This is the fourth book in this series but only the second I have read (I read the second in the series some time ago) and whilst I will have definitely missed out on the back story; I actually didn't think it had that much of an impact on how much I enjoyed this book.

With fantastic characters, a complex and intriguing story line that kept me guessing until the end and with twists and turns and all written at a good pace, this is a great book that I was totally invested in from the start. I have to admit that I have never been so pleased to see a character meet a sticky end ... Ellis Cobain is definitely not a nice man and, I feel, got his comeuppance and, if anything, it wasn't horrid enough for me!!!!

If I have one niggle it's that I found Juliette's bits to be a bit repetitive and she was annoying me so much so that I found it hard to have any sympathy with her and the situation she found herself in but, apart from that, I enjoyed it and would recommend to anyone who enjoys a good murder/mystery/crime thriller.

My thanks go to the author, Headline, Wildfire and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this book.

Apparently this is book 4 in a series about DS Stephanie King but I read it as a standalone without a problem.
The story begins when Steph is at a hotel with her mum. During the evening she is people watching and noticed a woman who didn't like a man in her group near her, Later she has a conversation with another woman who is very anxious of her husband's behaviour because she's late for dinner and finally she notices that the cabaret singer sees one of the men in that group and she looks triumphant as she sings.
Five days later, she is called to investigate a murder. One of the men in the group is dead.
The characters and plot was a good one. The twists work and I didn't work out the killer. I felt it got a bit samey in the middle without exploring more about the women, but then picked up towards the last third.
I shall look out for others in the series.

A great read. This was gripping from the first to last page. The characters were convincing and a great storyline, intertwining three women who meet at a hotel and come together to destroy the man who has upset each of their lives.
It was a roller-coaster of a ride, clever, twisted and compelling, I look forward to reading more by Rachel Abbott

I didn’t realise it was a 4th book in a series, although I don’t think it impacted this book. I will be going off to find the 1st three though.

A story that holds and grips tight until you turn the last page. I definitely recommend The last time I saw him by Rachel Abbott

The Last Time I Saw Him is book number four in this series. I didn’t realise it was a series but felt I hadn’t really missed out on anything vital so would say you could read this as a standalone.
Celia, Juliette and Nadia do not know each other but they have one thing in common, Ellis Cobain, an exceedingly wealthy philanthropist. He’s given that much money away he’s hoping for a knighthood. At a hotel in Cornwall these women meet and find out that they have all been wronged somehow by this man, together they hatch a plan so he’ll never bully any of them again.
This was a great whodunnit, it did get a little slow half way but picked up again quite nicely. The characters are all very different which makes for an interesting read and the storyline was different. The ending left no unanswered questions and didn’t end like I thought it would do at all.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Headline, Wildfire for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

The Last Time I Saw Him Rachel Abbott

5 stars

This is a new author for me but the description of the book intrigued me and I really enjoyed this story.

Even though it is the 4th book in the series featuring Detective Sergeant Stephanie King it was easy to read as a stand alone. Stephanie is on a short break with her mother in a beautiful Cornish hotel where she encounters Ellis Cobain a millionaire with his wife Celia. She cannot help but notice how arrogant Ellis is and how he treats his downtrodden wife who is obviously terrified of him. She also meets another couple Russell and Juliette Dalton and notices how when the couple are introduced to Ellis, Juliette reacts very badly to him despite claiming that it is the first time that they have met.

It is only when Ellis Cobain is found murdered on his luxury yacht that Stephanie and her partner and boss, DCI Gus Brodie, are assigned to investigate that she remembers that at least two of the other guests may well have a motive. It then turns out that a third lady, Nadia Shariq, who is a singer at the hotel , was a scorned mistress of Ellis Cobain.

Which, if any, of these three ladies are responsible for the murder. Little by little the events of the evening of the murder are revealed both by the potential suspects and by Stephanie and her partner Gus. The story is told by the various characters and we are kept guessing right up until the end when there is another quite shocking twist to the story.

I really enjoyed this book and feel that there will be another in the series which I would like to read. I am also hoping to catch up on some of the earlier books by this author as I raced through this one in a few days.

Karen Deborah
Netgalley

Detective Stephanie King is investigating the murder of Ellis Cobain a man with several enemies.
A story that kept me entertained and guessing until the end. Book 4 in the series I will look forward to reading more in this series.

