A chance meeting in a Cornish hotel brings three women together. Three women who have one thing in common - philanthropist Ellis Cobain.
Ellis is a wealthy man who is cruel to everyone in his orbit, and rules with an iron heart.
All three women have their own reasons to want revenge on Ellis, one his wife, the other two his mistresses.
Nadia, one of the mistresses, hatches a plan to murder him, but the other two are more reluctant and persuade her to ruin his life instead.
She agrees and between them they act out Nadia's instructions to wreck his life and to ruin his chances for his much coveted knighthood.
However, the next morning Ellis is found dead on his yacht. Did Nadia go against the other's wishes, or is the culprit someone else entirely?
Stephanie King, along with her work and life partner Gus, and tasked with finding the answers.
I must admit that I didn't like one aspect of the ending, but thought the story was good overall, and would definitely read more from this author.

This was n extremely hard read. The characters all seemed to be in a rush around the plotting of the story. I had no empathy for any of the characters in the story. I usually like books written by this author but this one wasn’t very enjoyable!

This was my first book by this author. I really liked the writing and thought it something new and different.

Trying to read this book has been a huge task. I have not felt any empathy at all for any of the characters, who seem to rush around plotting and sub -plotting endlessly.
As for the guy who was murdered, probably a good thing.
Did not enjoy.

Set in a hotel in Cornwall this is greatly entertaining whodunnit, following the murder of the thoroughly unlikeable Ellis Cobain. A rich philanthropist interested in the veneer of looking good, but is cruel and malignant to his core. His wife Celia, is emotionally and financially abused by him and finds purpose in being the best stepmother to their children that she can. Her life unwittingly becomes embroiled in that of 2 other women that she comes to realise have been sexually involved with him and both rueing their decisions. Whilst they carefully craft a plot to blackmail him, he some how ends up murdered and the women question how.

Stephanie King and her partner Gus are assigned to the case with their team. Steph having been at the hotel and having seen the women prior to Ellis' death has a unique perspective. They soon pick up on flaws and inconsistencies in the women's' stories, making it a very interesting case to try and solve.

The detail surrounding the murder and the women's initial intended plan is only partially revealed as the story progresses, so you are completely working side by side with Steph and Gus. The case progresses with good pace. Each character is distinctive and you learn more about them, their lives and involvement with Ellis as the story progresses. You feel involved and present as they all try to work out exactly what has happened. None of the 3 women are particularly likeable, but they have been extorted and wronged, so you do still root for them. This is very character driven with good storytelling and good old detective work. With so many variables to perfect, some aspects of the plot are more convincing than others, but it carries itself well enough and there are a good few twists along the way, with a substantial twist to digest at the end.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it kept me engaged throughout. There was enough mystery and twists to keep the reader puzzling and the characters were well described and came to life on the page.
Never have I felt such little empathy for a murder victim and was glad he got his comeuppance.

Due to health issues cannot write a proper review now even if I enjoyed this book. as it's well plotted, gripping and entertaining. I liked the good storytelling
A more extensive review will follow
Recommended.Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Three woman form an alliance to take down a man who has an iron grip on their lives, through marriage and affairs, and will not let the, go unless it’s on his terms.

Honestly, I really struggled with this book and I don’t know why as it’s on of my go-to genres. Normally I’d devour these books in a day or two but it took me a whole month to finish it. It just didn’t grip me and I thought the trio of viewpoints confused things and made it harder to root into the story.

The plot was interesting and I liked the relationship between Stephanie and Gus but overall it just wasn’t the book for me.

The Last Time I Saw Him by Rachel Abbott is a gripping thriller that pulls you in with its intriguing premise and complex characters. The story revolves around three women—Celia, Juliette, and Nadia—who unite over their shared desire to bring down Ellis Cobain, a seemingly untouchable philanthropist with a dark side. The plot is full of suspense, twists, and turns that kept me hooked until the very end.
However, the book’s ending left me disappointed. I was fully invested in the characters and the mystery, but the final twist felt unsatisfying, almost as if it undermined the buildup of the entire story. The alternating perspectives were interesting, though I found Juliette’s parts a bit repetitive.
Despite the ending, the book is well-paced with strong characters and an engaging storyline. While it could have been a 4-star read, the conclusion brought it down for me. Still, it’s a solid thriller worth reading.

Very grateful to the publisher for my copy, opinions are my own

"My life was already a mess, but now it's infinitely worse, and I could end up in prison. It wasn't supposed to end like this."

Juliette, Celia and Nadia have one thing in common: the handsome, charming and wealthy Ellis Cobain has made their lives miserable. Emotionally abusive, manipulative and cruel, he uses people, especially women. When the three happen to meet each other, and him, at a luxury hotel near Cornwall, they decide to get even and rid themselves of his presence.

But when Ellis' body is found, the three know one thing: murder was not part of the plan. Not one of them knows if the other/s killed Ellis and with Detectives Gus Brodie and Stephanie King going over everyone's stories with a fine-tooth comb, it seems like it's only a matter of time before someone goes down.

