The Last Party: A Novel

Main Characters: --Ffion Morgan – Detective Constable in Wales, 30 years old, lives with her mother and sister in Cwm Coed since separating from her husband --Leo Brady – Detective Constable in England, 36 years old, lives alone since divorcing his wife, has a young son --Elen & Seren Morgan – Ffion’s mother and 16-year-old sister --Rhys & Yasmin Lloyd – Rhys is a famous singer originally from Cwm Coed, trying to rebuild his career and hopes to capitalize on his popularity to make The Shore an attractive investment for wealthy Londoners, Yasmin dabbles in interior design; parents to twin teenage daughters Tabby and Felicia --Jonty & Blythe Charlton – Jonty is an investor who typically matches investors to opportunities, but he is the primary investor in The Shore; he and his wife Blythe own one of the homes; parents to Woody and Hester --Bobby & Ashleigh Stafford – Bobby is a down-to-earth retired boxer also originally from Cwm Coed; after his retirement, he had a small part in a television show that pivoted to a recurring role; married to Ashley, a social media influencer who really just capitalizes on Bobby’s fame --Clemmie & Caleb Northcote – the seemingly least wealthy residents of The Shore, Clemmie moved with her teenage son Caleb from England to remove him from the troubling circle of friends he had --Dee Huxley – older owner of one of the vacation homes of The Shore, no one seems to know much about her, she lives alone, stays to herself --Huw Ellis – Ffion’s estranged husband, main contractor of The Shore --Mia Williams – one of Ffion’s friends (by default), they were two years apart in school and now go out drinking together; she is a housekeeper and has just started cleaning at The Shore --Ceri Jones – the postwoman of Cwm Coed …and too many more to mention Wow…just…wow! This was my first Clare Mackintosh novel, and it will not be my last. This felt like the mother of all whodunits, and I promise you that I will not give it away. Everyone loved Rhys Lloyd! Who would want to murder such a beloved star? But the more of the book you read, the more you wonder who wouldn’t want to murder him. Literally everyone is a suspect. The story begins on New Year’s Day, in the village of Cwm Coed (pronounced Coom Coyd), the morning of the New Year’s Day swim when Rhys Lloyd’s body washes up in Llyn Drych (Mirror Lake). A famous singer who grew up in Cwm Coyd, Rhys and his investor Jonty, had invited residents of Cwm Coed to a New Year’s Eve party at their vacation resort The Shore. There’s a lot of animosity between the not-so-wealthy residents of Cwm Coed and the wealthy owners of the vacation homes of The Shore. Rhys’s mother Glynis still lives in Cwm Coed, and the land used for The Shore had once been part of Wales and was left to Rhys by his father. The goal of the party was to show the people of Cwm Coed that residents of The Shore just want to be part of the village, one big happy family. Or not. A major component of this story is the conflict between the Welsh and the English. People speak Welsh to prevent the English from understanding. One of the residents from England tries to learn some Welsh phrases to fit in. And there are a number of annoyed references to mispronunciations of Welsh names. I was glad I read it on a Kindle to translate some of the phrases from Welsh because the author didn’t always define them and context clues weren’t all that helpful at times. But what seemed like a bit of a distraction at first really helped demonstrate the animosity…and turned a “whodunit” into a “no really, whodunit?” I loved the interactions between Ffion and Leo from the beginning. They demonstrate a ton of chemistry. Leo makes Ffion realize she doesn’t need to work alone (she calls herself The Lone Ranger), and Ffion makes Leo realize that he is capable of fighting back against his ex-wife. They are good investigators alone, but they are so much better together. The story alternates time frames in Part One with the investigation (Ffion and Leo chapters) working forward from New Year’s Day and the character reveals (all the other residents) working backward from New Year’s Eve. When we get to Part Two and really start to learn what’s going on, the investigation still continues forward, but the character reveals go back to June when The Shore opened and work their way up to the party. The buildup to the big reveal of who killed Rhys was incredibly satisfying, and I still gasped at the ending. You don’t want to miss this. This is a stand-alone, and I can’t wait to read how Ffion’s story continues.

When Rhys Lloyd is murdered the night of his New Year's party, there is no shortage of suspects. Rhys had been a local Welsh boy who won a singing contest and made it big. When his father died, his will gave Rhys his land and Rhys leveraged it into a high end development of vacation homes. The local townspeople are not happy with that. Rhys is also a bully and a philander. He has cheated routinely on his wife and isn't above a little force if a woman or girl isn't willing. He's also a rogue in business. He owes the local contractor for his work and his plans for a water sports center will put another out of business. He lies to his partner about their financial position and spends company funds on his personal debts. Since the development is on the border between Wales and England, two police forces are assigned. Leo is the English DI. He is divorced and his ex wife is keeping his young son from him. The Welsh police are represented by Ffion Morgan. She grew up in the village and knows everyone there. This case could uncover her biggest secret and she can't have that. Clare Mackintosh is an English author whose mystery novels have been successful from the start. This novel is the first in the Ffion Morgan series and its Welsh policewoman is a fiercely independent woman who has secrets of her own. The lives and motives of all the characters are revealed with just the right speed and the solution to the murder is shocking when it is finally revealed. This book is recommended for mystery readers.

The story was easy to read. I suppose it was engaging. The author is a good storyteller. My feelings after finishing it was that all of the characters had no real moral standing. There was no good guy in this whodunnit. At one point I expected that everyone would have a hand in killing the guy. While the ending had a twist, I'd have rather not known especially since it's book one in a series. That reveal might have been better placed in the next book. The author is a good storyteller, but in this book I had no sympathy with any of the characters. I walked away thinking what a horrible life for each of them, but they brought it on themselves. I do have one part that i was surprised got past editing. At about 10% in on the kindle there was a remark about one character being a space consultant. The male officer made a comment something like "does she work for NASA?" Seeing how the book was set in England and Wales, a reference to the US space agency rather than the UKSA seemed odd and pulled me right out of the story. I thought the author must be American, but no, she's a Brit. So now I'm more confused.

Normally I don't like books which switch backwards and forwards between times and people but with this book It worked well. A good read which keeps you guessing

I love Clare's books. The excitement those of us in her Face Book Book Club had in the lead up to the launch made this a highly anticipated read. And I was not disappointed. It was a long book and very diverse with the way the many characters came into the plot and the moving from the past to present lead up to the New Year's Eve party back to the past was well woven throughout. The characters, most of who bought an expensive holiday villa at a new development on the shores of a lake on the Welsh/English border, or locals, were varied in their reasons for being there and all having their reason to hate Rhys, but did any of them kill him? The 2 main characters Ffion and Leo bought a bit of light relief to the story. Leo was one to stick to the book when it came to the law but Ffion was a bit more relaxed with it all. Their relationship developed from Page 1 as we learnt about their lives and I look forward to reading more about them in future books. This is an exciting start to a new crime series and can't wait until the next one.

Brilliant plot, characters and ambiance! Loved it …. A book I will definitely remember!

And has given us a fantastic new thriller, introducing a wonderful new female detective and a delectable male one as well...And also had the added benefit of introducing me to Wales, where I have never been. Told from various points of views the plot twists and turns and has many surprises up its sleeve. And the eye to detail is superb! Can't wait for the next installment!

Clare Mackintosh never fails to surprise the reader. This is the first in the series and a great start. DC Ffion Morgan is relatable - a character with great strengths but also flaws. She works with Leo, a detective from across the border in England and their relationship and ways of working together help to propel the story forward. Every twist and turn adds more complication so it’s a story to keep you up at night. I am already looking forward to the next in the series.