Thoroughly enjoyed this first in a new series featuring Welsh detective Ffion Morgan. A lot of time is taken in introducing us to Ffion and delving into her background which will set us up nicely for future instalments. Ffion was likeable and employed a unique “Lone Ranger” style of policing.

The mystery itself was a classic body in the lake venture. Lots of characters introduced quickly all with interwoven lifestyles led to many red herrings and possibilities before the actual culprit was revealed. All in all a great summer read.

Thank you to Netgalley for access to the ebook in return for an honest review

The annual swim will never be forgotten this year because the body of a man has been found. A celebrity from the area was he really as well loved as he seemed?
This was a different style for Clare as her domestic thrillers are some of my favourite reads and I won’t lie it took me a little while to get in to. I loved Ffion and look forward to more in this series.
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Yet another great story from this author, and more to come if there are follow ups of DCs Morgan and Brady. I certainly hope so. An amazing story from an amazing author. Highly recommended

In 'The Last Party' by Clare Mackintosh, swimmers at a new years day race across Llyn Drych (a lake straddling England and North Wales) are disturbed to find a body floating among them. It belongs to Rhys Lloyd, a local boy who became famous and returned to his home town to create a large development of excruciatingly expensive second homes on the shore of Cwm Coed's beloved lake. Many in the town and development hated Rhys for various reasons, including Ffion Morgan a local police officer who finds herself assigned to the case along with DI Leo Brady, her English counterpart. However, is she trying to find the murderer or trying to cover up her part in Rhys's death?

This is the first Clare Mackintosh novel I have read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. By telling the story from multiple perspectives and different moments in time over a year period, Mackintosh takes the reader for a ride that includes broadly developed characters, twists and turns, and a satisfying ending. Leo Brady makes a very good foil to Ffion and has a backstory with life issues that fit well with the story. The welsh setting and scenery, use of welsh language and depiction of the border changes between Wales and England during the 1970's were at the heart of the story. I would highly recommend.

The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh
I give this book 4.75 stars

On New Year's Eve, Rhys Lloyd has a house full of guests.
By midnight, he will be floating dead in the freezing waters of the lake.
On New Year's Day, DC Ffion Morgan has a village full of suspects.
With a lie uncovered at every turn, soon the question isn't who wanted Rhys dead . . . but who finally killed him.

This author has written some of my favourite standalone reads so when I heard she was writing a series l jumped for joy!
A superbly plotted and pacy whodunnit with a realistic narrative that youre instantly drawn in to. Clare has a police background and this clearly comes across while reading as does the imagery she creates of the ambient Wales setting. Welsh Detective Ffion is a brilliant but flawed character and teaming up with English Leo Brady has so many possibilities going forward.Combined with her trademark twists and a village full of suspects each with grudges or jealousy towards the victim you will be kept guessing till the very end of this ingenious page turner!
I absolutely LOVED this one and think l may have a favourite new series in my hands.
With thanks to Netgalley, Clare Mackintosh and Little, Brown Book Group UK, Sphere for my chance to read and review this book

I was really rather excited to hear the news that Clare Macintosh was writing a detective series! I love police procedural and I love Claire’s writing and I love a SERIES!! All these in one book!

Ffion is called to a crime scene on New Year’s Day..she’s a bit hungover and rather surprised at who else turns up at the pathologist's... A body has been found in the lake....it’s Rhys Lloyd one of the owners of a new holiday complex built on a lake just over the Welsh border. As investigations get underway it’s clear the victim wasn’t popular and Ffion is keeping secrets.

I loved this for so many reasons. The police procedural is great ..all the forensic and day to day unravelling that you need to start carrying out your own investigation and trying to guess before the end - I was wrong! What made this particularly interesting was that it involved police forces from both sides of the border, which made professional relationships even more scratchy than normal!

Ffion is a great new detective. A single lady with a past, living with her Mum, a Welsh speaker who knows the locals so very well…and she is rather too connected to the case….She's complicated and someone it will take time to get to know. There's a lovely will they won't they going on with her relationship with the other lead on the case..I am so happy that she has her own series!

Setting is always such a big part of any detective series - Morse’s Oxford, Nelson’s Norfolk…Ffion’s Wales. In the Last Party the setting feels almost another character, so beautifully described and immeshed in the unravelling of the crime. I could see the lake, the resort..I could give you a full tour of the lodges!

And this is a story that will keep you guessing..there’s all the lodge owners - all appearing to have a motive to get rid of Rhys- he’s not a popular guy - and then there are the locals whose lives and businesses have led them to harbour resentment..Who did it?…take your pick!!

Welcome Ffion ! Can’t wait for your next adventure.

With many thanks to Netgalley and Little Brown for a digital copy of this book.

The Lat Party is a gripping thriller set at a New Year’s Eve party. At midnight one of them is dead and by morning they’re all suspects.

Rhys Lloyd has a houseful of guests. His vacation homes on Mirror Lake have proved to be a huge success but by midnight Rhys Lloyd will be floating in that lake. Ffion Morgan begins to investigate but it seems everyone has their secrets including her.

