconies stretched across the shores resting on stilts. The English-Welsh border runs directly through the middle of the lake. On New Year’s Day morning, a body is found. Two detectives are assigned the case, both from bordering sides.

Detective Constable Leo Brady, Cheshire Major Crime and Detective Constable Ffion Morgan, North Wales CID work together to solve a case of murder on the lake. With five lodges there’s no shortage of suspects. The list of suspects is exponentially long especially when you factor in the amount of hatred towards Rhys. Almost every character in the book has a motive to murder Rhys Lloyd making it extremely difficult for the detectives to pinpoint the reasoning.

Jonty Charlton is the investor. Rhys Lloyd is the creator. Huw Ellis is the builder. Rhys inherited the land from his father. Together they decided to sell only to the rich. The locals hated the idea of having exclusive vacation homes built on the shores of the lake. They are a community divided not just by geography but by language, background, and money.

I’m getting Mare of Easttown vibes as I’m reading about Ffion. Ffion too is a divorced woman living back home with her mom working on the police force in a small town community. Ffion knows many of the locals therefore she limits her hook-ups with guys from outside her town.

Clare Mackintosh creates an atmospheric setting within Wales. Adding to its charm is the British English verbiage of a well written British writer. Clare built a slow steady read that was typical for police procedure types. I much prefer a faster pace read. Even with its character driven storyline the activity and actions was pretty common among the residents for there hatred towards Rhys Lloyd. He was once a poor local boy who bullied a local girl and pissed off a few other locals. When he became a famous singer the list of people who didn’t like him grew. In fact, he had a stalker on one of his social media sites threaten him.

Clare Mackintosh is a British author and former police officer. Clare lives in North Wales. She writes what she knows.
Two parts. Sixty-five chapters and multiple points of views make up The Last Party. Alternating time lines from the past to the present are incorporated in chapters giving readers backstories on a few characters to help fill in the gaps of time.
The fun for me was in playing the whodunnit game. I enjoyed playing detective using the clues collected. The twists and turns added to the fun. Unlocking everyone’s secrets was exciting. The tension between the two detectives was quite entertaining.
Readers will get more books about Leo and Ffion. This was book 1 in the DC Ffion Morgan series. Clare is already writing book 2.

Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the copy of The Last Party. This book was not really for me. The timelines were confusing and it was really slow, so by the time it got interesting, I was kind of over it. It’s a shame because the conclusion was great., it just took too long to get there.

Read about 100 pages and didn’t finish because too many Welsh names that I couldn’t keep the characters straight and too much Welsh language used.

I love Clare Mackintosh’s books, and this one does not disappoint. Thrilling and unexpected, this one grabbed me from the start, although it did get slow in some parts. I usually can predict what will happen in many of the thrillers I read, but this one had a lot of “oh, I wasn’t expecting that!” moments. Great read!

I received a free digital ARC from Sourcebooks Landmark via NetGalley. The Last Party includes several character perspectives and incorporates flashbacks with ease. Ffion and Leo are investigating the murder of once music star Rhys Llyod following a party at his vacation home on Mirror Lake. There is an entire village of suspects both local and summer residents. As we dive into each characters backstory we see almost everyone had a motive for killing Rhys.

Each character was very unique, well developed and interesting. I found myself quickly flipping through pages to find out the whodunnit. I have been pleasantly surprised by Clare Mackintish's writing and would continue to read her mysteries. The setting in Wales was also very alluring. I'm happy for the ARC and the opportunity to review this title.

Was there anyone in the Welsh village of Cwm Coed who didn't hate the town houses built on the English side of their lake? When a body floats up during annual New Year's swim, secrets hidden for years also bubble to the surface. Everyone is a suspect in this fast paced, cleverly plotted, who ( or who all ) done it.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

This was almost excruciatingly slow at times. That said, it was well written and had some unexpected twists. Just couldn’t fully get into it.

Clare Mackintosh is phenomenal and this series opener promises exciting things to come. A recommended first purchase for all collections, particularly where thrillers are popular.

I am a big fan of this author. Her new book set in Wales , involves a murder of a famous musician., a person who was not liked by many. This is not the easiest read; between the welch words and the introduction of many different characters, I had a difficult time remembering who was who. I stuck with it and I was glad that I did. A surprised ending and maybe a continuation of the main two characters has me anxiously waiting for the author's next book.