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.

'The Last Party' has just become my favourite book by Mackintosh, what a read! I found myself instantly hooked with the plot, the location and the characters. Very quickly, I became immersed in this world and I know it is a cliche, but I really could not put this down. The plot is a slow burn and yet full of excitement and adrenaline at the same time, plus Mackintosh throws in a few twists that added to the enthralment.

Mackintosh writes this from multiple character perspectives and present day and flashback chapters. I adored this, it really helped me understand the characters. Plus it meant Mackintosh teasing secrets yet to be unveiled. Everything about the plot was just exquisite. I have touched on the location but the setting of Wales works perfectly for this book, Mackintosh has really put herself and her own experience into the location. Added to this the descriptions are simply stunning.

Then we come to Ffion Morgan and what a character she is. Getting to know her was a pure joy and I fell in love with her and her story. Ffion is easy to like, easy to get to know and I was rooting for her, what more could you want. I cannot wait for another DC Morgan book. Mackintosh's other characters are perfect as well, they all have secrets and they all have reasons to like them and dislike them. All of them came together to make for the ultimate cast.

'The Last Party' is quite simply an exquisite book and one that I will be recommending for a very long time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sphere for an advance copy.

This is another fabulous book by Clare MacKintosh. It’s atmospheric, dark and very well written.
The plot is intriguing with plenty of twists and turns that kept me guessing until the final page.
It’s a great read and one that I’d definitely recommend.

The Last Party by Claire Mackintosh is a fascinating read and is potentially one of the author’s best books yet, in my opinion. The storyline gives the reader an insight into how many people who attended the party, before the victim died, could be suspect in his or her’s death. It is a true mystery crime thriller with plenty of suspects and dubious characters.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and read it late into the night.
Highly recommended

Imagine the excitement when I was invited to read and review Clare’s latest novel! After reading and loving her debut “I Let You Go”, I have read everything she has written.

“The Last Party” is the first in a series that will feature Ffion Morgan, living in a small Welsh village and working as a detective. In this initial story, Ffion wakes up in a stranger’s bed on New Year’s Day and makes good her getaway without waking the man up. She returns to her mum’s house, where she lives with her younger sister, and hears about a body being found in a nearby lake. 5 holidays lodges have recently been built lakeside and a party was thrown there to welcome the villagers and see in the new year. Now one partygoer is dead in the water…..
I couldn’t put this book down and already thinking about the sequel. Would highly recommend to Clare’s readers and anyone who enjoys a great “whodunnit” story. You will not be disappointed.

I’ve enjoyed all Clare Mackintosh’s previous book so I was really excited that she’s started a series and her main character Ffion Morgan is brilliant - unconventional, sharp witted and brilliantly flawed, definitely not your conventional detective. This began with the most awkward morning after the night before for Ffion and made for great chemistry throughout the book. The North Wales location is great, close enough to England to cause border (and personality) clashes and isolated yet beautiful. The victim in this was unravelled so well throughout the book that you couldn’t recognise the description of him at the start and as for murder suspects it was impossible to even begin to guess who did it. All in all this is a fantastically constructed crime with both brilliant and truly awful characters mixed in and so many motives, complex relationships and very brilliant twists to the tale. 9/10