The Last Party

Starred review from September 26, 2022
This superb blend of psychological thriller and police procedural from bestseller Mackintosh (Hostage) begins with the discovery of Rhys Lloyd’s body on New Year’s Day in freezing Mirror Lake, which straddles North Wales and England. Rhys grew up in the village of Cwm Coed on the Welsh side, where he became disliked for building a luxury vacation development on the British side that the villagers believed would spoil the area and price them out. The case falls to Det. Constable Ffion Morgan of the North Wales Police and Det. Constable Leo Brady of the Cheshire Constabulary. Their working relationship doesn’t start well because on New Year’s Eve they had a one-night stand using fake names. Awkward doesn’t begin to describe the situation, but the two professionals find their investigative skills complement each other. Ffion was raised in Cwm Coed, an advantage and drawback, as she knows everyone, including their secrets, while Leo’s outsider status allows him to be more objective. A gripping portrait of two fractured people merges with believable plot twists, and the author perfectly captures the ennui of a small town where gossip can destroy lives. Mackintosh consistently entertains. Agent: Sheila Crowley, Curtis Brown (U.K.).

Starred review from March 1, 2023

Mackintosh's (Hostage) new "DC Morgan" series blasts off with this whodunit set in the North Wales village of Cwm Coed, Detective Constable Ffion Morgan's hometown. Morgan's relationship with Leo Brody, the Cheshire Constabulary detective sent to help with the investigation, gets off to a hilariously awkward start when, examining the body of murder victim Rhys Lloyd, the two realize they just had a one-night stand, with both using fake names. Lloyd, local bad boy who made it big as an opera singer, was unpopular with the Welsh villagers after financing luxury vacation lodges on the English side of Mirror Lake. When his body washes up during the annual New Year's Day polar plunge on the Welsh side of the lake, suspects abound--many with connections to Morgan. Narrator Chloe Angharad Davies has few audiobook credits to her name, but her virtuoso performance suggests that she is a narrator to watch. Davies masterfully alters her vocal range and pacing to depict the diverse cast of characters, and her Welsh accents are positively musical. VERDICT Mystery fans will adore Mackintosh's wonderfully quirky characters in this white-knuckle thriller; expect many holds on the next series installment, with hopes it will be narrated by Davies.--Beth Farrell

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