A gripping read that will keep you hooked. Thank you to NetGalley, Little, Brown Book Group and the author for the chance to review.

A luxury resort on the banks of a lake, the shores of which straddle both England and Wales. The owner of the resort, Rhys Lloyd, is a local boy made good, but when his body is found during a New Year’s Day swim it soon becomes clear that more than one person had reason to want Lloyd dead.
We follow two detectives as they investigate: Ffion Morgan, a local girl who seems to know everyone linked to the case, and outsider, Leo, who is more than a little taken aback when he realises his one-night stand is now his work partner, and that he might well be her alibi for the night these events that took place.
As the pair work together, we learn a little more about each one and their background. Some details are crucial to the story; some are not, but it’s hard to pick them out as you go. Highly manipulative, but the little details dropped about each of our large cast - and the potential reasons for wanting Lloyd dead - were cleverly done. At one stage I had virtually everyone down as the guilty party!
I found the reliance on stereotyped attitudes towards Wales a little frustrating, though I do think this small community was well-depicted in many ways. There were aspects of the plot that were hard to explain away, particularly over time, but this was an entertaining read. Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this before publication.

I was delighted to receive this book from Netgalley in return for a review. Clare Mackintosh is one of my favourite authors.

Usually this author’s books are fast and full of suspense but this was slower, with a large cast of characters. It’s set in remote Wales, on the border, so when a body floats to the surface of the lake during the New Year’s swim there are two police forces involved. Both main characters have good stories themselves, Ffion in particular, who now has to find a murderer in the village she has grown up in. Some of the characters are a little predictable but they all work together to create an engaging story.

This is set to be a series based around Ffion and I’d certainly read another. It was more gentle than her previous books which may be no bad thing - I Let Him Go kept me up all night.

Spoilers ahead.

There's a special place in my book loving heart, for a decent story set in North Wales.
I'm pretty much sold from the first unpronounceable word.
This is indeed a decent story, interesting characters, a murder that could have ANYONE in a 5 mile radius as the murderer, and a lovely Wales v England sideline going on.
The location is stunning, and I'd happily pack my bags and go there on holiday myself .
I wasn't entirely convinced on how quickly someone worked out their parentage, but a minor detail, in a story that had me guessing until the end.
Some very unlikeable characters that you could all to easily see killing someone that got in their way, but equally two solid leads that are hopefully both back again.
Very enjoyable.

Rating: 4.5/5

With her previous books Clare Mackintosh had already demonstrated that she was a talented writer - but I would venture to suggest that "The Last Party" is her finest piece of work yet!

I won't go into the plot as there is adequate information in the summary provided by the publisher to get you started without the need for me to risk divulging any spoilers, but Clare Mackintosh has produced a compelling piece of dramatic fiction that delivers wonderfully well in a variety of ways.

The style is quite filmic and in many respects it is reminiscent of a ready-to-go screenplay for a television mini-series ... and I really hope that someone picks this up and turns it into just that. The choice of setting is a master stoke and provides the ideal environment for the dramatis personae to inhabit as well as the perfect backdrop for the captivating mystery. The characterisation is excellent. There is quite a sizeable cast in "The Last Party", but the author has gone to great trouble to make sure that they are all well-drawn, relatable and credible. Central protagonist, Ffion, is particularly impressive - flawed, but endearing, and gifted with a sharp wit and appealing sense of humour. It is a joy to watch the interaction between her and Leo as they strive to uncover the truth.

The narrative alternates between the present time - following the live progress of the investigation into the death of Rhys Lloyd - and then flashbacks to various points in the months leading up that fateful night. As we look back, we do so through the eyes of all the key players. Incredibly, there are a staggering sixteen different viewpoints depicted during the course of the novel. Utilising so many points of view really shouldn't work - but, in this instance, it absolutely does! I take my hat off to Clare Mackintosh - her clever construction makes something that could have had the potential to be a complete car crash seem entirely appropriate and fitting.

In the "Acknowledgments" section the Clare Mackintosh thanks fellow author, Lisa Jewell, for her advice on research - after reading this, I wouldn't be surprised if Clare Mackintosh finds a number of other writers seeking her advice about how to construct a successful murder mystery. This is a very easy book to recommend - not only to lovers of murder mysteries, but to anyone who appreciates well-written fiction of any genre.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

Cym Coed is a quiet village in North Wales on the shores of Llyn Drych (or Mirror Lake) until one New Years Day when the traditional village swim is halted as a dead body washes ashore. The body belongs to local man Rhys Lloyd, the owner of the new development The Shore - on the English side of the lake.

DC Ffion Morgan of North Wales Police attends to investigate, as does DC Leo Brady from Cheshire Constabulary- both looking to pass the crime to the other if they can establish whether the crime took place on the English or Welsh side of the lake.

I really enjoyed the book and the clever twists and turns. It was definitely reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile, especially as Rhys’ shady character is revealed more fully. I LOVED the inclusion of the Welsh language, and some very topical themes around bullying, gas lighting and victim blaming. There are some grim characters who sadly represent people we see in public life today, and also some great but broken people.

