Clare Mackintosh’s Last Party

Submitted: 29th July 2022

Clare Mackintosh’s Last Party

It might be the last party but it’s the first in a new series by crime writer extraordinaire Claire Macintosh.

On New Year’s Eve, Rhys Lloyd has a lake house full of guests ready for a party. He’s invited the locals for a drink but not everyone is there to celebrate. By the end of the night, he lies dead in the water. Enter DC Ffion Morgan, who has to investigate a crime in the village she grew up in. This is going to be complicated. Especially when Ffion herself has something to hide.

BookTrail locations in The Last Party

Boarding Pass Information: The Last Party

Destination : Wales

Author guide: Clare Mackintosh

Genre: crime fiction

Food and drink to accompany: Welsh cakes and celebratory champagne

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Crime fiction to transport you to a Welsh Party hotel complex

BookTrail locations in The Last Party

In a small Welsh village, a body is found in a lake during the traditional swim on New Year’s Day. The Shore is the name of the resort which sits on the lake just outside the village of Cwn Coed. Fictional sadly as the house sounds amazing, but good as once the party kicks off, you would not really want to be here in real life!

When the celebrity host is found murdered,, you just know it’s going to be a case of who wanted him dead or who wanted him dead first. Celebrity and rich guests rub up against the locals who don’t want The Shore here. Their village is nice and quiet thank you very much and The Shore brings trouble.

Good to see that despite the drama, there is always time for a bit of romance. Welsh police officer DC Ffion Morgan and her English Police partner, DC Leo Bradymight seem to make an unlikely team. However, cross-border relations are not what they seem.

Apt that it’s set in and around a lake as you lose count of the red herrings swimming around.

If it’s strong plotting you want then this is the book for you. Apt that it’s set in and around a lake as you lose count of the red herrings swimming around. The cross border nature of the novel worked really well as it set the scene for all kinds of drama. Trying to work out who committed the crime and why was not easy. This is the work of a master writer! I had to slow my reading right down towards the end as those red herrings were catapulted from that lake one after the other. I am going to feast on them for some time to come as I savour each and every one.

BookTrail locations in The Last Party

The POV and timeline of the novel was particularly strong and worked very well. We hear from Ffion and Leo but also the victim and the party goers in the days and weeks leading to the party itself. Interesting to hear from Lloyd, the Golden Boy himself. Not so golden as it turns out. I felt like a fly on the wall hearing things from all sides and rubbing my hands with glee as I thought I had cracked the case. Nope.

I might not want to go to a party with Claire Mackintosh any time soon but give me a reatreat like this one in the Welsh mountains, at a luxury resort like this one, add a man like Leo and a plate of those red herrings and I would be a very happy reader indeed.