The American family of missing Adriana Clarke who are now based on the Isle of Mull call in Canadian PI Sadie Levesque, a teenager tracking specialist when the island police failed to take the case seriously. Several days into her search Sadie finds Adriana‘s body in Mackinnons cave on the western edge of the island and it’s a gross, symbolic scene that confronts her. Will she be the last girl to die?

Wow wow wow. How does Helen Fields keep doing this?! Talent is how!! Once again she has me enthralled and gripped in the storytelling from the first to very last word. The plot of this defies description and in all honesty it wouldn’t be fair to spoil it for future readers. The author utilises every ounce of history, atmosphere, myths and legends in this novel with the island taking centre stage. There are some chapters simply entitled “The island“ and these are truly amazing as you feel it’s power and draw.

I love the character of Sadie, she’s intuitive and has all the smarts, she is brave and single minded and I like the strongly evident thread of feminism throughout the book not just in her character. The dialogue is smart too when she’s about, with the quick fire responses she is able to come up with which delight you and make you smile.

There are odd unsettling vibes from the beginning, there is hostility in several quarters but especially from Sergeant Harris Eggo but not exclusively so as there is resentment and jealousy combining with secrets and lies giving numerous disturbing signs which pervades the entire novel. The writing is very powerful, it is chilling as you feel and smell the evil and fear and at times the tension and suspense is so intense you can scarcely breathe. To describe the story telling as escalating is an understatement, the danger is all around and as for the ending what an emotional gut puncher that is. The final chapter is quite spiritual and although it makes you sad it’s also beautiful and feels right.

PS how great it is that Lance Proudfoot features too from the Luc Callenach series and he is another great character and I really enjoy his important role in the drama.

I’m just off to recover now and I don’t think the story will leave me for quite a considerable while. An amazing read and an easy five stars from me as I eagerly anticipate her next blockbuster!

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Avon Books UK for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Wow! This was absolutely ram packed with twists, and lots of shocking parts! Really creepy, and an excellent story.

Sadie arrives on a remote Scottish Island, hired to find a 16 year old girl who has gone missing. She soon finds her body, but the way she has been slayed is horrific! Is she the last girl to die?

The people of Mull are keeping secrets and Canadian PI Sadie will stop at nothing to reveal the truth.

Sadie is a strong female persona that draws you into the story.

The townsfolk are resistant to let an outsider like Sadie into their lives. Closing off any chance to follow new leads.

The historic aspect of the town of Mull was something I thoroughly enjoyed. References to rituals, paganism, witches etc. are mainly what kept my interest in this novel.

There were chapters where you read from the point of view of the island which I think were beautifully written and quite honestly my favourite component.

If you like a fast-paced read, small town secrets, and occult elements this is a great read!

3.5 *

A thrilling emotional read. Sadie has travelled to a small island Mull in Scotland to find a young girl Adriana Clark. Sadie is a PI that specialises in finding teenagers. Unfortunately she is too late & someone has murdered her. The people on the island aren’t too happy about an outsider looking into everyone. But Sadie won’t stop until she finds out who wanted Adriana dead. The parents are hiding something but she doesn’t want to push them too hard especially now that another young girl has been killed. But someone wants to silence Sadie but she isn’t that easy to get rid of. Will she be able to find the killer before they strike again?She is about to uncover many secrets of the Isle of Mull and not everyone wants the truth to come out.
Sadie is a great strong character who never gives up even when she is in great danger. I think that she would have been a great aunt. The ending made me cry I was so invested in her story. A good solid read enjoyed it.
Thank you Netgalley & the publisher Avon for the ARC copy. This is my voluntary review. My first 5 star read for this year. Highly recommended

first of all, I thank NetGalley and the publisher for approving my request and giving me the ARC copy of the book. I pick this book because of the title and the book cover. I love the seaside and want to watch the sunset at the seaside. this story is set in Scotland. the story begins with the murder of Adriana Clark a young teenager. Adriana's family hired a private detective Sadie Leveque she founds the body of Adriana in a cliffside cave. the question is who killed her? how did she get there? the more she digs into the island's secrets, the more closed to the danger.
I love the book and I am happy I choose the title and NetGalley approved it. the book has so many twists in it. the storyline is soo good. when I download the book I was unable to open it there was some bug or I don't know what was wrong with the file I was a little disappointed. but then I downloaded it again. once I start it I want to complete it I wanna know about the island's secrets and I love the writing and atmosphere of the story. this was my 1st book by this author but I definitely read more books by her. I recommend this book to mystery lovers. once again thanks to the publisher for approving my request.

