The Last Time She Died by Zöe Sharp is a good start to a new suspenseful thriller series.
Synopsis of The Last Time She Died
In the town of Derbyshire, Blake Claremont disappeared ten years ago. Many thought she ran away, while others were certain she was dead because they most definitely buried her body. Fast forward to the present, Blake returns to her family home, shocking everyone with her sudden reappearance. A few people seem happy to see her, while others think she is an imposter and desperately want to prove it.
So just who is this young woman claiming to be Blake?
Enter Detective John Byron, who is sent in an unofficial capacity to investigate the suspicious manner of death of Blake’s father, Gideon Fitzroy, a former member of Parliament. Byron quickly discovers that the situation is more convoluted than he previously supposed.
This story has multiple POVs, many of which I thought were unnecessary. The three main perspectives are Blake, Byron and Blake’s stepsister, Lily; however, nearly every character gets a few chapters from their perspective.
Thoughts
The chapters themselves are short, but rather than feeling like this was a propulsive read, I thought it was distracting. Just when I became invested, the chapter would end on a cliffhanger, and the next would be told from a different character, making the wait longer to find out what happened, which became frustrating after a while.
The last 100 pages, or so, picked up, and there were plenty of twists. Most were obvious, some were surprising. It was readily apparent who the antagonists were from reading the opening scene, but it was likely purposefully done that way.
The final quarter is when I became fully invested and wanted to know how everything would turn out. Byron’s character was the most well-developed out of all of them. I don’t know if that’s enough to make me want to continue with the series, but we shall see.
CW: child abuse.
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐/5
Publication Date: 20 October 2021
Thank you to Bookoutre for providing me with an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
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