I really liked Leo and thought he was a great character, and I loved that he wasn’t the typical male copper that is often portrayed. His relationship with Ffion was brilliant and she is also a fantastic character full of depth and layers.

I’m really looking forward to seeing where the series goes and highly recommend this.

I adore Clare Mackintosh but I wasn't too excited with this book - and it pains me to say it as I love Mackintosh usually.
I struggled with the plot, it didn't grip me like her books have done in the past. I found the plot quite slow and I couldn't connect to the characters.
I just couldn't get to grips with this one.

Hoping Clare Mackintosh's next book is more up my street!

This is my first book by Claire Mackintosh in the start of a new series introducing DC Ffion Morgan. Two sides of a small Welsh village the locals and the lakeside holiday home residents. A New Years Eve party thrown by the residents for the whole village. By morning a body floats in the lake. Ffion has known this community all her life but everyone has secrets. Due to the border where the body is found FFion is helped by Leo Brady from Cheshire Major Crime unit. The story starts a little slow due to different characters stories from different time frames. Incorporated in this is Ffion and Leo’s back stories and strong characteristics making for a lot to take in. There are plenty of twists in this tail and it’s well worth sticking with till the end.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

It’s New Year’s Eve and there is a party at ‘The Shore’ – the new luxurious holiday apartments which reside on the borders of England and Wales. A goldmine for Rhys Lloyd and business partner Jonty Charlton, but not so popular with the locals in the village. Despite disapproval from the locals that doesn’t stop the whole village attending the party to drink champagne with their new wealthy neighbours..

The next day Rhys Lloyd’s body is found floating in the lake and undoubtedly everyone at the party becomes a suspect, leaving DC Ffion Morgan a whole village of suspects.

I have always been a big fan of Clare Mackintosh’s books. In complete and total honesty, I found the start of The Last Party a little bit slow and found it difficult to keep up with the number of characters- however these thoughts quickly diminished, and the storyline and strong characters grew on me. As you go through the book each character is developed whole-heartedly as opposed to being thrown in for the sake of it. I felt this really brought the heart and soul of Cwm Coed to life. Ffion Morgan is an incredibly female strong protagonist, and I am pleased we will be seeing her again. I was fully invested in her as a person, as well as her relationship with the village and it’s people.

As with all of Clare’s novels the detail is immaculate making it feel incredibly realistic and something you can fully immerse yourself into. The book is written from different time frames which I felt really gave us a spherical view. The book is full of secrets and whilst I wasn’t surprised by the ending and had my suspicions quite early on, I fully enjoyed the twists and turns of the book. The author continuously pulls us in different directions, and I really enjoyed the rollercoaster of a ride as we uncover the different characters and their potential motives for killing Rhys Lloyd.

Aside from murder other themes in the book include but are not limited to: class, statutory rape, sexual assault, patriarchy, toxic bosses, bullying, divorce and custody battles.

I am absolutely delighted that is just the first of a new series and also that the rights to a series have been brought.

Overall, The Last Party is simply the start of what is to be a gripping series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

On New Year's Eve, Rhys Lloyd has a house full of guests.
His lakeside holiday homes are a success, and he's generously invited the village to drink champagne with their wealthy new neighbours. This will be the party to end all parties.
But not everyone is there to celebrate. By midnight, Rhys will be floating dead in the freezing waters of the lake.
On New Year's Day, DC Ffion Morgan has a village full of suspects.
The tiny community is her home, so the suspects are her neighbours, friends and family and Ffion has her own secrets to protect.
With a lie uncovered at every turn, soon the question isn't who wanted Rhys dead but who finally killed him.
In a village with this many secrets, a murder is just the beginning.
Really enjoyable read totally recommend
Thank You NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group Uk
I just reviewed The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh. #TheLastParty #NetGalley

On New Years Day Rhys local man turned famous singer was found dead Rhys was not very well liked in the village and there are plenty of suspects for his murder. DC Ffion Morgan is tasked with investigating alongside D C Leo Brady.

This is a slow paced mystery. There are a lot of characters to keep track of and i sometimes got the characters mixed up. Being set in Wales there is a lot of description of scenery which I felt we didn’t need so much of. If you like a good old fashioned murder mystery with a few twists and plenty of suspects then this is the book for you.

The first in a new series set in Wales. A body is floating in Mirror Lake which borders Wales and England. DC Ffion Morgan lives nearby and so attends the scene along with DC Leo Brady an English detective. I loved the frisson between these two. Ffion prefers to work along and Leo is a team player.

Everybody is under suspicion with secrets old and new - including Ffion.

Lots of twists and turns, with a very surprising reveal at the end.

Look forward to the next book. Can't wait. Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for an advanced digital copy for an unbiased review.

Having read other books from this author I was hoping for another brilliant book and this didn’t disappoint. The way Clare Mackintosh writes sucks you in from the beginning. She is so good at describing things you believe these people are real and can picture yourself living alongside them. I felt anger, love, happiness, joy and sadness in every order for most of the characters and could not put the book down. My only gripe is I was left wanting more, what happens with Ffion and Leo?

Wonderful ,full of drama and mystery .A leave the cups on the table book !! Loved it .Never for one minute saw the end coming .