The Last Time I Saw Him by Rachel Abbott is book 4 of 4 in the Detective Sergeant Stephanie King series. I thought the pace slow and didn't enjoy the writing style of this novel.

We find out more about Stephanie's personal life in this novel. The story has interesting character development to love and to hate. The storyline begins at Morvoren Manor, a boutique hotel on the Cornish coast. Three different women betrayed by one man, Ellis Cobain, a misogynistic, manipulative and cruel man. Celia, the wife, stepmother to his three children, Nadia, the singer and ex mistress and Juliette, the ex lover. The women have one thing in common, Ellis Cobain. They decide to form a pact to blackmail Ellis Cobain and rid him from their lives. It seems things are going to plan until a body is found. The plot at times was silly and jagged.

Although I enjoyed the book, I was a little disappointed and it is not my favourite of the series.

I give a 3 star rating and would recommend this book.

I WOULD LIKE TO THANK WILDFIRE BOOKS FOR SENDING ME AN ADVANCE COPY OF THIS BOOK IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW. MY OPINIONS ARE MY OWN.

When I started reading this book I didn't realise that it was part of a series but it was totally ok to read as a standalone.
To the outside world, knighthood chasing philanthropist, Ellis Corbain, was a charming, charismatic man who gave generously to charity but underneath he was a scheming, arrogant character who wrecked lives, using blackmail if necessary, without giving them a second thought.
Ellis had an evil way of controlling people, one of those people was his wife Celia, an ex actress who had had all her confidence sapped and the stuffing knocked out of her mentally, a wife who had brought up his three children as if they were her own and love them to distraction and would protect them with her life, a wife who feared that he would leave her and take the children with him.
Another woman who had come under Ellis's spell was interior designer, Juliette Dalton who had been taken in by his charm when she was vulnerable and now feared that he would break up her marriage to lawyer Russell, the supportive, calm husband that she loved dearly.
Lastly, spirited singer Nadia Shariq, another woman who had fallen for his charm and whose career and life he had wrecked.
Was it just a coincidence that all five of them had ended up in a luxury boutique hotel in Cornwall ? had any of them met before ?
When Ellis's lifeless body was found on board his luxury yacht DCI Gus Brodie and his partner Det Stephanie King had a fight on their hands to find the killer, a killer who had covered their tracks, a killer who had left no clues. So many people wanted Ellis dead but who had got so desperate that they had planned his murder and executed the plan.
As I read this book I suspected all the main characters in turn and others besides but not until the surprising ending did I get my answer. This book has al the elements of a good "whodunit", suspense, drama and great characters.
Thank you Net Gallery for this ARC, my review is totally voluntary.

Three women whose lives have been destroyed by the same man in one way or another, all with a reason to want him dead, if only maybe metaphorically if not literally. Yet that is exactly what happens to the man in question, Ellis Cobain: he is found dead at a newly refurbished hotel on the Cornish coast on Friday morning, where the three women’s lives converge one weekend.

Juliette, Nadia and Celia don’t know each other as they arrive at the hotel one weekend, where incidentally DS Stephanie King is staying with her Mum for a mother and daughter break. However, soon the three women are plotting to blackmail Ellis and stop him making their lives a misery. So what goes wrong and why does Ellis die and who actually killed him?

The case is a tough cookie for DS Stephanie King, DCI Gus Brodie and the team to crack because everything has been meticulously planned and all suspects seem to have an alibi. Nothing seems to make quite perfect sense, yet they feel it has something to do with the three women. Will one of the women crack?

As always with Rachel Abbott books, the story is so easy to read and keeps you guessing until the end. You’re not sure who to believe but it feels a satisfying end to the case as you close the book. I don’t think I have ever read a Rachel Abbott book I’ve not enjoyed and this is no different: another great read!

We get a further glimpse into how Stephanie and Gus’ personal life too, as the case unfolds, which adds a lovely additional layer and links it to the previous DS King books but the books don’t necessarily need to be read in order. If you like an “easy to turn the pages” thriller that is well written, I highly recommend this one (along all of other Rachel’s books).

