Title: The Last to Know
Author: Jo Furniss
Review Date: May 15, 2020

The title is apropos. This is a suspense/mystery that will quickly get you to realize something isn't right. Rose and Dylan Kynaston move from across the globe with their 4-year-old son Aled, to Dylan's small hometown of Hurtwood, in Shropshire, England. They want to establish roots for their family.

It's written from two points of view. Rose, an American and well-traveled video journalist, and Sergeant Ellie Trevelyan, a policewoman and local of Hurtwood.

Why do the town's people dislike the Kynaston family so much? And why is the family estate, called Hurtwood House in such disrepair? And why does Dylan's mother, Gwendoline, still want to live there?

Hurtwood House is more than just a good backdrop for the story. Through town gossip, Rose's curiosity, and Sergeant's Trevelyan's nightmares over an unsolved case, we learn of a 20-year-old trauma that cast a shadow on the small town and tainted the Kynaston family name.

Rose and Sergeant Trevelyan come to meet when Rose is hired by the local paper to do a video piece on the benefits of keeping the police station local rather than moving it to a nearby city. At the same time, Dylan, also in journalism, is offered a job on a new documentary called The Quest, being shot in Hurtwood. There's an excavation during the show, and they find more than an iron-age coin! Bones, old human remains? But why is there a floppy disc from the 1990s in a zip lock bag beside it? Some serious stuff unfolds.

Thrown in the mix are a secret room from back in the ages, the legacy of Mistress Payne, and a side story about a local nail salon – trust me, it will all come together.

The author did well in planting seeds and taking the reader in different directions. Adding layers - like why do Dylan's conversations with his ex-girlfriend Meredith raise suspicion all of a sudden?

I liked Sergeant Ellie Trevelyan right away. Sardonic from years on the job, relayed through her tenured thoughts. Rose had all the right credentials for a heroine and came to grow on me, which might have more to do with the next paragraph I've written.

The writing was poetic (similes, metaphors), more noticeably around Rose's character, where the story starts. At times, it was too much for me in a modern-day suspense novel with cell phones and the internet. For a while, it was a distraction from the storytelling. For example: "Each morning, I tugged on a smile for Aled in the same way a depressed person might wear colorful clothes. I could do no more blow off the funk than I could blow away a fog." And, one more. "Rosetta!" Her voice was as reassuring as a Pyrex warming in the oven.

Having said that, the author planned her twists and turns in a way that pushed me to keep reading and not give up on the book. The layering of characters and clues will get your wheels spinning. I was able to get past the poetic writing about halfway through.

You will find the pieces of a good mystery – proper setting, a detective, a journalist in the role of sleuth, and a coming together of the past and present with the trappings of old wounds and hurt feelings. Lots of build-up and tension!

The twisted branches of this story all eventually came together. I read the last few chapters with a lot of anticipation – it was exciting.

I really liked how the Author carved out the ending. It tied in well with her main character. And, yes, all your questions will be answered!

Nice suspense/mystery that did what it was supposed to do – kept me reading, and trying to figure it out before reaching the end.

Authors note (back of the book) – I enjoyed reading it.

Thank you to the Author, Jo Furniss, for writing this Book.
Thank you, Net Galley and the Publisher, for making it available.

This book had me hooked within the first couple chapters & I couldn't put it down from then on! This is quite the thriller that follows a family as they move back to the husband's childhood small town. This leads to the unravelling of a dark past that many think they know, but only one really knows fully.
I love that this book had me guessing the whole time! There are so many story lines, but I never felt confused in a bad way. It was a rollercoaster of emotions and guessing as to "who done it" and to what had even happened.
Some reviews pointed to flowery language that was distracting, but I barely noticed this. Only once or twice did I find the language a bit much. In reality, I loved the description and did not find that it dragged the story on. I also enjoyed the dual perspectives that allowed the story to unfold and the crimes to be viewed from many perspectives. This is one of my top reads of 2020!!
I could see this becoming a movie or mini series that would have EVERYONE hooked! If you're a fan of mysteries or thrillers, you need to pick this book up!
Disclaimer: A big thank you to NetGalley & Lake Union Publishing for the chance to read this book for free in exchange for a review.

