November 2022

THE LAST PARTY is the third Clare Mackintosh book that I have read; her first two, I LET YOU GO and I SEE YOU, were also Bets On picks. Her latest is a smartly plotted work in which she juggles both timelines and characters. Many voices tell this story. There are multiple twists. And it requires that you pay attention. It’s a great blend of police procedural and psychological thriller, and the balance between the two is part of why it works so well.

The last party takes place on New Year’s Eve. Rhys Lloyd had a successful music career, but he’s home now with his tail between his legs as his days of getting big gigs is behind him. He’s moved in a new direction, developing land that was left to his family into an exclusive resort called The Shore. The fly in the ointment? The Shore is across the lake from the village of Cwm Coed in Wales, where he grew up. The resort is in England, leaving those in his hometown a lot less than pleased.

To try to make some peace, Rhys extends an olive branch, inviting everyone from Cwm Coed to a New Year’s Eve party. Many take him up on this, and in the morning, a body is found in the lake. I’m not telling you who it is, but once we find out, there are a LOT of suspects. Brought in to work the case is DC Ffion Morgan, who hails from Wales, and she teams up with her British counterpart. There’s great tension and lots of suspense. If you guess this one, I will be surprised.

THE LAST PARTY is the start of a series. For the record, I could see a streaming series based on this cast of characters. The action is so whipsmart that I could picture the cliffhangers each week --- and that is not something that I typically say!