Ooh, this one's a corker!
Told from four. female, perspectives, we learn about the truly horrible person that is Ellis Cobain - and rejoice at his downfall. But now what - can we really condone murder?
Each woman has her own reasons for wanting Cobain gone - but can we trust any of them?
The storyline is brilliantly done - swapping and changing between perspectives and in and out of the timeline of Cobain's death, leading us step-by-step to the eventual denouement, and twisty turns you will NOT see coming.
It's easy to empathise with every woman, despite their differences - and the one tie that binds them, Ellis Cobain. This empathy makes the moral dilemma all the more intense. You want whoever did it to get away with it, but you also want the law to succeed, as this is the foundation of our society. How can both be made to happen? Read it and see.

The Last Time I Saw Him by Rachel Abbott was another excellent read, from the very first few pages I was gripped and did not want to put my kindle down. It's full of brilliant twists and turns throughout that will have you guessing till the end.

But.........Would You keep a secret for a complete stranger..........even if it meant the blood was on your hands????

Sit back and think about that question for a minute or two!

Celia, Juliette and Nadia are complete strangers. but they all have one thing in common, they have all been wronged by Ellis Cobain. Now, Ellis is a wealthy philanthropist and on course for a knighthood, Ellis' public persona is bulletproof - but lurking beneath this veneer is a sinister side that only the women closest to him have seen.

He thinks nothing can touch him!!!

But, he is So wrong!!!

They all meet at a boutique hotel on the Cornish coast, and they are brought together by the blind arrogance of their tormentor. It doesn't take long for them to realise what connects them all and form a to blackmail him and free themselves from his grasp.

The next morning he is discovered, murdered in cold blood, they are all left scrambling. None of them knows who did it, and now they must desperately cover their tracks.

Will they keep each other's secrets, now they are all implicated in his death?

Or

Will one turn on the others, when any of them could be next?

But, who?

Wow....this was another excellent book by Rachel Abbott. I loved it

Big Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for my Arc.

Mae fy mhen i'n dal i droi ar ôl gorffen hwn, stori afaelgar am dair dynes sydd oll ag un broblem yn gyffredin, Ellis Cobain. Yn fuan ar ddechrau'r nofel nid yw Ellis yn broblem iddynt bellach, heblaw am achos ei farwolaeth yn amlwg. Gyda'r chwyddwydr ar y merched am resymau gwahanol, ac ar ambell gymeriad arall hefyd, roedd yn anodd iawn ceisio dyfalu beth yn union ddigwyddodd wrth i'r stori ddatblygu. Cymeriadau apelgar ac sy'n gwneud i chi deimlo drostynt wrth i'r penodau neidio o un cyfnod i un arall, ac o un cymeriad i'r llall. Yn bersonol byddai wedi bod yn ddefnyddiol pe byddai teitl y bennod yn rhoi rhyw syniad o ran pwy oedd dan sylw, gan ei bod yn hawdd drysu rhwng pawb, yn enwedig ar y dechrau. Er hynny, roedd y stori yn datblygu'n gyflym ac yn gwneud i rywun ddyfalu bob munud beth ddigwyddodd a beth oedd am ddod nesaf. Mae fy nghalon yn dal i guro'n gyflym ar ôl y diweddglo annisgwyl! Gwych!

My head is still spinning after finishing this one, a gripping story about three females, all with the same problem, Ellis Cobain. Early on in the story Ellis is no longer a problem for them, apart from the suspicions regarding his death of course. With all three under investigation for various reasons, and a few others in the mix too, it was very hard to try and guess what exactly happened as the story developed. Appealing characters that make you empathize with them as the chapters bounce from one period to another, and from one character to another. Personally I would've preferred a title or something at the start of the chapters to note who's perspective we'd be getting, as it was easy to mix between the characters at the start. Apart from that, the story was fast-paced and kept me guessing at every turn regarding what had happened and what would come next. My heart is still pounding after the unexpected ending! Fantastic.

