Family means everything to Sheridan. Her brother Lachy is finally home in Australia and she's excited about Easter with both of their families. But when a traumatic incident tears the families apart, she blames him.
Lachy knows he's not coping right now but his sister doesn't have the full story. And there are some gaps in his memory. How is he connected to a DNA request, a missing woman, and a hit and run?

As soon as I started reading, I immediately recognised Petronella’s storytelling style. The family drama aspect was so good and played so well with the psychological suspense elements.

I loved the concept of DNA being a trace that could never be wiped out. I had no idea where the story would go beyond the first look at the synopsis, and I was wondering where and how the past timeline would meet the current one. But once I realised what it was about, I had a lightbulb moment!

I listened to this on audiobook, and it was narrated really well. I remember I was outside doing chores when I reached the reveal, and I had to stop what I was doing to focus and process the rest of the story. Another well written book from Petronella!

This is a complex and thought provoking story told by four different characters mixed in with a few twists along the way. I didn't love this one but still enjoyed it but wasn't rushing to listen to it non stop. I would be intrigued to listen to another of the authors to have this to compare too. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for this audio arc.

“Memory. It worked in such mysterious ways. Lodging certain things in the brain, discarding others. Sometimes protecting us from our worst experiences, sometimes replaying them over and over, sometimes lying to us.”

The Last Trace is the fourth novel by best-selling Australian author, Petronella McGovern. The audio version is narrated by Madeleine Jones. After fourteen years as a water engineer working on overseas aid projects, Lachlan Wilson is back in Australia on extended leave. He’s living in the family’s remote holiday cabin near Dalgety, Mimosa Hideout, with his fifteen-year-old son, Kai.

In the week before Easter, Kai contacts his Aunt Sheridan, Lachy’s older sister, because he’s worried about his dad’s memory. Privately, Lachy is worried too: he can’t remember the incident that put him on the front page of the local paper as a hero because he was blacked out at the time. “That was the trouble with memory: if you didn’t know what you were supposed to remember, it was impossible to fake.” The fact that he drove to the pub with Kai whilst in that state is concerning. And it’s not the first time.

Kai has been sent to live with his dad because of an incident with drugs in which his best mate was hospitalised, and Lachy is meant to be checking on him. But he is distracted: back in Washington DC, months earlier, he was with Juliet during such a blackout, and she now claims to be pregnant. She has convinced him by email to do a DNA test. It has him wondering what happened with camp counsellor Tiffany during his first blackout, eighteen years earlier…

And he’s avoiding even looking at work emails because of what he found out about his immediate supervisor, Henrik, and the organisation’s reaction to that. He doesn’t even want to think about what happened in Kenya but the things he wants to forget wouldn’t leave him alone while other stuff vanishes into the ether.

Meanwhile, Sheridan arrives early for the Easter weekend, subtly checking on Lachy before her husband and daughters arrive. Parties are strictly forbidden by his nagging mother and step-father, but Kai has convinced his dad to let him go to a bonfire with his new schoolmates. He’s hoping to make friends by handing out pingers, but it doesn’t quite work out that way.

Already burdened with being the default person for their mother, Gloria, in a care facility due to early onset dementia, Sheridan has always looked out for her younger brother, and her nephew. But then an incident with potentially tragic consequences prompts a change in attitude towards them.

The story is told through four narrative strands: from the perspectives of Lachy, Kai and Sheridan in the present day, and Elizabeth, living in a strict religious family, some fifty-five years earlier. McGovern gives the reader a tale that explores memory, family relationships, cult religion, peer group pressure, and secrets and lies to which even good people resort when pushed. There are red herrings and a twist or two before a very neat resolution. A riveting and thought-provoking read.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and WF Howes Ltd

This is a complex tale, quite difficu to define. It’s a family drama and a bit of a thriller. I found the start very slow and quite difficult to engage with. It’s very much a character driven story, with not much action and the timeline and narrative point switches frequently. I was p,eased I’d persevered as all in all it turned into a complex tale about past events resonating and being triggered in the present. It looks at trauma, the power of religious influence and genealogy. Bit by bit all the threads are drawn together and overall, it was interesting and thought provoking but it didn’t set me alight. The narration throughout is balanced.

This genre-combining story has elements from a historical novel, a contemporary family drama and a mystery story, which are blended together well.

For me, the beginning was a bit slow, but the full story and the audio book do justice to the complexity of the narrative. Among other things, the novel explores the way in which aspects of genealogy, generational trauma and family secrets can come together to create a toxic situation despite the best intentions of the key characters.

Lachy is a man who has spent much of his life doing service of the well-meaning and world-saving variety in different parts of the world. But he can't seem to get his life at home, in Australia, together. On top of which he is now plagued by memory lapses, which may cloak certain unpleasant realities that he is unable to recall.

All of this understandably has implications for others in his family - including his sister Sheridan, who has carried more than than her fair share of caregiving responsibilities in their family, particularly with respect to their parents, and Lachy's son Kai who idolizes his father and is worried about him.

The story is moving and well-told through the audio book narration. Worth checking out. It gets 3.5 stars, just missing 4 because of the meandering start.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Last Trace by Petronella McGovern, an audiobook narrated by Madeleine Jones is a historical mystery thriller and family drama set in Australia in the present with heartbreaking events in the USA in 1968.
This was a difficult task for me. I enjoyed the tale, but I struggled to connect with it. There was a lot of happening, there were some heartbreaking moments, and my blood was boiling so hard. The topic that makes my skin itchy is religion. The worst things happen because of religion because people become fanatics and lose their sense of reality!

You must get to the half-book to finally click where the story is going so don't give up!

Lachy takes care of his fifteen-year-old son. When dad's gone and mom's in care, Lachy's sister Sheridan helps them out. Lachy experiences memory blackouts. What happens when you have a memory blank, could you have committed a crime? Oh well, this is just the beginning, the worst is just ready to come!

So many layers, so many secrets, and so complicated lives.

I believe that this book is best to listen to as an audiobook as I think I would skim some pages if I would read it. And the first part of the book is kind of going around and nowhere so it would be easy to give up. Madeleine Jones definitely added an extra star for this book!

Thank you, NetGalley and Wavesound from W.F. Howes Ltd for this copy!

A really enthralling exploration of family traits and generational trauma. I enjoyed the focus on characterisation over a fast plot.

This was right up my street. There’s a lot going on, but it’s so well written and narrated that it’s really easy to follow. Part family drama, part thriller and part historical thriller, and for once I wasn’t clinging on to the historical parts of the story, I enjoyed the now every single bit as much as the then!

This novel gives a lot to think about, from the complexity’s of family relationships to genealogy and traits we inherit from our ancestors. The effects of cult like religion, the planet and history. There’s lots to capture the imagination and hold the interest.

The narration is lovely.

I thoroughly enjoyed this, it’s an easy 5 🌟

All the stars 🌟
#Jorecommends

My thanks to Wavesound from W F Howes LTD and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in return for an honest review.

I do love the Australian books and narrators. This delivered really well. It was different for me and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was slow to start but got me thinking. I binge listened to this

A great family drama and a a real page turner. Told across dual time lines and from multiple points of view the story covers themes of drugs, complex family dramas, generational secrets, abuse of power, DNA profiling and much more! The author develops the characters extremely well and throws in twist after twist to hold the reader's attention. The ending ties in the past and present links perfectly making it a very satisfying and enjoyable read.
The book is brilliantly narrated ensuring there is no confusion with the vast numbers of characters involved.
I am grateful to the publishers and NetGalley for an advanced listener copy of this audiobook and am leaving my honest review voluntarily.