Celia, Juliette and Nadia are total strangers until they meet at a boutique hotel on the Cornish coast, however they all have something in common, Ellis Cobain. An influential philanthropist, Ellis is an arrogant man that commands a room as soon as he walks into it but, behind the dashing persona lurks a despicable man who has wronged all three of these women. They concoct a plan to get their revenge by blackmailing him, but when he's found dead on board his yacht the following day, they need to think fast to cover themselves, murder was never part of the plan...

The Last Time I Saw Him is the latest in the Stephanie King series and she is brought in to assist DCI Gus Brodie in the investigation as she stayed at the same hotel the previous weekend and may be able to shed some light on the guests involved. The story is told from the perspectives of all three women and goes back and forth between the events leading up to and after the murder. It's a very well crafted thriller and, although I've read and loved all of this series so far, I did find this one quite repetitive in parts and quite slow, having said that, it was still an enjoyable read and nothing prepared me for that ending!

I'd like to thank Headline, Wildfire for the approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

Ellis Cobain perfectly represents the idiom “Wolf in Sheep’s clothing”; famed for his philanthropy, but actually a coercive, misogynous, sociopath. This personality is largely known only to the women in his life, and there have been many of them. His first wife, Vivian, died of a self-administered overdose. His second wife, Cecilia, has been psychologically abused to the point where she fears any action might be wrong in his eyes, and subject yet more denigration. His current dalliance (mistress would be an exaggeration) is Juliette, an interior designer who has been trying to escape his clutches, but is being blackmailed with compromising pictures to remain. She married to Russell, a Music contract lawyer. Prior to her was Nadia, a Jazz singer Ellis dumped unceremoniously, before destroying her career.
At a high class, boutique hotel, Russell is waiting to meet Nadia, who sings there regularly, with a contract, when he meets Ellis in his ‘rich philanthropist’ personality. Juliette is horrified, terrified that Ellis will destroy her marriage. Celia is with Ellis, but is so browbeaten that she is trying to avoid public appearances in case he admonishes her for some faux-passe. Nadia is initially excited that Ellis may have returned to her, then enraged when it looks like he might destroy her new career instead. Three women, previously strangers but now united in their hatred of one man. When he ends up dead, the police, in the persons of DS Stephanie King and her boss, and lover, DCI Gus Brodie. Is it murder, and if so whodunnit?
This is the 4th book in the Stephanie King series, but is OK as a standalone, especially since she is a guest at the hotel at the beginning (i.e. about the first 10%) so observes the dynamics between these people before there is any crime (and fills in some of her own background). Coincidences are an integral part of crime stories, of course, but this is stretching my credulity. Otherwise, its’s a well written police procedural and fairly predictable until the closing sequences where my suspension of disbelief went into freefall. Some readers will like it for the major twists and others will be unhappy. However, I suspect Stephanie will get promoted in the next book.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

'The Last Time I Saw Him' is the fourth instalment in the Sergeant Stephanie King series. Apart from maybe missing out a bit on events in Stephanie's private life, I think you could possibly get away with reading this as a stand-alone.

Three women who have never met each other have one thing in common. His name is Ellis Cobain and he's a nasty piece of work, to say the least. To the public, he's a wonderfully charming philanthropist with his eye on a knighthood. To the three women, he's a nightmare they can't get rid of. There's his second wife, Celia, who used to be an actress but is now a mere shell of a woman with zero self-confidence and no way of leaving her husband. Then there's Juliette who, in a moment of feeling low, let herself be seduced. Finally, there's Nadia, a singer whose career was ruined.

All three have plenty of reasons to hate Ellis so when he turns up dead, it seems rather obvious they're responsible. Or are they? Because a dead Ellis wasn't part of the plan they concocted. But things aren't adding up, and as the investigation into Ellis' death deepens, so does the mistrust between the three women. After all, how well do they know one another?

Needless to say, Ellis isn't exactly mourned much. But his death is a mystery that needs solving. Gus and Stephanie have their work cut out for them. The evidence they find is puzzling, and while they think their entire suspect list is lying to them, they're having a tough time proving that. For me, however, if all signs point towards a certain direction, I'm going to go another way so I wasn't really surprised when the culprit(s) were revealed.

Rachel Abbott knows how to keep readers hooked with well-plotted mysteries. 'The Last Time I Saw Him' grabbed me from the first page and I couldn't wait to find out more. Obviously, there are a multitude of lies to be discovered and you end up wondering if maybe one of the three women will be the victim of an untimely death as well.

