This author has become one of my favorites. I love a thriller but I especially love hers because they always have a really great story. This book is no exception. It begins at a party and eventually involves everyone in a small community. I couldn’t wait to find out what happened.

I received an ARC of, The Last Party, by Clare Mackintosh. Its New Years Eve, Rhys is having a party, only he wont live to see the New Year. Can Ffion catch the killer? I found this book to be too dark for me, rape, murder, secrets, and the swearing put me right off the book.

There are a lot of characters to keep straight in this story. In true Clare Mackintosh style there are twists and turns until the very last page. Although The Last Party wasn’t my favourite of her books, I wasted no time devouring each chapter.
Thank You to SOURCEBOOKS Landmark, NetGalley and Clare Mackintosh the opportunity to enjoy this ARC.

Excellent!! I just had a feeling that this novel was going to be outstanding! Absolutely one heck of a thriller. The writing style is phenomenal and it kept me guessing the whole way through.

On the morning after huge New Year’s Eve Celebration thrown by the residents of Llyn Drych (Mirror Lake), the body of Rhys Lloyd is found floating in the lake. Rhys is a former opera singer and developer of the luxury housing community, The Shore. While Rhys was once very successful, he is now struggling with all aspects of his life and has made plenty of enemies, especially in recent years. Rhys’s exclusive lake lodge community is hated by the local village of Cwm Coed but all were welcome at the New Year’s Eve party hosted by the residents of The Shore which means that an even larger pool of people had the opportunity to kill Rhys.

Local detective, Ffion Morgan is assigned to the murder investigation as a representative of Wales. She has had a streak of hard luck recently as well. Ffion’s marriage recently ended and she has found herself living back at home with her Mam and her younger sister, Seren. Ffion considers herself a “lone wolf” and is disappointed to find that she will be working the case with DC Leo Brady of Cheshire Major Crimes who will be representing the English side. Leo is currently fighting for shared custody of his son and has all but given up on improving his life. As Leo and Ffion work side by side to find the murder(s), they slowly grow closer bonding over past hardships. The diverse residents of The Shore and the local villagers keep the investigation jumping from suspect to suspect as it comes to light that almost everyone had motive to kill Rhys.

Get ready for a twisty ride! There were twists even as I thought the story had wrapped up which was very fun. The story is mainly told from the point of view of Ffion and Leo but there are many chapters from the point of view of locals and residents of The Shore. Anyone who may have wanted Rhys dead had a chance to have a chapter from their perspective. I was a little worried about this book when I first started because I am not always a big fan of police procedurals but as the book went along, the story became more and more character based which was great. I really enjoyed getting to know each character, even those that would not be considered main characters. The story was also very atmospheric with Cwm Coed and Llyn Drych almost becoming characters of their own. It almost feels like I took a trip to Wales after reading this book. Clare Mackintosh has been on my always read list for a long time and it was a pleasure to read this book :)

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As always, Mackintosh's ability to write a strong, atmospheric, and character-driven narrative shines through in The Last Party.

The Shores is an exclusive real estate development on the English side of a Welsh lake. The division between the working-class Welsh locals and the elite English residents of The Shores is as cold as the lake that separates them. When the prominent creator of the development is found dead, everyone is a suspect and everyone has something to hide.

I consider this to be a slow burn, there are multiple points of view throughout the story and many retellings of the same event through different character perspectives. This makes for many a suspect, but also a lengthy book as even some minor characters get some exclusive air time.

The suspense is ever present, but the real star of this book is both the strong character development and the dedication to the setting. After reading it I felt like I had spent a week in Whales with my new best friend, Ffion.

This is a solid read but I will give a trigger warning for sexual assault. Some events in the novel are tough to digest. Overall, another great book by Mackintosh.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for a free digital copy in exchange for a fair and honest review

This was a solid read and good police procedural, just not for me. Long with a lot of characters to keep up with. However the author’s connection to the setting shone through in her writing.

I struggled to get into this book as it was set in Wales and that isn't my preferred setting. I'm glad I hung it there and continued to read. The story was well written with lots of twists and excitement. I really enjoyed reading it. Highly recommend and looking forward to the next book in the series.

I love the part of the synopsis that said “…the question isn’t who wanted Rhys dead…but who finally killed him.” That is exactly what we go through in the book – finding the who!

We are introduced to the main characters in a bang-up way! And the hits just keep on coming!

Macintosh spins The Last Party in a whirl of directions and throws in so many surprises that you totally do not see coming! She really keeps us on our toes throughout with redirection and then laces in bits of humor hidden in the recesses of the dry police crime procedures. She even throws in characters you love to hate! Yesss!

Through her fabulous storytelling ability, she crafts a compelling book that shows off her twisted brilliance as she spins us around the theories. Then she caps it off with a bomb blast that leaves you wondering what the heck….

Hang on for this ride!

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!!!