I don't need to write much as this author speaks for herself.

She written it well and once again and it speaks for it self.

The Last Time I Saw Him was my introduction to Rachel Abbott and is number four of her Stephanie King series. It is possible to read as a standalone and not having read the first three books did not detract from enjoying it.

It was a clever plot; well told with good character development of the three woman who were strangers connected by one man. I love police procedural novels and I was disappointed that Stephanie King and her partner / boss were actually very minor characters.

The book set off at a great pace and was a real page turner. However, I felt it did slow and become repetitive in the middle, with the ending then coming up quite abruptly. It was a brave ending which I liked but I admit to feeling a bit shell shocked (not always a bad way to end a book!)

I will definitely read more of Rachel Abbott’s books and hope there are further books in this series which will involve Ms King more - she’s an intriguing character who deserves more time spent on her.

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for an ARC of this book.

The book was off to a good start. However, from around page 55 onwards it couldn't hold my attention consistently, unfortunately. Being hopeful it would pick up, I persevered. Unfortunately, I couldn't give it more than 3.5 out of 5.

What did I just read? I mean ... It was one of those kind of books. The ones that leave you reeling. That take time to get over. Prepare yourselves. That is all I am saying about it but ... gah. My flabber was well and truly gasted.

Anyhoo - if that hasn't piqued your curiosity, then, well, there is no hope for you. The last Time I Saw Him is classic Rachel Abbott novelisciousness, a story of a police investigation where we hear not only from the Police, largely by way of the series heroine Stephanie King, but also from the prime suspects in what is very quickly determined to be murder. And, unlike some other books in the series, or even the author's other, equally brilliant, Tom Douglas series, there is not just one suspect, or key witness, but three. Yes - three very important, very different women, all of whose lives intersected that if the victim, and all of whom may have had good reason for wanting him dead. But the question is why now, and what was so bad about him that murder was thought to be the only choice?

Well ... not going to lie, Rachel Abbott has done a superb job here of creating a victim for whom I felt not an ounce of pity. He is the kind of guy you take an instant dislike to, and it hardly came as a surprise that he might meet his maker. What was more of a surprise was the where and the how of it all, and what remained a complete mystery until just the right moment was the who. It was a strange experience reading this book as while I felt a certain amount of sympathy for the three women, I also didn't. It not hard to see how they got swept up into the world of Ellis Cobain, how they may have been tempted. And the more we learn about them, their lives and their pasts, the easier it is to accept their behaviour, at least in terms of falling for Ellis. It is perhaps his long suffering wife I felt for most, and while it is easy to judge, Rachel Abbott has actually made her a very sympathetic character and her personal situation is reminiscent of far too many women who are trapped in a situation over which they have no control.

There is a lot of misdirection in this book, and quite a bit of misinformation from some of the 'witnesses', or suspects as they are moe rightly known. It was hard to know who to trust, and where the lies ended and the truth began. Little is as it seems, but there is an underlying, pulsing, tension right from the very beginning. In a twist of fate, Stephanie finds herself caught up in the case in a way she definitely could not have been expecting, that adds a very different perspective on the investigation as she has, to a degree, met both the victims and suspects before, when staying as a guest at the same location the murder takes place. But what she thinks she saw, and what she can actually prove, are entirely different matters, and Rachel Abbott leads us, very skilfully, through the various twists and turns of an investigation that can, ultiamtely only lead to tragedy.

The setting of the book, the Cornish coastline, provides a contrast that really elevates the investigation, and also lends itself to the rising sense of jeopardy that I felt as we hurtled towards the end of the book. In fact, the conclusion comes at a more abrupt pace than even I was expecting. There is an escalation of tension, a showdown and, whilst I could see the direction the story was heading, it still led to one of those jaw-dropping moments (see paragraph 1) that I just wasn't ready for. Did the ending fit the book? Sadly, it did. Was justice served? Well ... you'll have to judge for yourselves when you read it, won't you. If yo love the series, you will love (and possibly hate) this book too.

This book was full of twists and turns from the very beginning, and I enjoyed trying to figure out who did it. However I did struggle to warm to the characters in this book which did affect how much I enjoyed it. It was slow to get going but picked up, I’m still not sure how I felt about the ending.

I found this hard to get into mainly because I had forgotten what I had read in the last book but once I had got into it I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The characters were good, it was well written as usual and I can recommend this if you are following the series. For me personally it wasn't an edge of seater but a good read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Headline for this ARC.