So many shocking and unexpected twists! This story blew me away and had me turning pages like a mad woman. The final twist at the end had my jaw on the floor. You have to get this book! Now!

I enjoyed this book upto the ending, what a twist I never saw that coming. Sadie is a private investigator paid by a family to her find their daughter who has gone missing. When she finds her dead and others as well things don't look good for her. The murders are quite graphic and disturbing so be warned.
I really enjoyed the book right upto the ending which I didn't like. Yes the ending was different from what I expected but left me feeling annoyed.

Firstly I would like to Thank netgalley and Avon books and Helen fields for a copy of her book to read.

This is a standalone book,she has a wonderful series out which I'm still reading.This book is located in Scotland where I live, a fantastic location as visited iona abbey a ferry from oban would like to visit tobermory as it famous for having colourful houses.This author describes mull beautifully.This book starts with a murder investigation,a young girl Adriana Clark her body was found by a private investigator hired by Adriana family her name is Sadie Leveque.What did happen to her? Was it someone on the island or an outsider?A book with lots of twists A great read.looking forward to reading more of her books.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book. This was an excellent read. Couldn't put it down and shocked at the ending.
Thoroughly recommended

Such a breath of fresh air, this book had my jaw on the floor! I was absolutely hooked and just could not figure out who was behind it all. I really didn't see a lot of those twists coming and couldn't even bring myself to put it aside to sleep lol. I have no regrets, it is worth staying up a few extra hrs for!! Definitely recommend

I've really enjoyed previous books by this author but unfortunately this one didn't grab me in the same way. It's a good thriller but just felt different. I enjoyed the pace of the story and there was a good twist at the end.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Avon Books for an advance copy of The Last Girl to Die, a stand-alone thriller set on the Scottish island of Mull.

Canadian PI Sadie Levesque who specialises in finding missing teenagers is on Mull to look for Adriana Clarke, a member of an American family who recently arrived to live there. Her parents are worried about her and don’t feel that the local police are taking her disappearance seriously enough so they have hired Sadie. After a serious search she finds Adriana’s body, buried with a crown of seaweed. As she digs into the island’s culture and inhabitants she finds that not everyone welcomes her investigation.

I enjoyed The Last Girl to a point. It upset me that the author chose to situate her novel in a real place when she could have made up a fictional location, because it is not kind to the inhabitants, painting them as insular and decidedly unmodern, and, worse, it takes a foreigner to uncover it. The author explains in the afterword that Mull and it’s inhabitants are nothing like her portrayal, but by then it was too late for my impressions of the novel.

That said, this is an excellent thriller, mixing murder with folklore and traditional values with an unusual, robust feminism. It has twists, some more guessable than others, and an interesting non standard plot line. I applaud the author for trying something different and pulling it off. I found myself glued to the pages, but putting it down frequently for a breather as the tension and dread caught up with me.

The narrative is also unusual, not quite novel as I’ve seen it before, but enough to remark on. Most of it is told from Sadie’s first person point of view, but when the author wants to offer context she insets passages titled “the island”. It works well offering the reader more information than Sadie has and an impartial analysis of events. It works well. I was less impressed by the ending. The events are acceptable but the philosophising seems a bit too, I don’t know, snowflakey? different from the practicality of the preceding pages at least.

The Last Girl to Die is a good read that I can recommend.

Wow!! Helen has done it again and has absolutely pulled a stunner out of the bag. I always read her books and think they can't get any better than this and then I read her latest one and it really is the best. I actually had to read this book in one sitting with no interruptions as I knew it was going to be as good as it was. You won't even believe the twists and turns that you are going to experience reading this book, there were just phenomenal, there were so many parts to this book where I didn't realise how much I was holding my breath, I felt committed to the story that nothing else mattered. It was just so good, I feel as though I want to read it again just to experience it all once more.

