The Last Act of Hattie Hoffman
by Mindy Mejia
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Pub Date 20 Aug 2017 | Archive Date 2 Oct 2017
Description
“A suspenseful and heart-wrenching thriller about ambition, obsession, and what happens when the lies we tell about ourselves become indistinguishable from the truth”
Robin Wasserman, author of GIRLS ON FIRE
“Exploits conventional ideas about female manipulation only to challenge them . . . a haunting piece of fiction, full of characters whose self-obsession leads to tragedy”
Sunday Times, Crime Book of the Month
“Beautifully told, it is Mejia's first book to be published in Britain and announces her as a future star in crime writing”
Daily Mail
Everyone thought they knew Hattie Hoffman. When she was
murdered, they found out just how wrong they were.
Seventeen-year-old Hattie Hoffman is a talented actress, loved by everyone in her Minnesotan hometown. So when she's found stabbed to death on the opening night of her school play, the tragedy rips through the fabric of the community.
Local sheriff Del Goodman, a good friend of Hattie's dad, vows to find her killer, but the investigation yields more secrets than answers; it turns out Hattie played as many parts offstage as on. Told from three perspectives: Del's, Hattie's high school English teacher and Hattie herself, The Last Act of Hattie Hoffman tells the story of the real Hattie, and what happened that final year of school when she dreamed of leaving her small town behind . . .
Wonderfully evocative of its Midwestern setting and with a cast of unforgettable characters, this is a book about manipulation of relationships and identity, about the line between innocence and culpability, about the hope love offers and the tragedies that occur when it spins out of control.
Advance Praise
“A gripping mystery” – the Guardian
“An utterly absorbing and original novel that explores the secrets and lies at the center of a small town in Minnesota. Mindy Mejia is an exciting new voice on the crime scene.” - Elly Griffiths
“An exquisitely written look at the claustrophobic nature of
small town life, Mindy Mejia has created an atmospheric psychological
thriller, with a central character who will live on in your thoughts
after the last page is turned” – Sinead Crowley,
author of Can Anybody Help Me? And Are You Watching Me?
“Mindy Mejia peels away the layers of a small-town crime of passion to leave your heart aching. Sheriff Del Goodman brings a war-weary humanity to a murder investigation that confronts youthful arrogance and presumption, a fear of settling for too little and the tragic force of love. A brilliant crime thriller” – Isabelle Grey, author of Out of Sight, The Bad Mother and Shot Through the Heart
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781784295769 |
| PRICE | £7.99 (GBP) |
Featured Reviews
Susan D, Reviewer
If you only read one book this year it has to be The Last Act of Hattie Hoffman. I absolutely loved this book from start to finish. I sat down to read for an hour, 4 hours later I was still reading away. I loved the setting, the characters, the story, infact I just loved it all. I have nothing bad to say about this book. The story is so engrossing, I loved the character of Del who is the town's sheriff and Hattie's Dad's best friend. You could feel his pain and determination to find out who killed Hattie. I thought I had guessed who done it but I was wrong and actually really happy about it. I really dont know what to do with myself now and need to have a book night off. Hattie will be with me for a while. Highly recommend this book and even though its only January this could very well be my book of 2017.
Rachel N, Book Trade Professional
I LOVED this book - feels like a cult read in the making. Will be recommending his to everyone I know!
Liz W, Reviewer
NOTE: This book also has the title “Everything You Want Me to Be”
For me this novel was a simply incredible read. I’ll be honest and say I think the alternative (US?) title suits it better but a rose by any other name and all that…..
The story follows Hattie during the last year of her life, her death is a given and there is an extremely small suspect pool so don’t go into this thinking it’s a whodunnit with a huge twist in the tale, you’ll only be disappointed. This is a brilliantly written and intuitive character study of one young girl trying to find her place in the world and the tragedy that befalls her. Told from 3 separate points of view, Hattie, the sheriff and her high school teacher, the story unfolds with perfect pacing and perfectly placed little gems of information but the real beauty of it is in Hattie herself – a divisive and compelling character who slowly but surely comes into focus and comes into her own.
It is haunting and poignant, because you feel the ending from the beginning – whether you love or detest Hattie you can’t save her, it gives an edge and sense of awareness to proceedings that makes the whole thing utterly gripping. The twist in this novel is in the sense of the characters and whilst this is not a new concept – seeing what comes before the fall – Mindy Mejia does it with a deft touch and a real eye for eliciting emotional responses from the reader making Hattie unforgettable. All of them actually, the ones we hear from and the ones we see through their eyes – families, friends, a community in turmoil and what, or who, brought them to that point.
The author peels back the layers one at a time, drawing you in, keeping you hovering above the crash that is coming – whilst at the same time plunging you into the hidden emotional depths of the people concerned. It is at turns heartbreaking and cruelly ironic, a really intense piece of storytelling that digs deep.
I loved it because I love the ones that make me feel it every step of the way from the first sentence to the last and that is what this did.
Highly Recommended.
Olga K, Reviewer
I simply loved this book! It was an easy but addictive read, well written, with realistic and masterfully drawn out characters and a brilliant plot. It had everything - murder, love, betrayal, secrets, lies, police procedural and much more. I wish I was just starting to read it - absolutely brilliant! I can't stop thinking and talking about it.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.
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