That said, while I enjoyed 'The Last Time I Saw Him', this was probably my least favourite book by Abbott. It often felt rather repetitive to me, especially during Juliette's chapters as she seemed to just go around in circles with regard to her husband and whether or not she should tell him the truth. Her dithering annoyed me and I found it hard to feel sorry for her or the situation she found herself in. Nadia, quite frankly, just scared me. And Celia was understandably somewhat spineless but I still felt like grabbing her by the collar and shaking her, telling her to get a grip on herself and her life. On top of that, I found it hard to care about Ellis' death. As the song goes, he had it coming.

A mysterious death, a bunch of unreliable characters, lots of sneaking around and intrigue ... it all leads to quite an abrupt and jaw-dropping conclusion. Be prepared, be very prepared.

An absolutely brilliant read.
Told from the different perspectives of three woman and their relationship’’s with one man this twisty turny tale is gripping.There are so many twists that you’ll keep second guessing what happened, and trust me you won’t guess correctly!
While the main plot hurtles along a stunningly shocking twist in the sub plot had my heart racing and adrenaline pumping.

My first Rachel Abbott book and I loved it!

Juliette is at a hotel with her music industry husband, when she sees Ellis Cobain. She is horrified, but not as much as when he is discovered dead the following morning!

Stephanie King is on the case and as she investigates, the build up to the crime is unveiled to us slowly, with lots of twists and murderous motives revealed.

The writing is brilliant, the pace is fast and the characters are well developed and relatable. Although I haven’t read the previous books in this series, it worked well as a standalone and I will definitely read the next instalment as the ending really got me!

4.5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Rachel Abbott and Headline for an ARC in return for an honest review.

This book centres around 3 women who are connected in some way to a man who has been found dead, Ellis Cobain.
Really enjoyed the flow of this book, it keeps the reader guessing, how are they connected? They’re definitely hiding something. The story unravels at a good pace. I enjoyed how the characters were revealed.
My favourite part was the police procedural stuff.
The dialogue between the police colleagues is really believable. I liked the attention to detail, how a timeline was established. This made everything all the more realistic.
The ending however, I did not expect. No spoilers, but I think this let the book down. Having learned about the character during the book, I’m not sure I believe that would be the reaction of the DS. But then, this is the third in a series, I haven’t read the other two, so maybe that’s my fault for not knowing enough about the character.
Still enjoyable. Many thanks to NetGalley UK and the publisher for an ARC.

Well written book You get the story from the perspective of all 3 main characters and it clearly explains how they are linked A few plot twists that kept me reading

Good read from an author who is new to me. Twists and turns to keep the reader guessing and gripped. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance ARC this book.

Now this was an interesting concept. Would you keep aa secret for strangers?
Grab a copy, a cool drink & sit in the sunshine enjoying this thriller.
Thank you NetGalley & Rachel Abbot for an advanced copy.

Thanks to Net Galley and Headline for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
Three woman, who have all been scorned by the charming Ellis Cobain. Perhaps he is not as charming as he seems.
Celia, his second wife, Juliette, his current mistress and Nadia, an ex mistress, the woman are all very different and Ellis is the only connection between them.
They find themselves all at the same hotel in Cornwall, all three of them are all at breaking point, Ellis has been tormenting them in different ways so they make a pact to blackmail him. Ellis though is found dead on his yacht, what happened? who murdered Ellis? The police arrive promptly at the hotel to launch an official investigation. All three woman are keeping secrets from one another, and all three are covering their tracks, and they are accusing one another as the tension builds and they are interviewed by the police.
This is a classic case of who done it, there are some twists in the story which keep the reader guessing right to the end.
Well done to this author on another great read.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I loved the basic premise of this book and not knowing who had done it or why but I hated the ending

I rated this book 4 stars. I loved the storyline and the multiple POV's.

There were times where the booked slowed a bit for me BUT it was easy to understand who's POV I was reading and it all flowed brilliantly. There were no points where i felt that a random POV had been popped in.

I was convinced I had worked it out but once again, nope! I was content with the ending up to the absolute shock moment right in the last 4-5 pages which absolutely broke my heart in to millions of pieces!

Overall I really enjoyed the book and would definitely recommend it.