Another page turner from Helen Fields. New characters to meet and to follow, the story has twists and turns and keeps you guessing until the end. Looking forward to the next one Helen

This is the second stand alone from Helen Fields and she is getting better and better. Set on the Isle of Mull, mainly around the picture perfect village of Tobermory which contrasts with the savagery of the murders. The Island is almost a character in itself, claustrophobic even though there are wide open spaces. The murders are terrifying, the locals antagonistic and uncooperative, as are the police. The Private investigator hired by the family of the first murdered girl finds it difficult to make any progress, tangling with myths and legends of the local area. Any progress she does make puts herself in danger. Great characterization, ramping tension and atmosphere and a brilliant twist at the end. Mega!

When an American teen goes missing on the Isle of Mull the police show a reluctance to investigate so the family bring in a private investigator to help. Sadie Levesque, a Canadian, has experience of tracking down runaway teens. Despite the hostility shown by the local police and a tight-knit community determined to protect their own, Sadie uses her skills and discovers the body of the missing girl. It is obvious that the girl was murdered. The police are convinced it must be an opportunistic murder committed by a tourist, Sadie is less convinced and continues to investigate.

I'd never heard of the author Helen Fields until I read One For Sorrow back in November 2021. Back then I was blown away by the novel so was pleased to receive a review copy of Fields next novel, The Last Girl To Die. Once again I'm absolutely amazed by the quality of the writing and story-line, I am determined that I am going to go back through Fields back catalogue and catch up.

This murder mystery has everything you would expect and more. Set on a remote Scottish island, inhabited by a tight-knit community you can fully understand the protective nature of the people wanting to look after their own and the hostility the police, and others, show to strangers. This also adds to the creepiness, making you wonder who can be trusted. Links to a similar murder 39 years previously make you wonder if the island has protected someone too well or is this a copycat?
As Sadie investigates we discover some of the ancient myths and legends associated with the island. These myths tie in with some of the witchcraft still practiced on the island, witchcraft that is possibly connected to the murder.

I really liked the character of Sadie Levesque. She's not prepared to back-down or accept the easy answers. She's isn't fearless, she has a healthy respect for danger preparing herself as well as she possibly can, but she's determined to leave no stone unturned in her quest for answers. I also liked the positive relationships she built with the pathologist brought in to carry out the post-mortem and the newspaper reporter, they balanced the negative relationships with the local police.

By the end I had an inkling as to who was responsible but I certainly didn't foresee the ending. In thrillers we expect twists and turns along the way and this story has a fair few but by the end I was shocked and saddened and I will freely admit to having a tear in my eye.

This has to be one of the best books i have read in a long while.
A fantastic location and a very real main character.
If you are looking for a real thriller this is it.
Horrifying murders which we are given real descriptions of. I changed my mind on a number of occasions about the killer. ( I am doing my best here to not give anything away.)
Finally the ending was not what i expected.

Excellent book which i did not want to finish.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy, I have left my honest review.

The story had me hooked from the beginning, with great characters and an intriguing plot. A Canadian private investigator is asked to search for a missing teenager on a remote Scottish island, and soon becomes embroiled in a dark mystery.

With plenty of twists and an enthralling storyline, it kept me gripped all the way through. Another great read from Helen Fields.

I have really enjoyed all Helen Fields books, so I was thrilled to have the chance to read this one. The premise is that a girl goes missing, and her American parents call on Sadie Levesque, a Canadian, to fly over to find her. And that's where I began to lose it - surely they would have found someone more local who had knowledge about the island of Mull where they lived, rather than having a Canadian they've never met fly over to a Scottish island she's never previously visited.

Sadie does find Adriana, and things start to go very wrong on the little island. But none of it rang very true for me. The undercurrents and behaviour of the islanders and twists were interesting, but some were not very plausible. Some twists were incredibly obvious.

So while I enjoyed it as a light read (although the plot is quite convoluted) I wasn't grabbed and it didn't feel as good as her other works. I was a little disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Avon Books UK and Netgalley for the best book I have read so far this year.
I have read everything by Helen so was really excited to get an advanced copy of this book.
How different was this from other books written by Helen and such a different story. Yes there was still murder but so different to her other books.
This was an excellent story, with great characters where they were bad or good. I loved Sadie she was such a wonderful person who just wanted to do the right thing. I already really liked Hilda - a witch is always good.
I did see one twist but not the final twist coming and the ending was so sad in its way - I won't give any spoilers. This was so atmospheric and spoke not just about the story but about Mull too - one day I will visit.
I'm not one for spoilers but you must read this book if I could give it 10/10 I would.