Zoe Sharp is a new author to me but I loved her writing style and the two main characters in particular.

Blake has been missing for 10 years when her apparent reappearance at her father's funeral ruffles more than a few feathers and leads to a series of attacks in the otherwise sleepy rural area.

Detective Superintendent Byron is ostensibly on medical leave when he finds himself at Fitzroy's funeral, looking into the details around his death, and inadvertently drawn into the drama surrounding Blake's sudden reappearance.

A great read with intriguing characters, which is written from multiple points of view, gripping, suspenseful and packed with twists. I can't wait for the rest of the series.

This is a great book! Blake shows up after being missing for 10 years, but is it really her? Detective Byron is asked to look into her claims, but he feels a connection with Blake. It’s all very mysterious. The suspense of this story is palpable! I couldn’t stop reading! I can’t wait for the next book!

Meet John Byron, detective superintendent in the Met. So what the hell is he doing in the quiet and peaceful Derbyshire Dales? Good question…. He’s been sent by people further up the policing food chain. Why? A suspicious death…. Obviously!!!

Now the Fitzroy family is complex one. The recently deceased a former MP, second wife with two young children and a brother who introduced the pairing. And then there is the matter of the missing daughter from Fitzroy’s first marriage. Only she’s not missing, she’s conveniently (not that I’m cynical) reappeared on the day of her father’s funeral. The question is, was Fitzroy’s death a tragic accident or did someone help him to his vehicular death ??!

I loved the Derbyshire backdrop. I grew up in the Dales so my familiarity gave the imagery in my head a level of serious authenticity. I know the country roads in that part of the world can be treacherous!Winter can be particularly horrible! And Sharp definitely got the close knit community feel of Derbyshire folk right, well for me she did!!

I’ve not read any of the author’s previous novels but I loved my first foray into her writing. I was absorbed by Byron’s investigation and Blake’s je-ne-sais-quai. I’m very excited to see where Sharp takes this pairing in this series (well I presume it’s a series given it says Book 1 on the cover 😂). Ms Sharp, you have a new fan!!

Firstly, thank you to #NetGalley and #Bookouture for giving me an digital advanced reader's copy of #TheLastTimeSheDied by #ZoeSharp in exchange for a genuine review.

I felt like it started out good but then everything just changed as I continued to flip through the pages. Sometimes I just struggle to keep up especially if there are many different characters in the story - I guess it depends on how the author writes it. So with this book I found it hard to get into because again it was a bit of a mess for me. I also think this book was a bit slow even if it was supposed to be a thriller. It was an okay book for me because the plot was also like most of the thrillers that I have read before. So it's a 3 star read for me.

Gideon Fitzroy was killed when the car he was driving went off the road. Today is his funeral and local PC Jane Hudson is attending. Her mentor from when she was on the London Metropolitan police force, DS John Byron, is there are well. He has been on medical leave and Jane is happy to see him. At the funeral, Byron sees a thin woman on the edge of the grounds watching the event. Then, she slips away.

The Fitzroy family lives in a large estate home called Claremont. When they are returning from the funeral, they find that someone has broken into the home and did not try to run away. The police first arrest then release the woman who says she is Blake Claremont, daughter of Gideon, who disappeared when she was 15.

This book is filled with lots of characters and the reader has to pay close attention to keep them all straight. It’s a fast-paced novel that can satisfy the crime/mystery lover’s heart. I enjoyed it but found it a bit too intense at times. However, if you like a book filled with lots of twists and turns, this is a good one for you.

Copy provided by the NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

When ex-MP Gideon Fitzroy is buried, the last person anyone expected to see at his funeral is his estranged daughter Blake. Last seen ten years ago when she was fifteen, no one has been able to find any trace of her. Is she really who she says she is and if so, why has she come back now?

These are questions that Fizroy’s widow, and technically Blake’s stepmother, wants to know the answers to, in case her inheritance of the family fortune is at risk. Detective John Byron, currently on special leave, also wants to know. He attended the funeral at the request of the Met, as there were some unanswered questions about why Fitzroy voluntarily stood down from parliament and some concern his death by car crash might not have been accidental. Some others are also not happy to hear Blake is back since they believed her to be dead.