My first time reading @rachelabbottwriter and I wasn’t disappointed. I loved it.
#TheLastTimeISawHim is book #4 in the DS Stephanie King series but is easy to follow with enough back story to enjoy as a standalone too. I look forward to reading previous books from the series.
It’s a gripping mystery thriller with a tense storyline and unexpected twists that keep you guessing till the end. I was hooked from the start and couldn’t put it down.
The story is set in a hotel on the Cornish Coast where three women, Celia, Juliette and Nadia complete strangers to each other find they have one man, Ellis Cobain in common. Together they planned to get revenge but then Ellis is found murdered. Which one of the women killed him?
It’s told in the present day and flashbacks through multiple POV’s. I liked this authors writing style which is detailed and nothing is quite as it seems. It’s brilliantly written with great realistic characters.
Overall an enjoyable page turning read. Definitely recommend if you enjoy this genre.
With thanks to #NetGallery @headlinebooks for an arc of #TheLastTimeISawHim in exchange for a honest review.
Book publishes 15 August 2024.

A gripping thriller!

Three women, entirely unconnected, find themselves at a Cornish boutique hotel at the same time as wealthy entrepreneur Ellis Cobain, known to all and admired by none. Rather, they regard him as a bit of a creep with a sinister side. When he turns up dead, murdered in cold blood, A previous guest, Detective Stephanie King and her boss, Gus, return to the resort to investigate and begin to unravel a knot of clues and connections.

Well, here's a book to keep you on your toes! So much going on that I suspected everyone of everything at some point or another and was astounded to find out what actually happened. This is a novel to get absorbed in, and a thoroughly enjoyable read. Five stars and my recommendation.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

This was a decent thriller that had many twists and turns. It was my first time reading Rachel Abbott and I thought she did a good job. If you like Sally Hepworth or Liane Moriarty, you will enjoy this book.

3.5

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Many Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Celia and her husband Ellis are enjoying some time away from the kids, Juliette and her husband Russell are staying at the same hotel to see Nadia perform with the aim to sign her.

Ellis is found dead in his yatch. Did someone kill him?
Celia, Juliette and Nadia are strangers, or are they?

This is a really good crime book- plenty of twists. Just about on the slow side.

I’m a bit fan of Rachel Abbott’s books, and whilst this wasn’t my favourite, I still really enjoyed it and got completely sucked in!
Loved the setting for this book and could really imagine it in my head. The main characters were both relatable in aspects but also loathsome and perhaps this is why I didn’t love it as much as her other books.
A good plot and nice twists along the way - I didn’t guess the outcome but it didn’t spoil it for me!

This was the fourth book in a series, but I did not realise this until I had finished reading it. So I would definitely say it is more than good enough as a stand-alone thriller.
Stephanie is spending some time with her mother at a luxury hotel on the coast of Cornwall. One evening Stephanie notices the interaction between several other guests.
The following week Stephanie is back at the hotel on a totally different matter. It is here that she notices the odd interactions she witnessed while holidaying with her mother will provide her with much needed insight.
This was a tense and twisty who dunnit with a well-paced plot.
Told in the present day and through flashbacks we get to see the threads connecting the guests to each other.
Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley UK for the ARC.

The fourth in the Stephanie King series and this time Steph is supposed to having a relaxing break with her mum at a fancy hotel, but it doesn't take too long until it goes wrong and she has to put her detective hat back on. There are three other women at the hotel who are all linked to one vile man who soon turns up dead, but are any of them responsible?

A good instalment in the series, but maybe too many POV's!

Although the 4th book in a series, this story is easy to read as a stand alone. I read the first in the series, but missed the next two.
Rachel Abbott portrays Ellis Cobain well - he comes across as a self-opinionated cruel man who no-one likes. His death leaves plenty of suspects as he is selfish and controlling, using and abusing people with no sensitivity. There are twists and turns galore as the story is told from several points of view. This causes a little bit of repetitiveness but it doesn't detract from the story. A definite page turner.
Three and a half stars rounded up to 4!
Many thanks to Netgalley/Rachel Abbott/Headline for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

A fabulously written gripping story that was a pleasure to read. I would absolutely recommend this book, it was brilliant

My first book of this author and I have a feeling not the last one. From the start author grips your attention and keeps you invested into solving this mystery of this guy Ellis. All these people have a reason to be a suspect but who actually is the one to blame? I enjoyed how she gave small details and allowed me to be a detective myself.

Thank you NetGalley for a chance to read this book!