LAST SEEN is set amidst the cabana huts of a British beach along an isolated sandbank peninsula. Here, Lucy Clarke introduces us to Sarah and Isla, who are such good friends that they gave birth to their sons a month apart and named them Jacob and Marley as a tongue-in-cheek homage to the ghostly spirit from A CHRISTMAS CAROL.

Their friendship has been tested over the years. Sarah married Nick, Isla’s first love who she gave up only to better herself abroad. She had no idea that he would get together with Sarah and become her husband. But the biggest issue between them is a shared tragedy that, in retrospect, might have more to it than what appears on the surface. One day, Jacob and Marley went missing, and everyone along The Sandbank claims that they were last seen in the water. One member of the search party returns with just Jacob. Regrettably, Marley perished in the ocean, and Isla has never gotten over this.

"As the chapters whiz by, another potential explanation [for Jacob's disappearance] emerges, and it’s a whopper…if it’s true. Be sure to kick off this summer’s beach season with LAST SEEN, which is among Lucy Clarke’s best novels."

This is where LAST SEEN gets tricky and fun, from a psychological thriller standpoint. When 17-year-old Jacob suddenly disappears after separate fights with his parents and his pregnant girlfriend, Chloe --- ironically on both his birthday and the anniversary of Marley’s tragic loss --- Sarah and Nick go into a complete panic and tailspin. Isla is abroad in Chile on a vacation and apparently is not aware of what is going on at The Sandbank.

Even though there is no suicide note, the police are leaning that way with their investigation based on the fact that Jacob was under immense pressure due to Chloe's unwanted pregnancy, in addition to possible drug abuse and erratic behavior that led to him being given a final warning at his job. The novel goes back and forth in time with chapters told mostly from the perspective of either Sarah or Isla. 

A long-standing development is the tight bond that Jacob has with Isla. He would not share anything with his parents and told her before anyone else that his girlfriend was pregnant. Isla is hard to figure out at this point. Is she maintaining this relationship with Jacob just because she sees him as the only close reminder of Marley? Or is there something more sinister going on?

Clarke introduces the various residents of the sandbar beach hut community, and each appears to have some reason to be involved in Jacob’s disappearance. As the chapters whiz by, another potential explanation emerges, and it’s a whopper…if it’s true. 

Be sure to kick off this summer’s beach season with LAST SEEN, which is among Lucy Clarke’s best novels.