I really enjoyed the concept of this psychological thriller – three women brought together with one goal. The mystery is interesting because all three have alibis and it's fun trying to figure out how the murder could have been pulled off. Ellis is the worst kind of man and I was NOT sorry that he died.

I do feel like the fact that Juliette was written in the first person and Celia and Nadia in the third means some of the suspense is ruined. If all three had been written from the distant third person it would have ramped up the mystery of who killed Ellis even more.

For me, the ending was rushed. The suspense around the murder had been building well throughout the plot and then the final moments, and twist, hit too quickly. I felt like there was room to tease it out a little more. I also found Stephanie's reaction to how the story ended unbelievable but that's just me.

I'll definitely look out for more from this author.

Ellis Cobain was a rich man & a philanthropist. However he wasn't a nice man. He is found murdered on his luxury yacht, moored beside the boutique hotel where he & his wife were staying and the reader soon finds out that there are three women that had cause to wish him dead. Detective Stephanie King had stayed there a week before so had seen him & his reactions to people. The story is told mostly through the three women both in the past & the present which could be a bit disjointed at times. Nadia was a nasty piece of work, Cecily is a poor soul & Juliette, whilst fairly likeable did go on!

I found the setting very good but the plot somewhat far fetched & I hated the ending! I have read previous books in the series & quite enjoyed them. Although I am a fan of Rachel Abbot I don't think I'll be reading any more in this series. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

Thank you net gallery for the opportunity to read this book.

First of all let me mention this is the fourth in the series. However it does not impact on this book

This is the perfect book of you like a thriller where you hear about the perspectives of two sides the police and the suspects!! In this case 3 women and the murder of a wealthy man. I love how this story was more about the characters rather than the crime.

I like this book it has all the twist and turns needed for a perfect thriller. It’s a novel in which the reader is always allowed to be a few steps ahead of the police,; we’re kept wondering how it will be resolved.

Enjoyable read.

A decent detective novel but there was too much background noise and a convoluted crime that made it a bit muddy . The ending was also a little contrived for my liking.

This book. What can I say. It was going so well. I was really enjoying. The mystery aspect of who had really done it and what was going on was really engaging.
But that ending, I just can't forgive. I was so invested in the story, what was happening, what was going to happen until that last 1% of the book which really threw it all for me.
The bringing of the characters to life, the convoluted plot, the back and forth in timelines. I enjoyed all that thoroughly.
Less enjoyable was the first person POV for just one person but also the third person view for everyone else. I found that a bit odd to get my head around initially.
Then the least enjoyable. The ending.
It was such a strong book. Would definitely have been a 4/5 if not for this. But honestly I'm annoyed and disappointed. Like, why?
Not at all for me. Sorry.
Favourite Quote - She was lying through her teeth.
Favourite Character - Celia

Firstly thank you netgalley & Headline for allowing me to read this book early!

I started out having so much fun reading it but the it just started to get repetitive as the 3 characters talk about the same night multiple times but different POVs!

I did really enjoy all of the characters! I feel like they wore all so different to eachother which was great!!

Over all it’s a 3 star for me!!

A brilliant twisty thriller that will have you up late into the night. I think it is her best book and would highly recommend this if you are into thrillers then this is for you

Brilliant and i loved loved loved it

This is the fourth book in this series but only the second I have read (I read the second in the series some time ago) and whilst I will have definitely missed out on the back story; I actually didn't think it had that much of an impact on how much I enjoyed this book.

With fantastic characters, a complex and intriguing story line that kept me guessing until the end and with twists and turns and all written at a good pace, this is a great book that I was totally invested in from the start. I have to admit that I have never been so pleased to see a character meet a sticky end ... Ellis Cobain is definitely not a nice man and, I feel, got his comeuppance and, if anything, it wasn't horrid enough for me!!!!

If I have one niggle it's that I found Juliette's bits to be a bit repetitive and she was annoying me so much so that I found it hard to have any sympathy with her and the situation she found herself in but, apart from that, I enjoyed it and would recommend to anyone who enjoys a good murder/mystery/crime thriller.

My thanks go to the author, Headline, Wildfire and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this book.

Apparently this is book 4 in a series about DS Stephanie King but I read it as a standalone without a problem.
The story begins when Steph is at a hotel with her mum. During the evening she is people watching and noticed a woman who didn't like a man in her group near her, Later she has a conversation with another woman who is very anxious of her husband's behaviour because she's late for dinner and finally she notices that the cabaret singer sees one of the men in that group and she looks triumphant as she sings.
Five days later, she is called to investigate a murder. One of the men in the group is dead.
The characters and plot was a good one. The twists work and I didn't work out the killer. I felt it got a bit samey in the middle without exploring more about the women, but then picked up towards the last third.
I shall look out for others in the series.

A great read. This was gripping from the first to last page. The characters were convincing and a great storyline, intertwining three women who meet at a hotel and come together to destroy the man who has upset each of their lives.
It was a roller-coaster of a ride, clever, twisted and compelling, I look forward to reading more by Rachel Abbott

I didn’t realise it was a 4th book in a series, although I don’t think it impacted this book. I will be going off to find the 1st three though.

A story that holds and grips tight until you turn the last page. I definitely recommend The last time I saw him by Rachel Abbott