This is the first book I’ve read by Rachel Abbott, and I’m not sure I would rush to read another? It was yet another book I requested without realising it was part of a series, but thankfully it still made sense as a standalone.
The premise of the story itself was interesting with high tensions pretty early on, but it then felt like everything we had already seen was repeated for 200 pages with no real developments in the story. Then the last 30 pages were intense again, with so much action packed into the end. It’s clear that the ending was written with a future for Stephanie King in mind, but it didn’t feel like this story was finished at the end of the book. The ‘whodunnit’ twist was predictable IMO.
The characters were interesting, but at the same time, really confusing and difficult to connect with. Their personalities were inconsistent, the dialogue felt unrealistic and forced, with conversations reading too formally. The constantly changing POV was also really frustrating, jumping backwards and forward between first and third person for different characters, sometimes just changing POV mid-chapter. 
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC 🫶🏻

Three apparent strangers Celia, Juliette and Nadia all meet in a fancy hotel in Cornwall. They seem to have little in common, however it becomes apparent all of their lives have been affected by Celia’s husband Ellis Cobain. On the surface he seems like a generous philanthropist in line for a knighthood, but looks are deceiving. The women form a blackmail plan which does not go to plan and the women find themselves on a collision course which will affect their lives forever.
I enjoyed this book, however I do feel the middle of the book was perhaps too long and the story did drag a little. The end shapes up to a satisfactory conclusion. I would read books from this author again.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

Intriguing plot, well written storyline and an ending that that few would guess.. What’s not to like. Totally absorbing and a very good read. I recommend wholeheartedly.

I’m a huge fan of Rachel Abbott and this book did not disappoint! Juliette, Celia, Nadia and Steph are all such brilliant and relatable characters. This book will keep you guessing until the very end!

The Last Time I Saw Him is the fourth book in Rachel Abbott's Stephanie King series but I didn't actually realise that until I'd finished the book and looked at some reviews. It can definitely be read as a stand alone novel. Ellis Cobain is found dead on his yacht moored just off the coast from a hotel. Ellis' wife, mistress and ex-mistress are all at the hotel and the book follows the events leading up to and after the murder. I really enjoyed reading this book and thought Ellis was an awful character who got what he deserved. I was kept guessing throughout the book and thought I'd figured it out but I was still surprised by the conclusion. The ending felt a bit rushed to me but I loved the writing style and would read more by this author.

This is John Tucker Must Die…. Meets murder💀 if you love your stories with strong female leads and character ARCs, this one’s for you.

This pulled me right in and the characters were so gripping that I got really invested in their stories, but the twists at the end were incredibly mundane for me.

There was a surprise in the very end chapters, which shocked me, but it didn’t give much to the overall story imo and the killer was easy to figure out, so it made it quite average for me as a murder mystery.

This book was very well written
Full of twist and turns and definitely had me intrigued till the end!
It was also a very good pace!
I haven’t read anything from this author before but will definitely will be looking at other books now!
Will be recommending

A great story with enough questions in there to keep you guessing for most of the book, then a shocking curve ball towards the end!

I really enjoyed The Last Time I saw Him an absolutely edge of the seat whodunnit thriller by Rachel Abbott. book 4 of the Stephanie King series. This was the first thriller I have read by Rachel and it will not be my last.

Three women all staying at the same hotel in a Cornish village, Celia and her husband Elias, Nadia a singer at the hotel and Juliette who is on a break with her husband Russell are all strangers unfortunately all have something in common with Elias.

Elias a wealthy philanthopist and master puppeteer who loves nothing better than making these three women dance to his tune until one morning he has been found murdered aboard his own yacht.

Ceilia Nadia and Juliette devise a plan in which they can remove the manipulative Elias from their lives for good but who will be the weakest link out of the three of them and who really murdered Elias only time will tell.

Detective Sergeant Stephanie King and her partner Gus Detective Chief Inspector investigate the case and leave no stone unturned. Sadly at the end of the book there is another fatality which made me cry as I loved this character so much in the thriller.

3 woman, staying at a boutique hotel seemingly with nothing in common to each other, become mixed up with the death of philanthropist Ellis Cobain.
DS Stephanie King is called in to investigate as she stayed at the Hotel the weekend before so may have knowledge that will be useful.
On the whole, I enjoyed this back and forth thriller, many times I found myself changing my mind about who may have been involved. However I did find it slightly long winded and felt it could have been condensed more. The ending was a shock though