This is a terrific start to what promises to be a great new series featuring Byron and Blake. Both clever, both flawed, they have traumatic backstories and together make such an interesting pair. There is a great cast of characters to love or hate and some stunning twists as Blake (or is she Blake?) gradually shows her true intentions on returning to her family home.

Why haven’t I come across Zoe Sharp before? Brilliantly written psychological book. Did she, didn’t she, is she, isn’t she. This book will keep you guessing right to the very end. I can’t wait to read more of her books. A definite 5 stars.

This is the first of what is to be a “Blake and Byron” series. The plot was decent, though
I thought it progressed slowly at times. There are certainly red herrings and twists. While the readers do eventually learn a little bit about Byron’s background, I hope that in the next book (which I will read) more is revealed as he remained a bit of a mystery.

Blake returns after her father's funeral, after ten years away. Byron, a rehabilitating police detective, attends the funeral, but his motives for being there are not what they seem. An intriguing cast of characters, misdirections and psychological suspense keep the reader absorbed. There is an engaging dynamic between Blake and Byron. Hopefully, to be explored in later books. A believable investigation, contemporary issues, and a mystery to solve make this a satisfying read.

I received a copy of this book from Bookouture via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This book has been super hyped and so I was super excited to read.

I found this book to be a very slow burn, considering it was a thriller. I also found it difficult to keep up with the many different characters - i've never been good with books with too many characters. I didn't feel that the characters in this book were unique and different enough for me to follow.
I also found the plot to be very similar to other thrillers I have read before. "Missing person comes back, but are they who they say they are?"

Overall it was an OK book, but it's not a thriller that will stay with me, or one that I will be raving about.

Zoe Sharps "The last time she died" is the first book in the new Blake and Bryon Thrillers series and boy was it one hell of a start!

After disappearing ten years ago, a young woman long presumed dead walks back into town. But it couldn't possibly be her, right? People can't come back from the dead. Her return from the dead couldn't have come at more inopportune moment and noone is happy to see her return.

“Don’t you recognize me?” she says. “I’m Blake.”

But she can't be Blake. We know she is dead. The book opens up with her murder. They know she is dead too. So who is this mysterious blonde girl...

In my opinion it's a rare occurrence to read a book that lives up to it's blurb. "A totally unputdownable crime thriller with a mind-blowing twist" honestly doesn't even do it full justice. Sharps novel has so many wonderful twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. Just when you think you have the mystery solved be prepared to be blindsided again!

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

EXCERPT: Prologue - ten years ago

Three go into the forest.

Two squint against the lash of rain, grunt with the effort it takes to half carry, half drag the third through the claw of branches and brambles. Mud already slick beneath their boots. Feet already sodden.

One of them wishing to be anywhere but here.

The other just wishing it done.

Their burden is not yet sixteen. Easier to haul than a full-grown adult, but . . .

Dead weight.

Dead.

ABOUT 'THE LAST TIME SHE DIED': She came back on the day of her father’s funeral, ten years after she vanished. But she can’t be who she says she is…

When Blake disappeared as a teenager, on a cold dark night, her father never reported her missing. She is presumed dead.

Now, ten years later, a young woman with white-blonde hair sits comfortably in the family living room and smiles at the shocked faces around her.

“Don’t you recognise me?” she says. “I’m Blake.”

Detective John Byron isn’t sure whether she’s telling the truth. But as he investigates, he soon realises no one is happy to see her.

And the people who should be welcoming her back with open arms know she can’t be Blake. Because they killed her the night she vanished…

Didn’t they?

MY THOUGHTS: It is not often that I agree with the statement, bandied about so often on book covers, mostly undeserved, that the book contained within is “A totally unputdownable crime thriller with a mind-blowing twist.”, but in this case I do. Wholeheartedly.

Full of tension and suspense, The Last Time She Died had me jamming my buds into my ears or picking up my Kindle at every opportunity. After the enticing prologue, the book begins at a funeral. What's not to love?

