This one grew on me, it has a gripping plot that grows more tense as the story progresses, interesting characters, intrigue, drama and twists and turns, Brilliant writing as usual from Clare Mackintosh. Can't wait for the next book to come out.

It has been a long time since I started a new police series and this didn't disappoint. Great main character, lovely banter between the leads and, as an Irish speaker myself I particularly loved the use of Welsh and the depiction of how Welsh and English co-exists - or sometimes doesn't! Will definitely read more about Ffion.

Clare Mackintosh did it again. This one took me a little longer to get into than the others but it was a great story, characters I loved and hated and twists to the end. But really well written and very enjoyable.

It’s New Years Day and it’s the tradition of the villagers of Cwn Coed on the Welsh/English border to plunge into the icy waters of Mirror Lake (Llyn Drych). However, this year‘s swim is aborted as a man’s body is discovered floating face down and its chilly blackness. Who is it? Accident or murder? It then backtracks to New Year’s Eve and there’s a big party at the Shore home of Jonty and Blythe Charlton. The Shore is on the English side of the Lake. It’s a new development co-owned by Rhys Lloyd and is the cause of much resentment on the Welsh side. At the Cheshire MCU DC Leo Brady is dispatched to investigate as is DC Ffion Morgan of the North Wales police and there’s a backstory with these two which makes things lively! The identity of the victim is learned fairly quickly and to make things even more interesting, why is Ffion not exactly sorry he’s dead?

It takes me a little while to get into this slow this one but once I do we’re off and running! The location is excellent, the descriptions are wonderful and you feel as if you are there. This creates a really good atmosphere and backdrop to the ensuing drama and it also helps you to understand the rift between the local Welsh community and the wealthy English incomers, some of them it has to be said are arrogant and up themselves. This is effectively reinforced by gossip, rumours, snarky comments which builds the resentful tension. We learn there are a lot of dark secrets on both sides and a picture builds up of the victim with a good mystery surrounding the identity of the killer. There are some shocking revelations about him, the suspect pool expands, many have very good reasons to want him dead and it’s the biggest wonder he actually survives as long as he did! Along the way to the unexpected and clever reveal there are some good red herrings that send you spinning off in a different direction. Some of the reveals are surprising and quite painful.

I really like the partnership of Leo and Ffion who are fantastic characters and very well portrayed.
There are some very good injections of humour especially from Fionn and there’s good banter between them. I enjoy how she “encourages“ him to take on his odious boss who sure needs telling. Many characters are masquerading as something they are not which is also very intriguing.

However, what should I do really enjoy this there are a lot of characters to get your head around, the multiple points of view leads to some repetition and makes it a bit drawn out at times.
It seems as if every man/woman and their dogs have some input but, but, you do get some very relevant snippets which don’t seem to be important so you need to stick with it and pay attention or you’ll miss some good clues !!

Overall, this is a good multilayered mystery in a great setting and I really appreciate the Welsh feel of it. I hope we read more of Ffion and Leo as they’re too good for just the one appearance.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Little Brown Book Group for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

To post on Goodreads and Twitter on 21/7
Amazon and Waterstones on 4/8/22

This is another fabulous book by Clare MacKintosh. It’s gripping, dark and very well written as all her previous books are. Beautifully drawn characters and a story so intriguing it kept me one-more-chaptering till late into the night.

Clare Mackintosh is a go-to author for me - she's written brilliant crime / thrillers and After The End was just wow.
The Last Party is full of suspense, interesting, likeable main characters and some brilliant twists. I'm already looking forward to the next in the DC Morgan series.
4 stars.

I really enjoy Claire's books and was really looking foward this one.

I didn't love this as much as previous books maybe because it's the start of a new series and rather a stand alone.

Still enjoyable and those twists had me engaged.

Liked this but didn't love it, will I read the others in the series of course I will.

I was delighted to see the front cover describes this as the FIRST DC Morgan novel as I can't wait to read the next one. This story centres around two communities on either side of a lake: the Welsh Cwm Coed and the English resort complex 'The Shore'. During a New Years Eve Party, a man goes missing and he is later found dead in the lake. Tensions between the two sides further complicate an already complicated murder enquiry where the victim, The Shore's co-owner, has made so many enemies on both sides that there is a long list of suspects. The story is told from the point of view of the many possible murderers who, although slightly stereotypical in some cases, have very believable motives. The crime is investigated by DC Ffion Morgan from North Wales Police and DC Leo Brady from the Cheshire Constabulary. Their relationship evolves with as many twists and turns as the plot. Both detectives learn more about themselves by supporting each other so that the reader becomes invested in two outcomes: solving the crime and finding out whether Ffion and Leo will become romantically involved. The novel contains some gritty and distressing subject matter. that leaves the reader feeling sympathy for his killer. The description of the lake (so central to the plot) and beautiful mountains of North Wales are enhanced by the use of the Welsh language, used just enough to evoke the differences between the Welsh and English characters. At times, the description was so good that I felt transported to this beautiful landscape and could imagine swimming in the cold water of the lake. Whilst most issues are resolved by the end, the conclusion left me wanting to hear more about Ffion and the people of Cwm Coed. This is one of the best crime stories I have read this year. Roll on book number 2!