American Rose Kynaston is a video journalist married to fellow journalist Dylan and agrees to move from war-torn Africa to the quiet peace of rural town England, where Dylan is originally from. He comes from a well to do family that has a crumbling country pile and a legacy to carry on the house. But his mother Gwendoline has become secretive and doesn’t want to share the same home as them when they move to England, so they are sent to live in a small cottage on the estate, trying to create a life for themselves that best serves the needs of their five-year-old son Aled. But there is a cloud that hangs over the Kynaston family that infects every part of their lives, although Dylan seems hell-bent on denying its truth. Something about Dylan deceased father Stanley and allegations of paedophilia made against him. Gwendoline seems to be in a fog of her own, sticking desperately to a time table of her own making, remembering people and conversations that may or may not have occurred, making her an unreliable baby sitter and causing no end of stress for Rose as she tries to start her own career in a new country with very little apparent support from her husband, who appears to have reverted to a country gentleman mindset and wants her to stay home and look after Aled, which is totally out of character with who he was when they both worked in Africa. There are townsfolk of Hurtwood who seem determined to hold the members of the Kynaston family accountable for the unexplained death of a young child, although there was never any proof as to the allegations. An archaeological dig uncovers the bones of another person and the whole mystery of Dylan’s past fires up again, with Rose desperate to clear her husband's good name and clear the curse that hangs over the Kynaston family. But how is she to do so when the unspoken activities of twenty years ago haunt the present and Rose is the last to know the truth? And will Roses own troubled past create more issues for the young couple to deal with? Committed to unravelling this mystery before her career as a policewoman are unexpectedly curbed, the other main character, Sergeant Ellie Trevelyan follows threads that have hung tenuously for years to explain the truth, as she deals with the grief that living death of her father with dementia creates. But the truth might be more than anyone could have imagined.

At its heart, this novel is a mystery being sold as a general or women’s faction label, although it is capable of crossing the gender barrier easily. It explores how unexplained rumours and accusations can carry on through time and effect the lives of those to come. It looks at the effects of Alzheimer’s or dementia on two characters and the ripples it causes in the lives around the victims of this brutal disease. It explores the unspoken expectations between men and women, and the sexual politics that still play a part in our society even today. The needs of and the rights of children are shown for then delicate gossamer fabric that it truly is.

The characters are well-drawn, and one cannot help but like both women central to the story. The manner in which the townsfolk are woven into the story feels true to life as if the issues and prejudices they carry with them are vital and current and the minor players of the Kynaston family – Gwendoline and Dylan are vibrant and beautifully portrayed. There is no time when the ultimate truth is exposed or foreshadowed in such a manner as to destroy the enjoyment of the book. There is a poetic quality to Furness’ writing, with the descriptions of everyday items and behaviours written in a flowery manner that is just delightful.

An enjoyable read.

NB: I received a digital ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

The overdone language! Full-force, in-your-face, unsubtle metaphors and similes that actually detract from the book. It’s hard to get past. It almost made me want to give up.

Examples: "rain, greasy as butter"; "a cappuccino with enough froth to bloat a bison"; "two spaniels appeared, white apparitions that squirmed around his legs like fish fertilizing his shoes". This is the sort of figurative language that adds absolutely nothing to the book, and it's tougher work wading through the inept use of language to find the deeper meaning.

I am glad, though, that I persisted. What this book isn’t: a masterpiece. A top-grade mystery in the vein of Agatha Christie, or even the Flavia de Luce series, which I quite loved. What it is? A perfectly serviceable little mystery with a quick storyline, plenty of twists and turns, an interesting and compelling exploration of dementia, and a decently satisfying end.

As I've said, I do heartily wish Furniss had taken her figurative language down several notches. I wish she had taken more time for character development in lieu of the flowery, ineffectual language. I didn’t feel particularly connected to one of the main narrators, Rose, still less to her husband, Dylan, and I think Furniss could have gotten there with her readers given a few adjustments to the balance between overdone figurative language and character development. Had she done that, I think the book would have been far more enjoyable, and clearer, too, in its exploration of what it means to be human. (As she muses, "... people were inalienably human Behind closed doors--even doors surrounded by roses--all sorts of things could happen").

All said, I wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend this book, but if you maybe came across a copy at the library or a book sale, maybe give it a try as an easy beach read.

A psychological page turner.

You won’t be able to put this one down. The premise is intriguing and haunting. Without spoiling the premise, this is one you will want to pick up!

A quick and enjoyable thriller that, after a bit of a slow start, really took off in the second half of the book. I didn’t guess the ending - which is always a bonus - and I enjoyed the easy writing style. And I think the cover is perfect - it has that creepy, secrets-are-within vibe! Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the chance to read this ARC.

When Rose and Dylan with young son move back to Dylan's English village of his youth, Rose finds out that they are not really welcome there. Family drama, secrets from the past, haunted house on the hill, unsolved death... As a journalist, Rose wants to resolve a mistery.