And it just keeps on getting better, and better - there's a family fortune to be inherited, and a second wife. But is everything quite as straightforward as it seems? Especially if the stranger at the funeral does indeed prove to be Blake, the dead man's daughter who disappeared ten years earlier and was presumed, if not actually declared dead; something the second wife Virginia was intent on taking care of the minute she had Gideon's funeral out of the way.

Other than an old neighbour, no one is convinced Blake is who she says she is, including John Byron, a detective on recuperative medical leave who, strictly speaking, shouldn't even be there.

There are many twists and turns in this book, but all work well and keep the reader guessing and off balance. And while there is plenty of action in The Last Time She Died, it is really the amazing cast of characters that Sharp has created that carry the plot.

Blake is a chameleon. She is Blake. She isn't Blake. She may be Blake. Whoever she is, her presence is a danger, and there's more than one person who wants her out of the picture, completely.

Byron is an astute and more than competent detective. But has he hooked his wagon to the wrong horse in believing in Blake?

Even Gideon's death in a motor accident may not be quite as straightforward as it seemed. That's what Byron is there to find out - unofficially. There is just a hint of scandal in his past and the possibility that someone may have killed him to prevent it coming to light. Or, the car accident could just be . . . a car accident.

Virginia and her children Lily and Tom (not Gideon's children); Underhill- a bent cop; Roger Flint - Virginia's brother, Gideon's right hand man, and a compulsive gambler; the Hardings, with whom Blake often took refuge after the death of her mother; and a delightfully nosy pub landlady are some of the other characters who people this novel.

Tamsin Kennard, narrator of the audiobook, had me completely entranced and believing in her characters. I will be looking for more books using this narrator.

I was totally riveted by The Last Time She Died; from the title - that is definitely an attention grabbing title! - to the very last word. Sharp hasn't put a word wrong.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#TheLastTimeSheDied #NetGalley

I: @authorzoesharp @bookouture

T: @authorzoesharp @Bookouture

#fivestarread #contemporaryfiction #crime #detectivefiction #familydrama #mystery #suspense #thriller

THE AUTHOR: Zoë Sharp spent most of her formative years living aboard a catamaran on the northwest coast of England. She opted out of mainstream education at the age of twelve and wrote her first novel at fifteen. She became a freelance photojournalist in 1988 and started writing her Charlie Fox crime thriller series after receiving death-threats in the course of her work.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Bookouture and Bookouture Audio via Netgalley for providing both a digital and an audio ARC of The Last Time She Died by Zoë Sharp for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

This is a new series.

I love finding new series to start and getting to know all the characters.

This caught my attention and immediately it drew me in to the story.

The tension, suspense and mystery were prominent all the way through and all the revelations kept me reading till the end.

Highly recommend

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I had not read any of Zoe Sharp's books before and I'm not sure how I missed her. This is the first book in a new series but she has two long established series, Charlie Fox and Grace McColl, which have just moved onto my TBR list.
When a former British MP dies in a one car crash, his death raises some questions. Not enough to mount a full blown investigation, but a discreet inquiry is in order. Enter detective John Byron. An unexpected guest has come to the funeral. A striking young woman claiming to be the MP's daughter, missing for 10 years and thought dead. This is the beginning of an original story line, is she the daughter or not? Is she there to seek justice....or revenge? The story is very compelling, don't start this book just before bed or you will not get much sleep. The interactions between detective Byron and Blake, the prodigal daughter, add tension and some sizzle to the story. All in all, I'd recommend this to anyone who likes a great mystery done right. I'm certainly bringing it to our next book circle.

This is the first book in a series and grabbed me at the beginning.
Blake disappeared as a teenager, 10 years ago. She shows up on the day of her father's funeral. Her father never reported her missing and everyone thought she was dead.
Detective John Byron isn’t sure whether she’s telling the truth. But as he investigates, he soon realises no one is happy to see her.
And the people who should be welcoming her back with open arms know she can’t be Blake. Because they killed her the night she vanished…

Didn’t they?