It’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed a book as much as this and I read every day. The plot is immersive, the characters relatable and there are few twists that are definitely unexpected, an easy 5 stars

On a chilly New Year’s Day, a group’s swim in the lake near their Welsh village is cut short by the discovery of a body.
It turns out to be that of Rhys Lloyd, a fading singing star, a son of the village, and owner of an unpopular development on the other side of the lake.
Because the lake is the border between England and Wales at that point, the joint investigation is led by Ffion Morgan, who lives in the village and Leo Brady, from England, and they get off to a very rocky start.
Alongside the investigation, the story shows the lead up to the party, over the previous year, through the eyes of those involved in the development, and those opposed to it.
Everyone, including the police, has secrets. The cast of characters is large, and their relationships complicated, but everybody is well-drawn, and you very quickly become involved in their lives.
There is lots of humour, and many red herrings that keep you guessing until the very end.
A great read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book group UK for the opportunity to read this book.

As a massive Clare Mackintosh fan I was so, so, so looking forward to delving into her latest release; the first in a murder mystery series based on the border of England and Wales.

I really wanted to love this book but it felt like the latest in a string of recent murder mysteries based in North Wales. I feel like the market is a little saturated at the moment which is sad because so many of CM’s work feels so unique. Usually I laugh, cry and am hooked by her storylines but not so much on this one. Maybe in time the series will improve as we get to know the characters in greater depth. I also find the animosity between Welsh and English can be a little draining. I’ve lived in Wrexham and Chester with my English other half and it’s never, ever been an issue but at times it just feels like it’s overplayed as a theme. Please don’t let this put you off picking this book up. It’s a perfectly decent murder mystery in itself, I just wanted so much more from the start of a series from an author I adore.

A new Clare Mackintosh is always a good thing! This novel was just full of suspense and twists and turns all over the place. The writing is brilliant and keeps you hooked and wanting more and wanting to know who did it.

Clare Mackintosh writes another un put downable book and this time it’s the first in a series. Sadly I now have a really long wait for the next instalment.
This was clever with the multiple POV and timeline orders and kept you guessing right till the end as she drip fed clues.

After reading Hostage I was looking forward to another book from Clare Mackintosh. This was as good or better, enjoyed the d=story and the characters. Highly recommend!
Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This is a story that starts strongly and picks up the pace as the story unfolds. It’s the party from hell with a guest list of people it’s easy to dislike. Arrogant outsiders who’ve bought lakeside log cabins on the edge of a Welsh lake. They’re privileged and perceived as intrusive by many of the locals who are small minded and very Welsh, speaking their own language and not necessarily welcoming the new development. Clare Mackintosh tackles this divide well with a carefully drawn cast of characters giving balance to both sides.

Ffion, police officer with Welsh police, is local girl with a foot, literally in both camps. Leo is her counterpart from Cheshire Constabulary and a striking opposite in every way. They’re the investigating officers who have to winkle out the truth from the deceits that face them. All is far from what it seems and it’s very diff to second guess how this tale will pan out.

Clever plotting and characters that feel real make this a great read. Excellent dialogue which often captures the essence of the characters and I really enjoyed this. My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

Welsh village
A luxury resort
The host found dead....

Tight plotting

POVs that twist and confuse in a good way

A lakeside house with murder at its heart

Guests v locals and the tensions are high

Great writing and standalone. If you manged to escape that plane in Hostage, welcome to the party from hell!

Recommended!

This is a read that starts off quite slowly it’s the first in a new series featuring DC Ffion Morgan and my goodness there was a lot going on in the book. There is a whole heap of characters and it did take me a little while to figure out who was who but I stuck with it and I’m so glad I did because it turned out to be a fabulous read.
The plot is full of twists, the characters are a real varied bunch and there are some pretty nasty ones also but I think what made the book so good was also the amount of humour and one liners that went between the two main characters of Ffion and Leo and I’m really looking forward to the next in the series to see what is going to happen with them.
I really enjoyed this book and was sad to finish it I felt like I had become part of the community and I was desperate to know who the perpetrator was and I have to say I was surprised quite a few times by the reveals.
My thanks to Clare Mackintosh for a fabulous story full of twists and turns it was superbly crafted.
My thanks also to NetGalley and Little,Brown Book Group, Sphere for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

It’s a classic thriller: the dead body of a rich celebrity is found after he hosts a lavish party, and every guest has a motive to kill him.
His body is found in the lake on which he’s built an exclusive housing development ‘the Shore’, resented by the locals.
There are lots of twists and turns as the secrets of all involved are revealed.
The detectives investigating it are Ffion - a feisty free spirit with her own secrets - and Leo, the English cop sent to work with her. There’s a nice romantic thing between them.
All in all, this is an absorbing thriller with good characterisation and lots of suspense. There are some stereotypes - the obsessive celeb influencer and the hippy try-hard - but there’s also nice humour and well-pitched fun.
Recommended: Enjoyable and fast-moving. I’d happily read another in this detective series.

Enjoyable read. Not as fast paced as her other books but still the intrigue was there. Good storyline, interesting characters and a list of potential suspects.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest opinion

Mary received a diary with a difference when she realises it isn’t any ordinary present. It’s not blank, but on the first of each month, January to April, are women’s names and cities. April may seem to be the cruellest month for Mary when her name and home city, Cheltenham, is pencilled in for April 1. Thinking it’s a sick joke, she wants to ignore it… that’s until a murder of Lisa from Oxford is announced, killed on January 1. Is there a killer out there planning to commit a new murder on the first of each month? Is the Mary mentioned in mere weeks time her? Partnering with the police, she sets out to discover what’s going on and who is responsible, at times not trusting the people closest to her. Let’s just say that not everyone is telling the truth about what they know… The plot twist is especially impressive and will make you keep reading.