Good read.

Thank you so much NetGalley and the publisher for my complimentary eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. I knew from the first few pages that I read this was going to be a book that is right up my alley. This book was very well written, the characters had depth, and the twists I surely didn't see coming which for me made a really enjoyable read.

Oh my goodness! If you enjoyed Gone Girl type of book you'll love this one! Especially since is situated in a place you know really well (Good old Midlands!).

I'd not read any of Jo Furniss' books before, I loved this one.

Set in Shropshire the story gallops along. There is an eerie feel around the setting and the sense there are many secrets that have been buried over hundreds of years.

Ellie is a PC nearing the end of her career, she has compassion and understaning. She pulled the story together for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the eARC.
Wonderful book! I loved Ms. Furniss' The Trailing Spouse' and with The Last To Know she has become one of my new favorite authors. It was fun to find out she thanked Imogen Clark, another one of my favorite authors, for reading the first draft.
Rose, Dylan and their little son have moved to England to Dylan's old home where his mother still lives, practically a recluse. They spent several years as journalists in Africa and Rose is finding it difficult to adjust. We also meet police sergeant
Ellie who not only is an excellent officer, but also looks after her father who suffers from dementia.
The unwelcome past comes up explaining why Dylan and his family are not at all liked by the locals.
This book had me spellbound, I absolutely loved everything about it. Well written with a stunning ending I highly recommend it...can't wait to see what Ms. Furnish comes up with next!

This is more than a very good thriller! This is a thriller with a story, a story about home and how to make it work with a child whose both parents work as journalists! What makes home and where is home? Along a complex and enthralling plot, the writer shows us beautiful pictures of Shropshire which should become home for Dylan ( that was his childhood home) and his American wife, Rose whom he met in Africa. The characters feel real and not cliché! I have enjoyed it very much and look forward to reading more by Jo Furniss!
Thank you NetGalley and Jo for letting me read this book!

When I saw this book and recognized this author's name, I looked back to see which book of hers I had previously read, and then it hit me. It was 'the simile author.' There are more similes PER PAGE than an entire creative writing student's essay. See what I did there? I cannot express enough how frustrating it is to constantly be taken out of a story because of the overly flowery language. I had to highlight this one as a good example of what I mean:

"...two spaniels appeared, white apparitions that squirmed around his legs like fish fertilizing his shoes."

I just...can't. Anyway, if that appeals to you, by all means, read this book, as you will be in heaven.

Now that that is out of the way, the actual plot is intriguing. Rose is an American journalist who moves with her husband, Dylan, and their son, Aled, back to his hometown in England. His mother still lives in his childhood home, an old mansion on what's known as Grim's Holm, a large flattened piece of land built on the plateau of a man made hill created centuries ago. The location is known locally as a haunted, even cursed land which David's mother Gwendolyn has a hard time maintaining due to her developing dementia. Rose does her best to get accustomed to this new home and lifestyle, but it's certainly not easy.

Almost immediately, she witnesses the hostility of the townspeople toward her husband's family, even their name, Kynaston, draws whispers and glares. She finally gets the whole story out of David - how his father privately coached skilled young soccer players until one tragically died. Because of what was found in the boy's journal, everyone blamed his father, but since he also died shortly after, it was never proven. Rose becomes determined to find out what really happened so she can clear her husband's family of suspicion once and for all. But will she find the answers she's looking for or will the truth reveal something darker than anyone expected?

There are some surprises and a satisfying ending, but it sure took awhile to reach it. Trim the story down, get rid of the excessive similes and it would provide a more pleasant reading experience.

This book was, overall, a good read. I felt like the plot could have been more developed. It took me a bit to get into the book. So much potential to be a thriller and keep you on the edge of your seat, however, it didn’t. It was good enough for me to keep reading and finish, but still I feel like it was lacking something.

It’s a culture shock when American Rose Kynaston moves to her husband’s home in a small English village. Her husband’s ancestral home, Hurtwood is in a state of disrepair and his mother is far from friendly and welcoming. The locals are not fond of Hurtwood or its inhabitants, particularly Rose’s husband Dylan and when an archaeological dig turns up recent remains, it looks as though Rose may not know her husband at all

A good read, chapters alternate from the first person perspective of an American journalist who has relocated to a small town in England along with her husband and son and is wrapped up in old family lies and mysteries, to the third person perspective of a police officer in the town that is investigating the mysteries. There are many intertwined plot lines, some could have used more development, and the ending seemed a bit rushed, but a good story overall.