I wanted to love this book, but I just really struggled to get into it. It almost felt like "yet another police procedural" without a plot that was particularly original or engaging. That said, I know many readers who adored it, so maybe it's just me!

This is another great Clare Mackintosh book! A thriller that is faced paced and keeps you guessing. The night of the party a guest ends up dead but who did it? It's a small town and everyone knows everyone. I really enjoyed this thriller and recommend it. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC.

This was my first book by Clare Mackintosh and will not be my last! I am already eagerly waiting for the next in this series! I totally fell in love with the setting in The Last Party and the whole atmosphere was the best. The mystery was wonderful and even though there were a lot of suspects I was able to keep a handle on all of them through out the book. Can't wait to read more about Ffi and Leo. I also listened to the audio and the narrator was perfect. If you're in the mood for a good murder mystery, this is the one for you!

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Publication date: 8 November 2022

Clare Mackintosh's books are excellent; I love everything she's written and think she is only comparable, in today's British crime writing, to Lisa Jewell and Gilly Macmillan. This story, apparently the first in a planned series, takes place on New Year's Eve in Wales, with flashbacks and flashforwards to the lead-up and aftermath of a drowning in a lake. Rhys Lloyd, a famous opera singer who has developed a handful of expensive properties on his family's lakeshore land, was disliked by everyone. Detective Constable Ffion Morgan is partnered with an English Detective Constable, Leo Brady, from the Cheshire Major Crimes Unit. They've met before, as the reader discovers, but now they have to work together to unravel the crime in Ffion's small town - where her neighbors and even members of her family, including her estranged husband, are suspected. This is completely chock-full of unforeseeable twists and turns, as with all of Mackintosh's books, and the characters, especially Ffion and her family, are incredible - flawed, human, memorable, enigmatic, realistic. A fast-paced, attention-grabbing summer read; I'll continue to read whatever she writes. 4 1/2 stars.

*I was pleased to receive an advance copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher for an early release copy of this novel. If you like British police procedurals, this book is for you. It's important to note that it's not a "thriller" and is much slower paced. I thought it was well written and it kept me guessing. I really liked the female lead Ffion and I'm happy to hear that this novel is the first in a series (of at least 2 novels).

This was a fun whodunnit - with a diverse group of characters who almost all have a reason to have "dunnit" - including one of the detectives working the case. The writing is excellent - providing an excellent sense of place and atmosphere without going overboard on the descriptive language. Most importantly it's got a couple of interesting main characters in this first book in a planned series - characters that make me look forward to the next book in the series.
Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

This was much better than I thought it was going to be. Plus the cover was so good! Who does not love a book with rich, entitled people behaving badly? These types of people are bound to have enemies because they lack compassion and empathy. The murder that resulted at a blowout party led to an in depth murder investigation.

I loved how to two two detectives and how they interacted with the characters that were in attendance at the party the night of the murder. It felt like I was along for the ride. There were a few plot twists that were predictable BUT who I thought was involved was wrong, so I liked being wrong in my guess.

Overall, I think this was a totally decent read and recommend it. I would definitely read more from this author.

Thanks to Netgalley, Clare Mackintosh and Sourcebooks Landmark for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Already available.

[It was okay]
The writing and narration of the audiobook was great. Personally, I thought there were way too many characters. I did like the two main characters (detectives) but didn’t care for many other characters. The storyline was a bit too long and dragged on a bit. I did really enjoy the ending but the book overall was just okay for me.

Thank you to the publisher and @netgalley for providing a free advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank You to NetGalley for ebook ARC.

This is the first time I've read Clare Mackintosh. The book is a slow burn. It can also be a bit confusing as sometimes there are too many details that it felt like a tangent. It definitely has some twists and turns and surprises. I loved the characters and will be reading more of the DC Morgan series.

Reading Between the Wines book review #60/115 for 2023:
Rating: 3 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book 🎧: The Last Party
Author: Clare Mackintosh
Available now!

Sipping thoughts: I was pretty confused most of this book with the characters and just was not into it much. Then the twist in the middle got me reinvested. I was able to finish it and liked the ending but I had to press on pass the slow burn for the first 35% of the book.

Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley and @SourcebooksLandmark for an advanced copy of @TheLastParty.

#TheLastParty #ClareMackintosh #SourcebooksLandmark #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

My mind is officially blown after reading Clare Mackintosh's "The Last Party" which contained more plot twists than I thought possible. Overall, an amazing read!

I did not finish this book I couldn’t get over how slow and unproductive it was sorry this one was not for me

Everyone here has secrets and some are worth killing for. Twists and turns galore, this book will keep you up at night so you can finish. A Clare Mackintosh great.

I really wasn’t into this in the beginning, but it got a lot better. there’s a twist about halfway through that I did not see coming and I was totally hooked from there. I was a little disappointed in the end twists around who did it. overall, this was a decent thriller, and I’ll probably continue with this series around the same detective as they come out because I feel slightly attached to this little Welsh town and its people now

I really enjoyed the Last Party and the author's ability to tap into local politics and gentrification while keeping the audience guessing as to who did it. I loved the twists and all of the quirky (and unpleasant) characters. The secondary characters were just as engaging and the main characters. I also appreciated the multiple perspective that the novel provides. Overall, a really enjoyable read.

I’m a huge fan of domestic thrillers so this was right up my alley! I really enjoyed HOSTAGE by this author so I was excited to read her newest! I loved all the shady characters and it had a great twist! I’d definitely recommend.

Rhys Lloyd is dead, but when everyone around town had a beef against him and wouldn’t mind him dead, how do you find the killer?

Typical police procedural, however the police have very little clues or evidence and tend to go off their feelings and hunches more than actual facts. Everyone gets taken into custody at least once, but that doesn’t mean the police can get it right.

Secondary timeline starts moving backwards, away from the crime, however follows numerous different characters and suspects. There are so many people and so many perspectives it’s a little hard to keep track of at times. Never mind all of the affairs and secrets between the characters, it’s impossible to keep track of at times.

The book was also at least 100 pages too long. With no evidence and such a long book, not much really happens for the majority of the story. It’s long, slightly boring, and a little sloppy with the intertwining off all of the characters lives.

A twisty plot and a long list of suspects. Gripping. I am happy this is a series and will be looking forward to the next installment.
Many thanks to SOURCEBOOKS Landmark and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I love a good whodunnit. This novel hit the mark for me. I did end up figuring out what was going to happen but not until the book was nearly finished. I was invested fully in what happened to Rhys Lloyd and was thoroughly satisfied with the ending of this one.

I was lucky to receive an advance copy of The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review and opinion. This book drew me in right from the first page with the funny sense of humor and kept my interest until the very last page. I am truly looking forward to the next book in the series as it was such a good read. I highly recommend this book to anyone!