I purchased this book for my own personal collection.
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Published: November 8, 2022
Summary:
At midnight, one of them is dead.
By morning, all of them are suspects.
It’s a party to end all parties, but not everyone is here to celebrate.
On New Year’s Eve, Rhys Lloyd has a house full of guests. His vacation homes on Mirror Lake are a success, and he’s generously invited the village to drink champagne with their wealthy new neighbors.
But by midnight, Rhys will be floating dead in the freezing waters of the lake.
On New Year’s Day, Ffion Morgan has a village full of suspects. The tiny community is her home, so the suspects are her neighbors, friends and family—and Ffion has her own secrets to protect.
With a lie uncovered at every turn, soon the question isn’t who wanted Rhys dead…but who finally killed him.
In a village with this many secrets, murder is just the beginning.
My thoughts:
I have been a fan of Clare Macintosh ever since reading her debut novel, I Let You Go. Since then, I’ve read just about all her books and have loved them and was thrilled to find out she was writing her first ever series. I love series and I couldn’t wait to read this one…and I’m so happy to say this first installment did not disappoint.
It’s no secret that I love a good police procedural and I found this one to be set up so well! The dynamics between the two detectives are just so fun…there really isn’t any other word to describe it. Their first meet-up was hysterical and then to find out they have to work together is sheer genius! But over the course of the book, we come to learn that they are each dealing with their own issues and we will see how working together will foster a bond between them.
Having the book set in a small village in Wales allows for such an atmospheric read and I loved that. When the body is found in the lake and it turns out to be someone that isn’t all that liked, the list of suspects is quite high. And I loved that not only is the story told from multiple perspectives, allowing us to see the story from all angles, but we also get a before and after timeline, which just adds suspense to the overall story. This one kept me on my toes the entire time because there were so many people that had motive and as we heard from everyone, it turned out they all had secrets that made them even more guilty.
While the book started out a little slow, it certainly took off halfway through. And I loved how just when I thought it was over, there was still more to come! This book was such an engaging, immersive read and I cannot wait to see what comes next in this series!
Books in this series:
- The Last Party
- A Game of Lies – due out ???