📚 Book Review 📚

This is the story about three women, Celia, Juliette and Nadia. These women although unwittingly, are all linked to the abusive and controlling Ellis Cobain and their feelings for him are clear. To the outside world, Ellis is an upright member of society, someone who supports worthy causes and has a great media persona. In real life, he is a very different man.

Whilst away on holiday, Ellis finds himself at the same place as all three women he has wronged in life. He doesn’t realise that the holiday will end in murder.

This book started off well, it was pacy and exciting and I was definitely hooked. I got a bit bored about half way through and found myself skimming pages to get to more interesting bits. As I got towards the end, it picked up again and the author has clearly planned her ending really carefully, it was exciting. I didn’t know who the killer was; I kept changing my mind and I really loved that.

The characters are well written, I liked all of them with the exception of Ellis, but you are definitely not supposed to like him. Apart from the main characters, there are the two detectives who are investigating the crime. These seemed very minor characters to me, it was almost as if the book was primarily going to be centred around these two but then the author changed her mind.

Having said this, I did enjoy this book and I will definitely read more from this author. I enjoyed the writing and the huge snout amount of thought and planning that clearly went into this book.

I’d like to thank Wildfire, NetGalley and the author for the arc and the fantastic opportunity, in exchange for my honest feedback 😊

Book released on 15th August 2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this Rachel Abbott novel. I have read some of her previous Ebooks via Amazon so was delighted to see The Last Time I Saw Him on Netgalley.

Like previous reads from the same author this felt like a carefully crafted book, and one that kept me gripped, wanting to know who done it. There were three or four potential suspects and plenty of clues and flaws in peoples witness statements to help you in developing your own ideas. The only negative for me was the ending which felt a bit of a cop out - although I did understand why the author perhaps made that decision. 4.5* rounded up to a 5

My thanks to Headline, Wildfire and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Last Time I Saw Him’ written by Rachel Abbott in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

DS Stephanie King is having a weekend break with her mother in a boutique hotel in Cornwall and is people-watching, a pastime she can’t help due to being a Detective Sergeant. On her return home to her partner DCI Gus Brodie, the following day he asks her to meet him at the same hotel as the body of one of the hotel’s guests, Ellis Cobain, has been found on a yacht moored nearby. Stephanie remembers Ellis Cobain from when she stayed there and wasn’t impressed by his attitude towards other guests, but she needs to keep an open mind as they await to learn whether it was an accidental death or murder.

‘The Last Time I Saw Him’ is an involving thriller with an interesting plot and three possible suspects, Celia, Juliette and Nadia. The characters are well-described with the victim coming across as callous and manipulative, someone who uses his charm to reel people in for his own benefit, and quite frankly I couldn’t think of a better person to murder. I kept reading in the hope of finding out which if any of the three women were involved, but I’m afraid I didn’t feel the same excitement and enthusiasm I usually experience when reading this author’s books. I did finish it and found the ending very sad and disappointing, but it wasn’t one I’d want to pick up and read again.

This is an excellent thriller with a great pace and fabulously twisty plot from start to finish.

Stephanie is enjoying a weekend away with her mother but very much missing partner Gus. They are partners in life and as detectives at work. While away Stephanie observes two women behaving in a way which looked suspicious and wonders what has happened and if she should intervene. The women seem to be strangers but their husbands meet up to watch a local artist sing at the hotel.

What happens next probes that Stephanie’s instincts have been correct and the tragic events that occur at the hotel revolve around the women and their families.

Brilliant novel which I will definitely be recommending. Writing is superb and the characters are written with the purpose of making the reader want to cheer for them or hate their actions at the authors will.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was written in a very clever way, the planning must have been quite difficult to get everything in place. Getting used to the different perspectives as told by the three female characters was, for me, quite difficult at first and it did take me a while to get to know each character. the read was initially quite a slow burn and as the book looks at the different character perspectives it sometimes felt a bit repetitive however the perspective of the police was a great add in.
Sadly the ending was a little disappointing and I felt that several elements were not very realistic or believable but at the end of the day this is fiction and the creativity of the author shines through. If you are looking for an interesting whodunnit with a different storyline and plenty of twists and turns then this would be a great book choice.
Many thanks to Headline, NetGalley, and the author for providing me with an advanced electronic version of this book in return for an honest and unbiased review.
The book is published on 15th August 2024