And just who was it that killed her and was there more than 1 person.
This author threw so much at us with family drama, lies, and cover ups. Just who is telling the truth and is Blake who she says she is?
I received this from Boouture and NetGalley for review.

Zoe Sharp is another author to add to the list of Bookouture favourites. This book has been completely engaging and one that I’ve been unable to put down.

This book has been a great read and one that I have been completely unable to predict. I have been so caught up in this one I have devoured this in one sitting.

Blake is an interesting and intriguing character who I’ve enjoyed the journey with. This is definitely an action packed read and one that will hold you hostage until you’ve finished.

I love the way this is written and absolutely will be adding more by this author to the TBR. This has been unique and a book I haven’t wanted to put down.

There is nothing negative I can say about this book. I can’t wait for more from this author.

A must read new series by Zoe Sharp!
I certainly was taken on a wild ride reading The Last Time She Died. I couldn’t stop reading until I found out where the heck the author was taking the story.
Talk about family secrets and drama! Throw in lots of suspense and nail-biting moments….makes for a intriguing police procedural you can’t put down.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and author, Zoe Sharp, for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion. All opinions expressed are my own.

Twisty upon twisty. Just when you think you've got who, what and when figured out - nope. It starts as a rather traditional mystery, death in the family, long lost relative arrives they thought was dead and then suddenly it's not traditional at all. The policeman seems to find himself siding time and again with the shady, mysterious figure. And just who was really killed, and when? This story has interesting characters, setting, and a plot that will give you convulsions keeping track of. Zoe Sharp always knows how to write a plot the MOVES. I look forward to more in the series. Highly recommended.

For a dedicated fan of Zoe Sharp's Charley Fox series, the start of a new one is thrilling, and John Burton and Blake Claremont's adventure in this debut is cause for celebration .Byron, on medical leave from the Met, is attending the funeral of a former MP when he spots a young woman who disappears before he can follow her . Returning to the dead man's estate with his former assistant, now the chief police officer in the district, they discover an intruder, who declares herself to be the long-missing daughter of the deceased. So behind the convoluted plot Blake Claremont's reappearance puts into motion; while Byron, like most of the family, has doubts that she's who she claims to be, the ensuing events change his mind - not once, but several times, until the truth, like the crimes concealed for two generations, is at last revealed This is a mystery you can't put down, and this reader can't wait for the next one

I’m always excited to read a new crime thriller series because they can become something long-lasting, a comforting serial that I can return to periodically to check in on the characters. Done right, they remind me of a good crime procedural on television.
I have also mentioned in past reviews that I think authors have a difficult time in starting a new series. There is the desire and need to establish the characters and their connections to each other while also creating a case that is interesting as a stand-alone. That’s a tough line to walk.
In this first book in the new Blake & Byron crime thriller series, we get a little bit of all that I just mentioned above. There’s the establishment of the two detectives and their coworkers, as well as the case at hand. There are some parts that are more successful than others.
I liked Byron. Even though the chapters were told from differing points of view, his seemed to be the predominate one. Maybe that’s why I liked him the most? He seemed to be a competent detective who knew when to pivot in the investigation.
I mention that because nothing annoys me more in a crime thriller than a detective or investigator who is written by someone who has no knowledge of law enforcement and acts simply as the author assumes a detective would act.
And I can spot it a mile away.
Fortunately, that wasn’t the case here.
I did feel that there were times that the author tried to do too much. But, as I mentioned before, a new crime thriller series can require a lot more detail as foundation for what is to come later. There were a lot of characters, and it was sometimes difficult to determine who was important (in that they would show up again) and who was a one-off for this story.
I guess that will become apparent in future books.
The case itself was decent. You actually find out a lot about it from the blurb (which is a huge pet peeve of mine), but the author does an okay job of throwing in some twists and red herrings to keep the reader off balance. I guessed a lot of it correctly, but that’s because I have a background that allows me to think like a detective.
I guess what I am trying to say is that I enjoyed this introduction to a new crime thriller series but that other people may have an even better enjoyment of it. I’m willing to come back and give Blake and Byron another try.