The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh

The Last Party (DC Morgan)

by Clare Mackintosh

THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES TOP 5 BESTSELLER AND START OF A THRILLING NEW SERIES: AT MIDNIGHT, ONE OF THEM IS DEAD. BY MORNING, ALL OF THEM ARE SUSPECTS . . .
'Superb, with echoes of Agatha Christie' PATRICIA CORNWELL
'A dark delight of a murder mystery' JANICE HALLETT
'Mackintosh is just getting better and better' PETER JAMES
'A wickedly enjoyable reprise of the traditional crime novel' THE TIMES

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.
A Game of Lies, the new thriller featuring DC Ffion Morgan, is available to pre-order now.

***

PRAISE FOR THE LAST PARTY:
'Whipsmart dialogue, great characters . . . Another standout for Mackintosh' LINWOOD BARCLAY

'Detectives Leo and Ffion make a storming debut' BELINDA BAUER

'Clare Mackintosh is a genius' FIONA CUMMINS

'I absolutely inhaled this insanely gripping and atmospheric thriller' ERIN KELLY

'I loved everything about The Last Party. An absolute triumph' CLAIRE DOUGLAS

'I fell in love with courageous, complicated DC Ffion Morgan' RUTH WARE

'This is the new crime series you need in your life' WILL DEAN

'Superb. Enough red herrings to keep even the most seasoned crime reader guessing' C.L. TAYLOR

'Fantastic, drily humorous and layered, a wonderful introduction to Detectives Leo and Ffion' LJ ROSS

'Expertly plotted and relentlessly gripping' LUCY CLARKE

'DC Ffion Morgan is complicated, funny and very sweary' LOUISE CANDLISH

'Twists that blindside you all the way' MARI HANNAH

'A superbly entertaining murder mystery' ALLIE REYNOLDS

'With twists to make you gasp, this is a top-notch read' FABULOUS

'I guarantee you'll never guess whodunnit' MARK EDWARDS

'Murder, mystery, a cellar-full of dark secrets, and a memorable cast of characters' VASEEM KHAN

'Brims with authenticity, perfectly rounded off with a classic Mackintosh twist' KIA ABDULLAH

'Mackintosh has created a brilliant pairing in DC Ffion Morgan and DC Leo Brady' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING

'A great story, evocative setting, brilliant characters and shocking twists' CLAIRE MCGOWAN

'Superb . . . Mackintosh consistently entertains' PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, STARRED REVIEW

'Mackintosh has a way of taking thrillers to dazzling new heights' BP WALTER

'I loved the team of DC Ffion Morgan and DC Leo Brady' PRIMA

'Mackintosh brings a new depth to her work, without stinting on her customary twisty plotting' EXPRESS


THE LAST PARTY was a No.4 Sunday Times hardback bestseller August 2022

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on

5 of 5 stars

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Book Summary:

Ffion Morgan is an officer working in a small town. The type of town where everyone knows everyone. So it's her job to deal with the murder that just washes up on shore, in this case. Rhys Lloyd is a respected owner and musician living on Mirror Lake, and his death will shake the neighborhood.

Though maybe it won't be a surprise to those that knew him. Working alongside Ffion is another officer by the name of Leo. He's not from the area, but that means he'll bring a fresh perspective - and significantly fewer biases – to the picture.

My Review:

Ohhhh, I think I'm in love with this new series! The Last Party is the first novel in Clare Mackintosh's DC Morgan series, and you better believe I'll be nabbing every book in this series from now on!

The Last Party is a complex murder mystery. There are SO many characters, and it feels like each one of them has a motive for the death of Rhys Lloyd. To say that this guy was a jerk would be the understatement of the century. Anyway, I digress.

The novel is told through two primary perspectives, Ffion's and Leo's. They help to balance each other out while pointing out different details in the investigation. It also worked to help obfuscate the truth, as both have a backstory they'd rather not talk about.

I really enjoyed how The Last Party unfolded. I even enjoyed the twist at the end and everything it brought with it. I'll be curious to see how Morgan's story continues in future novels, and I can't wait to find out.

Highlights:
Murder Mystery
Multiple Motives
Tight-knit Town
Potential adaptation (optioned rights)
First in a series

Trigger Warnings:
Death
Assault

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 1 January, 2023: Finished reading
  • 1 January, 2023: Reviewed