Three women, Juliette, Celia, and Nadia, are all unknown to each other. They have one thing in common, Ellis Cobain.
Celia is married to Ellis, but his behaviour causes her to be a nervous wreck. Juliette, married to Russell, is the mistress. Nadia, the ex mistress.
When all three women meet, they realise what a manipulative, arrogant, horrid man Ellis is, so they hatch a plan to blackmail him. The next day, Ellis is found dead on his yacht.So what went wrong, and who killed him?
This is the fourth Stephanie King, and I think the best.
I was hooked right from the start. We hear from the pov of each woman, how they met Ellis and how he has manipulated each one to belittle them.
It was tense at times, wondering if they could keep each other's secrets.
Stephanie and her partner Gus are sent to the hotel in Devon to solve the case.
I love how their relationship is flourishing and are now living together.
I thought the conclusion to the case was satisfactory, but I didn't guess who the killer was.
But that ending 😪 I had tears in my eyes. Any thanks to Rachel Abbott and publishers Headline/ Wildfire and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

This is an incredibly clever and intricately woven web of intrigue, deceit and plotting. I was guessing and changing my mind constantly and the cleverly laid clues. To me though, it was spoiled by the awful ending which obviously I can't talk about without giving spoilers. But it is a real shock and real let down to an otherwise fantastic thriller/mystery.

We are introduced to Stephanie, a detective having a break at a Cornish hotel, in the first scene. All the other players are there and lots of clues that will later become relevant as the plot is laid out. Russell and Juliette are at the hotel to see Nadia perform, Russell hoping to sign her and Juliette accompanying her husband on this break hoping to patch up their fractured marriage. Also at the hotel are Ellis and Celia, an obnoxious and pretentious playboy would be knight of the realm and his longsuffering downtrodden wife. Stephanie people watches and observes the tension between these characters in the first scene. It all suggests a hidden past with complications that become increasingly relevant after Ellis is discovered murdered on his yacht moored nearby. Stephanie and her partner Gus lead the murder investigation and very much suspect that Juliette, Russell, Nadia and Celia are somehow involved. The story then takes you on an amazing and gripping ride through wrong turns, plotting and conspiracy with Stephanie and Gus struggling to break through the tangled web. I thoroughly enjoyed the the totally addictive rollercoaster that followed but was left feeling shocked and very disappointed with the ending. Such a let down.

An accomplished, powerful thriller, full of suspense and intrigue. Unforeseen twists result in an unexpected ending.

These three women, Celia, Juliette and Nadia, don’t know each other, they’ve never met but they’ve all been treated horribly by the same narcissistic, egotistical guy. He presents to the world as a philanthropist, happily donating money he didn’t earn but inherited from his deceased first wife but he’s a user of people and of his power. Celia is his wife and step-mother to his children, Juliette an interior designer who did some work for him and Nadia is a singer in the hotel, where they all come to together for the first time.

He’s hurt them all in different ways, when they get together there enough hatred and fury to pay him back for his evil behaviour to decide to pay him back …………but the plan is not to kill him………..or is it?
I liked the storyline of this book, it’s a bit different and quite compelling. Ellis Cobain………well he’s a despicable character and you’re not supposed to like him, Celia, his wife is in a very vulnerable position thanks to Ellis and his controlling ways and she has cow-towed to him for a long time or the sake of the children that she loves, could this downtrodden woman have had enough and become his killer?. Juliette is married to Russel and has foolishly got involved with Cobain to help her newly set up business……..she’s a likeable character, she’s strong and determined but could she kill?. Her husband loves her to bits, but does he know about her affair………….would he kill to save his marriage?
Nadia is a singer who has been driven out of Bristol by Cobain, her career in ruins because of him, forced to change her name and move to Cornwall………..is she bitter enough to kill him?

The book started off really well and got me hooked quickly. There was a point around the half way mark when I just got a bit bored and felt it was being dragged on unnecessarily. Then it picked up again and the ending was gripping and with a twist that no-one could have seen coming. The setting - a hotel in Cornwall - was interesting but probably not as fully described as I would have liked. The characters were well developed and I liked the ones I was supposed to like and didn’t take to the ones I wasn’t supposed to like.
The detective and her partner/boss and their team seemed quite minor characters in the book to me, which surprised me as I presume this is going to be a series. Normally you get to know the team a bit more. I’m sure they will be further developed in subsequent books. Will I read the next book? Yes, definitely, there’s a lot of potential here for a good detective series. Murder/mystery/police procedural is my go-to genre and while this is a bit more Midsomer Murders than I would usually read - hence only 3 stars, I’m hoping the follow on books get a bit more hard core as the author has definite potential (my first read of this author who I understand is already well established, and very successful) for me!
My thanks go to the author, the publishers and to NetGalley for an advanced e.copy of this book, however, the review is entirely voluntary and 100% my honest opinion.